The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020, and to adopt rules and regulations in an open public process to achieve the maximum, technologically feasible, and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing state board regulations require specified entities to comply with a market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2013, and require additional specified entities to comply with that market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2015. This bill would instead exempt those categories of persons or entities that did not have a compliance obligation, as defined, under a market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2013, from being subject to that market-based compliance mechanism through December 31, 2020. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Sponsored bills
Existing law creates the Employment Development Department and requires that it pay unemployment compensation benefits to individuals who meet specified requirements, are unemployed, as defined, and file a valid claim for these benefits. Existing law requires employers to make specified contributions to the Unemployment Fund to finance those benefits and authorizes employers and individual claiming unemployment compensation benefits to appeal determinations of eligibility, among other things. Existing law regulates the hearings of disputed claims, appeals, and petitions and requires the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, among other things, to permit a party or representative to participate in a hearing by telephone upon the party's or representative's request, as specified. This bill would instead require those hearings to be conducted by telephone unless a party or representative requests otherwise pursuant to regulations adopted by the board.
(1) Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. This bill would appropriate, for the 2015–16 fiscal year, $1,000,000 from the General Fund to the Superintendent of Public Instruction to be allocated to applicant local educational agencies for the purpose of implementing a pilot program to train kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, teachers to more effectively utilize technology and digital resources within their instructional day, while also measuring and teaching the critical 21st century skills pupils need to succeed on California's next-generation online assessments, as well as to prepare pupils for college and career objectives, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require the Superintendent to develop an application process for the allocation of funds appropriated for the implementation of the pilot program that gives priority to applicant local educational agencies that serve a large percentage of pupils eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The bill would authorize any local educational agency in the state to apply to the Superintendent for funding to implement the pilot program, as specified. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2020. (2) Funds appropriated by this bill would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.
Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to engage in disorderly conduct that delays or prevents a fire from being timely extinguished or to resist or interfere with the lawful efforts of a firefighter in the discharge of an official duty. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to impede police officers, firefighters, emergency personnel, or military personnel, in the performance of their duties in coping with an emergency. This bill would make it unlawful to knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly operate an unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system, as defined, in a manner that prevents or delays the extinguishment of a fire, or in any way interferes with the efforts of firefighters to control, contain, or extinguish a fire. The bill would make a violation of this prohibition punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed 6 months, by a fine not to exceed $5,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment. By creating a new crime, this 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to adopt regulations to establish a fire prevention fee in an amount not to exceed $150 to be charged on each structure on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, as defined, and requires that the fire prevention fee be adjusted annually using prescribed methods. Existing law requires the State Board of Equalization to collect the fire prevention fees, as prescribed. Existing law establishes the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and prohibits the collection of fire prevention fees if there are sufficient amounts of moneys in the fund to finance specified fire prevention activities for a fiscal year. Existing law requires that the fire prevention fees collected, except as provided, be deposited into the fund and be made available to the board and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for certain fire protection activities that benefit the owners of structures in state responsibility areas who are required to pay the fee. Existing law further requires the board to submit an annual written report to the Legislature on specified topics. This bill would repeal these provisions.
(1) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to allow pupils whom the district has determined would benefit from advanced scholastic or vocational work to attend community college as special part-time or full-time students, subject to recommendation by the school principal and parental permission. This bill would authorize the governing board of a school district to authorize a pupil, upon recommendation of the principal of the pupil's school of attendance, and with parental consent, to attend a community college during any session or term as a special part-time or full-time student and to undertake one or more STEM courses, as defined to mean courses in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, offered at the community college if that pupil has exhausted all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent course at the high school of attendance, or at an adult education program, continuation school, regional occupational center or program, or any other program offered by that school district. The bill also would authorize the governing board of a community college district to enter into a formal partnership with a school district or school districts located within its immediate service area to allow secondary school pupils to attend a community college if those pupils have exhausted all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent STEM course at the high school of attendance, adult education program, continuation school, regional occupational center or program, or any other program offered by that school district. The bill would require the partnership agreement to outline the terms of the partnership, as specified. The bill would require a community college district and a school district, as a condition of, and before adopting, a partnership agreement, to present the adoption of the partnership agreement as an information item at regularly scheduled open meetings of their respective governing boards, and to take testimony from the public and approve or disapprove the proposed partnership agreement at subsequent regularly scheduled open public hearings of their respective governing boards. The bill would require, for each partnership entered into under the bill, the affected community college district and school district to file an annual report, containing specified data, with the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, which would transmit this annual report to the Legislature, the Director of Finance, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the governing boards of the participating school districts and community college districts, as specified. (2) Existing law requires the governing board of a community college district to assign a low enrollment priority to a pupil attending community college pursuant to a recommendation from his or her principal or school district or a petition from his or her parents, in order to ensure that these pupils, admitted as special part-time or full-time students, do not displace regularly admitted students. This bill would authorize the governing board of a community college district to assign an enrollment priority to pupils attending community college pursuant to a partnership agreement established under the bill. The bill would require community college districts, in assigning an enrollment priority under this provision, to ensure that these pupils do not displace regularly admitted community college students. The bill would prohibit a community college district from receiving an allowance or apportionment for an instructional activity for which a school district has been, or will be, paid. (3) This bill would also make various nonsubstantive changes, and delete obsolete provisions.
This measure would proclaim the month of January 2016 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, encourage all Californians to become educated about human trafficking and work to eradicate these criminal practices within and beyond our borders, and encourage Members of the Legislature, as well as organizations, businesses, and individuals, to host or sponsor and attend community events in order to bring visibility and support to efforts made by nongovernmental organizations to recognize and combat human trafficking.
Existing law, the Sex Offender Registration Act, requires persons convicted of specified sex offenses to register with local authorities for life while residing, located, attending school, or working in California. Existing law, as adopted by the voters by the passage of Proposition 83 at the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, prohibits a person who is required to register as a sex offender from living in specified places, including within 2,000 feet of a school or park where children regularly gather. Existing law authorizes municipal jurisdictions to enact local ordinances that further restrict the residency of the registered sex offender. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for a person who is on parole for specified sex offenses to enter any park where children regularly gather without express permission from the person's parole agent. This bill would state that a local agency is not preempted by state law from enacting and enforcing an ordinance that restricts a registered sex offender from residing or being present at certain locations within the local agency's jurisdiction. The bill would authorize a local agency to adopt ordinances, rules, or regulations that are more restrictive than state law relating to a registered sex offender's ability to reside or be present at certain locations within the local agency's jurisdiction.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including transportation companies. Under existing law, the Household Goods Carriers Act, household goods carriers, as defined, are subject to the jurisdiction and control of the commission. The act declares that it is not to be construed as a regulation of interstate or foreign commerce, except as permitted under the United States Constitution and the acts of Congress. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.
Existing property tax law requires every assessor to assess all property subject to general property taxation at its full value. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that provision.