Asm. Marc Levine

Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, protects and safeguards the right and opportunity of all persons to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination, abridgment, or harassment on account of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military and veteran status. Existing law requires an employer or other entity covered by the act to provide reasonable accommodation of, among other things, a person's disability and religious beliefs and prohibits discrimination against any person because the person has opposed any practices forbidden under the act or because the person has filed a complaint. This bill would, in addition, prohibit an employer or other covered entity from retaliating or otherwise discriminating against a person for requesting accommodation of his or her disability or religious beliefs, regardless of whether the accommodation request was granted. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Existing law provides that a search warrant may only be issued upon probable cause, supported by affidavit, naming or describing the person to be searched or searched for, and particularly describing the property, thing, or things and the place to be searched. Existing law also states the grounds upon which a search warrant may be issued, including, among other grounds, when a sample of the blood of a person constitutes evidence that tends to show a violation of specified laws prohibiting driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the person from whom the sample is being sought has refused an officer's request to submit to, or has failed to complete, a blood test, as specified, and the sample will be drawn from the person in a reasonable, medically approved manner. Existing law prohibits a person from operating a vessel or manipulating water skis, an aquaplane, or similar device while under the influence of drugs or alcohol or when the person is addicted to drugs, as specified. Existing law defines a "vessel" for purposes of these provisions to include a watercraft or other artificial contrivance used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, except as specified. This bill would authorize the issuance of a search warrant on the grounds that (1) a sample of the blood of a person constitutes evidence that tends to show a violation of specified laws prohibiting, among other crimes, the operation of a vessel, or manipulating water skis, an aquaplane, or a similar device, while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, (2) the person from whom the sample is being sought has refused an officer's request to submit to, or has failed to complete, a blood test, as specified, and (3) the sample will be drawn from the person in a reasonable, medically approved manner. This bill would incorporate changes to Section 1524 of the Penal Code proposed by both this bill and AB 1104, which would become operative only if both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2016, and this bill is chaptered last.

(1) Existing law establishes in each county, except a county that is also a city and county, a county committee on school district organization, and authorizes the committee to take certain actions regarding the organization of school districts and community college districts in the territory under the committee's jurisdiction. Existing law requires a committee, upon a proposal initiated by the committee or by a petition signed by a specified number of registered voters, to approve or disapprove a proposal to increase the membership of a school district governing board from 5 to 7, or to decrease membership from 7 to 5, in accordance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would also authorize a county committee on school district organization, for any school district whose average daily attendance during the preceding year was less than 300, to approve or disapprove a proposal to decrease the membership of the school district governing board from 5 to 3 in accordance with those specified procedural requirements. To the extent that the bill would impose new duties on county committees on school district organization, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 these statutory provisions.

Existing law, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, authorizes a licensed winegrower or a licensed beer manufacturer to apply to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for a certified farmers' market sales permit, which allows, among others, the licensee to sell wine or beer at a certified farmers' market, under specified conditions, and requires the licensee to pay a fee of $50 for the permit. Existing law requires a certified farmers' market sales permit issued to a licensed winegrower, but not a licensed beer manufacturer, to allow an instructional tasting event on the subject of wine at a certified farmers' market, under specified conditions. Existing law provides that moneys collected as fees pursuant to the act are to be deposited in the Alcohol Beverage Control Fund. These moneys are generally allocated to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would also require a certified farmers' market sales permit issued to a licensed beer manufacturer to allow an instructional tasting event on the subject of beer at a certified farmers' market, under specified conditions. Existing law authorizes specified nonprofit corporations that have not been issued a license authorizing the sale of wine to receive and possess wine donated to that nonprofit corporation, if the nonprofit corporation has submitted a license application to sell wine with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. This bill would additionally authorize those nonprofit corporations to receive and possess beer under the same circumstances. Existing law authorizes the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to issue a special temporary on-sale or off-sale wine license to a nonprofit corporation that is exempt from payment of income taxes, subject to specified requirements and limitations. This bill would extend this authorization to issue a special temporary on-sale or off-sale license to sell beer.

This measure would proclaim and acknowledge the month of June 2015 and June of every year thereafter as Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Awareness Month.

Existing law, known as the "hearsay rule," provides that, at a hearing, evidence of a statement that was made other than by a witness while testifying at the hearing and that is offered to prove the truth of the matter stated is inadmissible. Existing law also provides exceptions to the hearsay rule to permit the admission of specified kinds of evidence. Existing law provides that evidence of a statement that is offered against a party who has engaged, or aided and abetted, in wrongdoing that was intended to, and did, procure the unavailability of the declarant as a witness is not made inadmissible by the hearsay rule, as specified. Existing law would repeal this exception on January 1, 2016. This bill would delete the January 1, 2016, repeal date for these provisions, thereby extending the hearsay exemption into perpetuity.

This measure would urge Congress and the President of the United States to expand the Humanitarian Resettlement Program to allow disabled veteran officers of the South Vietnamese Army currently living in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to enter the United States.

The measure would express the intent and commitment of the state to enter into a sister state relationship with the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina.