Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The University of California operates 10 campuses located in Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to conduct a study of, and report to the Legislature on, the feasibility of establishing a campus of the University of California devoted to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. The bill would require the report to be submitted on or before January 1, 2017. The bill would appropriate $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the Controller for allocation, as specified, to the regents for establishment of the campus.
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This measure would proclaim January 26, 2016, as India Republic Day, and would urge all Californians to join in celebrating India Republic Day.
Existing law makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,500, by imprisonment in county jail for not more than one year or in the state prison, or by both that fine and imprisonment, to intercept or receive and intentionally record, or assist in the interception or receipt and intentional recording of, a communication transmitted between 2 telephonic devices, without the consent of all parties to the communication. Existing law exempts from these provisions a public communications utility when the acts are for the construction, maintenance, or operation of the services of the public utility or are pursuant to the tariffs of the public utility, and also exempts telephonic communication systems used exclusively within a correctional facility, as specified. This bill would additionally exempt from that prohibition the first 20 seconds of a telephonic communication between a person or business and a current or former customer, or a person reasonably believed to be a current or former customer. The bill would also require the Department of Justice to annually report to the Legislature the number of people charged under these provisions.
Under existing law, there are programs providing assistance for, among other things, emergency housing, multifamily housing, farmworker housing, homeownership for very low and low-income households, and downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers. 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 for establishing 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 revenues from this fee, after deduction of any actual and necessary administrative costs incurred by the county recorder, be sent quarterly to the Department of Housing and Community Development 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, require that 20% of the moneys in the fund be expended for affordable owner-occupied workforce housing, 10% of the moneys for housing purposes related to agricultural workers and their families, and would authorize the remainder of the moneys in the fund to be expended to support affordable housing, homeownership opportunities, and other housing-related programs, as specified. The bill would impose certain auditing and reporting requirements and would establish the Building Homes and Jobs Trust Fund Governing Board that would, among other things, review and approve recommendations made by the Department of Housing and Community Development for the distribution of moneys from the fund. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would create the Secretary of Housing within state government to oversee all activities related to housing in the state. 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.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a credit for a percentage of specified research expenses. These laws, in modified conformity, apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, relating to the election of alternative incremental credit. These laws provide that the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to election of alternative simplified credit shall not apply. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, would not apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to the election of alternative incremental credit. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, and before January 1, 2021, would apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to election of alternative simplified credit in modified conformity, and for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, would apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, relating to the inclusion of qualified research expenses and gross receipts of an acquired person and aggregation of expenditures. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law provides for numerous boards, bureaus, commissions, or programs within the Department of Consumer Affairs that administer the licensing and regulation of various businesses and professions. Existing law authorizes any of the boards, bureaus, commissions, or programs within the department, except as specified, to establish by regulation a system for an inactive category of license for persons who are not actively engaged in the practice of their profession or vocation. Under existing law, the holder of an inactive license is prohibited from engaging in any activity for which a license is required. Existing law defines "board" for these purposes to include, unless expressly provided otherwise, a bureau, commission, committee, department, division, examining committee, program, and agency. This bill would additionally authorize any of the boards, bureaus, commissions, or programs within the department to establish by regulation a system for a retired category of license for persons who are not actively engaged in the practice of their profession or vocation, and would prohibit the holder of a retired license from engaging in any activity for which a license is required, unless regulation specifies the criteria for a retired licensee to practice his or her profession. The bill would authorize a board upon its own determination, and would require a board upon receipt of a complaint from any person, to investigate the actions of any licensee, including, among others, a person with a license that is retired or inactive.
This measure would proclaim the month of January 2016 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, encourage all Californians to become educated about human trafficking and work to eradicate these criminal practices within and beyond our borders, and encourage Members of the Legislature, as well as organizations, businesses, and individuals, to host or sponsor and attend community events in order to bring visibility and support to efforts made by nongovernmental organizations to recognize and combat human trafficking.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various professionals, including, but not limited to, advertisers, attorneys, interior designers, barbers, and cosmetologists. This bill would provide for the licensure and regulation of tour guides by the California Travel and Tourism Commission, as specified, with certain exceptions. The bill would require applicants for certification, among other things, to be 18 years of age or older, meet specified educational criteria, pay fees required by the commission, and provide fingerprints for submission to the Department of Justice for a criminal background check. The act would require the department to review specified information and provide fitness determinations and other specified information to the commission. The bill would also authorize local governments to establish local tour guide certification programs and require the commission to certify applicants licensed through those programs. This bill would allow the commission to take disciplinary action against certificate holders or applicants, as specified. The bill would prohibit unlicensed persons from leading tour groups into state parks or other state facilities for compensation as part of a multisite tour.
Existing law establishes the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board in the Department of Industrial Relations to adopt, amend, or repeal employment safety standards and laws. Existing law authorizes the board, upon the application of an employer, to grant a permanent variance from an occupational standard or order after specified notice and hearing requirements are met. The California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 also authorizes an employer to apply to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, that enforces employment safety laws, for a temporary order granting a variance from an occupational safety or health standard and requires the order to be granted only if the employer's application satisfies specified requirements. Existing law provides that a temporary order may be granted only after notice to employees and an opportunity for a hearing. Existing law specifies the information that an application for a temporary order is required to contain. This bill would require an employer to also give notice to workers at the place of employment who will be affected by a permanent or temporary variance, or representatives of affected workers, who may be affected by or exposed to the hazards by the permanent or temporary variance from an occupational safety and health standard. The bill would require any affected worker, or representative of affected workers, upon request, to be granted party status to the variance proceedings. The bill would require the variance application to include a certification that the employer has given notice to affected workers as required. Because a violation of the new requirements for employers would be a crime under certain circumstances, this 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.