Asm. Alyson Huber

Existing law establishes various conservancies to acquire, manage, direct the management of, and conserve public lands in the state. This bill would establish the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy to undertake various activities related to the Delta, as defined, and Suisun Marsh, including measures identified in the Delta sustainability program that are intended to restore and manage habitat in the Delta and Suisun Marsh. The bill would prescribe the management, powers, and duties of the conservancy. The bill would provide that expenses of the conservancy may be paid from funds appropriated by the Legislature or from gifts, donations, bequests, or other public and private sources.

Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt procedures for determining the compliance of any system designed for the control of gasoline vapor emissions during gasoline marketing operations, including storage and transfer operations, and additional performance standards to ensure that systems for the control of gasoline vapors from motor vehicle fueling operations do not cause excessive spillage and emissions. Existing law prohibits the state board from requiring a gasoline dispensing facility that meets certain requirements from undergoing an Enhanced Vapor Recovery Phase II upgrade until April 1, 2011. This bill, except as specified, would limit the fines imposed on a gasoline dispensing facility that fails to meet an April 1, 2009, compliance deadline to a total of no more than $1,000 for all violations that occur between April 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, if the gasoline dispensing facility meets specified requirements. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law requires a $550 fee to be paid by each party at the time of filing its first paper if the case is designated as a complex case, and requires payment of the same fee by each party who has not paid the fee whenever a case is determined to be a complex case. Existing law imposes a limitation of $10,000 on the total amount of fees collected from all plaintiffs, and the same limitation on the total amount of fees collected from all defendants, intervenors, respondents, and adverse parties appearing in a complex case. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.

Existing law prohibits a high school or unified school district from reporting for state apportionments average daily attendance in classes that are not located in facilities clearly identified in a manner and established by appropriate procedures to ensure that attendance in the class is open to the general public, except as specified. This bill would allow a school district to report for state apportionments average daily attendance in classes that are not open to the general public if the classes are held in the workplace, are intended primarily to help pupils with attainment of a General Education Development (GED) credential or high school diploma, and are offered by an employee of the district appropriately credentialed for the course being offered. This bill would also authorize the State Board of Education to adopt regulations necessary to enforce these provisions. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a community college district to establish and maintain classes for adults also open to any minors who, in the judgment of the governing board, may be qualified for admission thereto. This bill would provide, however, that when a class is held in the workplace and is intended to assist pupils with attaining a GED credential or high school diploma, admission to the class may be limited to employees at the worksite.

(1) Existing law creates the office of the State Chief Information Officer, within the Governor's cabinet, with a State Chief Information Officer having specified duties in creating and managing the technology policy of the state. Existing law also creates the Division of Telecommunications within the Department of General Services, and requires the Telecommunications Division to perform numerous duties with regard to public safety, and emergency and nonemergency communications policies and facilities. This bill would transfer all the duties, functions, employees, property, and related funding of the Division of Telecommunications to the office of the State Chief Information Officer. (2) Existing law establishes the Department of Technology Services within the State and Consumer Services Agency, specifies the duties of the department's director, and establishes the Department of Technology Services Revolving Fund within the State Treasury. This bill would rename and transfer the Department of Technology Services to the Office of Technology Services within the office of the State Chief Information Officer, rename the Department of Technology Services Revolving Fund the Technology Services Revolving Fund, and make conforming changes. (3) Existing law establishes the Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection in the State and Consumer Services Agency and the Office of Privacy Protection within the Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection with duties to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of state systems and applications, and to promote and protect consumer privacy. This bill would eliminate the Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection, and instead create the Office of Information Security within the office of the State Chief Information Officer, and the Office of Privacy Protection within the State and Consumer Services Agency, with a division of the duties, personnel, property, and funding of the Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection between the 2 offices. (4) Existing law authorizes the Department of Finance, the Department of General Services, and the Department of Information Technology to create certain policies for the state's procurement of information technology. This bill would transfer certain of those duties to the office of the State Chief Information Officer.

Existing law establishes the California State University and its various campuses under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University. Existing law requires the California State University to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master's degree in the liberal arts and sciences and professional education, including teacher education. This bill would authorize the California State University to award the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The bill would distinguish the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the doctor of philosophy degree offered at the University of California. The bill would require the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program to be designed to enable professionals to earn the degree while working full time, train nurses for advanced practice, and prepare clinical faculty to teach in postsecondary nursing programs. The bill would require initial funding to come from existing budgets, without diminishing the quality of undergraduate programs or reducing enrollment therein. The bill would require the California State University to annually report on the status of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program, as specified.

Existing law, the California International Trade and Investment Act, specifies that the Governor is the primary state officer representing the state's interest in international affairs and the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency is the primary state agency responsible for international trade and investment activities in the state. Existing law requires the Office of Planning and Research to maintain, and update, a full and comprehensive list of all state agreements made with foreign governments, as provided. This bill would require the Governor to establish a memorandum of understanding to formalize a relationship between the state and Israel to foster technology development, business development, and educational opportunities in solar energy and environmental technology industries.

Existing law requires school districts and schools that submit a school-based motivation and maintenance program plan pursuant to specified provisions of law to include a description of the manner in which they will utilize outreach consultants. Existing law sets forth requirements for these outreach consultants, including a requirement that they possess a Dropout Prevention Specialist Certificate from a campus of the California State University or that they enroll in a Dropout Prevention Specialist Certificate program within 90 days of the date of hire, unless the outreach consultant was employed on or before January 1, 2004. This bill would additionally require that an outreach consultant who enrolls in a Dropout Prevention Specialist Certificate program complete that program within 9 months of hire.

The California Constitution provides that the rate of interest on a judgment rendered in any court of this state shall be set by the Legislature at not more than 10% per annum. Existing law provides that interest accrues at the rate of 10% per annum on the principal amount of a money judgment remaining unsatisfied. Under existing law, if the plaintiff makes an offer that the defendant does not accept prior to trial or within 30 days, whichever occurs first, and the plaintiff obtains a more favorable judgment, the judgment shall bear interest at the legal rate of 10% per annum calculated from the date of the plaintiff's first offer that is exceeded by the judgment. This bill would instead provide that interest accrues at the federal short-term rate plus 2%, except as otherwise provided in a written contract, not to exceed 10% per annum on those judgments, as specified. The bill would require the Controller to annually establish the interest rate, as specified, and notify the auditor in each county of that rate.