Rep. Richard Gordon

This measure would recognize the month of November 2011 as Native American Heritage Month, would encourage Californians to participate in appropriate observances that celebrate and commemorate Native Americans, and would applaud and encourage the observance of California Indian nations for their outstanding contributions to this state.

(1) The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA establishes procedures for creating the administrative record judicial review procedure for any action or proceeding brought to challenge the lead agency's decision to certify the EIR or to grant project approvals. This bill would enact the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 and establish specified judicial review procedures for the judicial review of the EIR and approvals granted for a leadership project related to the development of a residential, retail, commercial, sports, cultural, entertainment, or recreational use project, or clean renewable energy or clean energy manufacturing project. The act would authorize the Governor to certify a leadership project for streamlining pursuant to the act if certain conditions are met. The bill would repeal the act as of January 1, 2015. Because the lead agency would be required to use these alternative procedures for creating the administrative record if the project applicant so chooses and the project is certified by the Governor, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require, among other things, that the project create high-wage, highly skilled jobs and not result in any net additional emission of greenhouse gases, including greenhouse gas emissions from employee transportation. (2) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the act's unique and unprecedented streamlining benefits under the California Environmental Quality Act. (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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. (4) This bill would become operative only if SB 292 is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2012.

Existing law authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to create infrastructure financing districts, including districts that include specified waterfront property, adopt infrastructure financing plans for those districts, and issue bonds financed by projected increases in ad valorem property taxes to fund certain public facilities, pursuant to a specified procedure. Existing property tax law establishes various procedures and requirements with respect to the annual apportionment and allocation of ad valorem property tax revenues, including increased revenues from these infrastructure financing districts. This bill would authorize the adoption under these provisions of financing plans for special waterfront districts that include the waterfront area in the City and County of San Francisco designated as the America's Cup venues, and the use of specified tax revenues produced in the districts for the construction of the Port of San Francisco's maritime facilities at Pier 27, improvement of publicly held waterfront lands used as viewing sites, and other matters, subject to specified allocation procedures. It would require the county board of supervisors to submit a fiscal analysis to the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank for review and approval before adopting the resolution authorizing the issuance of debt pursuant to these provisions. The bill would exempt the issuance of tax increment bonds in a waterfront district from local voter approval requirements and would authorize those bonds to be sold at a negotiated sale. The bill would enact other related provisions. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City and County of San Francisco.

This measure would designate the month of September of every year as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month throughout the State of California, and would encourage and promote efforts to educate the people and the health care practitioners of the state regarding ovarian cancer and its early detection and prevention, the risk factors involved in its development, and the early warning symptoms and signs.

This measure would proclaim May 2 through May 9, 2011, as Cinco de Mayo Week, and would urge all Californians to join in celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

This measure would proclaim October 22 to October 30, 2011, as including Red Ribbon Week, and would encourage all Californians to help build drug-free communities and participate in drug prevention activities.

This measure would recognize the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks as a day of solemn commemoration.

Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of residential tenancies. Existing law authorizes the creation of antitobacco use programs for school-age populations and prohibits any person from smoking a cigarette, cigar, or other tobacco-related product, or from disposing of cigarette butts, cigar butts, or any other tobacco-related waste, within a playground. This bill would authorize a landlord of a residential dwelling unit to prohibit the smoking of tobacco products on the property, in a dwelling unit, in another interior or exterior area, or on the premises on which the dwelling unit is located. The bill would make certain requirements on notices and leases executed on and after, and on and before, January 1, 2012, in this regard. The bill would require that a landlord who prohibits smoking pursuant to this authority be subject to federal, state, and local requirements governing changes to the terms of a lease or rental agreement for tenants, as specified. The bill would provide that its provisions do not preempt local ordinances in effect on or before January 1, 2012, or a provision of a local ordinance on or after January 1, 2012, that prohibits the smoking of cigarettes or other tobacco products.

Existing law defines "public works," for purposes of regulating public works contracts, as, among other things, construction, alteration, demolition, installation, or repair work that is performed under contract and paid for in whole or in part out of public funds. Pursuant to existing law, all workers employed on public works projects are required to be paid not less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages for work, except as specified. Existing law governing public works does not apply to specified work performed by a volunteer, a volunteer coordinator, or a member of the California Conservation Corps or a community conservation corps. These provisions are effective only until January 1, 2012, and as of that date are repealed. This bill would extend that repeal date to January 1, 2017, and make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision. Existing law also requires the Director of Industrial Relations to submit a report to the Legislature before January 1, 2011, regarding volunteers on public projects. This bill would repeal that provision. This bill also would make legislative findings and declarations regarding the intent of the bill.

This measure would proclaim the month of March of every year as Read Across California Month and request that public and private stakeholders work together to raise awareness of the importance of reading to young children and the importance of independent reading among our pupils and citizens of California by encouraging everyone to read for 30 minutes for 30 days during the month of March of every year, in conjunction with the Read Across America campaign held annually on March 2.