Asm. Rob Bonta

Existing law defines unfair competition to include an unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice, unfair, deceptive, untrue, or misleading advertising, and any false representations to the public. Existing law, as amended by Proposition 64 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, authorizes an action for relief from this prohibited conduct to be brought by, among others, a person who has suffered injury in fact and has lost money or property as a result of the unfair competition. Existing law also authorizes an action for relief from this prohibited conduct and for civil penalties to be brought by a city attorney of a city having a population in excess of 750,000. This bill would expand this authorization to allow actions for relief and civil penalties by city attorneys of cities having a population in excess of 250,000, as provided.

The California Constitution authorizes a United States citizen at least 18 years of age and a resident of the State to vote. This measure, in addition, would authorize a person who is at least 16 years of age and a resident of the state to vote in a school or community college district governing board election in which that person would be qualified to vote based on residence.

This act would declare June 10, 2016, as Portugal Day to celebrate Portuguese national heritage.

This measure would recognize May 24, 2016, as Slavic Heritage Day.

Existing law establishes the Environmental Justice Small Grant Program under the jurisdiction of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and prescribes specific criteria and procedures for the implementation of the program. Existing law requires that grants be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that are based in communities with the most significant exposure to pollution, and limits grants to be used for specified purposes relating to, among other things, resolving environmental problems, promoting coordination among public agencies and stakeholders, developing guidance on environmental risks, and facilitating and encouraging community understanding and decisionmaking that affects the environment of a community. This bill would additionally include physical projects, including planning, engineering, and construction, monitoring or filtering technology, and environmental assessments that improve the environment or the environmental health of the community, or that address a specific environmental justice need, among the purposes for which a grant may be awarded. Existing law provides that the maximum amount of a grant shall not exceed $50,000, and authorizes the Secretary for Environmental Protection to expend up to $1,500,000 per year for the grant program. This bill would require the secretary to expend at least $5,000,000 per year for the grant program, upon appropriation by the Legislature, and each board, department, or office within the agency to allocate appropriated funds from special funds, settlements, and penalties to implement the grant program.

Existing law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that facilitates the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers, and meets certain other requirements. PPACA specifies that an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States or an alien lawfully present in the United States shall not be treated as a qualified individual and may not be covered under a qualified health plan offered through an exchange. Existing law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange (the Exchange) for the purpose of facilitating the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. This bill would require the Exchange to apply to the United States Department of Health and Human Services for a waiver to allow individuals who are not eligible to obtain health coverage through the Exchange because of their immigration status to obtain coverage from the Exchange. The bill would require the Exchange, after that waiver has been granted, to require an issuer that offers a qualified health plan in the individual market through the Exchange to concurrently offer a California qualified health benefit plan, as specified, to these individuals. The requirement to offer California qualified health plans would become operative on January 1, 2018, for coverage effective for California qualified health plans beginning January 1, 2019, as specified. The bill would require that individuals eligible to purchase California qualified health plans pay the cost of coverage without federal assistance and meet other specified requirements. The bill would require that information provided by an applicant for coverage under the bill be used only for the purposes of, and to the extent necessary for, ensuring the efficient operation of the Exchange, including verifying the eligibility of an individual to enroll through the Exchange, and would prohibit that information from being disclosed to any other person except as provided by the bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would proclaim that Monday, January 18, 2016, be observed as the official memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth and his work in the Civil Rights Movement.

Existing law requires the Governor to proclaim certain days each year for specified reasons. Existing law also designates particular days each year as having special significance in public schools and educational institutions and encourages those entities to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on those dates. This bill would require the Governor to annually proclaim the date corresponding with the start of the lunar calendar as Lunar New Year's Day, would designate that date each year as having special significance in public schools and educational institutions, and would encourage those entities to observe that date by conducting culturally appropriate activities and exercises observing the Lunar New Year.