Asm. Ash Kalra

Existing law establishes the California College Promise, under the administration of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, to provide funding, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to each community college meeting prescribed requirements. Existing law authorizes a community college to use that funding to waive some or all of the fees for 2 academic years for first-time community college students and returning community college students, as defined, who are enrolled in 12 or more semester units or the equivalent, or less for students certified as "full time," as specified, and who complete and submit either a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or a California Dream Act application, except as provided. This bill would authorize extending the term of eligibility of the California College Promise for an additional 2 academic years for first-time community college students and returning community college students who matriculate into upper division coursework of a community college baccalaureate degree program, as specified.

(1) Existing law, the Mobilehome Parks Act, generally regulates various classifications of mobilehome and related vehicle parks, and imposes enforcement duties on the Department of Housing and Community Development (department) and local enforcement agencies. Existing law requires every park with 50 or more units to have a person who is responsible for, and will respond in a timely manner to, emergencies concerning the operation and maintenance of the park that resides in the park and has knowledge of emergency procedures relative to utility systems and common facilities under the ownership and control of the owner of the park, and familiarity with the emergency preparedness plans for the park. This bill would, starting January 1, 2027, require that person who is responsible for emergencies concerning the operation and maintenance of the park to have knowledge of emergency procedures relative to access to park entrances and exits. (2) Existing law requires an owner or operator of an existing mobilehome park to adopt an emergency preparedness plan on or before September 1, 2010. For parks constructed after September 1, 2010, existing law requires an owner or operator of a park to adopt that plan before the issuance of the permit to operate. Existing law requires an owner or operator to post notice of the plan and provide information to residents relating to accessing the plan and individual emergency preparedness information, as specified. Existing law requires an enforcement agency to determine park compliance with these provisions if certain conditions have been met. Existing law deems a violation of these provisions to constitute an unreasonable risk to life, health, or safety and requires correction by park management within 60 days of notice of the violation. Under existing law, a willful violation of the act is a misdemeanor, as specified. This bill would, instead, require, beginning January 1, 2027, an owner or operator of a mobilehome park to adopt an emergency preparedness plan, which includes prescribed elements, before renewal of a permit to operate for an existing park, and before the issuance and renewal of a permit to operate for a park constructed after January 1, 2027. The bill would require the emergency plan to include, among other things, a written statement by a park owner or manager of compliance with the emergency preparedness plan requirements. The bill would additionally require an owner or operator of a park to include in the above-described annual notice information on how to request a written copy of the plan via the internet. The bill would require an enforcement agency to ascertain compliance with those provisions through specified methods, and to refuse to issue or renew a permit to operate if a violation is not corrected within 60 days of notice of the violation and would authorize the enforcement agency to impose formal penalties. The bill would require park management to make a subsequent written statement under penalty of perjury before the issuance and renewal of the park's permit to operate, if management does not correct the violation within 60 days of notice and formal penalties are issued by the enforcement agency. The bill would also require the department to publicly post the above-described provisions on its internet website on or before June 30, 2026. Because this bill would expand the crime of perjury and the scope of existing crimes under the Mobilehome Parks Act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (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.

Existing law requires candidates for an office at a primary election to deliver their nomination documents to the county elections official no later than 5 p.m. on the 88th day before the primary election, or in specified cases, no later than 5 p.m. on the 83rd day before the primary election. Existing law prohibits a person who has delivered nomination documents to the county elections official from withdrawing their candidacy. Existing law further prohibits a person from filing nomination documents for a party nomination and an independent nomination for the same office, or for more than one office at the same election. This bill would permit a candidate for any office other than a statewide office, as defined, at a primary election to withdraw their nomination documents for that office during the applicable filing period. The bill would establish requirements for withdrawal, including that the candidate submit a statement under penalty of perjury that they are withdrawing their nomination documents and understand the withdrawal is irrevocable and that the filing fees are nonrefundable. The bill would permit a candidate who withdraws to file nomination documents for another office at that primary election during the applicable filing period. The bill would clarify that a candidate is prohibited from filing nomination documents for more than one office at the same primary election, except as specified. If an incumbent has delivered but then withdrawn their nomination documents before 5 p.m. on the 88th day before the primary election, the bill would authorize another candidate to deliver their nomination documents no later than 5 p.m. on the 83rd day before the primary election. By establishing a new crime based upon the requirement that a candidate submit a statement of withdrawal under penalty of perjury, and by establishing new duties for local elections officials, the bill would create 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 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 law requires the Governor to create an Interagency Council on Homelessness, consisting of specified members. Among other goals, existing law requires the council to coordinate existing funding and applications for competitive funding. Existing law requires the council to create a statewide data system, which is known as the Homeless Data Integration System, that collects local data through the Homeless Management Information System, with a goal of matching data on homelessness to programs impacting homeless recipients of state programs. Existing law also requires the council to collect, compile, and make available to the public financial data provided to the council from all state-funded homelessness programs. Existing law defines state programs as any programs a California state agency or department funds, implements, or administers for the purpose of providing housing or housing-based services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, except as specified. This bill would additionally require the council to include the Governor's Tribal Advisor. The bill would remove the above-mentioned reference to competitive funding and would instead require the council to coordinate applications for funding. The bill would require council staff to develop and regularly maintain a strategic funding guide and a calendar of new or existing funding opportunities. The bill would require agencies and departments administering state programs to provide the council updated information on new or existing funding opportunities on a quarterly basis. The bill would also require council staff to collect fiscal and outcome data, as defined, from state agencies and departments administering state homelessness programs with a grantee or entity that is required to enter data elements on the individuals and families it serves into its local Homeless Management Information System, as specified. The bill would require the state agencies and departments to submit the fiscal and outcome data to council staff on or before February 1, 2027, and annually thereafter. The bill would require council staff to make the data publicly available on or before June 1, 2027, and annually thereafter. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 8257 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 1443 to be operative only if this bill and SB 1443 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

(1) Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires an owner of an assisted housing development proposing the termination of a subsidy contract or prepayment of governmental assistance or of an assisted housing development in which there will be the expiration of rental restrictions to provide a notice of the proposed change to each affected tenant household residing in the assisted housing development, as specified. The Planning and Zoning Law defines "assisted housing development" for these purposes to mean a multifamily rental housing development of 5 or more units that receives governmental assistance under any of specified programs, including assistance provided by counties or cities under specified law in exchange for restrictions on the maximum rents, as specified, and on the maximum tenant income, as specified. The Planning and Zoning Law defines a "termination" for these purposes to mean an owner's decision to extend or renew its participation in a federal, state, or local government subsidy program or private, nongovernmental subsidy program for an assisted housing development, as specified. The Planning and Zoning Law defines the "expiration of rental restrictions" for these purposes to mean the expiration of rental restrictions for an assisted housing development, as specified, unless the development has other recorded agreements restricting the rent to the same or lesser levels for at least 50% of the units. This bill would instead impose the above-described notice requirement on an owner prior to the anticipated date of termination of a subsidy contract or expiration of rental restrictions or prepayment on an assisted housing development, as specified. The bill would expand the definition of "assisted housing development" to include a development that receives assistance from counties or cities in exchange for affordability restrictions, as described above, pursuant to the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022; streamlining assistance pursuant to the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022; specified law providing a streamlined, ministerial approval process for certain housing developments; or the Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act of 2023. The bill would revise the definition of "termination" for these purposes to instead mean the failure of an owner to extend or renew its participation in the above-described programs, as specified. The bill would also revise the definition of "expiration of rental restrictions" to instead exclude an expiration in a development that has other recorded agreements restricting the rent to the same or lesser levels for at least 50% of the units or the same number of units, as specified, whichever is greater. The Planning and Zoning Law requires an owner to include in the above-described notice certain information, as specified, including among other things, in the event of prepayment, termination, or the expiration of rental restrictions, whether the owner intends to increase rents during the 12 months following prepayment, termination, or the expiration of rental restrictions to a level greater than permitted under a specified provision of the Internal Revenue Code, relating to low-income housing tax credits. At least 6 months prior to the anticipated date of termination of a subsidy contract, expiration of rental restrictions or prepayment on an assisted housing development, the Planning and Zoning Law requires an owner described above to provide a notice of the proposed change to each affected tenant household residing in the assisted housing development at the time the notice is provided and to the affected public entities that includes, among other things, a statement of the owner's intention to participate in any current replacement subsidy program made available to affected tenants. The Planning and Zoning Law requires an owner of an assisted housing development that is within 3 years of a scheduled expiration of rental restrictions to provide notice of the scheduled expiration of rental restrictions to any prospective tenant at the time the prospective tenant is interviewed for eligibility, and to existing tenants, as specified. This bill, for the 12-month notice described above, would instead require an owner in the event of prepayment, termination, or the expiration of rental restrictions, to include in the above-described notice, as specified, whether the owner might increase rents during the 12 months following prepayment, termination, or the expiration of rental restrictions, regardless of whether that increase would be to a level greater than permitted under the above-descried provisions of federal law. The bill would also require that the 6-month notice, as described above, additionally include a statement that the owner shall accept all enhanced Section 8 vouchers if the tenants receive them. The bill would additionally require an owner of an assisted housing development that is within 3 years of a scheduled termination of a subsidy contract to provide notice of the scheduled termination of a subsidy contract to any prospective tenant at the time the prospective tenant is interviewed for eligibility, and to existing tenants, as specified. The Planning and Zoning Law provides for injunctive relief to any specified party who is aggrieved by a violation of these provisions. This bill would specify that the parties who may obtain injunctive relief under these provisions include, but are not limited to, affected tenants that meet the requirements of a legitimate tenant organization, as defined in federal regulations, or a tenant association, as defined. (2) The Planning and Zoning Law requires an owner of an assisted housing development, as defined, to give notice, as specified, prior to the anticipated date of the termination of a subsidy contract, the expiration of rental restrictions, or prepayment on an assisted housing development, to specified entities, except as provided. The Planning and Zoning Law prohibits an owner from terminating a subsidy contract or prepayment of a mortgage unless the owner or its agent has provided specified entities an opportunity to submit an offer to development, as specified. To qualify as a purchaser of an assisted housing development for these purposes, the Planning and Zoning Law requires specified entities to meet certain requirements, including, among other things, to be certified by the Department of Housing and Community Development (department) , as specified. The Planning and Zoning Law requires the department to establish a process for certifying qualified entities and to maintain a list of entities that are certified, as specified. This bill would define a "qualified entity" for these purposes to mean an entity that is a specified entity that meets the requirements described above. The bill would also revise the requirement for the department to establish the above-described certification process to clarify that the department is required to establish a process to certify entities meeting the requirements under existing law to have the opportunity to purchase an assisted housing development. The Planning and Zoning Law requires a qualified entity that elects to purchase an assisted housing development under these provisions to make a bona fide offer, as provided, within 180 days of the owner's notice. If an owner has received a bona fide offer from one or more qualified entities within the first 180 days from the date of an owner's bona fide notice of the opportunity to accept a bona fide offer from a qualified entity, the Planning and Zoning Law requires an owner to notify the department of those offers and either accept a bona fide offer from a qualified entity to purchase or declare under penalty of perjury that, if the property is not sold pursuant to these provisions within 2 180-day periods, the owner will not sell the property for at least 5 years, as specified. When one or more bona fide offers to purchase have been made, as specified, and the owner wishes to sell, the Planning and Zoning Law requires the owners to accept the bona fide offer that meets the requirements of these provisions and execute a purchase agreement within 90 days of receipt of the offer. The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes an owner to accept an offer from a person or an entity that does not qualify as a purchaser of an assisted housing development during the 180-day period following the initial 180-day period, as specified. This bill would extend the period in which a qualified entity may make a bona fide offer under these provisions from 180 days to 270 days. The bill would require that notification to the department of one or more bona fide offers be made within 90 days. The bill would delete the above-described requirement that applies when one or more bona fide offers to purchase have been made and the owner wishes to sell and would, instead, revise the option for the owner to accept the bona fide offer to require that the owner execute a purchase agreement. The bill would delete the option for an owner to declare that it will not sell the property for 5 years, as described above, and would instead authorize the owner to record a new regulatory agreement with a term of at least 30 years, as specified. If an owner does not receive a bona fide offer from one or more qualified entries within 270, or if after the 270 days all bona fide offers are withdrawn, the bill would authorize the owner to do any of specified actions, including selling the property to any buyer. The bill would delete the above-described authorization for an owner to accept an offer from a person or entity that does not qualify as a purchaser after the initial 180-day period. The Planning and Zoning Law requires owners of assisted housing development in which at least 25% of the units on the property are subject to affordability restrictions or a rent or mortgage subsidy contract to certify compliance with these provisions and other applicable law annually, under penalty of perjury, in a form as required by the department. This bill would expand this requirement to apply to owners of an assisted housing development in which at least 5% of the units on the property are subject to affordability restrictions or a rent or mortgage subsidy contract. The bill would make a conforming change in this regard. By expanding the requirement to certify compliance to apply to additional owners of assisted housing developments thereby expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes the enforcement of these provisions by any qualified entity entitled to exercise the opportunity to purchase and right of first refusal, any tenant association at the property, or any affected public entity that has been adversely affected by an owner's failure to comply with these provisions, as specified. The bill would additionally authorize enforcement of these provisions by a group of affected tenants that meets the requirements of a legitimate tenant organization, as specified, and would define tenant organization for this purpose, as specified. (3) The Planning and Zoning law exempts an owner from providing the above-described notices if certain conditions are contained in a regulatory agreement, as specified, including a prohibition against the owner terminating a tenancy of a low-income household at the end of a lease term without demonstrating a breach of the lease. This bill would additionally require that this regulatory agreement include a prohibition against an owner terminating a tenancy of a low-income household due to a planned renovation of the property. (4) 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 prohibits an employer from requiring an employee or applicant for employment to agree, in writing, to any term or condition that is known by the employer to be illegal. Existing law provides that certain contractual agreements between an employer and employee are against public policy, including specified provisions affecting an employee's membership in a labor organization and the protection of state law in employment. Under existing law, enforcement of state labor laws is generally committed to the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement within the Department of Industrial Relations under the direction of the Labor Commissioner. This bill would provide that a provision in an agreement between an individual and any other person for the performance of personal or professional services is unenforceable only as it relates to a new performance, fixed on or after January 1, 2025, by a digital replica of the individual if the provision meets specified conditions relating to the use of a digital replica of the voice or likeness of an individual in lieu of the work of the individual. The bill would define "digital replica" to mean a computer-generated, highly realistic electronic representation that is readily identifiable as the voice or visual likeness of an individual that is embodied in a sound recording, image, audiovisual work, or transmission in which the actual individual either did not actually perform or appear, or the actual individual did perform or appear, but the fundamental character of the performance or appearance has been materially altered, except as prescribed.

Existing law, commonly known as the code of ethics, prohibits a Member of the Legislature, state elective or appointive officer, or judge or justice from having any interest, engaging in any business, transaction, or professional activity, or incurring any obligation that is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of their duties in the public interest and of their responsibilities, as specified. Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, provides for the comprehensive regulation of campaign financing, including requiring the reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures, and regulates the making of gifts to public officials. Existing law, the State Civil Service Act, creates the Department of Human Resources and grants to the department the powers, duties, and authority necessary to operate the state civil service system. Existing law requires that a California Science and Technology Policy Fellow provided by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) be selected according to criteria, and pursuant to a process, approved by the Senate Committee on Rules, the Assembly Committee on Rules, or the Joint Committee on Rules and requires the CCST to execute an agreement for a policy fellow to be bound to abide by standards of conduct, economic interest disclosure requisites, and other requirements specified by the Senate Committee on Rules, the Assembly Committee on Rules, or the Joint Committee on Rules, to be considered duly authorized by those rules committees. Under existing law, for purposes of the code of ethics, the services of a duly authorized policy fellow provided by the CCST are not compensation, a reward, or a gift to a Member of the Legislature and are not an interest, business, transaction, professional activity, or obligation of a Member of the Legislature, state elective or appointive officer, judge, or justice that is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of their duties in the public interest or of their responsibilities, and a policy fellow is not an employee of either house of the Legislature. Existing law also provides that the services of a duly authorized policy fellow are not a gift for purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 and not compensation of a state elective or appointive officer, and the policy fellow is not included in "state civil service" for the purposes of the State Civil Service Act, as specified. The bill would provide that the services of a policy fellow provided by an association, as defined, are not compensation, a reward, a gift, an interest, a business, a transaction, a professional activity, or an obligation, and a policy fellow is not an employee of the Legislature or included in the state civil service, similar to the above-described provisions that apply to a California Science and Technology Policy Fellow provided by the CCST. The bill would state that these provisions are declaratory of existing law.

This measure would, among other things, urge the United States Congress and President Joseph R. Biden to fully fund the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Comprehensive Infrastructure Solution for the Tijuana River due to the ongoing impacts to public health, the environment, and the local economy caused by cross-border pollution and would urge President Joseph R. Biden to declare a national emergency due to those ongoing impacts.

The California Constitution allows a United States citizen who is at least 18 years of age and a resident of California to vote. This measure would reduce the minimum voting age to 17.

Former law, until July 1, 2023, established the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, with a Special Consideration for African Americans Who are Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States (Task Force) . Former law required the Task Force, among other things, to identify, compile, and synthesize the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and the colonies, as specified, and to recommend the form of compensation that should be awarded, the instrumentalities through which it should be awarded, and who should be eligible for this compensation. This bill would establish the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency in state government, under the control of the secretary, who would be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The bill would require the agency to implement the recommendations of the Task Force, as approved by the Legislature and the Governor. The bill would require the agency, as part of its duties, to determine how an individual's status as a descendant would be confirmed. The bill would also require proof of an individual's descendant status to be a qualifying criterion for benefits authorized by the state for descendants. To accomplish these goals, the bill would require the agency to be comprised of a Genealogy Office and an Office of Legal Affairs. The bill would further require the agency to oversee and monitor existing state agencies and departments tasked with engaging in direct implementation of the policies that fall within the scope of the existing state agencies' and departments' authority, including policies related to reparations. Existing law prohibits a state agency, with certain exceptions, from employing any in-house counsel to act on behalf of the state agency or its employees in any judicial or administrative adjudicative proceeding in which the agency is interested, or is a party as a result of office or official duties, or contracting with outside counsel for any purpose. This bill would exempt the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency from the above-described prohibition.