Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law establishes, among other funds related to telecommunications, the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) in the State Treasury. Existing law requires the commission to develop, implement, and administer the CASF to encourage the deployment of high-quality advanced communications services to all Californians that will promote economic growth, job creation, and the substantial social benefits of advanced information and communications technologies. Existing law requires the commission to approve infrastructure projects supported by expenditures from the fund that provide last-mile broadband access to households that are unserved by an existing facilities-based broadband provider. This bill would establish the Rural Broadband and Emergency Infrastructure Grant Act of 2020 to ensure that all California fairgrounds are equipped with adequate broadband and telecommunications infrastructure to support local, regional, and state emergency and disaster response personnel and systems. The bill would, upon appropriation, require the Department of Technology, Department of Food and Agriculture, Public Utilities Commission, California Broadband Council, and Office of Emergency Services to jointly develop the Rural Broadband and Emergency Infrastructure Grant Program to provide each California fairground with grant moneys to support broadband and telecommunications infrastructure deployment.
Sponsored bills
This measure would designate the week of February 24, 2020, to March 1, 2020, as Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
Existing law authorizes a pupil to be excused from school for specified reasons, including for the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for an election. Existing law provides that an excused absence for those specified reasons are absences for the purpose of computing average daily attendance and do not generate state apportionment payments. Existing law requires that the attendance of pupils participating in independent study for 5 or more consecutive days, as specified, be included in computing the average daily attendance of the school district. This bill would provide that, for the purpose of computing average daily attendance for pupils in independent study, a pupil serving as a member of a precinct board for an election is not required to participate in that activity for 5 or more consecutive days if specified requirements are met, and would specify that an absence to serve as a member of a precinct board generates state apportionment payments. The bill also would delete an obsolete reference and make other nonsubstantive changes.
This measure would state that the Legislature should stop speaking of climate change and instead speak of the climate crisis.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities, as defined, are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law authorizes the commission to establish rules for all public utilities, subject to control by the Legislature. This bill would require the commission, or the governing board of a local publicly owned electric utility, as applicable, to ensure that customers within its jurisdiction who have customer-sited renewable energy or energy storage systems are not subject to discriminatory fees or charges levied as a result of installing or using those customer-sited renewable energy or energy storage systems, as specified. Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because this bill would require action by the commission to enforce its requirements and a violation of that commission action implementing its requirements would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Because the bill imposes requirements on the boards of local publicly owned electric utilities, which are entities of local government, 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 specified reasons.
Existing law generally provides for the confidentiality of information regarding a minor in proceedings in the juvenile court and related court proceedings and limits access to juvenile case files. Existing law authorizes only certain individuals to inspect a juvenile case file, including, among others, the minor, the minor's parents or guardian, and the attorneys for the parties, judges, referees, other hearing officers, probation officers, and law enforcement officers who are actively participating in criminal or juvenile proceedings involving the minor. Existing law also authorizes some of those individuals to receive copies of the case file. Existing law requires a person who is seeking access to a juvenile case file that is privileged or confidential pursuant to any other state or federal law and who is not entitled to access the record to petition the juvenile court for access. Existing law also prohibits a receiving agency from disseminating a juvenile case file, any portion of the file, or information relating to the content of the juvenile case file to any other person or agency, except as specified. This bill would provide that these provisions do not prohibit a district attorney, city attorney, or city prosecutor that prosecutes criminal or juvenile cases under state law from alerting a defense attorney in a criminal or juvenile proceeding of the need to file a petition to access juvenile records under these provisions because of potentially discoverable evidence in a juvenile case file.
Existing law establishes the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, under which a minor may be adjudged to be a dependent of the court if the minor has been abused or neglected, as specified. Other existing law, the Guardianship-Conservatorship Law, authorizes a probate court, upon hearing of a petition by a parent, relative, or other person, to appoint a guardian of a minor in accordance with specified provisions of law governing the custody of a minor child. Existing law authorizes a court hearing a guardianship petition, if the proposed ward is or may be abused or neglected, to refer the matter to the local child welfare services agency to initiate an investigation to determine whether proceedings in juvenile court should be commenced. This bill, except as provided below, would require, rather than authorize, the court to immediately refer the matter to the local child welfare services agency for investigation under those circumstances. The bill would prohibit the guardianship proceedings from being completed until the investigation is completed and a report is provided to the juvenile court. However, the bill would prohibit the probate court from referring the matter to the local child welfare services agency if it finds on the record that the parents, the proposed guardian, and the child, if 12 years of age or older, knowingly and voluntarily consent to the establishment of a guardianship in probate court, unless the probate court determines that the child is at risk of abuse or neglect in the home of the proposed guardian. The bill would require the consent by the parties to be in writing, as specified. Existing law requires a proceeding in the juvenile court to declare a child to be a dependent child of the court to be commenced by a social worker's filing of a petition with the court. Under existing law, if a person applies to a social worker to commence juvenile court proceedings and the social worker fails to file a petition within 3 weeks after the application, the person may, within one month after making the application, apply to the juvenile court to review the decision of the social worker, and the court may either affirm the decision of the social worker or order the social worker to commence juvenile court proceedings. This bill would also require the juvenile court to review the decision of a social worker not to file a petition if the probate court has referred the matter to the juvenile court. The bill would require the court to order the social worker to commence juvenile court proceedings if it appears that the child would be abused or neglected if residing in the home of the parents and the juvenile court appears best able to serve the family and protect the child. The bill would require the court to consider certain factors when making this determination, including whether the parents, child, or caregiver would benefit from support or services, a juvenile court guardianship, or any other child welfare services. Existing law authorizes a juvenile court, if the court finds that the child is abused or neglected, and the parent has advised the court that the parent is not interested in family maintenance or family reunification services, in addition to or in lieu of adjudicating the child a dependent child of the court, to order a legal guardianship and appoint a legal guardian, as specified. Existing law establishes the state-funded Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment Program (Kin-GAP) , which provides aid on behalf of eligible children who are placed in the home of a relative guardian. Existing law requires aid in the form of state-funded Kin-GAP to be provided on behalf of any child under 18 years of age and to any eligible youth under 19 years of age who has had a kinship guardianship established, as described above, and who meets other requirements, including that the child or youth has been adjudicated a dependent child or ward of the juvenile court, has been residing for at least 6 consecutive months in the approved home of the prospective relative guardian, and has had the dependency jurisdiction or wardship terminated, as specified. This bill would require the state-funded Kin-GAP aid to be provided on behalf of any child under 18 years of age and to any eligible youth under 21 years of age who has had a kinship guardianship established as described above. The bill would, for purposes of providing this aid, eliminate the requirements that the child has also been adjudicated a dependent child or ward of the juvenile court, has been residing for at least 6 consecutive months in the approved home of the prospective relative guardian, and has had the dependency jurisdiction or wardship terminated, as specified. The bill would repeal obsolete cross-references and make other technical changes. By imposing a higher level of service on county officials, 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 law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Department of Motor Vehicles to ensure that all eligible inmates released from state prison have valid identification cards. Existing law also establishes requirements for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for persons in state prison who are exonerated, including transitional services and financial support, as specified. This bill would authorize the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to process original and renewal requests for California identification cards and all licenses contained in the Vehicle Code. The bill would authorize the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to take necessary steps to process original and renewal requests, such as obtaining Department of Motor Vehicles-approved cameras, obtaining documents on behalf of inmates, and administering licensing examinations, as specified. This bill would also require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to allow inmates to retain their prison-issued identification cards upon release and directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to accept this form of identification for California identification cards and driver's license applications, as specified. This bill would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to prepare an annual report for the Legislature regarding this program that includes information about the number of inmates assisted, the number of facilities providing services, and impediments to program implementation. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to the law pertaining to exonerated persons.
The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) , an initiative measure approved as Proposition 64 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, and additionally amended by statute, imposes duties on the Bureau of Cannabis Control in the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the State Department of Public Health with respect to the creation, issuance, denial, suspension and revocation of commercial cannabis licenses, and imposes an excise tax commencing January 1, 2018, on the purchase of cannabis and cannabis products at the rate of 15% of the average market price of any retail sale by a cannabis retailer. Commencing January 1, 2018, AUMA also imposes a cultivation tax upon all cultivators on all harvested cannabis that enters the commercial market, at specified rates per dry-weight ounce of cannabis flowers and leaves. Existing law requires the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to administer those taxes, and requires the revenues from those taxes to be deposited into the California Cannabis Tax Fund and to be continuously appropriated for specified purposes pursuant to a specified schedule. AUMA requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2020, with recommendations for adjustments to the tax rate to achieve the goals of undercutting illicit market prices and discouraging use by persons younger than 21 years of age while ensuring sufficient revenues are generated for specified programs. AUMA authorizes the Legislature to amend its provisions with a 23 vote of both houses to further its purposes and intent. This bill would reduce that excise tax rate to 11% on and after the operative date of this bill until July 1, 2023, at which time the excise tax rate would revert back to 15%. The bill would suspend the imposition of the cultivation tax on and after the operative date of this bill until July 1, 2023. The bill would require the bureau, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to provide the Legislature with reports measuring the success of this bill, as specified. This bill would make specified findings and declare that its provisions further the purposes and intent of the AUMA. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy, but its operative date would depend on its effective date.
The California Constitution, as amended by Proposition 57 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, grants the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation the authority to award credits earned for good behavior and approved rehabilitative or educational achievements and requires the department to adopt regulations in furtherance of this grant of authority. Existing law generally awards an inmate 6 months of credit reductions for every 6 months of continuous incarceration. Existing law, as added by Proposition 184 at the November 8, 1994, statewide general election, restricts the total amount of credits that an inmate convicted of a serious or violent felony, as defined, can receive to no more than 15 of the total term of imprisonment. This bill would direct the department to use its constitutional authority to award specified credits to inmates who are incarcerated for a violent felony or for a nonviolent second- or third-strike felony and who do not have a specified administrative classification determined by the department at a rate of a one-day reduction in the term of confinement for every day of incarceration. The bill would provide that an inmate receive the credits set forth in the bill unless the inmate is eligible for more credit pursuant to the Penal Code or the California Constitution. The bill would require the department to award credits and conduct rehabilitative programming in a manner that meets specified requirements, such as preventing nonadverse facility transfers from disrupting an inmate's credit-earning rehabilitative programming.