Existing law establishes the state flag and the state's emblems, including, among other things, the poppy as the official state flower, the California redwood as the official state tree, and the California gray whale as the official state marine mammal. This bill would establish the banana slug (Ariolimax) as the official state slug.
The Early Education Act establishes the California Universal Preschool Planning Grant Program with the goal of expanding access universally to preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-old children across the state through a mixed-delivery system, as defined. The act requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish rules and regulations for the staffing of all preschool programs under contract with the State Department of Education. This bill would, notwithstanding any provision of the act to contrary, require the department to, among other things, provide prospective California state preschool program providers an equitable opportunity to establish a trained workforce and administrative systems, and technical assistance on how to meet the requirements of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, as provided. The bill would, notwithstanding any provision of the act to contrary, require the department to, among other things, develop early learning resources, as specified, and to develop and implement a proactive one-time 3-year outreach, capacity building, training, and technical assistance plan that targets prospective and new contractors, as provided. The bill would make its provisions operative only upon appropriation by the Legislature for its purposes.
Existing law establishes the Geologic Energy Management Division in the Department of Conservation, under the direction of the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, who is required to supervise the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells, as provided. A person who violates or fails, neglects, or refuses to comply with any of the oil and gas laws is guilty of a crime. Existing law requires the operator of any idle well to either (1) no later than May 1 of each year, for each idle well that was an idle well at any time in the last calendar year, file with the supervisor an annual fee according to a specified schedule of fees based on the length of time a well has been idle, applicable to wells that have been idle wells for 3 years or longer, or (2) file a plan with the supervisor to provide for the management and elimination of all long-term idle wells, as provided. Existing law also establishes the Hazardous and Idle-Deserted Well Abatement Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for the deposit of all fees received pursuant to these provisions. This bill would revise and recast these provisions. The bill would, among other things, increase the fees for idle wells, and additionally impose fees for each idle well that has been an idle well for less than 3 years, as provided. By increasing the fees collected from operators of idle wells that are deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also revise and recast the provisions of the idle well plan. The bill would, among other things, require operators who do not file the above-described idle well fees to, no later than May 1 of each year, file a plan with the supervisor to provide for the management and elimination of all idle wells, instead of all long-term idle wells. The bill would require the plan to require the operator to consider specified factors when prioritizing idle wells for plugging and abandonment. The bill would revise the provision requiring operators to eliminate a specified percentage of long-term idle wells by making it applicable to all idle wells and by increasing the minimum percentages of idle wells that operators would be required to eliminate each year, as provided. By expanding the scope of crimes, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would exempt from its provisions an idle well (1) for which an operator has made a diligent effort to locate and access the well and has provided documentation demonstrating that it is infeasible to locate or physically access the wellbore, subject to the approval of the division, or (2) that is the subject of a court-approved settlement agreement entered into on or before December 31, 2024, between a local governmental entity and the operator of the idle well, if that settlement agreement imposes more stringent requirements relating to the management and elimination of idle wells than the requirements imposed by this bill. Existing law requires the supervisor to submit to the Legislature an annual comprehensive report, as specified, on the status of idle and long-term idle wells for the preceding calendar year. This bill would require that report to also include a list of wells that the division has approved as being inaccessible, as described above. 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) Existing law authorizes a governing body of a political subdivision, as those terms are defined, to declare a shelter crisis if the governing body makes a specified finding. Upon declaration of a shelter crisis, existing law, among other things, suspends certain state and local laws, regulations, and ordinances to the extent that strict compliance would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the shelter crisis and allows a city, county, or city and county, in lieu of compliance, to adopt by ordinance reasonable local standards and procedures for the design, site development, and operation of homeless shelters and the structures and facilities therein. Existing law, among other things, exempts from the California Environmental Quality Act specified actions by a state agency or a city, county, or city and county to lease, convey, or encumber land owned by a city, county, or city and county, or to facilitate the lease, conveyance, or encumbrance of land owned by the local government for, or to provide financial assistance to, a homeless shelter constructed or allowed by these provisions. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2026. This bill would expand the exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act described above to include action taken by a state agency or a city, county, or city and county, to approve a contract to provide services for people experiencing homelessness to a homeless shelter constructed pursuant to, or authorized by, these provisions, as specified. This bill would extend the repeal date of these provisions to January 1, 2036. The bill would make other nonsubstantive, conforming changes. (2) Existing law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) , requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or 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 also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires that a Low Barrier Navigation Center development be a use by right in areas zoned for mixed uses and nonresidential zones permitting multifamily uses if it meets prescribed requirements. Existing law provides that the CEQA does not apply to an action taken by a public agency to lease, convey, or encumber land owned by a public entity or to facilitate the lease, conveyance, or encumbrance of land owned by a public agency, or to provide financial assistance to, or otherwise approve, a Low Barrier Navigation Center constructed or allowed by existing law. Existing law defines the term "Low Barrier Navigation Center" for these purposes to mean a Housing First, low-barrier, service-enriched shelter focused on moving people into permanent housing that provides temporary living facilities while case managers connect individuals experiencing homelessness to income, public benefits, health services, shelter, and housing. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2027. This bill would revise the definition of "Low Barrier Navigation Center" by specifying that a Low Barrier Navigation Center may be non-congregate and relocatable. The bill would also delete the January 1, 2027, repeal date, thereby extending operation of these provisions indefinitely. By indefinitely changing the local permitting process and increasing the duties of local planning officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would exempt from CEQA specified activities by local agencies relating to low barrier navigation centers. To the extent this bill would impose additional duties on county clerks, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law requires agencies and departments administering state programs related to homelessness to adopt guidelines and regulations to incorporate core components of Housing First, as defined. Existing law defines "state programs" for this purpose as any program a California state agency or department funds, implements, or administers for the purpose of providing housing or housing-based services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, except as provided. This bill would expand the definition of "state programs" to include programs a California state agency or department funds, implements, or administers for the purpose of providing emergency shelter or interim housing. (4) 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 measure would, among other things, urge the United States Congress and President Joseph R. Biden to fully fund the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Comprehensive Infrastructure Solution for the Tijuana River due to the ongoing impacts to public health, the environment, and the local economy caused by cross-border pollution and would urge President Joseph R. Biden to declare a national emergency due to those ongoing impacts.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to repeal the state and local tax deduction limitation so that residents of California and married taxpayers are no longer penalized by the federal tax code.
Maddy summaryAssembly Concurrent Resolution 120 designates January 2024 as Positive Parenting Awareness Month in California. This measure does not change laws or allocate funding but instead encourages state agencies, communities, and organizations to focus on the importance of positive parenting strategies. The resolution highlights how supportive family environments can improve children's health and well-being while acknowledging the diverse forms families take in the state. It serves as a formal acknowledgment of existing programs and resources rather than creating new mandates or policies.
This measure would proclaim September 20, 2024, and September 20 of each year thereafter, as California Youth Climate Action Day to honor and support the efforts of young people in their pursuit of environmental sustainability, climate justice, and the preservation of biodiversity.
Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates the week of January 26 through February 2, 2024, as CalEITC Awareness Week to highlight the California Earned Income Tax Credit program. The measure aims to increase public knowledge about this refundable tax credit, which assists low-income working families in meeting basic needs like housing, food, and health care. By drawing attention to the program, the resolution seeks to inform residents that the credit is available to many households, including those led by non-citizens and families with young children. The text includes findings on poverty levels and the economic benefits of the credit but does not change any laws or funding.
(1) Existing law, beginning on June 26, 2023, establishes the Independent Consumer Fuels Advisory Committee within the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to advise the Energy Commission and the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight, as provided. Existing law prescribes the composition of the 8-member committee, including 6 specified members appointed by the Governor, one member appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, and one member appointed by the Senate Rules Committee. This bill would repeal the Independent Consumer Fuels Advisory Committee and instead would establish a 6-member Expert Advisory Committee to advise the Energy Commission and division, as provided. The bill would require 4 of the members of the committee to be appointed by the Governor, one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, and one member to be appointed by the Senate Rules Committee. The bill would, among other things, require all members of the committee to either hold an academic appointment in, or demonstrate expertise of, economics or business operations of the transportation fuels market, and would prohibit all members of the committee from having been employed by, contracted with, or received direct compensation from, a company that produces, refines, distributes, trades in, markets, or sells any petroleum product in the preceding 12 months. (2) Existing law requires the Energy Commission, in consultation with the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and labor and industry stakeholders, to consider ways to manage necessary refinery turnarounds and maintenance that would protect the health and safety of employees and the public, and minimize the impacts of maintenance-related production losses on fuel prices. Existing law authorizes the commission, by regulation, to impose requirements governing the timing of turnaround and maintenance. This bill would expressly authorize those regulations to include criteria that are required to be met before a refinery commences a turnaround or maintenance event, as provided. This bill would require the Energy Commission, in consultation with the Expert Advisory Committee, to consider the effects of refiners' inventories of fuel and feedstocks and blending components on the price of transportation fuels in California. The bill would authorize the Energy Commission, by regulation, to develop and impose requirements for refiners operating in the state to maintain minimum levels of inventories of refined transportation fuels meeting California specifications, including any feedstocks and blending components, as specified. This bill would impose an administrative civil penalty on a refiner or person who fails to comply with regulations adopted pursuant to the above-described authority and would authorize the Energy Commission to seek any form of injunctive or remedial relief to enforce compliance with those regulations, as provided. (3) Existing law requires the Energy Commission, on or before January 1, 2024, and every 3 years thereafter, to submit an assessment to the Governor and the Legislature that, among other things, identifies methods to ensure a reliable supply of affordable and safe transportation fuels in California, as provided. This bill, beginning with the first assessment submitted after January 1, 2025, would require that assessment to also include (A) an evaluation of California's future petroleum product import needs and identified steps that can be taken to ensure that marine infrastructure and port facilities will be adequate to accommodate the efficient movement of petroleum products, and, for those purposes, would require the Energy Commission to consult with specified entities, and (B) an evaluation of the effects on supplies of transportation fuels of state regulations that the Energy Commission identifies may be causing supply constraints, or for which the Energy Commission believes alternative compliance pathways should be considered by state agencies to mitigate potential impacts on supply.
