The California Constitution specifies various requirements with respect to the levying of assessments and property-related fees and charges by a local agency. As part of those requirements, the California Constitution mandates that such fees or charges that are extended, imposed, or increased satisfy certain requirements, including, but not limited to, that the amount of the fee or charge imposed upon any parcel or person as an incident of property ownership not exceed the proportional cost of the service attributable to the parcel. Existing law, known as the Proposition 218 Omnibus Implementation Act (act) , prescribes specific procedures and parameters for local jurisdictions to comply with these requirements and, among other things, authorizes an agency providing water, wastewater, sewer, or refuse collection services to adopt a schedule of fees or charges authorizing automatic adjustments that pass through increases in wholesale charges for water, sewage treatment, or wastewater treatment or adjustments for inflation under certain circumstances. This bill would authorize a local government to demonstrate the proportional cost of the service attributable to the parcel by any method that reasonably allocates the ascertainable cost of providing service to all parcels, if substantiated as provided. The bill would, however, provide that for water or sewer service fee or charge impositions, a local government is not required to provide an exact measure of the cost of the service at each parcel and may instead impose uniform or tiered rates to parcel or customer classes that are defined based on common characteristics indicative of likely water or sewer use. The bill would provide that the proportional cost of service within each tier of water service may be substantiated by using any reasonable basis for allocating costs attributed to the tier, as described, and would provide a local government discretion to determine the costs allocated to each tier as long as the rate for each tier does not exceed the proportional cost of service reasonably allocated to parcels subject to that tier. The bill would specify that its provisions do not apply to fees for water connections or sewer connections, or capacity charges, as specified.
(1) Existing law establishes the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund program, pursuant to which state and federal funds are continuously appropriated from the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund to the State Water Resources Control Board for loans and other financial assistance for purposes related to the federal Clean Water Act. Existing law establishes the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund Administration Fund (administration fund) to provide funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be expended by the state board for payment of the reasonable costs of administering the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund. Existing law authorizes the state board to assess an annual charge for financial assistance services, not to exceed 1% of the financial assistance repayment amount and computed according to the true interest cost method, as provided, and requires those annual charges to be deposited into the administration fund. Existing law authorizes the financial service rate to be applied at any time during the term of the financial assistance and requires the rate to remain unchanged for the duration of the financial assistance. Existing law prohibits the financial assistance rate from increasing the financial assistance repayment amount after being applied. Existing law requires the state board to, at least once each fiscal year, adjust the financial assistance service rate. Existing law requires the state board to set the total amount of revenue collected each year through the annual charges at an amount that is equal as practicable to the appropriation amount set forth in the annual Budget Act. This bill would additionally authorize the state board to assess fees in place of an annual charge for financial assistance and would authorize the fees or annual charge to be assessed at any rate as permitted by federal law. The bill would delete the provision prohibiting the changing of the financial assistance rate during the financial assistance and the increasing of the financial assistance repayment amount. The bill would delete the requirement relating to the appropriation amount set forth in the annual Budget Act. (2) Existing law authorizes moneys in the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund to be used for loans that meet specified requirements, including that the loans be made at or below market interest rates and, to the extent permitted by federal law, requiring that the combined interest and loan service rate be set at a rate not to exceed 50% of the interest rate paid by the state on the most recent sale of state general obligation bonds, as provided. Existing law requires the combined interest and loan service rate to be 0% for certain applicants who provide matching funds. This bill would delete the provision requiring that the combined interest and loan service rate be set at a rate not to exceed 50% of the interest rate paid by the state on the most recent sale of state general obligation bonds. The bill would require the loans to be made at below market interest rates. (3) Existing law prohibits a person or public agency, including a state agency, city, county, city and county, district, or any other political subdivision of the state, from using water from any source of quality suitable for potable domestic use for nonpotable uses, including, among other locations, parks, if suitable recycled water is available, as provided. Existing law provides that incidental amounts of spray, mist, or runoff are to be permitted to enter outdoor eating areas of parks and open spaces when irrigated with disinfected tertiary treated recycled water that complies with a specified regulation regarding irrigation. This bill would instead provide that incidental runoff is allowed to enter outdoor eating areas of parks and open spaces when irrigated with disinfected tertiary treated recycled water that complies with a specified regulation regarding irrigation. The bill would define "incidental runoff" as unintended amounts of runoff, such as unintended, minimal overspray from sprinklers that escapes the area of intended use.
Existing law establishes the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program and requires the Superintendent to allocate $2,750 per unit of average daily attendance, as specified, to local educational agencies with a prior fiscal year unduplicated pupil percentage of 55% or more, and requires those local educational agencies, as a condition of receiving that funding, to offer access to expanded learning opportunity programs to all pupils and to provide access to any pupil whose parent or guardian requests their placement in a program. Existing law defines unduplicated pupils for these purposes to mean a pupil who is classified as an English learner, eligible for a free or reduced-price meal, or a foster youth, as specified. This bill would require local educational agencies, for purposes of offering access to expanded learning opportunity programs pursuant to those provisions, to prioritize offering access to unduplicated pupils, which the bill would authorize to include, but not be limited to, specialized outreach to the parents and guardians of unduplicated pupils and providing assistance with enrollment of unduplicated pupils.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow a credit against the taxes imposed by those laws, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2027, for rehabilitation of certified historic structures, as defined, and, under the Personal Income Tax Law, for a qualified residence, as defined. Existing law allows an increased credit of 25% of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures with respect to a certified historic structure meeting any of certain criteria, including a rehabilitated structure that includes affordable housing for lower income households. Existing law requires a taxpayer to receive an allocation from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) to be eligible for the credit. Existing law limits the aggregate amount of money that can be allocated for these credits per calendar year. Existing law requires, on an annual basis beginning January 1, 2021, until January 1, 2027, the Legislative Analyst to collaborate with the CTCAC and the State Office of Historic Preservation to review the effectiveness of these tax credits, as described. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst to submit a review of the effectiveness of the tax credits for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2027, to the Legislature, as specified. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, and before January 1, 2032, would enact a similar credit against the taxes imposed by the Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law for the rehabilitation of certified historic structures, as provided. The bill, for tax credits allocated for those taxable years, would remove the above-described increased credit of 25% and would remove the credit for a qualified residence. The bill would also remove the limit on the amount of money that can be allocated per calendar year, and would instead require the limit to be set by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another measure. The bill would provide additional requirements relating to the manner in which the credits are allocated. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure, as defined, to include exclusions from income, to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax credit will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include findings and reporting requirements in compliance with this requirement. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law requires, within 7 months after the close of each fiscal year or within the time prescribed by the Controller, whichever is later, the officer of each local agency, as defined, who has charge of the financial records to furnish to the Controller a report of all the financial transactions of the local agency during the preceding fiscal year, as specified. Existing law requires the report to contain underlying data from audited financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, as specified, and to state certain information, including the aggregate income during the preceding fiscal year. Existing law requires the legislative body, upon completion of the report, to either post the report in a conspicuous location on its internet website or to cause copies of the report to be prepared and the clerk of the legislative body to furnish a copy to any person requesting it, as specified. This bill would require a local agency, as defined, that maintains an internet website to post its audited financial statements, or its annual comprehensive financial report, on its internet website within 30 days of the date that the statements or report are completed by the local agency, as specified. The bill would make its provisions operative on January 1, 2028. By imposing additional duties on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would include findings and declarations related to these provisions. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law prohibits the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District from issuing general obligation or revenue bonds, or any other form of long-term indebtedness, except to finance an interim system of buses and ferries or to finance capital improvements or modifications relating to seismic safety of the Golden Gate Bridge. This bill would authorize the district to accept contributions and loans from this state and the United States for the purpose of financing capital improvements or modifications related to seismic safety on the Golden Gate Bridge, as specified.
The Planning and Zoning law requires each planning agency to prepare and the legislative body of each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city that includes specified elements, including a housing element. The law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to designate jurisdictions as prohousing, as specified. The law requires that jurisdictions that have adopted a housing element that has been found by the department to be in substantial compliance with specified requirements and that have been designated as prohousing based on their adoption of prohousing local policies, as defined, be awarded additional points or preference in the scoring of program applications for certain programs. Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a city or county to designate a proposed enhanced infrastructure financing district to finance public capital facilities or other specified projects of communitywide significance that provide significant benefits to the district or the surrounding community, including, among other things, the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of housing for persons of very low, low, and moderate income for rent or purchase, as specified. Existing law authorizes an infrastructure financing plan to contain a provision for the division of taxes levied upon taxable property in the area included within the district, and authorizes the public financing authority of the district to issue bonds, as provided. This bill would authorize a city or county that is designated as prohousing to establish a prohousing enhanced infrastructure financing district if certain requirements are met, as specified. The bill would prescribe requirements applicable to those districts. The bill would expand the definition of "prohousing local policies" for purposes of the above-described provisions to include the establishment of one of these districts, and would require that the jurisdiction that established, and projects located within, a district receive enhanced points or preference than the baseline provided to other prohousing jurisdictions.
This Senate Resolution highlights the importance of medically supportive food and nutrition services, often called "food as medicine," in improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs for Californians. It notes that these services, which include medically tailored meals and groceries, are already a key part of the state's Medi-Cal program and have been shown to lower emergency room visits and hospitalizations. The resolution emphasizes the value of these programs in addressing diet-related health issues and encourages continued collaboration among healthcare providers and community organizations to expand access. Additionally, it supports sourcing food from local farms to benefit the economy and environment while ensuring high-quality, culturally relevant care for patients.
Existing law, the State General Obligation Bond Law, generally sets forth the procedures for the issuance and sale of bonds governed by its provisions and for the disbursal of the proceeds of the sale of those bonds. Existing law specifies various provisions required for inclusion in a bond act. Existing law requires any state bond measure approved on or after January 1, 2004, to be subject to an annual reporting process, with the head of the lead state agency administering the bond proceeds reporting certain information about the projects being funded to the Legislature and the Department of Finance. Existing law permits this information to be provided on the agency's internet website or the state's open data portal under certain circumstances. Existing law authorizes the costs of the report to be included in the cost of administering the bond act unless prohibited by the bond act. Existing law defines various terms for these purposes, including "board." Existing law defines "board" to mean the state board, department, or agency authorized by a bond act to request the committee to cause bonds to be issued for the purpose of creating a fund that is to be expended by the board for the purposes specified in the bond act. Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, sets forth the requirements for the adoption, publication, review, and implementation of regulations by state agencies. For any state general obligation bond measure that is approved by voters on and after January 1, 2027, this bill would require a bond act to include specified information about the objectives of the bond expenditure and related data. The bill would also require the board to post on its internet website a notification that contains, among other information, details about the programs and projects authorized to be funded by the bond. The bill would require the board to provide a short, one page, executive summary style written report to the Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst, and specified legislative committees that contains certain information regarding the general obligation bond, in accordance with the above-described provision permitting this information to be provided on the board's internet website or the state's online data portal. The bill would require the report to include, among other information, whether the project, grant, or other expenditure of bond proceeds has been done in a timely manner. The bill would require a bond act to include a provision requiring the cost of the report to be included in the cost of administering the bond act and would require the cost of compliance with the above-described report requirements be included in the cost of administering the bond act. The bill would exempt from the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act the development and adoption of program guidelines, recommendations, or criteria pursuant to the bill. The bill would also make nonsubstantive and conforming changes.
Existing law requires each state agency, each year, to make a review of all proprietary state lands, except, among other categories of land, land held for highway purposes, over which it has jurisdiction to determine what land is in excess of its foreseeable needs and report thereon to the Department of General Services, including, among other things, land that is not currently being utilized, or is currently being underutilized, by the state agency for any ongoing state program. This bill would remove the exception for land held for highway purposes and specifically require the Department of Transportation to submit the report described above. The bill would require the report to include the market value of the properties reviewed by the agency. The bill would require the report to include land that is not currently being utilized, is currently being underutilized, or is not being used by a state agency, regardless of whether the agency is currently prepared to dispose of the land by sale or otherwise. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Legislature containing information regarding the land reported to it by a state agency as described in these provisions, on or before January 1, 2031.