Asm. Richard Gordon

This measure would recognize the month of September 2013, and each September thereafter, as Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month in California, and would urge the Congress of the United States to support the President's continuation of funding for sickle cell anemia centers and research and to make sickle cell anemia and other genetic hemoglobin disorders a public health priority.

This measure would designate November 2013 as California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. It would recognize and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to the state and afford all Californians the opportunity to understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history and shared principles of Sikh Americans.

This measure would declare August 2013 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.

Proposition 117, an initiative measure approved by the voters at the June 5, 1990, statewide direct primary election, enacted the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990. The act establishes that the mountain lion is a specially protected mammal under the laws of this state, and makes it unlawful to take, injure, possess, transport, import, or sell any mountain lion or any part or product thereof. The act authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife, or a specified appropriate local agency authorized by the department, to remove or take any mountain lion that is perceived to be an imminent threat to public health or safety or that is perceived by the department to be an imminent threat to the survival of certain sheep species. Under the act, mountain lions that are authorized to be taken are required to be taken by the most effective means available, except a taking by certain designated means is prohibited. This bill would require nonlethal procedures, as defined, to be used when removing or taking any mountain lion that has not been designated as an imminent threat to public health or safety, as defined. The bill would authorize the department, as the department determines is necessary to protect mountain lions or the public, to authorize qualified individuals, educational institutions, governmental agencies, or nongovernmental organizations to implement nonlethal procedures. The California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 prohibits the Legislature from changing the act, with specified exceptions, except by a 45 vote of the membership of both houses of the Legislature and then only if consistent with, and in furtherance of, the purposes of the act. This bill would declare that it is consistent with, and furthers the purposes of, that act.

This measure would urge the Congress to enact and the President to sign the Los Angeles Residential Helicopter Noise Relief Act of 2013.

Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relating to the development and implementation of an intercity high-speed rail system. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable, High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, authorizes $9,950,000,000 in general obligation bonds for high-speed rail development and other related purposes. Existing law appropriates specified funds from the High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Fund and from federal funds for high-speed rail and connecting rail projects. This bill would add detail to provisions governing the expenditure of certain of those appropriated funds. The bill would specify that of the $1,100,000,000 appropriated for early high-speed rail improvement projects in the Budget Act of 2012, $600,000,000 and $500,000,000 shall be allocated solely for purposes of specified memoranda of understanding approved by the High-Speed Rail Authority for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission region and the southern California region, respectively. The bill would limit fund transfer authority between certain appropriations to temporary transfers for account management purposes. The bill would restrict use of certain appropriated funds, to the extent they are allocated to the San Francisco-San Jose segment of the high-speed rail system, to implement a rail system in that segment that primarily consists of a 2-track blended system to be used jointly by high-speed trains and Caltrain commuter trains, with the system to be contained substantially within the existing Caltrain right-of-way. These provisions would be effective until a specified time, and would be inoperative thereafter. This bill would also require any track expansion for the San Francisco to San Jose segment beyond the blended system approach to be approved by all 9 parties to the Bay Area High-Speed Rail Early Investment Strategy Memorandum of Understanding, as specified.

This measure would designate Monday, May 6, 2013, as California Peace Officers' Memorial Day, urge all Californians to use that day to honor California peace officers, and recognize specified California peace officers who were killed in defense of their communities.

This measure would proclaim September 23, 2013, as Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom Disease Awareness Day in California.

This measure would designate October 20, 2013, and each 20th day of October thereafter, as Leyte Landing Commemoration Day in recognition of the significance of the Leyte landing in liberating the Philippines from Japanese occupation, helping to establish the independence of the Philippines, and fostering closer ties between the Philippines and the United States.