Asm. Kansen Chu

The Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a registered professional forester has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Oak Woodlands Conservation Act provides funding for the conservation and protection of California's oak woodlands. Any violation of the Fish and Game Code is a crime. This bill would enact the Oak Woodlands Protection Act, which would prohibit a person from removing from an oak woodland, as defined, specified oak trees, unless an oak removal plan and oak removal permit application for the oak tree removal has been submitted to and approved by the Director of Fish and Wildlife. By June, 30, 2016, the bill would require the Fish and Game Commission to adopt regulations to implement the act, including regulations establishing an oak removal permit application fee. The bill would require the fee to be deposited into the Oak Woodlands Protection Act Fund, as created by the bill. Moneys in the fund would be continuously appropriated to the department for purposes of paying the total costs incurred by the department in administering and enforcing the act, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would provide that any person who violates the act is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $25,000 for each violation. The bill would require all civil penalties collected to be apportioned in a specified manner, including 50% to be distributed to the Wildlife Conservation Board for deposit into the Oak Woodlands Conservation Fund. Existing law requires a county to determine whether a project may result in a conversion of oak woodlands that will have a significant effect on the environment, and if it does, existing law requires the county to require one or more specified oak woodlands mitigation alternatives to mitigate the significant effect. This bill would delete this law. To the extent this bill would provide for additional criminal prosecutions for violations of the Fish and Game Code, 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.

Existing federal law establishes the standard time of the United States for each of 9 zones and advances the standard time of each zone by one hour during the period commencing at 2 a.m. on the 2nd Sunday of March of each year and ending at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November of each year. Existing state law, the Daylight Saving Time Act, which was adopted as an initiative measure by the voters at the November 8, 1949, special election, provides that the standard time within the state is that which is known, described, and designated by federal law as United States Standard Pacific Time. The act also requires, from 1 a.m. on the last Sunday of April, until 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October, the standard time within the state to be one hour in advance of United States Standard Pacific Time. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to establish United States Standard Pacific Time as the standard time within the state during the entire year.

Existing law creates the Public Utilities Commission with various powers and duties relative to transportation, including, among other responsibilities, regulation of transportation network companies and those engaged in the private transportation of persons or property. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that promotes public safety and accountability for transportation network companies utilizing peer–to–peer mobile services to deliver commodities such as food or clothing.

Under existing law, if a witness in a court action is incapable of understanding the English language or is incapable of expressing himself or herself in the English language so as to be understood directly by counsel, court, and jury, an interpreter whom the witness can understand and who can understand the witness must be sworn to interpret for the witness. Existing law requires an interpreter to take an oath that he or she will make a true interpretation to the witness in a language that the witness understands and that the interpreter will make a true interpretation of the witness' answers to questions to counsel, court, or jury, in the English language, with the interpreter's best skill and judgment. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to the latter provision.

Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for any person, or officer or agent thereof, to refuse access to his place of business or employment to any member of the Industrial Welfare Commission or employee of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement when administering or enforcing specified provisions of law. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

Existing law requires a collecting bank, as defined, to exercise ordinary care when performing specific roles in a commercial banking transaction, and limits the liability of a collecting bank for the insolvency, neglect, misconduct, mistake, or default of another bank or person or for loss or destruction of an item in the possession of others or in transit, as specified. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to this provision.

Existing law, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, approved by the voters as Proposition 1 at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $7,545,000,000 to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. The bond act provides that the sum of $810,000,000 is to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditures on, and competitive grants and loans to, projects that are included in and implemented in an adopted integrated regional water management plan and respond to climate change and contribute to regional water security. The bond act states that in order to improve regional water self-reliance security and adapt to the effects on water supply arising out of climate change, the purposes of the available sum of $810,000,000 are to help water infrastructure systems adapt to climate change, provide incentives for water agencies to collaborate, and to improve regional water self-reliance. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change in these provisions.

Existing law requires traffic safety programs that receive state funds and include public awareness campaigns involving emergency vehicle operations to include in the public awareness campaign information on the risks peace officer motor vehicle pursuits pose to public safety, and the penalties that may result from evading a peace officer. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Existing law specifies various acts that are defined as unfair methods of competition and deceptive acts or practices in the business of insurance. Existing law, on January 1, 2017, requires that regulations adopted by the Insurance Commissioner, with regard to unfair business practices as it relates to the settlement of claims, take into consideration settlement practices by classes of insurers, and every insurer, upon receiving notice of a claim, is required to immediately, but no more than 15 calendar days after receipt of the claim, provide the insured with a legible reproduction of specified provisions of law along with a written notice containing specified language. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.