Existing law authorizes cities and counties, subject to certain limitations and approval requirements, to levy a transactions and use tax for general or specific purposes, in accordance with the procedures and requirements set forth in the Transactions and Use Tax Law, including a requirement that the combined rate of all taxes that may be imposed in accordance with that law in the county not exceed 2%. This bill would authorize the Counties of Alameda and Santa Clara to impose a transactions and use tax for general or specific purposes at a rate of no more than 0.5% or 0.625%, respectively, and the City of Santa Fe Springs to impose a transactions and use tax for general or specific purposes at a rate of no more than 1% that, in combination with other transactions and use taxes, would exceed the above-described combined rate limit of 2%, if either county or the city adopts an ordinance proposing the tax and the ordinance proposing the tax is approved by the voters, subject to applicable voter approval requirements, as specified. The bill would repeal this authorization on December 31, 2022, for either county or the city if an ordinance proposing the tax has not been approved by that date in that county or city. The bill would also make a technical conforming correction. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Alameda and Santa Clara and the City of Santa Fe Springs.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law creates the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as a regional agency in the 9-county San Francisco Bay area with comprehensive regional transportation planning and other related responsibilities. Existing law creates the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) as a separate entity governed by the same governing board as MTC and makes BATA responsible for the programming, administration, and allocation of toll revenues from the state-owned toll bridges in the San Francisco Bay area. Existing law authorizes BATA to increase the toll rates for certain purposes, including to meet its bond obligations, provide funding for certain costs associated with the bay area state-owned toll bridges, including for the seismic retrofit of those bridges, and provide funding to meet the requirements of certain voter-approved regional measures. Existing law provided for submission of 2 regional measures to the voters of 7 bay area counties in 1988 and 2004 relative to specified increases in bridge auto tolls on the bay area state-owned toll bridges, subject to approval by a majority of the voters. This bill would require the City and County of San Francisco and the other 8 counties in the San Francisco Bay area to conduct a special election, to be known as Regional Measure 3, on a proposed increase in the amount of the toll rate charged on the state-owned toll bridges in that area to be used for specified projects and programs. The bill would require BATA to select the amount of the proposed increase, not to exceed $3, to be placed on the ballot for voter approval. If approved by the voters, the bill would authorize BATA, beginning 6 months after the election approving the toll increase, to phase in the toll increase over a period of time and to adjust the toll increase for inflation after the toll increase is phased in completely. The bill would specify that, except for the inflation adjustment, providing funding to meet the requirements of voter approved regional measures, and as otherwise specified in statute, the toll increase adopted pursuant to the results of this election may not be changed without the statutory authorization of the Legislature. By requiring this election, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require BATA to reimburse from toll revenues, as specified, the counties and the City and County of San Francisco for the cost of submitting the measure to the voters. This bill would require BATA to establish an independent oversight committee within 6 months of the effective date of the Regional Measure 3 toll increase with a specified membership, to ensure the toll revenues generated by the toll increase are expended consistent with a specified expenditure plan. The bill would require BATA to submit an annual report to the Legislature on the status of the projects and programs funded by the toll increase. (2) Existing law authorizes BATA to vary the toll structure on each of the bay area state-owned toll bridges and to provide discounts for vehicles classified by BATA as high-occupancy vehicles. This bill would additionally authorize BATA to provide discounts for vehicles that pay for tolls electronically or through other non-cash methods and to charge differential rates based on the chosen method. This bill, with respect to the Regional Measure 3 toll increase, would require BATA to provide a 50% discount on the amount of that toll increase on the 2nd bridge crossing for those commuters using a two-axle vehicle, who pay tolls electronically or through other noncash methods and who cross 2 bridges during commute hours, as specified. Existing law, if BATA establishes high-occupancy vehicle lane fee discounts or access for vehicles classified by BATA as high-occupancy vehicles for any bridge, requires BATA to collaborate with the Department of Transportation to reach agreement on how the occupancy requirements shall apply on each segment of highway that connects with that bridge. This bill would instead require BATA to establish those occupancy requirements in consultation with the department. (3) Existing law establishes the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) , governed by a board of directors, with specified powers and duties relative to the construction and operation of a rapid transit system. This bill would create the Independent Office of the BART Inspector General within BART. The bill would provide for the board of directors to nominate 3 persons to the Governor and for the Governor to appoint one of those nominees to serve as the Inspector General for a 4-year term. The bill would require the Inspector General to be removed from office by the board of directors, subject to the approval of the Governor, under certain circumstances. The bill would specify the duties and responsibilities of the Inspector General and would require the Inspector General to submit an annual report to the board of directors and the Legislature. The bill would provide for the office to receive $1,000,000 from an allocation of bridge toll revenue from BATA and, in the second and subsequent years of operation of the office, would authorize BATA to increase that amount, as specified. The bill would make these provisions operative upon an affirmative vote to increase tolls on the bay area state-owned toll bridges pursuant to Regional Measure 3 or related provisions. (4) Existing law authorizes the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to conduct, administer, and operate a value pricing high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane program on 2 corridors included in the high-occupancy vehicle lane system in Santa Clara County. Existing law authorizes a HOT lane established as part of this program on State Highway Route 101 to extend into the County of San Mateo as far as the high-occupancy lane in the County of San Mateo existed as of January 1, 2011, subject to agreement of the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County. This bill would delete the authorization for a HOT lane to extend into the specified portion of San Mateo County as part of a value pricing program established on 2 corridors in Santa Clara County. The bill would instead authorize VTA to specifically conduct, administer, and operate a value pricing high-occupancy toll lane program on State Highway Route 101 in San Mateo County in coordination with the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, as prescribed. (5) 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 establishes the Department of Consumer Affairs and places the department under the control of the Director of Consumer Affairs. Existing law requires the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians of the State of California, which is within the department, to license and regulate vocational nurses and psychiatric technicians and requires the board to appoint an executive officer to perform duties as delegated by the board. Existing law repeals the provisions establishing the board and the board's authority to appoint an executive officer on January 1, 2018. This bill would extend the operation of the board and its authority to license and regulate vocational nurses and psychiatric technicians until January 1, 2021. The bill would temporarily abolish the existing executive officer provision and would establish a new executive officer who would be appointed by the Governor and who would serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The bill would require the newly established executive officer to perform duties as delegated by the board, would prohibit the executive officer from being a member of the board, and would provide that the executive officer is entitled to necessary expenses in the performance of his or her duties. The bill would repeal the provisions regarding the new executive officer on January 1, 2020. The bill would, if the board becomes inoperative or is repealed, authorize the director, until December 31, 2024, to assume the duties, powers, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction of the board and its executive officer that are not otherwise repealed or made inoperative. The bill would also make nonsubstantive changes. Existing law requires the director to appoint an administrative and enforcement program monitor to monitor and evaluate the administrative process and disciplinary system and procedures of the board and requires the monitor to submit a report of his or her findings and conclusions to the Legislature, the department, and the board, as specified. This bill would require the board to submit written reports to the director and the Legislature no later than April 1, 2018, July 1, 2018, October 1, 2018, January 1, 2019, July 1, 2019, and January 1, 2020, demonstrating its progress in implementing the administrative and enforcement program monitor's recommendations. This bill would require staff of the board to meet with staff from the department's Division of Investigation no later than March 1, 2018, June 1, 2018, September 1, 2018, and December 1, 2018, and each March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1 thereafter, for the purpose of ensuring the appropriate function and operation of the board's enforcement program. The bill would require the board to submit a report to the department in advance of each meeting that includes, at a minimum, certain information. The bill would require the board and its staff to cooperate with the director and the department. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2020. The bill would authorize the director to direct department staff to review and evaluate the board's licensing systems and procedures for the purpose of identifying deficiencies and improving quality and efficiency of the board's licensing process, and would require the board and the board's staff to cooperate with the director and the department, as specified. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2020. Existing law establishes the Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians Fund in the State Treasury, and requires that all money in the fund be used to carry out the Vocational Nursing Practice Act and the Psychiatric Technicians Law, and for the refund of license fees and other moneys paid into the fund under certain provisions of law. Existing law requires that claims against the fund be audited by the Controller, and paid by the Treasurer upon warrants drawn by the Controller. This bill would specify that moneys in the fund shall be available upon appropriation by the Legislature.
(1) Existing law, the California Healthy Youth Act, requires school districts to ensure that all pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention education, as specified. Under the act, this instruction includes, among other things, information about sexual harassment, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse, intimate partner violence, and sex trafficking. This bill would require that instruction to additionally include information about sexual abuse and to include information about human trafficking instead of sex trafficking. To the extent that this requirement would impose additional duties on school districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law authorizes a school district to provide sexual abuse and sex trafficking prevention education, as described, and authorizes the periodic conducting of in-service training of school district personnel relating to sexual abuse and sex trafficking. This bill would recast those provisions to instead authorize a school district to provide abuse, including sexual abuse, and human trafficking prevention education, and to require the availability and periodic conducting of continuation, rather than in-service, training of school district personnel relating to abuse, including sexual abuse, and human trafficking. (3) Existing law establishes the Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Program, which is administered by the State Department of Social Services, in order to adequately serve children who have been sexually exploited. The program requires the department, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, to develop an allocation methodology to distribute funding for the program. The program authorizes the use of these funds by counties electing to participate in the program for certain prevention and intervention activities and services to children who are victims, or at risk of becoming victims, of commercial sexual exploitation, for the provision of training to county children's services workers to identify, intervene, and provide case management services to children who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, and for the training of county workers and foster caregivers for the prevention and identification of potential victims, as specified. This bill would amend various provisions of the program to include components relating to education and training, as specified. Existing law requires a county that elects to receive funds from the program to develop an interagency protocol to be utilized in serving sexually exploited children. Existing law requires the protocol to be developed by a team that includes representatives from specified agencies. This bill would require that team to include representatives from the county office of education and the sheriff's department, as specified. Under existing law, the program also requires the department to ensure that the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System is capable of collecting data concerning children who are commercially sexually exploited, as specified. Existing law requires the department to implement these provisions by June 1, 2015. This bill would extend the requirement that the provision be implemented to June 1, 2018. (4) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 51934 of the Education Code proposed by AB 643 to be operative only if this bill and AB 643 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (5) 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, the Optometry Practice Act, until January 1, 2018, establishes the State Board of Optometry. Under existing law, the State Board of Optometry is responsible for the licensure and regulation of the practice of optometry, registered dispensing opticians, spectacle lens dispensers, and contact lens dispensers. Existing law, until January 1, 2018, authorizes the State Board of Optometry to appoint an executive officer to perform duties delegated by the board. Existing law establishes the Optometry Fund and provides that all fee money collected under the act is paid into that fund and continuously appropriated. Existing law makes a violation of that act punishable as a crime. This bill would extend the operation of the board and the authority to appoint an executive officer to January 1, 2022. The bill would make all money collected under the act available only upon appropriation of the Legislature to carry out the purposes of the act. Existing law provides that registrations for spectacle lens dispensers and contact lens dispensers expire at 12 midnight on the last day of the birth month of the licensee during the 2nd year of a 2-year term if not renewed and that registrations for dispensing opticians expire at midnight on the last day of the month in which the license was issued during the 2nd year of a 2-year term if not renewed. This bill would instead provide that registrations for dispensing opticians, spectacle lens dispensers, and contact lens dispensers expire at midnight on the last day of the month in which the license was issued during the 2nd year of a 2-year term if not renewed. Existing law defines the term "advertise" for purposes of the Optometry Practice Act. Existing law makes it unlawful to advertise or hold himself or herself out as an optometrist without having first obtained a license and prohibits an optometrist from advertising or otherwise holding himself or herself out to be a specialist in eye disease and treatment. This bill would redefine the term "advertise" to also include the use of the Internet. By changing the definition of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes the board to, at any time, inspect the premises in which optometry is being practiced or in which spectacle or contact lenses are fitted or dispensed and provides that this authority does not extend to premises that are not registered with the board. This bill would instead authorize the board or its designated agent, at any time, to inspect both any premise in which optometric services, as defined, are provided or reasonably suspected of being provided and any premise in which the services of dispensing, adjusting, or fitting of contact lenses or spectacle lenses are provided or reasonably suspected of being provided. Existing law authorizes the board to issue a license to practice optometry to a person who meets certain requirements, including that an applicant for licensure has never had his or her license to practice optometry revoked or suspended in any state where he or she holds a license. This bill would make this requirement inoperative on July 1, 2018. Existing law requires the board to permit a graduate of a foreign university who meets certain requirements to take the examinations for an optometrist license. This bill would repeal that provision. This bill would require the board to develop an interface with the National Practitioner Data Bank for the purpose of conducting inquiries on applicants for licensure, applicants for renewal of licensure, and current licensees, as specified. The bill, on and after July 1, 2018, would require the board, in addition to any other fees, to charge an applicant for licensure $2 and an applicant for renewal of licensure $4 for this purpose. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 3057 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by AB 443 to be operative only if this bill and AB 443 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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 a person who is acting as an agent for a transferor of real property that is located within either a special flood hazard or an area of potential flooding, determined as provided, or the transferor if he or she is acting without an agent, to disclose to any prospective transferee the fact that the property located in a special flood hazard or an area of potential flooding if certain criteria are met. This bill would require, for every lease or rental agreement for residential property entered into on or after July 1, 2018, the owner or person offering the property for rent to disclose to the tenant specified information pertaining to the risk of flooding. The bill would make findings and declarations in this regard.
Existing law, the Contractors' State License Law, provides for licensing and regulation of contractors by the Contractors' State License Board. That law requires the board, with the approval of the Director of Consumer Affairs, to appoint a registrar of contractors to serve as the executive officer and secretary of the board. That law directs the board to require, as a condition precedent to accepting an application for licensure, renewal, reinstatement, or to change officers or other personnel of record, that an applicant for a license, previously found to have failed or refused to pay a contractor, subcontractor, consumer, materials supplier, or employee based on a specified unsatisfied final judgment, to file or have on file with the board a bond sufficient to guarantee payment of an amount equal to the unsatisfied judgment or judgments, as specified. That law requires a licensee to notify the registrar in writing of a specified unsatisfied final judgment imposed on the licensee within 90 days of the imposition, and to file or have on file with the board a bond sufficient to guarantee payment of an amount equal to specified unsatisfied judgments within 90 days from date of notification. That law requires the license of a licensee who does not comply with these requirements to be automatically suspended. That law prohibits the suspension from being removed until proof of satisfaction of the judgment, or in lieu thereof, a notarized copy of an accord, is submitted to the registrar. The bill would revise and recast the provisions relating to notice of an unsatisfied judgment, a sufficient bond for that judgment, and suspension for failure to comply. The Contractors' State License Law also requires the qualifying person and any partner of the licensee or personnel of the licensee named as a judgment debtor in an unsatisfied final judgment to be automatically prohibited from serving as an officer, director, associate, partner, owner, manager, qualifying individual, or other personnel of record of another licensee. That law requires the license of any other existing renewable licensed entity with any of the same personnel of record as the judgment debtor licensee to be suspended until the license of the judgment debtor is reinstated or until those same personnel of record disassociate themselves from the renewable licensed entity. This bill instead would, if a judgment is entered against a licensee, require a qualifying person or personnel of record of the licensee at the time of the activities on which the judgment is based to be automatically prohibited from serving as a qualifying individual or other personnel of record on another license, until the judgment is satisfied.
Under existing law, there are programs providing assistance for, among other things, emergency housing, multifamily housing, farmworker housing, home ownership for very low and low-income households, and downpayment assistance for first-time home buyers. Existing law also authorizes the issuance of bonds in specified amounts pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law. Existing law requires that proceeds from the sale of these bonds be used to finance various existing housing programs, capital outlay related to infill development, brownfield cleanup that promotes infill development, and housing-related parks. This bill would enact the Building Homes and Jobs Act. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to the need to establish permanent, ongoing sources of funding dedicated to affordable housing development. The bill would impose a fee, except as provided, of $75 to be paid at the time of the recording of every real estate instrument, paper, or notice required or permitted by law to be recorded, per each single transaction per single parcel of real property, not to exceed $225. By imposing new duties on counties with respect to the imposition of the recording fee, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The bill would require that a county recorder quarterly send revenues from this fee, after deduction of any actual and necessary administrative costs incurred by the county recorder, to the Controller for deposit in the Building Homes and Jobs Fund, which the bill would create within the State Treasury. The bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, except as provided, require (1) for moneys collected on and after January 1, 2018, and until December 31, 2018, that 50% of the moneys deposited in the fund be made available to local governments for specified purposes, and 50% made available to the Department of Housing and Community Development to assist persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and (2) for moneys collected on and after January 1, 2019, that 70% of the moneys deposited in the fund be provided to local governments in accordance with a specified formula and 30% made available to the department for specified purposes, including a continuous appropriation of moneys to the California Housing Finance Agency for the purpose of creating mixed income multifamily residential housing for lower to moderate income households, as provided. The bill would also provide that funds allocated to a local government that does not have a documented plan to expend certain moneys allocated to it within 5 years would revert and be deposited in the Housing Rehabilitation Loan Fund, to be used for specified purposes. By continuously appropriating moneys for use by the California Housing Finance Agency, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require that 20% of all moneys in the fund be expended for affordable owner-occupied workforce housing, and that moneys in the fund allocated to local governments be expended to support affordable housing, home ownership opportunities, and other housing-related programs, as specified. The bill would impose certain auditing and reporting requirements. 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires each city, county, and city and county to prepare and adopt a general plan that contains certain mandatory elements, including a housing element. Existing law requires the housing element to contain, among other things, an inventory of land suitable for residential development, including vacant sites and sites having the potential for redevelopment. This bill would require the inventory of land to be available for residential development in addition to being suitable for residential development and to include vacant sites and sites that have realistic and demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the planning period to meet the locality's housing need for a designated income level. By imposing new duties upon local agencies with respect to the housing element of the general plan, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires the inventory of land to include, among other things, a listing of properties by parcel number or other unique reference and a general description of existing or planned water, sewer, and other dry utilities supply, including the availability and access to distribution facilities. Existing law specifies that this information does not need to be identified on a site-specific basis. This bill would instead require the listing of properties to be by assessor parcel number and require parcels included in the inventory to have sufficient water, sewer, and dry utilities supply available and accessible to support housing development or be included in an existing general plan program or other mandatory program or plan to secure sufficient water, sewer, and dry utilities supply to support housing development. By imposing new duties upon local agencies with respect to the housing element of the general plan, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires the housing element to contain a program that sets forth a schedule of actions during the planning period that the local government is undertaking, or intends to undertake, to implement the policies and achieve the goals and objectives of the housing element. Existing law requires a city or county, based on the inventory of land, to determine whether each site in the inventory can accommodate some portion of its share of the regional housing need, as specified. This bill would also require the inventory to specify for each site the number of units that can realistically be accommodated on that site and whether the site is adequate to accommodate lower income housing, moderate-income housing, or above moderate-income housing, as specified. By imposing new duties upon local agencies with respect to the housing element of the general plan, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires a city or county, for specified sites, to specify additional development potential for each site within the planning period and to provide an explanation of the methodology used to determine the development potential. Existing law requires the methodology to consider specified factors, including the extent to which existing uses may constitute an impediment to additional residential development, development trends, market conditions, and regulatory or other incentives or standards to encourage additional residential development on these sites. This bill would require the methodology to consider, among other things, the city's or county's past experience with converting existing uses to higher density residential development, the current demand for the existing use, and an analysis of existing leases or other contracts that would perpetuate the existing use or prevent redevelopment, as specified. By imposing new duties upon local agencies with respect to the housing element of the general plan, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires the program to accommodate 100% of the allocated very low and low-income housing need for which site capacity has not been identified. Existing law requires these sites to be zoned to permit owner-occupied and rental multifamily residential use by right and to be zoned with specified minimum density and development standards. This bill would restrict the use by right of these sites to developments in which at least 20% of the units are affordable to lower income households during the planning period and require these sites to have sufficient water, sewer, and other dry utilities available and accessible or be included in an existing general plan program or other mandatory program or plan to secure sufficient water, sewer, dry utilities supply to support housing development. By imposing new duties upon local agencies with respect to the housing element of the general plan, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would also make legislative findings and declarations. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 65583 of the Government Code proposed by AB 879 to be operative only if this bill and AB 879 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including water corporations, as defined. Under the Public Utilities Act, a public utility is required to seek commission approval prior to selling, leasing, assigning, mortgaging, or otherwise disposing of or encumbering any property necessary or useful in the performance of its duties to the public. Existing law authorizes regional park and open-space districts to acquire, and to lease or dispose of, real property, and rights in real property, within or without the regional district, that are necessary to the full exercise of the regional district's powers. This bill would authorize the San Jose Water Company to sell lands in the Upper Guadalupe River watershed, including the Los Gatos Creek and Saratoga Creek watersheds, to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District until January 1, 2023, as specified. The bill would require the water company to invest the net proceeds, if any, from the sale of land authorized by the bill in water system infrastructure, plant, facilities, and properties that are necessary or useful in the performance of its duties to the public. The bill would require the investment of the net proceeds to be included among the water company's other utility property upon which the commission authorizes the water company to earn a reasonable rate of return, as specified. The bill would provide that these requirements apply to the investment of the net proceeds from the sale for a period of 8 consecutive years, as prescribed, and would require the balance of any net proceeds and interest on the proceeds that is not invested after the 8-year period to be allocated solely to the water company ratepayers.