Rep. Das Williams

This measure would proclaim August 8, 2016, to August 12, 2016, inclusive, as Concrete Pipe Week.

Existing law, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, requires all manufacturers of Korean rice cakes, as defined, to place a label issued by the Korean Rice Cake Association Corporation on the Korean rice cake that indicates the date of manufacture, and requires the label to include a statement that the rice cake must be consumed within one day of manufacture. A violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill would require, except as provided, a manufacturer of Vietnamese rice cakes, as defined, to place a label, designed by the Vietnamese Rice Cake Association, Inc., on the Vietnamese rice cake that indicates the date and time the cooking process was completed, and would require the label to include a statement that the rice cake must be consumed within 24 hours of the date and time printed on the label. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law, the California Retail Food Code, provides for the regulation of health and sanitation standards for food facilities, as defined, by the State Department of Public Health. Under existing law, local health agencies are primarily responsible for enforcing the California Retail Food Code. A violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law authorizes a food facility to sell Korean rice cakes, as defined, that have been at room temperature for no more than 24 hours, and requires, at the end of the operating day, Korean rice cakes that have been at room temperature for no more than 24 hours to be destroyed in a manner approved by the enforcement agency. This bill would also authorize a food facility to sell Vietnamese rice cakes that have been at no more than 70 degrees Fahrenheit for no more than 24 hours and would require Vietnamese rice cakes that have been at no more than 70 degrees Fahrenheit but have been stored for more than 24 hours to be destroyed in a manner approved by the enforcement agency. By imposing new enforcement requirements on local health agencies, and 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 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.

This measure would proclaim April 12, 2016, as Equal Pay Day in recognition of the need to eliminate the gender gap in earnings by women and to promote policies to ensure equal pay for all.

This measure would encourage teaching sun safety practices to children to enable them to identify the importance of sun safety, practice strategies to protect against the harmful effects of the sun, and understand why and how to stay safe from overexposure to the sun.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law authorizes the PUC to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law prohibits any load-serving entity, consisting of electrical corporations, electric service providers, and community choice aggregators serving end-use customers in the state, and any local publicly owned electric utility, from entering into a long-term financial commitment, as defined, for baseload generation, as defined, unless that baseload generation complies with a greenhouse gases emission performance standard. Existing law requires the PUC, through a rulemaking proceeding and in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and the State Air Resources Board (state board) , to establish the greenhouse gases emission performance standard for all baseload generation of load-serving entities. Existing law requires the Energy Commission, at a duly noticed public hearing and in consultation with the PUC and the state board, to establish the greenhouse gases emission performance standard for all baseload generation of local publicly owned electric utilities. This bill would require the PUC to review any capital expenditure proposed by an electrical corporation for baseload generation that does not comply with the greenhouse gases emission performance standard established by the PUC and to not permit those costs to be recovered in rates if it finds (1) the proposed capital expenditure will materially extend the service life of the baseload generation, (2) cost-effective alternative resources not already owned or contracted for by the electrical corporation would provide superior long-term value to customers and satisfy the greenhouses gases emission performance standard, or (3) the accelerated retirement of the baseload generation unit would promote state and regional goals for the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases. Under existing law, an electrical corporation that provides electric service to 75,000 or fewer retail end-use customers in California may file with the PUC a proposal for alternative compliance with the greenhouse gases emission performance standard, which the PUC is authorized to accept upon a showing by the electrical corporation that (1) a majority of the electrical corporation's retail end-use customers for electric service are located outside of California and (2) the emissions of greenhouse gases to generate electricity for the retail end-use customers of the electrical corporation are subject to a review by the utility regulatory commission of at least one other state in which the electrical corporation provides regulated retail electric service. This bill would eliminate this alternative compliance option.

This measure would recognize the month of June 2016 as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, would recognize June 21, 2016, as The Longest Day in California, and would urge all residents to wear purple on this day to help spread global awareness of the Alzheimer's Association's vision of imagining a world without Alzheimer's disease.

This measure would recognize the year of 2016 as the 50th anniversary of California's community-based developmental services system, and would reaffirm the commitment of the Legislature to support this system. This measure would declare the importance of ensuring a sustainable system that protects the rights of individuals with developmental disabilities.

This measure would respectfully urge Congress to appropriate $248 million in funding to complete Phase 2 of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry reconfiguration and expansion project in order to realize the benefits the improvements of this project will have on the nation's economy.

This measure will proclaim the month of June as California Technology and Innovation Month, a special time for Californians to celebrate this ever-growing industry that is changing the way we view communication, health care, transportation, energy, travel, and business.