Existing law establishes the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in order to meet the public transit problems of the County of Santa Clara. Existing law authorizes the VTA to purchase or otherwise acquire property for transit-oriented joint development projects, as provided. This bill would authorize the VTA to similarly purchase or acquire property for an employee housing project, as defined, for VTA employees and members of the public, as specified. The bill would authorize the VTA to construct affordable rental housing for employees and affordable for-sale housing that promotes housing opportunities for VTA employees, as specified. The bill would require the VTA to submit an annual report to the Legislature on the use of the bill's provisions to develop housing, as specified. By requiring the VTA to submit a new report, 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.
SB 117 is a procedural bill that formally declares the Legislature's intent to later enact statutory changes to the Budget Act of 2025. It does not implement any specific budget policies, funding allocations, or changes to existing law at this time. The bill simply sets the stage for future legislative action on the state budget framework. It passed the Senate unanimously (28-10) and was referred to the Assembly's Budget Committee for further consideration.
Under existing law, it is unlawful to drive a motor vehicle while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in one's blood. A first violation of this prohibition is punishable as a misdemeanor. Under existing law, if a person is convicted of a DUI violation and the offense occurs within 10 years of one or 2 separate DUI violations that resulted in specified convictions, the offense is also punishable as a misdemeanor, as specified, with escalating fines, suspensions, and other sanctions. Under existing law, if a person is convicted of a DUI violation and the offense occurs within 10 years of 3 or more separate DUI violations that resulted in specified convictions, the offense is punishable either as a misdemeanor or as a felony. This bill would make a conviction of a DUI violation with the offense occurring within 10 years of one or 2 separate DUI violations that resulted in specified convictions also punishable either as a misdemeanor or as a felony. By increasing the punishment for a crime, the bill imposes 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to review federal commercial driver's license disqualification policies and consider reforms that allow greater flexibility for states and appropriate relief for drivers whose livelihoods are affected.
Existing law regulates the operation of recreational off-highway motor vehicles on lands, other than a highway, that are open and accessible to the public. Existing law generally prohibits a motor vehicle from being driven upon a highway unless it is registered. However, existing law authorizes off-highway motor vehicles that are issued identification plates or devices to cross highways in certain situations, including, among others, a peace officer operating an off-highway motor vehicle in an emergency response situation. This bill would expand the above-described provision to additionally authorize first responders, as defined, to operate off-highway motor vehicles in an emergency response situation. The bill would also authorize peace officers and first responders to operate off-highway motor vehicles upon a highway, at a distance not to exceed 5 miles, for the purpose of accessing off-highway recreational areas or locations of patrol, within jurisdictions that have adopted a policy or plan for the operation of those off-highway motor vehicles pursuant to the provisions described below. The bill would require peace officers and first responders operating off-highway motor vehicles pursuant to these provisions to comply with the terms and requirements of the policy or plan adopted by the applicable local authority. Existing law prohibits a local authority from enacting or enforcing an ordinance on matters covered by the Vehicle Code unless expressly authorized by the Vehicle Code. Existing law authorizes local authorities to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution regarding specified matters. This bill would authorize a local authority to regulate the operation of off-highway motor vehicles subject to identification by peace officers and first responders upon highways within the local authority's jurisdiction while performing official duties subject to specified requirements. Among those requirements, the bill would require a local authority, after public review, to adopt a policy or plan for the operation of off-highway motor vehicles by peace officers and first responders while performing official duties and to make the policy or plan available to the public on its internet website. The bill would also require the policy or plan to include, among other things, a requirement that off-highway motor vehicles may only be operated upon a highway for up to 5 miles for the purpose of accessing an off-highway recreational area or a location of patrol.
The Corporation Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income. Existing federal income tax law authorizes a qualifying vessel operator, as defined, to elect to determine its corporate tax burden for specified international shipping activities using a per-ton rate and provides an exclusion from gross income for qualifying shipping activities of an electing corporation or a member of an electing group, as specified. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, would provide an exclusion from gross income for qualifying shipping activities of an electing corporation or a member of an electing group for which an election is in effect under the above-described federal law, as specified. The bill would also provide special rules relating to depreciation and basis of a qualifying vessel, as defined, and would, in conformity with federal income tax laws, provide for the nonrecognition of gain from the disposition of a qualifying vessel where the electing corporation acquires a replacement qualifying vessel, as provided. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law makes it unlawful for a person who has 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in their blood to drive a vehicle or to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs and prescribes certain penalties depending on additional facts, such as whether the driving resulted in an injury to another. Existing decisional law holds that the slight volitional movement of the vehicle is sufficient for a driving under the influence violation. This bill would state that for the purposes of a driving under the influence violation, "drive" includes the volitional movement of a vehicle with driver support features engaged that require a person to supervise the vehicle in order to steer, brake, or accelerate, as needed to maintain safety. To the extent that this bill would expand the scope of a crime, it 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law requires each electrical corporation to file an advice letter for, and requires the commission to approve, a new tariff or rule that authorizes each electrical corporation to design and deploy all electrical distribution infrastructure on the utility side of the customer's meter for all customers installing separately metered infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging stations, other than those in single-family residences. This bill would require each electrical corporation, on or before April 1, 2027, to file an advice letter for, and require the commission, on or before September 1, 2027, to approve, a new or modified tariff or rule that authorizes the electrical corporation to design, construct, own, operate, and maintain all electrical distribution and service facilities located on the utility side of a customer's meter that are necessary to provide separately metered electrical service to hydrogen refueling stations, including hydrogen refueling stations located on premises that already receive electrical service for other uses. The bill would require that the tariff or rule authorize an electrical corporation to extend utility-side electrical distribution and service facilities from the existing distribution system to a dedicated revenue meter serving a heavy-duty hydrogen refueling station that serves vehicles that are 14,001 pounds or greater and authorize the installation of a dedicated revenue meter for the hydrogen refueling station load, as provided. The bill would require a facility installed pursuant to the tariff or rule to be treated, for cost allocation and customer contribution purposes, as line and service extensions, as provided. The bill would require that the tariff or rule require the electrical corporation to provide the applicant a good faith estimate before the applicant is required to execute a line or service extension agreement or make a nonrefundable payment, as provided. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2033. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of the bill would be a part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing the bill's requirements would be a crime, this 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law authorizes a public transit operator in the state, until January 1, 2027, and authorizes the City and County of San Francisco indefinitely, to enforce parking violations in specified transit-only traffic lanes and at transit stops through the use of video imaging, and to install automated forward facing parking control devices on city-owned public transit vehicles for the purpose of video imaging parking violations occurring in transit-only traffic lanes, as specified. Existing law requires a public transit operator, prior to issuing notices of parking violations, to issue warning notices for the first 60 days and to make a public announcement of the program. Existing law requires a designated employee, or a contracted law enforcement agency, to review video image recordings for the purpose of determining whether a parking violation occurred in a transit-only traffic lane or at a transit stop and to issue a notice of violation to the registered owner of a vehicle within 15 calendar days, as specified. Existing law makes these video image records confidential and provides that these records are available only to public agencies to enforce parking violations. Existing law requires a public transit operator that implements an automated enforcement system to enforce parking violations in transit-only traffic lanes and at transit stops to submit a report to specified committees of the Legislature by no later than January 1, 2025. This bill would extend the authorization for the use of video imaging to enforce parking and stopping violations until January 1, 2034. The bill would require that a public transit operator issue warnings for 60 days prior to issuing notices of violations when it uses video imaging for enforcement of a violation that it has not previously used video imaging to enforce. The bill would require a public transit operator that uses video imaging to enforce parking violations to report to the Legislature, as specified. The bill would exempt the City and County of San Francisco from this requirement. The bill would allow only local agencies to use video image records to enforce parking violations and would prohibit the use or access of these records for general law enforcement purposes or by federal authorities, as specified. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City and County of San Francisco.
Under existing law, a court is authorized to suspend the driving privilege of a licensed driver convicted of a violation relating to the speed of vehicles or reckless driving for a period not to exceed 30 days for a first conviction, for a period not to exceed 60 days upon a 2nd conviction, and for a period not to exceed 6 months upon a 3rd or any subsequent conviction. This bill would, commencing on January 1, 2028, authorize a court, for a conviction of reckless driving, to suspend the driving privilege for a period not to exceed 60 days, and for a period of not less than 30 days and not to exceed 6 months when the offense occurred within 10 years of a separate reckless driving violation. The bill would require a court to suspend the driving privilege for a period of not less than 90 days and not to exceed one year if the offense occurred within 10 years of 2 or more separate reckless driving violations. Existing law authorizes a peace officer to arrest a person and seize the motor vehicle of the person if a peace officer determines that the person was engaged in a motor vehicle speed contest, reckless driving, or an exhibition of speed on a highway or in an offstreet parking facility. Existing law allows a vehicle seized under this provision to be impounded for up to 30 days. Existing law requires an impounding agency to release a motor vehicle to the registered owner or their agent prior to the conclusion of the impoundment period if, among other reasons, the person alleged to have been engaged in the motor vehicle speed contest was not authorized by the registered owner to operate the motor vehicle at the time of the commission of the offense, or if the registered owner was neither the driver nor a passenger of the motor vehicle or was unaware that the driver was using the motor vehicle to engage in the prohibited activities. If an impounding agency releases a motor vehicle to the registered owner or agent prior to the conclusion of the impoundment period, this bill would require the registered owner to provide evidence that the driver did not have authorization from the registered owner to operate the motor vehicle, as specified, or require the registered owner to submit a written, signed statement attesting that the registered owner was unaware that the driver was using the vehicle to engage in reckless driving. The bill would allow a registered owner or their agent to obtain their vehicle prior to the conclusion of the impoundment period based on the reason that the registered owner was not the driver or passenger of the motor vehicle or was unaware that the driver was engaging in reckless driving 3 times. The bill would prohibit a registered owner from using this reason to obtain the motor vehicle prior to the conclusion of the impoundment period for a 4th or any subsequent arrest that involves the same driver and vehicle. Existing law requires an impounding agency to release an impounded vehicle before the conclusion of the impound period if the charges against the driver are dismissed. This bill would prohibit the registered owner or driver of the vehicle from being charged any towing or storage fees if the vehicle is released for this reason.
