Asm. James Gallagher

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. 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. This bill would require the commission to reduce the kilowatt-per-hour rate for electricity charged to ratepayers by not less than 30%.

The California Constitution establishes the Budget Stabilization Account (BSA) and requires, for every fiscal year and based on the Budget Act for that fiscal year, the Controller to transfer from the General Fund to the BSA, no later than October 1, a sum equal to 1.5% of the estimated amount of General Fund revenues for that fiscal year. The California Constitution, based on the estimates provided by the Department of Finance, requires the Controller, by October 1 of the 2015–16 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter to the 2029–30 fiscal year, inclusive, to transfer amounts from the General Fund and the BSA pursuant to a specified schedule. That schedule requires 12 of the 1.5% of estimated General Fund revenues and certain state personal income tax revenues to be deposited into the BSA and the other 12 of those same revenues to be appropriated by the Legislature for one or more of certain obligations or purposes. This measure would, commencing with the fiscal year following the effective date of the measure, and for every fiscal year thereafter to the 2029–30 fiscal year, inclusive, include, in those obligations or purposes, payments towards the principal balance of debt owed to the federal government for moneys borrowed by the state to support the state's unemployment insurance programs, as described. The measure would further require, in any fiscal year the unemployment insurance debt is not paid, the Legislature to include an appropriation for that debt repayment and ensure that the appropriation for that debt receives the greatest percentage of appropriated moneys compared to any other obligation or purpose funded by the Legislature under the above-described provisions. The California Constitution alters, commencing with the 2030–31 fiscal year, the above-described transfer requirements applicable through the 2029–30 fiscal year to instead require that the full amount of these revenues be transferred to the BSA and to authorize, rather than require, the Legislature to appropriate up to 12 of these revenues for one or more of the same obligations or purposes. This measure would modify, commencing with the 2030–31 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, the parameters applicable to the authorized appropriation for the obligations or purposes to require that any appropriation made by the Legislature for those obligations or purposes to comply with the above-described changes made by the measure relating to required payments towards the principal balance of debt owed to the federal government for moneys borrowed by the state to support the state's unemployment insurance programs, as described.

Existing law, as amended by the DNA Fingerprint, Unsolved Crime and Innocence Protection Act, Proposition 69, approved by voters at the November 2, 2004, general election, requires a person who has been convicted of a felony offense, among others, to provide buccal swab samples, right thumbprints, and a full palm print impression of each hand, and any blood specimens or other biological samples required for law enforcement identification analysis. Existing law imposes these requirements regardless of when the crime charged or committed became a qualifying offense. Proposition 69 may be amended by a statute that is passed by a majority vote if the amendments are consistent with, and further the purposes of, the proposition. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.

Existing law requires the California Postsecondary Education Commission, on or before November 15 of each year, to submit a higher education report to the Legislature and the Governor that provides information to the citizens of the state on the significant indicators of performance of the public colleges and universities, as specified. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

Existing law requires the state to achieve a 20% reduction in urban per capita water use in California. Existing law requires each urban retail water supplier to develop urban water use targets and an interim urban water use target, as specified, and states the intent of the Legislature that the urban water use targets cumulatively result in a 20% reduction from the baseline daily per capita water use. Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to develop technical methodologies and criteria, as provided, for purposes of these provisions. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the provision requiring the department to develop technical methodologies and criteria.

This measure would recognize the month of January 2024 as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

This measure would designate, in perpetuity, the 4th week of January as Data Privacy Week and the last Sunday of January as Data Privacy Day.