Asm. Buffy Wicks

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA establishes certain processes, such as the preparation of a master EIR or a focused EIR, to streamline the environmental review of projects. CEQA states the intentions of the Legislature in enacting those streamlined environmental review processes. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those statements of intent.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to do any act necessary, convenient, or proper for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or use of all highways that are under its jurisdiction, possession, or control. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

Existing law prohibits a court from invalidating, reviewing, voiding, or setting aside the approval of any development project in an action or proceeding to attack, review, set aside, void, or annul the acts or decisions of a local agency in adopting an update to a community plan on the grounds of noncompliance with CEQA if the development project meets certain requirements. That law defines various terms for these purposes. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to those definition provisions.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency and makes the department responsible for administering various housing programs throughout the state, including, among others, the Multifamily Housing Program, the CalHOME Program, and the California Emergency Solutions Grants Program. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would designate an unspecified state entity with permitting authority for housing projects of statewide significance, and would make related findings and declarations.

This measure would urge the federal Office of Management and Budget to update its Uniform Guidance in order to improve job creation, quality, and equity.

This measure would recognize the month of January 2024 as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

This measure would designate, in perpetuity, the 4th week of January as Data Privacy Week and the last Sunday of January as Data Privacy Day.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency and requires the department to administer various housing programs. Existing law requires agencies and departments administering state programs to collaborate with the California Interagency Council on Homelessness to adopt guidelines and regulations that incorporate core components of housing policy, including Housing First. Existing law contains provisions governing the operation and financing of community mental health services for persons with mental health disorders in every county through locally administered and locally controlled community mental health programs. This bill would require, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish the Coordination of Care for At-Risk Individuals Grant Program to provide grants to counties currently enrolled in the Data Driver Recovery Project for the innovative identification and intervention of frequent utilizers, as defined, and to aid in providing those individuals with services. This bill would require a grant recipient to meet specified criteria, including an expressed intent in coordinating with fellow counties to share data in order to identify frequent utilizers. The bill would require an applicant to the program to provide a proposal containing specified information, including a viable plan to identify frequent utilizers and performance metrics and goals the applicant seeks to achieve through the program. The bill would require the department to score applicants to the program competitively according to specified criteria. The bill would require a grant recipient to use prearrest diversion when applicable and provide other services to vulnerable individuals to promote anti-recidivism, among others. The bill would require the department to distribute funds allocated to a grant recipient for a term of 3 years, subject to automatic renewal. The bill would also require a grant recipient to then execute contracts with community-based organizations to provide services to frequent utilizers. The bill would require a grant recipient to submit an annual report to the department on specified information, including the types of services provided to frequent utilizers and whether the grant recipient met the performance metrics identified in their application.