Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board and authorizes the board to adopt regulations to carry out its powers and duties. Under existing law, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, the board is required to formulate and adopt state policy for water quality control. Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Department of Public Health to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health, including, but not limited to, conducting research, studies, and demonstration programs relating to the provision of a dependable, safe supply of drinking water, enforcing the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, adopting enforcement regulations, and conducting studies and investigations to assess the quality of water in domestic water supplies. This bill would establish the Nitrate at Risk Area Fund, to be administered by the board and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, moneys in the fund would be available for the purposes of developing and implementing sustainable and affordable solutions for disadvantaged communities in areas reliant on nitrate-contaminated groundwater as their source of drinking water, as determined by the department and the board, consistent with specified data.
Sponsored bills
Existing law provides for the establishment of partnership academies by participating school districts and establishes criteria qualifying pupils in grades 10, 11, and 12 for enrollment in the academies. Existing law establishes the parameters for the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue grants to school districts maintaining high schools that meet the partnership academy eligibility requirements. This bill would establish one new category of partnership academies, the transportation for the 21st century partnership academy. Commencing with the 2013–14 school year, when funds become available for additional partnership academies, as specified, the Superintendent would be required to issue grants for the establishment of partnership academies in each geographical area of the California High-Speed Rail Project's planned 10 project sections, and would be required to give priority to partnership academies dedicated to educating pupils in transportation for the 21st century. The selection of school districts to establish the new partnership academies and the planning and development of the new partnership academies would be required to be conducted pursuant to the procedures and requirements established for all partnership academies under existing law. The bill would provide that the funding priorities it creates may be satisfied when the specified number of transportation for the 21st century partnership academies are funded, as specified. The bill, in the event a school district applies to convert an existing school program to a transportation for the 21st century partnership academy and meets all the specified criteria for that new partnership academy, would authorize the State Department of Education, in coordination with the Superintendent, to provide that academy with first-year implementation funds. In order to be eligible for funding for a transportation for the 21st century partnership academy, the bill would require the coursework and internship or preapprenticeship programs of the proposed academy to focus on the use of environmentally sound technologies and practices. The bill would require staff development opportunities to be included in the academy plans.
(1) The Permit Streamlining Act requires each state agency and local agency to compile one or more lists that specify in detail the information that will be required from any applicant for a development project, and requires a public agency that is the lead agency for a development project, or a public agency which is a responsible agency for a development project that has been approved by the lead agency, to approve or disapprove the project within applicable periods of time. The act also requires any state agency which is the lead agency for a development project to inform the applicant that the Office of Permit Assistance has been created to assist, and provide information to, developers relating to the permit approval process. This bill would require the office to provide information to developers explaining the permit approval process at the state and local levels, or assisting them in meeting statutory environmental quality requirements, as specified, and would prohibit the office or the state from incurring any liability as a result of the provision of this assistance. The bill would require the office to assist state and local agencies in streamlining the permit approval process, and an applicant in identifying any permit required by a state agency for the proposed project. The bill would authorize the office to call a conference of parties at the state level to resolve questions or mediate disputes arising from a permit application for a development project. The bill would require that the office be located exclusively in Sacramento, and to consist of no more than 4 personnel through 2013. This bill would require the office to develop guidelines providing technical assistance to local agencies for the establishment and operation of an expedited development permit process, and would require the guidelines to contain specified components. The bill would also require the office, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to provide grants and technical assistance to cities, counties, and cities and counties for the establishment of an expedited development permit process according to the guidelines. The bill would further require a city, county, or city and county that receives a grant to enact an ordinance adopting an expedited development permit process according to the guidelines within 10 months of the date of receipt of the grant. This bill would also require the office, in consultation with the Natural Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency, to develop a consolidated project information form to be used by applicants for commercial or industrial development projects. The bill would require the form to collect sufficient information to allow the office to determine the state agencies that have permitting requirements applicable to the development project for which the form was submitted. This bill would authorize the office to charge the applicant fees for the above-described services, not to exceed the estimated reasonable cost of their provision, and would require the office to adopt or amend regulations to provide for these fees prior to charging or levying them. The bill would require a city, county, or city and county, including a charter city, charter county, or charter city and county, with a population of 100,000 or more, upon the request of an applicant, to designate an administrative entity, as defined, to serve as the applicant's single point of contact with the local agency with respect to all applications and permits required by the local agency for the applicant's commercial or industrial development project. The administrative entity would be required to provide the applicant information regarding the status of, and to coordinate the review and decisionmaking process with respect to, the applications and permits required by the local agency for the development project. The bill would require the administrative entity, upon the request of the applicant, to coordinate with the office regarding any applications or permits required by the state for the development project. The bill would authorize a city, county, or city and county to charge a fee to defray costs incurred by the administrative entity in providing the above-described services to the applicant. By establishing a new requirement on specified local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would also express a legislative finding and declaration that its provisions apply to all cities, including charter cities. (2) 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. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law requires the custodian of records within a county child welfare agency, within 5 business days of learning that a child fatality has occurred in the county and that there is a reasonable suspicion that the fatality was caused by abuse or neglect, to release upon request specified records, subject to the redaction of certain identifying personal information, of child abuse or neglect that results in the death of a child. Existing law requires each county welfare agency or department to notify the State Department of Social Services, as provided, of all child fatalities that occurred within its jurisdiction that were the result of child abuse or neglect. This bill would require each county child welfare agency, within 60 calendar days of determining that abuse or neglect led to a child's death in the county, as described, to review the child's death and prepare a written report containing specified information. The bill would require the county child welfare agency to submit this report to the State Department of Social Services within 10 business days of its completion. By increasing the duties of local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to annually issue a report identifying the child fatalities and any systemic issues or patterns revealed by the notices submitted by county welfare services departments or agencies and other relevant information. This bill, commencing January 1, 2013, would require this report to include additional information provided to the department pursuant to the above-described reports prepared by county child welfare agencies. (3) 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 these statutory provisions.
This measure would designate the week of April 15 to 21, 2012, as "National Multicultural Cancer Awareness Week," and would encourage the promotion of policies and programs that seek to reduce cancer disparities and improve cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and followup care for all Californians.
This measure would designate the second full week in April as California Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
This measure would proclaim May 6, 2012, to May 12, 2012, inclusive, to be California Charter Schools Week, and would state that the Legislature joins the California Charter Schools Association in congratulating charter schools for the accomplishments and contributions they have made to public education.
This measure would designate April 18, 2012, as DMV/Donate Life California Day in the State of California, and April 2012 as DMV/Donate Life California Month in the State of California, and would encourage all Californians to be organ, tissue, and blood donors.
This measure would designate February 2012 as No Place for Hate (registered trademark) Month.
This measure would honor and recognize the service and sacrifice made by members of the Armed Forces and their families on the occasion of Armed Forces Day on May 19, 2012.