(1) Existing law defines a pickup truck as a motor truck with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 11,500 pounds, an unladen weight of less than 8,001 pounds, and which is equipped with an open box-type bed not exceeding 9 feet in length. This bill would define a farm pickup truck as a motor truck used exclusively by a farmer or rancher in a not-for-hire capacity that is operated solely in California and not in interstate commerce, that has a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 14,000 pounds, and that is equipped with a bed, including, but not limited to, a flat bed, not exceeding 9 feet in length. Existing law requires a commercial motor vehicle, singly or in combination, that operates with a declared gross or combined gross vehicle weight that exceeds 10,000 pounds to be registered as specified. This bill would, for purposes of registration, designate a farm pickup truck with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of more than 11,500 pounds or a farm pickup truck weighing more than 10,000 pounds that is not equipped with an open-box type bed as a commercial motor vehicle for registration purposes. (2) Existing law requires every driver of a commercial vehicle to stop and submit the vehicle to an inspection of the size, weight, equipment, and smoke emissions of the vehicle at any location where members of the California Highway Patrol are conducting tests and inspections of commercial vehicles and when signs are displayed requiring the stop. Existing law provides that every driver who fails or refuses to stop and submit the vehicle to an inspection when signs are displayed requiring that stop is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would create an exception from that requirement for pickup trucks and farm pickup trucks, as defined. (3) Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to regulate the safe operation of specified vehicles, including, but not limited to, truck tractors and specified motor trucks, but only for matters relating to hours of service and logbooks of drivers. This bill would create an exception from that regulation for farm pickup trucks, as defined. (4) Existing law, the Motor Carriers of Property Permit Act generally prohibits a motor carrier of property from operating a commercial motor vehicle on any public highway in this state, unless it is compliant as specified and has registered with the department its carrier identification number authorized or assigned thereunder, and holds a valid motor carrier permit issued to that motor carrier by the department. This bill would exempt from that act a farm pickup truck, as defined.
Sponsored bills
Existing law requires each county and city and county receiving specified funds to establish and maintain a local health and welfare fund comprised of several accounts, including a mental health account, a social services account, and a health account. This bill would authorize a county or city and county to reallocate up to 10% of the amount deposited each fiscal year in the local health account, or local social services account, or both, to the local mental health account, as specified.
Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law authorizes these segments to charge students tuition and mandatory systemwide fees, among other charges, for attendance at these institutions. The existing Donahoe Higher Education Act requires that none of its provisions applies to the University of California except to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make that provision applicable. This bill would add to the Donahoe Higher Education Act a provision requiring the trustees, and the regents if they act by appropriate resolution as referenced above, to determine the amounts of undergraduate tuition and mandatory systemwide fees for California residents in each incoming first-year class in their respective segments. The bill would require that the tuition and mandatory systemwide fees set for California residents in each incoming first-year class under the bill would not be increased, other than to make a cost-of-living adjustment not to exceed 2% after each academic year, until that class has completed at least 4 academic years. The bill would prohibit the trustees and the regents from increasing the amount of undergraduate tuition and mandatory systemwide fees for California residents charged to an incoming first-year class in their respective segments by more than 5% over the amounts charged to the immediately preceding first-year class.
Existing law, known as Laura's Law, until January 1, 2017, regulates designated assisted outpatient treatment services, which a county may choose to provide for its residents. In a county where assisted outpatient treatment services are available, a person is authorized to receive specified mental health services pursuant to an order if requisite criteria are met, as specified. Under that law, participating counties are required to provide prescribed assisted outpatient services, including a service planning and delivery process that provides for services that are client-directed and employ psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery principles. Existing law contains provisions governing the operation and financing of community mental health services for the mentally disordered in every county through locally administered and locally controlled community mental health programs. Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, funds a system of county mental health plans for the provision of mental health services, as specified. The act provides that it may be amended by the Legislature by a 23 vote of each house as long as the amendment is consistent with and furthers the intent of the act, and that the Legislature may also clarify procedures and terms of the act by majority vote. The act establishes the Mental Health Services Fund, continuously appropriated to and administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, to fund specified county mental health programs, including prevention and early intervention programs, which include outreach, and programs implemented under the Adult and Older Adult Mental Health System of Care Act. The Adult and Older Adult Mental Health System of Care Act establishes services standards that require, among other things, that a service planning and delivery process provides for services that are client-directed and employ psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery principles. This bill would declare that it is consistent with and furthers the intent of the Mental Health Services Act. This bill would clarify that services provided under Laura's Law may be provided pursuant to the Mental Health Services Act. This bill would provide that outreach under prevention and early intervention programs may include the provision of funds to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools for the purposes of obtaining and providing training to identify students with mental health issues that may result in a threat to themselves or others. By allocating moneys in the Mental Health Services Fund for new purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would delete obsolete provisions and make other conforming changes. Because the bill would amend Proposition 63, it would require a 23 vote of the Legislature.
Existing law requires the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation in the Department of Industrial Relations to review and approve applications from employers and employee organizations, as well as applications submitted jointly by an employer organization and an employee organization, for grants to assist in establishing effective occupational injury and illness prevention programs, as specified. Existing law requires certain civil and administrative penalties relating to workers' compensation to be deposited in the Workers' Compensation Administration Revolving Fund. Existing law authorizes the department to expend these funds upon approval by the commission, and upon appropriation from the fund by the Legislature, to fund the above-described grants and other activities and expenses of the commission. Existing law requires any civil or administrative penalty assessed pursuant to the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 against a school district, county board of education, county superintendent of schools, charter school, community college district, California State University, University of California, or joint powers agency performing education functions to be deposited with the Workplace Health and Safety Revolving Fund. Existing law authorizes these entities to apply for a refund of the civil penalties assessed against them if specified conditions are met. Existing law requires moneys in the fund that are not refunded to be expended as provided for in the above-described grant provisions to assist schools in establishing effective occupational injury and illness prevention programs. This bill would, instead, require any civil or administrative penalty assessed pursuant to the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 against a school district, county board of education, county superintendent of schools, charter school, community college district, California State University, University of California, or joint powers agency performing education functions to be deposited with the Workers' Compensation Administration Revolving Fund. In addition, the bill would require any civil or administrative penalty assessed pursuant to the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 against a city, county, city and county, special district, public authority, public agency, joint powers agency or authority to be deposited with the Workers' Compensation Administration Revolving Fund. The bill would authorize these local public entities to apply for a refund of the civil penalties assessed against them if specified conditions are met. The bill would require moneys in the fund that are not refunded to be expended as provided for in the above-described grant provisions to assist these local public entities, regardless of whether any penalty has been assessed against them, in establishing and maintaining effective occupational injury and illness prevention programs. This bill would add funding the above-described grants to the list of purposes for which moneys in the Workers' Compensation Administration Revolving Fund may be expended. This bill would make other nonsubstantive changes to these provisions. Existing law, the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004, allows aggrieved employees to bring civil actions to recover penalties for violations of the Labor Code if the Labor and Workforce Development Agency or its departments, divisions, commissions, boards, agencies, or employees do not do so. The penalties collected in these actions are distributed 75% to the agency to be continuously appropriated for purposes of enforcement and education and 25% to the aggrieved employee, except as specified. This bill would provide that the above provisions pertaining to civil or administrative penalties assessed pursuant to the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 shall not apply to that portion of any civil or administrative penalty that is distributed directly to an aggrieved employee pursuant to the above-described provisions.
Existing law authorizes a public agency, as defined, and as part of a property assessed clean energy (PACE) program, to issue a PACE bond that is secured by a voluntary contractual assessment or voluntary special tax on property to finance the installation of distributed generation renewable energy sources, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, or energy or water efficiency improvements, if the public agency receives approval from the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority, as specified. This bill would authorize a school district, county office of education, or charter school to voluntarily enter into an agreement with a PACE program to finance, refinance, or lease the installation of distributed generation renewable energy sources, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, or energy or water efficiency improvements.
Existing law requires a convicted arsonist, as specified, to register with certain local officials in the area in which he or she resides, and makes it a misdemeanor to fail to register. Existing law also requires the registering law enforcement agency to forward certain information about the person to the Department of Justice, including a signed statement, and the person's fingerprints and photograph. Under existing law, those statements, photographs, and fingerprints are not open to inspection by the public or by any person other than a regularly employed peace officer or other law enforcement officer. This bill would require the Department of Justice to make all of these statements, photographs, and fingerprints available to all chief fire officials of a legally organized fire department or fire protection district in the state.
Existing law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, requires each legislative body of a local agency to provide notice of the time and place for holding regular meetings and an agenda containing a brief general description of each item of business to be transacted. The act also requires that all meetings of a legislative body be open and public and all persons be permitted to attend unless a closed session is authorized. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to a provision of the Ralph M. Brown Act.
Existing law provides for the civil commitment of criminal offenders who have been determined to be sexually violent predators for treatment in a secure state hospital facility, as specified. Existing law authorizes the conditional release of a sexually violent predator under specified circumstances. Existing law requires that a person who is conditionally released must be released to his or her county of domicile unless extraordinary circumstances, as defined, are present. Proposition 83 of the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, made various changes to the sexually violent predator civil commitment process. Proposition 83 permits the Legislature to amend its provisions, either by a 23 vote of the membership of each house, or by majority vote of the membership of each house if the amendments expand the scope of the application of the provisions of the proposition or increase the punishments or penalties provided in the proposition. This bill would prohibit a sexually violent predator who has been granted conditional release from being released as a transient in any county or being placed in housing that consists of a recreational or other vehicle. The bill would also declare that extraordinary circumstances justifying the placement of a person who has been granted conditional release in a county other than his or her county of domicile are present when housing, as specified, cannot be located within the county of domicile within 180 days of a court ordering that the person be conditionally released.
Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, on or before September 1, 2011, to adopt emergency regulations to establish a fire prevention fee in an amount not to exceed $150 to be charged on each habitable 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, commencing with the 2011–12 fiscal year. Existing law establishes the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and prohibits the collection of fire prevention fees if, commencing with the 2012–13 fiscal year, 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 specified fire prevention activities that benefit the owners of structures in state responsibility areas who are required to pay the fee. Existing law further requires the board, on and after January 1, 2013, to submit an annual written report to the Legislature on specified topics. This bill would repeal these provisions.