Existing law prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while using an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication, as defined, unless the electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured, and is used, to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, as specified. A violation of these provisions is an infraction. This bill would instead prohibit a person from driving a motor vehicle while holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or a wireless electronic communication device, as defined. The bill would authorize a driver to operate a handheld wireless telephone or a wireless electronic communications device in a manner requiring the use of the driver's hand only under specified conditions. By changing the definition of 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.
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The Cigarette and Tobacco Products Tax Law imposes a tax on distributors of cigarettes at the rate of $0.87 per package of 20 cigarettes. That law requires that tax be paid through the use of stamps or meter impressions, and requires that these stamps or meter impressions be affixed to each package of cigarettes distributed. That law also imposes a fine of up to $50,000, as specified, or imprisonment not to exceed one year in county jail, or both, for possessing, selling, or buying false or fraudulent cigarette tax stamps or meter impressions, and requires the destruction by the State Board of Equalization of any stamps seized. Existing law requires any fines assessed to be deposited in the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Compliance Fund, amounts in which are available for specified expenditure upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would extend those penalties for possessing, selling, or buying unaffixed cigarette tax stamps, and would require any fines assessed to be deposited in the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Compliance Fund. This bill would require the board to destroy any unaffixed cigarette tax stamps. By expanding the scope of existing crimes, this bill imposes 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.
Existing law proscribes the crime of human trafficking, as defined. A person who causes, induces, or persuades, or attempts to cause, induce, or persuade, a person who is a minor at the time of commission of the offense to engage in a commercial sex act, with the intent to effect or maintain a violation of any of specified sex offenses, is guilty of human trafficking. Existing law also proscribes the crime of prostitution. Existing law authorizes or requires, as specified, the probation officer of a county to exercise various duties with respect to a minor who has been found to be within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court on the ground that he or she has violated a law or statute, or that he or she has suffered, or there is a substantial risk that he or she will suffer, abuse or neglect. Existing law establishes the Board of State and Community Corrections to provide statewide leadership, coordination, and technical assistance to promote effective state and local efforts and partnerships in California's adult and juvenile criminal justice system. This bill would, only until January 1, 2022, require the Board of State and Community Corrections to establish a pilot project in up to 4 counties that elect to participate in the pilot project and would authorize the Counties of Sacramento, San Diego, San Joaquin, and Santa Clara to elect to participate in the pilot project. The bill would authorize each participating county to determine whether that county's probation department or child welfare agency, or both, would create and operate a program funded by the pilot project. The bill would require a program funded by the pilot project to provide services to youth within that county's jurisdiction that address the need for services relating to the commercial sexual exploitation of youth. The bill would state that the purpose of the pilot project is to test a service model that would produce improved outcomes for youth victims of human trafficking. The bill would also require a county that elects to participate in the pilot project and establishes a program pursuant to these provisions to conduct at least one evaluation of the program's impact and effectiveness and to submit that evaluation to the board. The bill would provide that the pilot project established pursuant to these provisions would be funded contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act. The bill would provide that funds appropriated for these purposes shall be administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, as defined. Existing law requires the commission to open a proceeding to determine appropriate targets, if any, for each load-serving entity, as defined, to procure viable and cost-effective energy storage systems to be achieved by December 31, 2020. This bill would require the commission to evaluate and analyze the potential for all types of long duration bulk energy storage resources to help integrate renewable generation into the electrical grid, as specified.
Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency, by July 1, 2017, and every 3 years thereafter, to update the state's climate adaptation strategy to identify vulnerabilities to climate change by sectors and priority actions needed to reduce the risks in those sectors. This bill, until July 1, 2020, would require state agencies to take into account the current and future impacts of climate change when planning, designing, building, operating, maintaining, and investing in state infrastructure. The bill, by July 1, 2017, and until July 1, 2020, would require the agency to establish a Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group for the purpose of examining how to integrate scientific data concerning projected climate change impacts into state infrastructure engineering, as prescribed. The bill would require the working group to consist of registered professional engineers with specified relevant expertise from the Department of Transportation, the Department of Water Resources, the Department of General Services, and other relevant state agencies; scientists with specified expertise from the University of California, the California State University, and other institutions; and licensed architects with specified relevant experience. The bill would require the working group, by July 1, 2018, to make specified recommendations to the Legislature and the Strategic Growth Council.
Existing law authorizes a peace officer, humane officer, or animal control officer to take all steps reasonably necessary to remove an animal from a motor vehicle because the animal's safety appears to be in immediate danger of specified harm. Existing law requires those persons who remove an animal from a vehicle to take the animal to an animal shelter or other place of safekeeping or, if deemed necessary, to a veterinary hospital for treatment, and to leave a notice in the vehicle that notifies the owner of, among other things, the location where the animal may be claimed. Existing law authorizes the owner to claim the animal only after paying all charges that have accrued for the maintenance, care, medical treatment, or impoundment of the animal. This bill would expand the authorization and requirements applicable to a peace officer, humane officer, or animal control officer described above to include a firefighter or other emergency responder. The bill would additionally provide that a person may be required to pay for charges that have accrued for the maintenance, care, medical treatment, or impoundment of the animal removed from the vehicle. The bill would exempt a person from criminal liability for actions taken reasonably and in good faith to remove an animal from a vehicle under the circumstances described above if the person satisfies specified conditions, including immediately turning the animal over to a representative from law enforcement, animal control, or other emergency responder who responds to the scene. The bill would exempt a person from civil liability for property damage or trespass to a motor vehicle if the property damage or trespass occurred while the person was rescuing an animal pursuant to these provisions.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. The Moore Universal Telephone Service Act establishes the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service program in order to provide low-income households with access to affordable basic residential telephone service. The act requires that a lifeline telephone service subscriber be provided with one lifeline subscription, as defined by the commission, at his or her principal place of residence. This bill would require the commission to adopt a portability freeze rule for the lifeline program by January 15, 2017, and would require the commission to consider including certain features as part of the rule.
Existing law authorizes the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to jointly adopt a commute benefit ordinance that requires covered employers operating within the common area of the 2 agencies with a specified number of covered employees to offer those employees certain commute benefits through a pilot program. Existing law requires that the ordinance specify certain matters, including any consequences for noncompliance, and imposes a specified reporting requirement. Existing law makes these provisions inoperative on January 1, 2017. This bill would extend these provisions indefinitely, thereby establishing the pilot program permanently. The bill would also delete bicycle commuting as a pretax option under the program and instead would authorize a covered employer, at its discretion, to offer commuting by bicycling as an employer-paid benefit in addition to commuting via public transit or by vanpool. The bill would also delete the reporting requirement.
(1) Existing law regulates rendering, which is defined as the recycling, processing, and conversion of, among other things, inedible kitchen grease. Existing law, operative until July 1, 2020, authorizes the Department of Food and Agriculture, in addition to the license fee, to charge each licensed renderer and collection center an additional fee to cover the reasonable costs of administering provisions regulating renderers, collection centers, and transporters of inedible kitchen grease, and requires that the additional fees may not exceed $3,000 per year. This bill would increase the maximum amount of these additional fees to $10,000 per year. (2) Existing law requires transporters of inedible kitchen grease to be registered and to pay a $100 registration fee. Existing law, operative until July 1, 2020, authorizes the department, except as specified, to charge an additional fee not to exceed $300 per year per vehicle that is operated to transport kitchen grease for purposes of administering the provisions regulating these transporters, up to a maximum of $3,000 per year per registered transporter. This bill would increase the registration fee for transporters of inedible kitchen grease to not to exceed $250. The bill would also increase the additional fee to not to exceed $500 per year per vehicle that is operated to transport kitchen grease and the maximum to not exceed $10,000 per year per registered transporter. (3) This bill would also authorize the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, based upon the findings and recommendation of the Rendering Industry Advisory Board, to determine the additional fee amounts, as described above under (1) and (2) , necessary to provide the revenue needed to carry out these provisions. The bill would require the secretary and the board to not exceed the maximum amount for additional fees authorized pursuant to these provisions. The bill would provide that the secretary shall only have the authority to raise an additional fee upon recommendation of the board. The bill would exempt the setting of these additional fees from the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act. (4) Existing law requires fees collected pursuant to these provisions to be deposited into the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund and continuously appropriates the collected funds for the purposes described above. By increasing these additional fees and the registration fee for transporters of inedible kitchen grease, which are deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.
This measure would designate November 2016 as Court Adoption and Permanency Month, and would encourage the courts and their local communities to join in activities to expedite permanency for children.