Asm. Marc Berman

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and requires it to administer, among other housing programs, the Multifamily Housing Program, pursuant to which HCD provides deferred payment loans to pay for the eligible costs of development for specified types of housing projects, as provided. Existing law, the Teacher Housing Act of 2016, authorizes a school district to establish and implement programs that address the housing needs of teachers and school district employees who face challenges in securing affordable housing, as provided. This bill, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act, would require HCD, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, to administer a competitive grant program to provide planning grants of up to $100,000 each to up to 10 qualified school districts, as defined, that partner with a developer to provide affordable school employee rental housing, as defined, to be used for specified purposes in connection with an affordable school employee rental housing project. The bill would require a qualified school district that receives a grant to submit an annual report and, no later than 3 years after receiving a grant, a final report that includes specified information. Upon completion of the pilot program established under the bill, the bill would require HCD, in collaboration with the State Department of Education and the Office of Public School Construction, to create a toolkit for school districts to use to develop strategies for providing affordable school employee rental housing.

Existing federal law, the Help America Vote Act of 2002, provides payments to states for activities that improve the administration of elections, including, among other things, improving, acquiring, leasing, modifying or replacing voting systems and technology and methods for casting and counting votes. The act establishes the United States Election Assistance Commission and requires the commission to adopt voluntary voting system guidelines that provide specifications and requirements against which voting systems can be tested for their functionality, accessibility, and security capabilities. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to adopt and publish voting system standards and regulations governing the use of voting systems that meet or exceed federal voluntary voting system guidelines established by the United States Election Assistance Commission. Until those standards are adopted, existing law requires the Secretary of State to use the federal voluntary voting system guidelines described above, as specified. This bill would delete the requirement that the Secretary of State use the federal voluntary voting system guidelines until state standards and regulations are adopted, and would require the Secretary of State to update state standards and regulations as the federal guidelines are updated or amended.

The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to exempt from taxation, in whole or in part, property that is used exclusively for religious, hospital, or charitable purposes, and is owned or held in trust by a nonprofit entity. Pursuant to this constitutional authority, existing law partially exempts from property taxation property used exclusively for rental housing and related facilities, if specified criteria are met, including, except in the case of a limited partnership in which the managing general partner is a nonprofit corporation eligible for the exemption, that 90% or more of the occupants of the property are lower income households whose rents do not exceed the rent limits prescribed by a specified law. Existing law limits the total exemption amount allowed to a taxpayer, with respect to a single property or multiple properties for any fiscal year on the sole basis of the application of this criterion, to $20,000,000 of tax. This bill, for claims filed for fiscal years 2020–21 to 2030–31, inclusive, would decrease the percentage of occupants that are lower income households required to qualify for exemption under these provisions from 90% to 50%. The bill, with respect to lien dates occurring on and after January 1, 2020, would also increase the total exemption amount allowed from $20,000,000 to $100,000,000 in assessed value. The bill would require any outstanding qualified ad valorem property tax in excess of the $20,000,000 limitation, and related interest or penalty, which was levied or imposed on and after January 1, 2019, and before January 1, 2020, with respect to qualified property for which a qualified claim was filed, to be canceled to the extent that the amount canceled does not result in a total assessed value exemption amount in excess of $100,000,000 being allowed to a qualified taxpayer with respect to a single property or multiple properties for any fiscal year. The bill would, on and after January 1, 2020, prohibit an escape assessment from being levied on qualified property if that amount would be subject to cancellation pursuant to this bill. By adding to the duties of local tax officials, this 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, 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 the statutory provisions noted above. Existing law requires the state to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding those provisions, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law establishes the Local Government Planning Supports Grant Program and requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to distribute, upon appropriation, $250,000,000 under that program in the form of grants to regions and jurisdictions for technical assistance, preparation and adoption of planning documents, and process improvements to accelerate housing production and facilitate compliance to implement the 6th cycle of the regional housing need assessment, as provided. As part of that program, existing law, by December 31, 2022, requires the department to develop a recommended improved regional housing need allocation process and methodology that promotes and streamlines housing development and substantially addresses California's housing shortage, as provided, and to submit a report on its findings to the Legislature. This bill would require that the department's recommendations for an improved regional housing need allocation process and methodology additionally promote and streamline the developing of housing for low-income community college students.

Existing law requires an elections official to deliver to a precinct additional ballots if the precinct board is unable to furnish a ballot to a qualified voter because there is an insufficient number of ballots. Existing law requires the precinct board to provide each voter with the option of casting a vote immediately using an alternative procedure, as specified. Existing law requires, in the case of an election for a state or federal office, for each polling place using a direct recording electronic voting system, the elections official to also provide paper ballots equivalent to specified percentages of voters depending on the type of election and to establish procedures for the use of the paper ballots in the event the direct recording electronic voting system becomes nonfunctional. This bill would require an elections official to establish an alternative procedure for the use of paper ballots in the event that a ballot marking system, a ballot on demand system, or, except as specified, a voting system becomes nonfunctional. The bill would require the elections official to submit the alternative procedure to the Secretary of State for approval. By increasing the duties of local elections officials, 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, 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 the statutory provisions noted above.

This measure would declare March 5, 2020, as Family Justice Center Day in California and would recognize the lifesaving and hope-giving work of the California Family Justice Center Network and its member Family Justice Centers as they work with rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, human trafficking agencies, prosecutors' offices, law enforcement agencies, and other professionals and community-based organizations to ensure that adult and child survivors of trauma can access all of their services in one setting.

This measure would recognize March 7, 2020, as California Arbor Day, and would urge California residents to observe the day with appropriate tree-planting activities and programs.

Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to, by force or threat of force, willfully injure, intimidate, interfere with, oppress, or threaten another person in the free exercise or enjoyment of a right or privilege secured by the Constitution or laws of this state or by the Constitution or laws of the United States in whole or in part because of one or more of specified actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including disability, gender, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Existing law also makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly deface, damage, or destroy the real or personal property of another person for the purpose of intimidating or interfering with the free exercise or enjoyment of a right or privilege secured by the Constitution or laws of this state or by the Constitution or laws of the United States, in whole or in part because of one or more of the same actual or perceived characteristics of the victim. This bill would make the above crimes punishable either as a misdemeanor or as a felony, to be served in county jail for 18 months, or 2 or 3 years. By increasing the punishment for a crime, this 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.