The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. This bill would expressly exempt from CEQA a project reduction of fuels in areas within moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones, as provided. Because a lead agency would be required to determine whether a project qualifies for this exemption, 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.
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The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA establishes a procedure by which a person may seek judicial review of the decision of the lead agency made pursuant to CEQA. This bill would require a person seeking judicial review of the decision of a lead agency made pursuant to CEQA to carry out or approve a housing project to post a bond of $1,000,000 to cover the costs and damages to the housing project incurred by the respondent or real party in interest. The bill would authorize the court to adjust this bond requirement upon a finding of good cause to believe that the requirement does not further the interest of justice.
Existing law declares that the protection of the public interest in the development of the water resources of the state is of vital concern to the people of the state and that the state shall determine in what way the water of the state, both surface and underground, should be developed for the greatest public benefit. Existing law establishes within the Natural Resources Agency the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards. Existing law requires the work of the state board to be divided into at least 2 divisions, known as the Division of Water Rights and the Division of Water Quality. This bill would establish a statewide goal to increase above- and below-ground water storage capacity by a total of 3,700,000 acre-feet by the year 2030 and a total of 4,000,000 acre-feet by the year 2040. The bill would require the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with the state board, to take reasonable actions to promote or assist efforts to achieve the statewide goal, as provided. The bill would require the department, beginning July 1, 2027, and on or before July 1 every 2 years thereafter until January 1, 2043, in consultation with the state board, to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on the progress made to achieve the statewide goal.
Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, composed of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the state's natural and cultural resources. Existing law establishes in the agency the Department of Water Resources, which manages and undertakes planning with regard to water resources in the state. This bill would require the agency, and each department, board, conservancy, and commission within the agency, to take all reasonable steps to approve the necessary permits for specified projects that meet certain employment conditions within 180 days from receiving a complete permit application. The bill would require the department, board, conservancy, or commission responsible for issuing a permit to post updates on its internet website for each permit application explaining how the permit approval process is progressing and the estimated time until the permit is approved.
Existing law declares that it is the policy of the state that no adoptable animal should be euthanized if it can be adopted into a suitable home. Existing law also declares that it is the policy of the state that no treatable animal should be euthanized.. This bill, Bowie's Law, would require all animal shelters, as defined, to provide public notice on their internet website at least 72 hours before euthanizing any dog, cat, or rabbit, except as provided. The bill would require that notice to indicate that the animal is subject to euthanasia and to include information about the animal and its availability for adoption. The bill would authorize an animal shelter to provide this public notice for less than 72 hours if the animal shelter makes certain determinations. The bill would, for each instance where the animal shelter provides public notice for less than 72 hours, require the animal shelter to document the reason and to keep it on file and available for public inspection, as provided. By imposing new requirements on a public animal control agency or shelter, the bill would constitute a state-mandated local program. The bill would also require the Department of Food and Agriculture to conduct a study on the overcrowding of California's animal shelters, the ways in which the state might address animal shelter overcrowding, and the feasibility of a statewide database of dogs and cats that provides public notice and information at the statewide level, as specified. The bill would require the department to, on or before January 1, 2026, submit a report on its study findings to the Legislature, as provided. The bill would repeal these study and reporting requirements on January 1, 2027. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law, until January 1, 2025, establishes the California Small Agricultural Business Drought Relief Grant Program in the Office of the Small Business Advocate, under the authority of its director, to provide grants to qualified small agricultural businesses that have been affected by severe drought conditions. Existing law requires the office to allocate grants to qualified small agricultural businesses that meet the requirements of the program, upon appropriation of grant funds by the Legislature. This bill, the California Agriculture Relief Act, would appropriate $100,000,000 from the General Fund to the office to provide grants under the program. The bill would also make related findings and declarations.
Existing law requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to issue a park pass for free use of all park facilities in the state park system to a veteran of war in which the United States has been, or may be, engaged, who is a resident of this state, who presents to the department proof of a disability, proof of being held captive as a prisoner of war, or proof of being a recipient of a Congressional Medal of Honor, and proof of an honorable discharge from service. This bill would require a pass for free day use of any unit of the state park system that is operated by the state to be issued to Gold Star Family members, as provided.
Existing law makes it unlawful to enter land for the purpose of discharging a firearm or taking or destroying any mammal or bird, including waterfowl, on that land, without having first obtained written permission from the owner, the owner's agent, or the person in lawful possession of that land, if either of the following applies: (1) the land belongs to, or is occupied by, another person and is either under cultivation or enclosed by a fence, or (2) there are signs forbidding trespass or hunting or both displayed at intervals not less than 3 to the mile along all exterior boundaries and at all roads and trails entering those lands, including land temporarily inundated by water flowing outside the established banks of a waterway, as specified. This bill would exempt from those provisions lands inundated by navigable waters temporarily flowing outside the established banks of a river, stream, slough, or other waterway that float a boat, canoe, kayak, or any other watercraft. The bill would also state that these provisions do not restrict the public's right under the California Constitution to use navigable waters for hunting, fishing, or other public purposes. The bill would specify that for the purposes of these provisions navigable waters can include ordinary, seasonal flooding. The bill would also specify that nothing in the above-mentioned provisions permits entry over legally restricted land on waters that are not, in fact, navigable.
(1) Existing law requires the governing board of each school district to adopt a local control and accountability plan, as provided. Existing law requires that certain things occur before a governing board of a school district considers the adoption of a local control and accountability plan or an annual update to the plan, including that the superintendent of the school district present the local control and accountability plan or annual update to the local control and accountability plan to the parent advisory committee, the English learner parent advisory committee, and the student advisory committee, as applicable, for review and comment, as provided. This bill would also require, before a governing board of a school district considers the plan described above, the superintendent of each school district to consult with its special education local plan area administrator or administrators to determine which specific actions are needed to support outcomes on the California School Dashboard when the school district is determined to be in need of differentiated assistance for performance of pupils with disabilities. Because this bill would impose new duties on a superintendent of a school district, the bill would impose a state-mandated program. (2) Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to provide technical assistance for a minimum of 2 years for any school district for which one or more identified pupil subgroups meets specified criteria, including assisting the school district to identify its strengths and weaknesses, as provided. When pupils with disabilities are the identified pupil subgroup meeting the criteria, this bill would require the county superintendent of schools to consult with and include its special education local plan area administrator or administrators as part of the expert technical assistance team. Because the bill would impose new duties on a county superintendent of schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated program. (3) Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to develop a local plan relating to the education of individuals with exceptional needs residing in the school district, as provided. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish guidelines for the development of local plans, as provided. Existing law requires, commencing July 1, 2027, each local plan to include an annual assurances support plan. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to develop a template for the annual assurances support plan by July 1, 2026. Existing law requires the annual assurances support plan to include specified elements, including a description of how the governing board of the special education local plan area has determined that the special education local plan area will connect its participating agencies in need of technical assistance to the statewide system of support. This bill would require the annual assurances support plan to include additional detail and new elements, as specified. To the extent these changes would impose new duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) Existing law requires each special education local plan area submitting a local plan to the Superintendent to ensure that it has in effect policies, procedures, and programs that are consistent with state laws, regulations, and policies governing specified things. This bill would require each special education local plan area submitting a local plan to the Superintendent to also ensure that the plan provides technical assistance to its member local educational agencies to support monitoring activities as directed by the department, as provided. By requiring new duties of a special education local plan area, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.