This measure would urge the federal government and the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission to take immediate action to adequately address cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.
This measure would urge the Congress and the President of the United States to rename any federal buildings, parks, roadways, highway markers, landmarks, or other federally owned property, such as United States military bases, that bear the names of elected or military leaders of the Confederate States of America and would urge the Congress that statues or busts of elected or military leaders of the Confederate States of America in the United States Capitol be removed and placed in museums where they can be viewed in proper historic context.
Existing law provides that a citizen resident or corporation who is assessed for and is liable to pay, or within one year before the commencement of the action, has paid, a tax in a county, town, city, or city and county may maintain an action to obtain a judgment restraining and preventing an illegal expenditure of, waste of, or injury to the estate, funds, or other property of the political subdivision, as specified. The California Supreme Court in Weatherford v. City of San Rafael (2017) 2 Cal.5th 1241 held that this tax was not restricted to payment of a property tax. This bill would expand the scope of an action described above by permitting the action to be maintained against a "local agency," defined as a city, town, county, or city and county, or a district, public authority, or any other political subdivision in the state. The bill would allow any resident of the local agency to maintain an action under those circumstances. The bill would further clarify that a tax that funds the defendant local agency is sufficient to confer standing as a taxpayer, including, but not limited to, an income tax, a sales and use tax or transaction and use tax initially paid by a consumer to a retailer, a property tax, or a business license tax. The bill would define "resident" for these purposes to mean a person who lives, works, owns property, or attends school in the jurisdiction of the defendant local agency.
(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) 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. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the PUC to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieve 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 40% by December 31, 2024, 45% by December 31, 2027, and 50% by December 31, 2030. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the procurement requirements established by the program. The Legislature has found and declared that its intent in implementing the program is to attain, among other targets for sale of eligible renewable resources, the target of 50% of total retail sales of electricity by December 31, 2030. This bill would revise the above-described legislative findings and declarations to state that the goal of the program is to achieve that 50% renewable resources target by December 31, 2026, and to achieve a 60% target by December 31, 2030. The bill would require that retail sellers and local publicly owned electric utilities procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieve 44% of retail sales by December 31, 2024, 52% by December 31, 2027, and 60% by December 31, 2030. Under existing law, a local publicly owned electric utility is not required to procure more than a specified minimum quantity of eligible renewable energy resources under the program if it receives more than 50% of its retail sales from hydroelectric generation, as specified. This bill would revise those provisions, limit the applicability of this exception to large hydroelectric generation, and reduce that threshold to 40%. (2) Existing law establishes the California Environmental Protection Agency, establishes the State Air Resources Board within the agency as the entity with responsibility for control of emissions from motor vehicles, and designates the state board as the air pollution control agency for all purposes set forth in federal law. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the state board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and requires it to conduct an ongoing assessment of the opportunities and constraints presented by all forms of energy, to encourage the balanced use of all sources of energy to meet the state's needs, and to seek to avoid possible undesirable consequences of reliance on a single source of energy. This bill would state that it is the policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. The bill would require that the achievement of this policy for California not increase carbon emissions elsewhere in the western grid and that the achievement not allow resource shuffling. The bill would require the PUC and the Energy Commission, in consultation with the state board, to take steps to ensure that a transition to a zero-carbon electric system for the State of California does not cause or contribute to greenhouse gas emissions increases elsewhere in the western grid. The bill would require the PUC, Energy Commission, state board, and all other state agencies to incorporate that policy into all relevant planning. The bill would require the PUC, Energy Commission, state board, and all other state agencies to ensure actions taken in furtherance of these purposes achieve specified objectives. The bill would require the PUC, Energy Commission, and state board to utilize programs authorized under existing statutes to achieve that policy and, as part of a public process, issue a joint report to the Legislature by January 1, 2021, and every 4 years thereafter, that includes specified information relating to the implementation of the policy. (3) Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime. Because certain of the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the PUC implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. By expanding the requirements placed upon a local publicly owned electric utility, 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.
This measure would express the support of the Legislature for the 23 Asilomar AI Principles as guiding values for the development of artificial intelligence and of related public policy.
This measure would proclaim the week of September 9, 2018, through September 15, 2018, as Suicide Prevention Week in California.
This measure would proclaim November 2018 as Epilepsy Awareness Month and call for a recommitment to increasing awareness and understanding of those living with epilepsy.
The California Taxpayer Access to Publicly Funded Research Act, until January 1, 2020, establishes publication requirements for a grantee receiving funding from the State Department of Public Health. The act requires the department to include specified terms and conditions in a research grant, which are required to be adhered to by the grantee as a condition of receiving the grant. These conditions include a requirement that grantees report and make certain information available to the department or the public, as specified, about any published manuscript concerning their research not later than 12 months after publication. For a manuscript accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, existing law requires the grantee to ensure that an electronic version of the peer-reviewed manuscript is available on an appropriate publicly accessible database approved by the department, including the California Digital Open Source Library. This bill would expand the scope of the act to include research grants provided in whole or in part by any state agency within the executive branch, as specified. The bill would specify that the public availability requirements apply only to peer-reviewed manuscripts accepted for publication. The bill would require the grantee to ensure that the peer-reviewed manuscript is available to the state agency on an appropriate publicly accessible repository approved by that agency and would eliminate the references to the California Digital Open Source Library. The bill would also extend the operation of these provisions indefinitely.
Existing law specifies that the terms of probation granted to a person who has been convicted of domestic violence are required to include, among other things, successful completion of a batterer's program, as defined, or, if such a program is not available, another appropriate counseling program designated by the court, for a period of not less than one year. Existing law requires the program to be completed within 18 months and allows no more than 3 excused absences. Existing law provides for the approval of batterer's programs by the probation department and requires the goal of a batterer's program to be stopping domestic violence. Existing law requires a program to meet certain requirements. This bill would, effective July 1, 2019, and until July 1, 2022, authorize the Counties of Napa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Yolo to offer an alternative program, for individuals convicted of domestic violence. The bill would require that alternative program to meet specified conditions, including that the county performs a risk and needs assessment and includes components which are evidence-based or promising practices, as defined. The bill would require a county that offers a program pursuant to these provisions to collect specified data and report to the Legislature.
This measure would urge President Trump, United States Attorney General Sessions, the United States Department of Justice, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and all other relevant federal departments to immediately cease the implementation of the "zero tolerance" federal immigration policy and to not propose any additional inhumane immigration policies in the future. The measure would further call for compassion and decency for all individuals, families, and children who arrive at our borders seeking a better life.
