Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act (CESA) , among other things, authorizes the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency under certain circumstances and provides that a state of war emergency exists, with or without proclamation by the Governor, when specified conditions exist. During a state of war emergency or a state of emergency, the CESA authorizes the Governor to suspend any regulatory statute, or statute prescribing the procedure for the conduct of state business, or the orders, rules, or regulations of any state agency where the Governor determines and declares that strict compliance with any statute, order, rule, or regulation would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the emergency. During a state of emergency, the CESA also authorizes the Governor to temporarily suspend any state, county, city, or special district statute, ordinance, regulation, or rule imposing nonsafety related restrictions on the delivery of food products, pharmaceuticals, and other emergency essentials distributed through retail or institutional channels, as provided, until the termination of the state of emergency, or for a period of 60 days, whichever occurs first. If the Governor has proclaimed a state of emergency and the President has declared an emergency or a major disaster to exist in this state, the CESA also authorizes the Governor to, among other things, temporarily suspend or modify, for up to 60 days, public health, safety, zoning, or intrastate transportation laws, ordinances, or regulations if the Governor declares that the suspension or modification is essential to provide temporary housing for disaster victims. This bill would provide that the Governor may only suspend a statute or regulation during a state of emergency or state of war emergency, as described above, in connection with the specific conditions of emergency proclaimed by the Governor or state of war emergency, as applicable. With respect to the temporary suspension of statutes, ordinances, regulations, or rules imposing nonsafety related restrictions on emergency essentials, as described above, the bill would provide that the Governor may only temporarily suspend those statutes, ordinances, regulations, or rules in connection with the specific conditions of emergency proclaimed by the Governor. With respect to laws, ordinances, or regulations temporarily suspended or modified to provide temporary housing, as described above, the bill would provide that the Governor may only temporarily suspend those laws, ordinances, or regulations in connection with the specific conditions of emergency proclaimed by the Governor and declared by the President to be an emergency or major disaster. The bill would also make conforming and other nonsubstantive changes.
Sponsored bills
Existing law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to acquire, study, design, develop, construct, and equip a state-owned and state-operated Southern California Veterans Cemetery in the County of Orange at one of 2 possible sites, as specified. Existing law requires the department to, after completing acquisition studies on both sites, consult with the Department of General Services to determine which site to pursue based on the economic feasibility, benefits to veterans and City of Irvine residents, and availability of each location. Existing law makes honorably discharged veterans, their spouses, and dependent children eligible for interment in the cemetery, as specified. This bill would delete those site selection requirements and would instead require the department to acquire, study, design, develop, construct, and equip a state-owned and state-operated Southern California Veterans Cemetery in the County of Orange. The bill would require the department to conduct an acquisition study, in consultation with the Department of General Services, to assess the feasibility and costs of construction of the cemetery. The bill would additionally create the Southern California Veterans Cemetery Study Donation Fund, and would authorize any local governmental entity or private organization in the County of Orange to donate to the fund. The bill would authorize the department, upon receipt of sufficient moneys, to conduct a study of the feasibility of a site formally proposed by a local government in the County of Orange for the purpose of establishing a Southern California Veterans Cemetery, as specified. The bill would continuously appropriate moneys in the fund to the department for these purposes. The bill would require any excess funds to be returned to the donor if requested, and to otherwise be used for the design, development, construction, and equipment of the cemetery. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law prohibits a person from driving a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than 100 miles per hour, and provides that upon a subsequent conviction of that offense within a certain number of years, the person shall be punished by a fine and the Department of Motor Vehicles shall suspend their privilege to operate a vehicle, as specified. Under existing law, a person who drives a vehicle upon a highway or in an offstreet parking facility in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving, which is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail or by the payment of a fine, or both imprisonment and a fine, as specified. Existing law defines the crime of vehicular manslaughter as the unlawful killing of a human being without malice while driving a vehicle under specified circumstances, including in the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to felony, with or without gross negligence, and provides that vehicular manslaughter is punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony. This bill would specify a list of circumstances that may, based on the totality of the circumstances, constitute gross negligence for manslaughter, including, among other circumstances, when a person has participated in a sideshow or has sped over 100 miles per hour. By expanding the definition of a crime, 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.
(1) The Planning and Zoning Law, among other things, requires the legislative body of each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city and of any land outside its boundaries that relates to its planning. That law authorizes the legislative body, if it deems it to be in the public interest, to amend all or part of an adopted general plan, as provided. That law also authorizes the legislative body of any county or city, pursuant to specified procedures, to adopt ordinances that, among other things, regulate the use of buildings, structures, and land as between industry, business, residences, open space, and other purposes. The Permit Streamlining Act requires public agencies to approve or disapprove of a development project within certain timeframes, as specified. The act requires a public agency, upon its determination that an application for a development project is incomplete, to include a list and a thorough description of the specific information needed to complete the application. Existing law authorizes the applicant to submit the additional material to the public agency, requires the public agency to determine whether the submission of the application together with the submitted materials is complete within 30 days of receipt, and provides for an appeal process from the public agency's determination. Existing law requires a final written determination by the agency on the appeal no later than 60 days after receipt of the applicant's written appeal. Existing law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) , requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and to certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to 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 regulations establish a categorical exemption for existing facilities. This bill, until January 1, 2024, would prohibit a local agency from denying a permit for a short-term freight transportation use, as defined, that is submitted by a developer on a parcel if the proposed use is in conformity with all applicable plans, programs, and ordinances, among other things, that apply to the land, solely because the developer has a pending development application, or is concurrently submitting a development application, for a freight transportation project on that land. The bill would restrict the application of its provisions to land zoned for industrial or agricultural uses, subject to specified conditions, as of the date of the application submission. If a governing body of a California port adopts real estate agreements, tariffs, ordinances, or other entitlements to allow for a short-term port freight transportation use or freight transportation infrastructure, the bill, until January 1, 2024, would provide that the use be considered an existing facility with negligible or no expansion of use for the purposes of CEQA. By imposing new duties on local agencies with regard to local planning and zoning, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. (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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law generally requires public contracts to be awarded by competitive bidding pursuant to procedures set forth in the Public Contract Code, subject to certain exceptions. Former law, repealed as of January 1, 2022, authorized the Department of General Services to purchase and equip heavy mobile fleet vehicles and special equipment for use by the Department of Transportation by means of best value procurement, as defined, using specifications and criteria developed in consultation with the Department of Transportation. Former law established requirements for bid evaluation and protest procedures. Former law limited the total value of vehicles and equipment purchased through this best value procurement authorization to $50,000,000 annually. Former law required the Department of General Services to prepare a prescribed evaluation with regard to this process, to be posted on the Department of Transportation's internet website. This bill would reenact those best value procurement provisions for heavy mobile fleet vehicles and special equipment, to be operative indefinitely. The bill would omit the $50,000,000 annual cap and the requirement for a prescribed evaluation as included in former law.
The Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations, as defined, unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a registered professional forester has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The act authorizes the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to exempt from some or all of those provisions of the act a person engaging in specified forest management activities, as prescribed, including the harvesting of trees for the purpose of reducing the rate of fire spread, duration and intensity, fuel ignitability, or ignition of tree crowns, as provided, known as the Forest Fire Prevention Exemption. The act provides that the Forest Fire Prevention Exemption is operative for a period of 5 years after the effective date of emergency regulations adopted by the board to implement the exemption and is inoperative after that 5-year period. Existing regulations implementing that exemption specify that it becomes inoperative 5 years after February 19, 2019. This bill would make the operation of the Forest Fire Prevention Exemption inoperative on January 1, 2026.
The existing federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude tribal-state gaming compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature. Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would ratify the tribal-state gaming compact entered into between the State of California and the Tejon Indian Tribe. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions related to these compacts are not projects for purposes of CEQA. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes various boards, as defined, within the Department of Consumer Affairs for the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations. Existing law authorizes a board to deny a license on the grounds that the applicant has been convicted of a crime or was subject to formal discipline within the preceding 7 years from the date of application based on professional misconduct that is substantially related to the qualifications, functions, or duties of the business or profession for which the present application is made, as specified and subject to certain exceptions. This bill would authorize a board to deny a license based on formal discipline that occurred earlier than 7 years preceding the date of application if the formal discipline was based on conduct that, if committed in this state by a licensed physician and surgeon, would have constituted an act of sexual abuse, misconduct, or relations with a patient or sexual exploitation, as specified. Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California for the licensure, regulation, and discipline of physicians and surgeons. Existing law requires the board to deny a physician's and surgeon's certificate to an applicant who is required to register as a sex offender, except as specified. Existing law requires the board to automatically revoke the license of any person who has been required to register as a sex offender, as specified. Existing law exempts from that provision a person who has been relieved, as specified, of their duty to register as a sex offender, or whose duty to register has otherwise been formally terminated under California law. This bill would remove the above-described exemption from the provision relating to automatic revocation of a license of a registered sex offender. The bill, additionally, would require the board to automatically revoke a license if the licensee has been convicted, as specified, in any court in or outside of this state of an offense that, if committed or attempted in this state, based on the elements of the convicted offense, would have been punishable as an offense for which a specified provision of the Sex Offender Registration Act requires registration as a sex offender. Under existing law, 5 years after the effective date of the revocation and 3 years after successful discharge from parole, probation, or both parole and probation, as specified, an individual whose license was revoked after January 1, 1947, and before January 1, 2005, for having been required to register as a sex offender is authorized to petition a superior court to hold a hearing to determine whether the individual no longer poses a possible risk to patients, as specified. If the court finds that the individual no longer poses a possible risk to patients and there are no other underlying reasons for which the board pursued disciplinary action, existing law requires the court to order the board to reinstate the individual's license, as specified. Existing law authorizes the board to issue a probationary license to that person, as specified. If the court finds that the individual continues to pose a possible risk to patients, existing law requires the court to deny relief and prohibits the individual from filing a subsequent petition based on the same conviction. This bill would remove the above-described provisions. Existing law authorizes a person whose physician's and surgeon's certificate has been surrendered while under investigation or while charges are pending or whose certificate has been revoked or suspended or placed on probation to petition the board for reinstatement or modification of penalty, as specified. This bill would, as an exemption to the above-described provision, prohibit the board from reinstating a person's certificate that has been surrendered because the person committed an act of sexual abuse, misconduct, or relations with a patient or sexual exploitation, as specified, or the person's certificate has been revoked based on a finding by the board that the person committed one of those acts. The bill, additionally, would prohibit the board from reinstating a person's certificate if the person was convicted in any court in or outside of this state of any offense that, if committed or attempted in this state, based on the elements of the convicted offense, would have been punishable as one or more of the offenses for which a specified provision of the Sex Offender Registration Act requires the offender to register as a sex offender, and the person engaged in the offense with a patient or client, or with a former patient or client if the relationship was terminated primarily for the purpose of committing the offense. The bill would prohibit the board from reinstating the certificate of a person who has been required to register as a sex offender, as specified, regardless of whether the conviction has been appealed, and the person engaged in the offense with a patient or client, or with a former patient or client if the relationship was terminated primarily for the purpose of committing the offense.
Existing law makes it a crime for a person to engage in a motor vehicle speed contest on a highway or an exhibition of speed on a highway, or to aid or abet therein. This bill would also make it a crime for a person to engage in a motor vehicle speed contest in an offstreet parking facility or an exhibition of speed in an offstreet parking facility, or to aid or abet therein. By expanding the definition of an existing crime, 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.
Existing law, the Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and Hearing Aid Dispensers Licensure Act, until January 1, 2023, establishes the Speech-Language Pathology Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs for the licensure and regulation of speech-language pathologists, speech-language pathology aides, speech language pathology assistants, audiologists, dispensing audiologists, and hearing aid dispensers. Existing law provides for the appointment of members of the board by specified appointing authorities, and, until January 1, 2023, authorizes the board to appoint an executive officer. Existing law authorizes an appointing authority to remove from office at any time any member of a board appointed by the appointing authority for continued neglect of duties, incompetence, or unprofessional or dishonorable conduct. Existing law makes a violation of the act a misdemeanor. This bill would extend the operation of the board and the authorization to appoint an executive officer until January 1, 2027, and would authorize an appointing authority to remove from office at any time any member of the board appointed by that appointing authority. The bill would specify that, in addition to the enforcement and administration of the act, the board is vested with other regulatory duties of the act. The bill would require an applicant, registrant, or licensee under the act who has an email address to provide it to the board no later than July 1, 2023. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law establishes the Hearing Aid Dispensing Committee, comprised of 5 members, within the jurisdiction of the board. This bill would abolish the committee. Existing law defines "audiology aide" to mean any person meeting the minimum requirements established by the board. Existing law prohibits an audiology aide from performing any function that constitutes the practice of audiology unless they are under the supervision of an audiologist. This bill would delete that prohibition and would instead define "audiology aide" to mean any person meeting the minimum requirements established by the board who works directly under the supervision of an audiologist. Existing law requires speech-language pathologists and audiologists supervising speech-language pathology or audiology aides to register with the board the name of each person working under their supervision. This bill would make speech-language pathology and audiology aide registrations expire every 2 years and would require the board to establish a renewal fee in an amount not to exceed $30. The bill would require the speech-language pathologist or audiologist supervising the speech-language pathology or audiology aide to, at the time of renewal, update the board on the duties the aide performs and the training program and assessment methods the supervisor is using. Existing law requires an applicant for licensure as an audiologist to submit evidence of satisfactory completion of supervised clinical practice under the direction of an educational institution approved by the board and satisfactory completion of supervised professional experience following completion of the didactic and clinical rotation requirements of an audiology doctoral program. This bill would require the clinical practice to be under the direction of an audiology doctoral program at an educational institution approved by the board, and would delete the requirement that supervised professional experience follow completion of the didactic and clinical rotation requirements of the audiology doctoral program. Existing law requires the board to deem a person who holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology issued by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Council for Clinical Certification to have met specified educational and experience requirements for licensure as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist. This bill would make that requirement applicable only to licensure as a speech-language-pathologist and effective only until January 1, 2027, and would instead require the board, until January 1, 2027, to deem a person who holds either a valid Certification of Clinical Competence in Audiology issued by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Council for Clinical Certification or a valid American Board of Audiology certificate issued by the American Academy of Audiology to have met specified educational and experience requirements for licensure as an audiologist. Existing law lists various reasons for which the board is authorized to suspend, revoke, or impose terms and conditions upon the license of any licensee, including incompetence, gross negligence, or repeated negligent acts. This bill would add specified reasons for which the board is authorized to suspend, revoke, or impose terms and conditions upon a license, including for a disciplinary action taken by any public agency in any state or territory for any act substantially related to the practice of speech-language pathology, audiology, or hearing aid dispensing. The bill would authorize a person whose license has been revoked, suspended, or who has been placed on probation to petition the board for reinstatement or modification of penalty after a specified minimum period of time has elapsed from the effective date of the decision ordering that disciplinary action in accordance with specified procedural and other requirements. Existing law provides that a plea or verdict of guilty or a conviction following a plea of nolo contendere made to a charge substantially related to the qualifications, functions, and duties of a speech-language pathologist or audiologist is deemed to be a conviction for specified provisions of the act. This bill would also make that provision applicable to hearing aid dispensers. The bill would also make various other conforming and technical changes to the act, including updating cross-references and deleting an obsolete provision. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2530.2 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by SB 1453 to be operative only if this bill and SB 1453 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.