(1) Existing law defines murder as the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought. Existing law classifies a murder as murder in the first degree if it is willful, deliberate, and premeditated, is committed by specified means including poison, explosive, or torture, or if it is committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate specified felonies, including robbery, carjacking, and rape. Existing law holds a person, who is not the actual killer, criminally liable for murder in the first degree if that person either, with intent to kill, aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces, solicits, requests or assists the actual killer in the commission of the murder, or is a major participant in the underlying felony and acts with reckless indifference to human life. Under existing law, murder in the first degree is punishable by death, imprisonment in the state prison for life without the possibility of parole, or imprisonment in the state prison for a term of 25 years to life. Existing law, added by Proposition 115 of the June 5, 1990, statewide primary election, provides that a person, not the actual killer, who is found guilty of first degree murder, and who, with reckless indifference to human life and as a major participant in certain specified violent felonies, aided, abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, solicited, requested, or assisted in the commission of that felony, shall be punished by death or imprisonment in the state prison without the possibility of parole. Existing law provides for amendment of these provisions by a23 vote of each house of the Legislature. This bill would repeal the aforementioned provision requiring punishment by death or imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole for a person convicted of murder in the first degree who is not the actual killer, but acted with reckless indifference for human life as a major participant in certain specified violent felonies. (2) Existing law provides for various specified special circumstances, including the murder of a peace officer, firefighter, or witness, which, if found true as specified, require a defendant found guilty of murder in the first degree to be sentenced to death or imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole. Existing law, added by Proposition 115 of the June 5, 1990, statewide primary election, prohibits a judge from striking or dismissing any special circumstance which is admitted by plea or found true by a jury or court, as specified. Existing law provides for amendment of these provisions by a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature. This bill would repeal the provision prohibiting a judge from striking a special circumstance. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, the California Ocean Resources Stewardship Act of 2000, authorizes the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to enter into an agreement with an existing nonprofit corporation to establish a trust to be known as the California Ocean Trust to seek and provide funding for ocean resource science projects and to encourage coordinated, multiagency, multiinstitution approaches to ocean resource science. Existing law requires the secretary to report to the Legislature on or before September 1, 2002, on the steps taken to ensure adequate coordination of ocean resource management science. This bill would rename the trust to the California Ocean Science Trust and make conforming changes. The bill would authorize the trust to administer grants and expenditures of the trust for specified purposes from private and public fund sources, including, but not limited to, direct appropriations from the annual Budget Act and block grants from other state agencies with relevant need for coordination and engagement with the trust. The bill would authorize the trust to engage with scientific experts for the purpose of gaining knowledge, solutions, and recommendations for specified topics that are relevant to state agencies and departments, as provided. The bill would repeal the provision requiring the secretary to report on the steps taken to ensure adequate coordination of ocean resource management science.
This measure would reaffirm the Legislature's commitment to upholding the human rights of immigrants, commend the courage and determination of immigrant community leaders, and celebrate the 26th annual Immigrant Day of Action.
This measure would request the Congress of the United States to pass legislation and the President of the United States to sign into law a statute providing for, and the United States Department of Transportation and all federal agencies implementing any federal statute or regulation providing federal funding for ports or multimodal freight transportation to provide, a fair allocation of federal transportation funding for freight projects in California, specifically, and on the Pacific Coast of the United States, generally, based on the volume of containerized freight moved.
This measure would recognize the importance of California Native American Day, celebrated this year on September 23, 2022, and the annual California Indian Cultural Awareness Conference, to the enhancement of awareness of California Indian culture.
This measure would urge the federal government to provide school lunches free of charge to all elementary, middle school, and high school students in the United States.