Existing law establishes the Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Natural Resources Agency and makes the Department of Fish and Wildlife the trustee for fish and wildlife resources of the state. Existing law prohibits a person or other entity from diverting or obstructing the natural flow of any river, stream, or lake, without first notifying the department and, if necessary, entering into a lake or streambed alteration agreement. Existing law requires the department to establish a watershed enforcement program to facilitate the investigation, enforcement, and prosecution of unlawful water diversions and other violations of the Fish and Game Code associated with cannabis cultivation. Existing law requires the department, in coordination with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Food and Agriculture, to establish a multiagency task force, known as the Watershed Enforcement Team, to address the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation. Existing law establishes the Department of Parks and Recreation in the Natural Resources Agency and requires the Director of Parks and Recreation, among other things, to promote and regulate the use of the state park system in a manner that conserves the scenery, natural and historic resources, and wildlife in units of the state park system for the enjoyment of future generations. This bill would require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to collaborate with the Department of Parks and Recreation to conduct an annual survey of all public lands, as defined, and all surface water sources on public lands, for unlawful cannabis cultivation activity; to compile a database of unlawful cannabis cultivation activity occurring on public lands; and to ensure that this activity is eradicated by the Watershed Enforcement Team or other appropriate authority. The bill would require the Watershed Enforcement Team to prioritize the eradication of unlawful cannabis cultivation described in these provisions. The bill would require the Natural Resources Agency to establish a program to restore public lands damaged by unlawful cannabis cultivation activity. The bill would create the Public Lands Cannabis Eradication Fund in the State Treasury. The bill would provide for moneys in the fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to protect and restore public lands damaged by unlawful cannabis cultivation activity, including through the above-described activities.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing federal law, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, generally regulates the slaughtering, processing, and labeling of poultry products and exempts certain poultry producers that slaughter or process less than a specified amount of poultry from its provisions. Existing state law authorizes the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to adopt by regulation standards and requirements equal to those of the federal Poultry Products Inspection Act, including, but not limited to, standards and requirements for inspection, sanitation, reinspection, preparation, processing, buying, selling, transporting, storing, identification, recordkeeping, registration, and labeling. Existing state law prohibits a person from operating a poultry plant unless the person has obtained a license from the secretary. Existing state law generally regulates the inspection of poultry plant sanitation and poultry products for wholesomeness. Existing state law prohibits poultry meat, which includes domesticated fowl and rabbit, from being packed, repacked, cut up, recut, or sold unless each container or each carcass is marked in a specified manner. Existing state law requires poultry meat inspectors to inspect and classify poultry meat, poultry meat product, and poultry meat food product as either wholesome, retained for further inspection, or condemned for human food. This bill, on or before January 1, 2020, would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to create a registration system for small-scale producers, as defined, that are eligible for a specified exemption from the federal Poultry Products Inspection Act. Under the bill, a registered small-scale producer would be considered subject to alternative regulatory provisions, as specified, in lieu of the above-described generally applicable poultry plant sanitation and poultry product inspection provisions. The bill would require the registration system to include, at a minimum, a declaration by a small-scale producer regarding the producer's knowledgeability and intention to slaughter or process poultry meat in accordance with good practices for poultry meat food products, and verification of that declaration by a licensed poultry meat inspector who is trained in humane methods of handling and slaughter of poultry. By imposing new requirements, the violation of which would be a crime under existing law, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the department to include in the registration system a registration fee, to be deposited into the Small-Scale Poultry Producer Account within the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund, which account would be created by the bill. Moneys in the account would be continuously appropriated to the department to implement, administer, and enforce these new regulatory provisions. The bill would also require the department to post on its Internet Web site information regarding humane methods of handling and slaughter of poultry and safety information for small-scale producers, as specified. The bill would apply the federal exemption described above to a registered small-scale producer in the same manner as applied in the federal act and would authorize a registered small-scale producer to sell poultry meat within the state to the same entities permitted by the federal exemption, as specified. The bill would vest primary responsibility of enforcement with county agricultural commissioners. By imposing additional duties on local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law, the California Retail Food Code, establishes food safety requirements on retail food facilities, as defined, and requires food to be obtained from approved sources, as defined. Existing law provides for the enforcement of the California Retail Food Code by enforcement officers, as defined. This bill would deem poultry meat received from a small-scale producer registered pursuant to the provisions described in paragraph (1) to be from an approved source. The bill would authorize enforcement officers to enter and inspect the premises of a registered small-scale producer in response to a public food safety complaint, and would authorize the enforcement officer to recover reasonable costs associated with that inspection from that producer. (3) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacted various health care coverage market reforms that took effect on January 1, 2014. PPACA required each state, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans, including individual health benefit plans, by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of its provisions a crime. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing law, one of the methods by which Medi-Cal services are provided is pursuant to contracts with various types of managed care plans. Existing law requires a health care service plan, on and after October 1, 2013, to offer, market, and sell all of the plan's health benefit plans that are sold in the individual market for policy years on or after January 1, 2014, to all individuals and dependents in a service area in which the plan provides or arranges for the provision of health care services. This bill, commencing January 1, 2020, would require a health care service plan that has a contract with the State Department of Health Care Services to offer Medi-Cal managed care plans or prepaid health plans to negotiate with Covered California regarding offering individual products on the Exchange in approved service areas that overlap with counties where there are 2 or fewer health care service plans offering products on the Exchange, as specified. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements would be a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
This measure would declare the support of the Legislature for the expansion of sensory-friendly movie screenings and similar programs for people with autism, and would encourage families to attend a sensory-friendly movie screening during April 2018, which is National Autism Awareness Month.
This measure would, among other things, designate the year 2018 as "State of California Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," would designate April 24, 2018, as "State of California Day of Commemoration of the 103rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," and would call upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to formally and consistently reaffirm the historical truth that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people constituted genocide.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to implement revised dam safety and inspection requirements, with specified components, for all federally operated and regulated dams and reservoirs for the purpose of ensuring public safety.
This measure would recognize September 20, 2018, and every year on that date thereafter, as California Surfing Day to celebrate the California surfing lifestyle, would commend all those who honor the history, culture, and future of surfing, as well as the sport of surfing and the protection of our beach and ocean environments, would express support for future surfers and encourage potential surfing Olympians to work diligently, and would encourage all Californians to enjoy California Surfing Day.