Existing law vests the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) with full possession and control of the state highway system and requires Caltrans to improve and maintain the state highways. Existing law requires Caltrans, in consultation with the California Transportation Commission, to prepare a robust asset management plan to guide selection of projects for the state highway operation and protection program (SHOPP) . This bill would require the department, in connection with each revision of the asset management plan, to prepare and publish a supplemental list of wildlife connectivity improvements on the state highway system, as specified, and would require the department to submit the supplemental list to the commission for review and comments before the final list is published. Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature that Caltrans review the full extent of the state highway system, as currently maintained, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and with opportunities for the public to provide data input for consideration, to develop a comprehensive approach to address wildlife connectivity needs throughout the state with the goal of implementing measures that protect, conserve, and improve the state's unique wildlife, landscapes, and natural resources. This bill would explicitly require Caltrans to undertake this duty, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and with opportunities for the public to provide data and input for consideration, as specified. Existing law requires Caltrans, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and other appropriate agencies, to establish an inventory of connectivity needs on the state highway system where the implementation of wildlife passage features could reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions or enhance wildlife connectivity, and to update the inventory on a biennial basis, as specified. This bill would instead require Caltrans, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and other appropriate agencies, to assess potential barriers to wildlife to establish an inventory of connectivity needs on the state highway system where the implementation of wildlife passage features could reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions or enhance wildlife connectivity. The bill would require the biennial update to the inventory to be based on an analysis of transportation assets within priority route segments identified by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The bill would require Caltrans to consult with the Department of Fish and Wildlife on the development of each update to the inventory, as prescribed. Existing law requires Caltrans to prepare a State Highway System Management Plan (SHSMP) , which includes a 10-year rehabilitation plan for the rehabilitation or reconstruction by the SHOPP of all state highways and bridges, and a 5-year maintenance plan that addresses the maintenance needs of the state highway system, as provided. Existing law requires the SHSMP to include specific quantifiable accomplishments, goals, objectives, costs, and performance measures consistent with the asset management plan described above. Existing law requires the SHSMP to be updated every 2 years. This bill would require Caltrans to include wildlife connectivity as an objective in the SHSMP.
Existing law establishes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE) in the Natural Resources Agency and requires CAL-FIRE to coordinate programs of fire protection, fire prevention, pest control, and forest and range maintenance and enhancement. Existing law requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to establish a working group on expanding wood product markets that can utilize woody biomass, especially biomass removed from high fire hazard zones, as determined by CAL-FIRE. This bill would enact the Biomass Innovation Parks Act, which would establish the Biomass Innovation Park Grants and Financing Program, to be administered by the agency. The bill would require the agency, in coordination with the Department of Food and Agriculture (department) and CAL-FIRE, on or before September 30, 2027, to identify one or more biomass innovation parks, as provided. The bill would require the agency, in coordination with the department and CAL-FIRE, to develop guidelines and solicit proposals from an eligible applicant, as defined, to develop, operate, and manage a biomass innovation park, as provided. The bill would require the guidelines to include specified things, including, among other things, that each park shall only process wood waste, as defined, that originated in California, that each park only host projects that use a noncombustion technology to convert wood waste into carbon-beneficial products or end uses, as specified, and that each park establish a community benefits program. In order to facilitate a planning process for identifying parks, the bill would authorize the agency, in coordination with the department and CAL-FIRE, to develop guidance on specified things, including, among others, guidance for a public agency and private industry to partner on a park proposal. This bill would additionally require the agency, in coordination with the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and CAL-FIRE, to, among other things, develop regional wood availability assessments and to adopt a tracking system to trace and authenticate forest biomass origins. The bill would require the agency to deliver a report to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2027, containing information pertaining to the identified parks.
Existing law requires the Geologic Energy Management Division in the Department of Conservation, on or before March 1, 2025, to identify all low-production wells, as defined, that are located in the County of Los Angeles in an oil field that is adjacent to a state recreation area or state park and is located, in whole or in part, within the boundary of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, as provided. Existing law prohibits, commencing March 1, 2026, the owners of those wells from allowing those wells to be low-production wells for more than 12 months. Upon a violation of that prohibition, existing law requires the State Oil and Gas Supervisor to charge an administrative penalty of $10,000 per month to the low-production well owner, until the low-production well is plugged and abandoned, as provided. Existing law requires the plugging and abandoning of all wells located in the County of Los Angeles in an oil field that is adjacent to a state recreation area or state park and is located, in whole or in part, within the boundary of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy by December 31, 2030. Existing law requires the supervisor, on and after January 1, 2031, to charge the owner of a well an administrative penalty of $10,000 per month for a violation of that requirement, until the well is plugged and abandoned. Existing law establishes the Equitable Community Repair and Reinvestment Account, requires the above-described administrative penalties to be deposited into the account, and makes the funds from the account available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Conservation for allocation to the County of Los Angeles for projects that benefit communities living within 212 miles of the identified low-production wells, as provided. This bill would require the Department of Conservation, upon appropriation by the Legislature and subject to the terms of the appropriation, to distribute the first $5,000,000 deposited into the Equitable Community Repair and Reinvestment Account, after accounting for appropriations made for administrative purposes, to the County of Los Angeles to establish a program to disburse in direct cash assistance in equal amounts to households located within 212 miles of the identified low production wells who have at least one member with respiratory or reproductive health impacts. The bill would, among other things, require the county to establish processes for households to verify that they meet the residency and health-impact requirements, as provided. The bill would require the application process for direct cash assistance to be noninvasive, simple, and standardized. The bill would limit the disbursement of direct cash assistance to 1,000 households and would require the county to select recipient households by randomized lottery if the number of applications from verified eligible households exceeds 1,000. The bill would exclude this direct cash assistance from income or resource considerations for purposes of determining any member of the household's eligibility for benefits or assistance, or the amount or extent of benefits or assistance, under any state or local benefit or assistance program, as provided. The bill would require the department, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, to distribute to the county for administrative purposes an amount that does not exceed 10% of the programmatic appropriation. By imposing new duties on the County of Los Angeles, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt regulations for the identification and management of hazardous wastes. Existing law authorizes the department to adopt regulations designating end-of-life photovoltaic modules that are identified as hazardous waste as a universal waste and subject to regulations applicable to universal waste management. Federal regulations identify solid wastes which are subject to regulation as hazardous wastes. Federal regulations exclude from the definition of solid waste for that purpose hazardous secondary material that is generated and then transferred to another person for the purpose of reclamation under specified circumstances. This bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2028, to convene one or more public workshops for interested parties to comment on the applicability of the above-described federal regulations to hazardous waste streams, including, but not limited to, solar photovoltaic modules, generated in California. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2029, to consider the feedback received and evaluate the applicability of those federal regulations to end-of-life solar photovoltaic modules as an alternative to one or more of the state standards governing hazardous waste and universal waste management. The bill would authorize the department, based on findings of the evaluation, to adopt, by regulation, the federal regulations, subject to revision as necessary, and apply them to end-of-life solar photovoltaic modules that are identified as hazardous waste under existing state law.
The California Endangered Species Act prohibits the take of an endangered, threatened, or candidate species, except as specified. Under the act, the Department of Fish and Wildlife may authorize the take of listed species by certain entities through permits or memorandums of understanding for specified purposes. The act allows take of an endangered, threatened, or candidate species by permit if, among other things, the impact of the authorized take is minimized and fully mitigated. This bill would also allow the department to authorize by permit the take of a species proposed for listing, as defined, if specified conditions are met. The bill would provide that if a species proposed for listing becomes listed as an endangered, threatened, or candidate species, further authorization or approval shall not be required for a take of that species, if specified conditions are met, including that the species proposed for listing was included as a covered species in a permit previously issued by the department for incidental take and that the incidental take is caused by a renewable electrical generation facility. The bill would require the department to, on or before January 31, 2033, compile and post a summary table on its internet website with specified information for calendar years 2027 to 2032, inclusive.
Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of all state highways and all property and rights on property acquired for state highway purposes. Various provisions of existing law specifically provide for the acquisition, transfer, and use of property owned by the department. This bill would, with respect to a parcel that the department transferred to the City of Lynwood, require the department, upon request from the city, to develop and enter into an agreement with the city to release and remove a deed restriction imposed on that parcel if the city agrees to transfer the deed restriction to another specified parcel and other certain other requirements are met. If the city and department enter into this agreement, the bill would require the city to submit reports to the Legislature, and specified committees of the Legislature, at prescribed intervals on the use of this authority to develop those parcels. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Lynwood.
(1) Existing law establishes a registration fee and a renewal fee for vessels, and imposes an additional fee, known as the invasive mussel infestation prevention fee, on a vessel required to pay the registration fee or renewal fee, as provided. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a vessel an invasive mussel infestation prevention sticker to the vessel owner upon payment of the invasive mussel infestation prevention fee. Existing law authorizes a vessel operator to be issued a citation for operating a vessel or a recreational vessel in nonmarine waters without a valid state-issued invasive mussel infestation prevention sticker. This bill would exempt from that provision relating to citations a person who operates a vessel or recreational vessel on the waters of Lake Tahoe or Topaz Lake if the vessel is registered in the State of Nevada, the State of Nevada has a program in effect for the management of aquatic invasive species, and the vessel displays a current aquatic invasive species decal issued by the State of Nevada. (2) The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requires the Department of Water Resources to categorize each groundwater basin as high-, medium-, low-, or very low priority, as specified. Existing law requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the department to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans. The act requires that, any time the department updates certain water basin boundaries pursuant to a specified provision, the department reassess the prioritization of basins, as prescribed. This bill would instead require the department, any time the department updates those boundaries, to reassess the prioritization of groundwater basins for which boundary changes have been made, and would require the department on or before January 1, 2035, and not less than every 10 years thereafter, to review, and determine, whether a reprioritization of all groundwater basins is warranted. (3) This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes. (4) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake.
(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.
The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, an initiative measure approved by the voters as Proposition 65 at the November 4, 1986, statewide general election, prohibits a person, in the course of doing business, from knowingly and intentionally exposing any individual to a chemical known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity without giving a specified warning, or from knowingly discharging or releasing that chemical into water, or into or onto land and passing into any source of drinking water, except as specified. The act authorizes a person, acting in the public interest, to bring an action to enforce the requirements of the act if specified requirements are met. If there is a settlement of an action brought by a person in the public interest, the act requires the plaintiff to submit the settlement to the court for approval upon noticed motion, and authorizes the court to approve the settlement only if the court makes specified findings, as provided, including that the award of attorney's fees is reasonable under state law. This bill would additionally require the court to find that the award of attorney's fees is appropriate under state law and that the settlement is in the public interest and provides a public benefit. The bill would further require, under a specified circumstance, the court to find that the settlement would require the defendant to reduce the exposure to the listed chemical from the level that existed before the settlement or provide a warning that complies with the act if that warning was not provided previously. The bill would also establish a procedure pursuant to which the court would be authorized to enter an award of attorney's fees if the Attorney General objects to the award of attorney's fees set forth in the settlement, as provided. Proposition 65 provides that it may be amended by a statute, passed by a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature, to further its purposes. This bill would find and declare that it furthers the purposes of Proposition 65.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to prescribe, by regulation, standards for minimum levels of operating efficiency, and authorizes the Energy Commission to prescribe other cost-effective measures, to promote the use of energy- and water-efficient appliances whose use requires a significant amount of energy or water. Existing law prohibits the sale, and the offering for sale, of new appliances unless their manufacturers certify that they comply with the standards in effect at the time the appliances are manufactured. Existing law defines "sold or offered for sale in the state" to mean any sale of or offer to sell an appliance for end use in the state, regardless of the seller's physical location. This bill would expand the above-described provisions to also include the rental, importation, distribution, or lease of, or an offer for the rental, importation, distribution, or lease of, those appliances, as provided.
