Existing law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, provides that all persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever. This bill would define "ancestry" for purposes of the act to include, among other things, caste, as defined. Existing law states the policy of the State of California to afford all persons in public schools, regardless of their disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or specified other characteristics, equal rights and opportunities in the educational institutions of the state, and states that the purpose of related existing law is to prohibit acts that are contrary to that policy and to provide remedies therefor. This bill would additionally include ancestry as a protected characteristic in that policy statement and would define "ancestry" and "caste" for purposes of those provisions. Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) , establishes the Civil Rights Department to enforce civil rights laws with respect to housing and employment, as prescribed. The FEHA declares the public policy of the state that it is necessary to protect and safeguard the right of all persons to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination, and recognizes and declares to be a civil right the opportunity to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination, based on specified characteristics, including ancestry. The FEHA makes certain discriminatory employment practices based on those characteristics unlawful. This bill would define "ancestry" for purposes of the FEHA to include, among other things, caste, and would also define "caste" for purposes of those provisions. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 12926 of the Government Code proposed by AB 524 to be operative only if this bill and AB 524 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
Sponsored bills
Existing law requires the Governor to appoint every office whose mode of appointment is not prescribed by law. Existing law also prescribes the manner of the Governor's appointment of those officers. This bill would require the office of the Governor, commencing January 1, 2025, to maintain on its internet website a list of every state board and commission that includes, for each state board or commission, the membership list, stated purpose, duties, meeting frequency, internet website, and vacancies in the membership. The bill would require the office of the Governor, on or before January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, to create and publish on its internet website a report containing aggregate demographic information of appointments made by the office during the prior calendar year, as specified.
Existing law, the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act, classifies controlled substances into 5 schedules and places the greatest restrictions and penalties on the use of those substances placed in Schedule I. The act classifies the drug fentanyl in Schedule II. Existing law prohibits a person from possessing for sale or purchasing for purposes of sale, specified controlled substances, including fentanyl, and provides for imprisonment in a county jail for 2, 3, or 4 years for a violation of this provision. Existing law also requires a local health officer to assume that the fentanyl manufacturing process has led to some degree of chemical contamination and take action, as prescribed, if a fentanyl laboratory activity has taken place at a property. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, establish the Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose Prevention Task Force to undertake various duties relating to fentanyl misuse including, among others, collecting and organizing data on the nature and extent of fentanyl misuse in California and evaluating approaches to increase public awareness of fentanyl misuse. The bill would require the task force to be co-chaired by the Attorney General and the State Public Health Officer or their designees, and would specify the membership of the task force. The bill would require the first meeting of the task force to take place no later than June 1, 2024, and would require the task force to meet at least once every 2 months. The bill would require the task force to submit an interim report on its findings and recommendations to the Attorney General, the Governor, and the Legislature by July 1, 2025, and submit a final report by December 1, 2025. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2026.
Existing law governs the determination of child custody and visitation in contested proceedings. Existing law requires the court, for purposes of deciding custody, to determine the best interests of the child based on certain factors, including the nature and amount of contact with both parents and, consistent with specified findings, requires the court's primary concern to be the health, safety, and welfare of the child. Existing law prohibits the ordering of family reunification services as part of a child custody or visitation rights proceeding. Existing law authorizes the court, upon making certain findings, to require the parent or parents, or any other party involved in a custody or visitation dispute, and the minor child to participate in outpatient counseling, as specified. This bill, Piqui's Law: Keeping Children Safe from Family Violence Act, would prohibit the court from ordering family reunification treatments, programs, or services, including, but not limited to, camps, workshops, therapeutic vacations, or educational programs that, as a condition of enrollment or participation, require or result in, among other things, the use of private youth transporters or private transportation agents, as specified, a no-contact order, or a transfer of physical or legal custody of the child. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to establish judicial training programs for individuals who perform duties in domestic violence matters. Existing law requires the training programs to include a domestic violence session in any orientation session for newly appointed or elected judges and an annual training session in domestic violence. Existing law requires the training programs to include instruction in all aspects of domestic violence, including, but not limited to, the detriment to children of residing with a person who perpetrates domestic violence. This bill would instead require the Judicial Council to establish judicial training programs for individuals, including judicial officers and referees, who perform duties in domestic violence or child custody matters, including, among other topics, child sexual abuse and coercive control, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council to submit an annual report on these training programs, commencing on or before January 1, 2025, to the Legislature and relevant policy committees, that includes the titles of the training courses being offered and the number of judicial officers that attended each training.
Existing law licenses and regulates motor vehicle dealers and retail sellers. Existing law prohibits a motor vehicle dealer or retail seller from selling any motor vehicle that is not in compliance with the requirements enumerated in the Vehicle Code. This bill would prohibit any person, except as exempted, from removing, altering, or obfuscating the vehicle identification number that has been added to a catalytic converter, or from knowingly possessing 3 or more catalytic converters that have been so altered. A violation of these provisions would be punishable as a misdemeanor. By creating new crimes, 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.
Existing state sales and use tax laws impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. The Sales and Use Tax Law provides various exemptions from those taxes. This bill, on or after April 1, 2024, and before April 1, 2029, would exempt the gross receipts from the sale in this state of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, breast pumps, breast pump collection and storage supplies, breast pump kits, and breast pads. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would make findings detailing the goals of the above-described tax expenditure and performance indicators for determining whether the tax expenditure meets those goals. The Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law authorizes counties and cities to impose local sales and use taxes in conformity with the Sales and Use Tax Law, and existing laws authorize districts, as specified, to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law, which generally conforms to the Sales and Use Tax Law. Amendments to the Sales and Use Tax Law are automatically incorporated into the local tax laws. Existing law requires the state to reimburse counties and cities for revenue losses caused by the enactment of sales and use tax exemptions. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding Section 2230 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse any local agencies for sales and use tax revenues lost by them pursuant to this bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law prohibits the possession, sale, and transport, as specified, of certain controlled substances. Existing law requires a person granted probation for controlled substance offenses to, as a condition of probation, secure education or treatment from a local community agency designated by the court, if the service is available and the person is likely to benefit from the service. This bill would require the court to order a person granted probation pursuant to those provisions for a violation of specified laws involving any amount of fentanyl, carfentanil, benzimidazole opiate, or any analog thereof, to successfully complete a fentanyl and synthetic opiate education program, if one is available. The bill would prohibit a defendant from being charged a fee for enrollment in that education program. The bill would require a court ordering a defendant to complete those courses to only order the defendant to participate in programs that include, among other things, information regarding the nature and addictive elements of fentanyl and other synthetic opiates and their danger to a person's life and health. The bill would require program providers to report an unexcused absence by a defendant from a fentanyl and synthetic opiate education program to the court and the probation department within 2 business days. The bill would require the court to only refer defendants to programs that are available at no cost to the participants. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 11373 of the Health and Safety Code proposed by SB 46 to be operative only if this bill and SB 46 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.