This resolution would respectfully request that the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, adopt the North American Emission Control Area, as proposed by the United States, Canada, and France at the 60th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, scheduled for March 2010.
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 emission reductions. The state board is authorized to adopt market-based compliance mechanisms, as defined, meeting specified requirements to be used for compliance with those regulations. The state board is required, before including any market-based compliance mechanism, to maximize additional environmental and economic benefits for California, as appropriate. This bill would authorize the state board to establish a fund, to deposit a portion of revenues from the distribution of allowances, as defined, received pursuant to market-based compliance mechanisms, for expenditure on communities experiencing increased exposure to air pollutants to the extent that the state board establishes that the increased exposure to air pollutants is caused by the implementation of the market-based compliance mechanism regulation.
(1) Existing law, the State Bar Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation. Existing law provides that it is the duty of an attorney to, among other things, never reject, for any consideration personal to himself or herself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed. Existing law provides that a lawyer may fulfill his or her ethical commitment to provide pro bono services, in part, by providing financial support to organizations providing free legal services to persons of limited means. This bill would prohibit a person or organization that is not a specified type of legal aid organization, as defined, from using the term "legal aid," or any confusingly similar name in any firm name, trade name, fictitious business name, or other designation, or on any advertisement, letterhead, business card, or sign. The bill would subject a person or organization that violates this prohibition to specified civil liability. (2) Existing law provides that, in all general civil cases, as defined, a party who has provided notice may appear by telephone at certain conferences, hearings, and proceedings, except as specified. This bill would require the Judicial Council, on or before July 1, 2010, and periodically as appropriate, to enter into one or more master agreements with a vendor or vendors to provide for telephone appearances in civil cases under the provisions described above, or as otherwise permitted by law. The bill would impose requirements regarding those master agreements, including that the vendor charge a party for an appearance by telephone in an amount set by the Judicial Council, and that the vendor pay to the state $15 for each appearance by telephone and a proportionate share of an amount equal to the total revenue received from vendors by all courts for providing telephone appearances for the 2008–09 fiscal year. The bill would require those funds to be deposited in the Trial Court Trust Fund and used for specified purposes. (3) Existing law requires that, when a witness is incapable of understanding the English language or is incapable of expressing himself or herself in the English language so as to be understood directly by counsel, court, and jury, an interpreter be sworn to interpret for him or her. This bill would require the Judicial Council, by September 1, 2010, to establish a working group to review, identify, and develop best practices to provide interpreters in civil actions and proceedings, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council to select up to 5 courts to participate in a pilot project, to commence on July 1, 2011, to provide interpreters in civil proceedings. The bill would provide that the initial pilot courts shall participate until June 30, 2014, and would require the Judicial Council to consider whether a pilot court shall continue participating in the project and whether to select another court or additional courts. The pilot project would be funded from the revenue derived from the telephonic appearance fee described above. (4) Existing law requires the Judicial Council to conduct a study of language and interpreter use and need in court proceedings, with commentary, and to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature every 5 years. Existing law requires that this study serve as the basis for determining the need to establish interpreter programs and certification and establishing these programs and examinations through the normal budgetary process. This bill would require, in addition, as of January 1, 2011, that the study described above serve as the basis of determining the need for and use of interpreters in civil and criminal court proceedings. The bill would require trial courts to collect and report the use of interpreters in all criminal and civil proceedings in the manner specified by the Judicial Council.
This measure would declare February 19, 2010, as a Day of Remembrance in order to increase public awareness of the events surrounding the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
Existing law generally provides for the licensure of health facilities, including rural general acute care hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires the department to provide expert technical assistance to strategically located, high-risk rural hospitals, as defined, to assist the hospitals in carrying out an assessment of potential business and diversification of service opportunities. Existing law also requires the department to continue to provide regulatory relief when appropriate through program flexibility for such items as staffing, space, and physical plant requirements. This bill would, until January 1, 2020, establish a demonstration project authorizing a rural hospital, as defined, that meets specified conditions, to employ up to 10 physicians and surgeons at one time, except as provided, to provide medical services at the rural hospital or other health facility that the rural hospital owns or operates, and to retain all or part of the income generated by the physicians and surgeons for medical services billed and collected by the rural hospital if the physician and surgeon in whose name the charges are made approves the charges. The bill would require a rural hospital that employs a physician and surgeon pursuant to those provisions to develop and implement a policy regarding the independent medical judgment of the physician and surgeon. The bill would require these physicians and surgeons to biennially sign a specified statement. The bill would impose various duties on the department and the Medical Board of California including, not later than January 1, 2019, a requirement that the board deliver a report to the Legislature regarding the demonstration project.
This measure would memorialize the President and the Congress of the United States to enact the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which would make supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and state and local fiscal stabilization.
This measure would recognize February 2010 as Black History Month, urge all citizens to join in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans during Black History Month, and encourage the people of California to recognize the many talents, achievements, and contributions that African Americans make to their communities.
Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. Existing law requires an employer to provide, or pay for all reasonable costs of, medical services necessary to care for or relieve work-related injuries. Existing law further provides that in the case of active firefighting members of certain state and local fire departments and in the case of certain peace officers, a compensable injury includes cancer that develops or manifests itself during the period when the firefighter or peace officer demonstrates that he or she was exposed, while in the service of the public agency, to a known carcinogen, as defined, and the carcinogen is reasonably linked to the disabling cancer. Existing law establishes a presumption that the cancer in these cases is presumed to arise out of, and in the course of, employment, unless the presumption is controverted by evidence that the primary site of the cancer has been established and that the carcinogen to which the member has demonstrated exposure is not reasonably linked to the disabling cancer. Existing law extends this presumption to a member following termination of service for a period of 3 calendar months for each full year of the requisite service, but not to exceed 60 months in any circumstance, commencing with the last date actually worked in the specified capacity. This bill would provide that the above-described presumption shall be extended to a member following termination of service for a period of 3 calender months, but not to exceed 120 months in any circumstance, commencing with the last date actually worked in the specified capacity.
Existing law requires the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board to report to the Legislature when there is no sufficient appropriation available for the payment of a claim against the state accepted by the board. Existing law requires claimants to pay a fee of $25 to file a claim against the state. Existing law also authorizes the board to assess a surcharge in an amount not to exceed 15% of the total approved claim. The fee and surcharge are to be deposited into the General Fund and may be appropriated in support of the board, as specified. This bill would appropriate $998,029.73 from various funds to the Executive Officer of the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board to pay certain claims accepted by the board. This bill would require the Controller, upon the request of the board, in a form prescribed by the Controller, to transfer surcharges and fees from the Budget Act items of appropriation identified in this bill to Item 1870‑001‑0001 of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2010. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) The Community Redevelopment Law authorizes the establishment of redevelopment agencies in communities in order to address the effects of blight, as defined, in those communities and requires those agencies to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and approve a redevelopment plan for each project area. Existing law defines the term "redevelopment" for these purposes and specifies the scope of activities that the term includes. Existing law also makes specified legislative findings and declarations regarding the fundamental purposes of redevelopment. This bill would, until January 1, 2018, authorize the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, at the request of its legislative body, to prepare applications for, and execute, economic development programs, to accept public or private assistance, and to expend those funds for any economic development activities inside or outside a project area within the territorial jurisdiction of the agency. (2) Existing law authorizes an agency to construct foundations, platforms, and other structural forms necessary for the provision or utilization of air rights sites for buildings to be used for residential, commercial, industrial, or other uses contemplated by the redevelopment plan. An agency is also authorized to establish a program under which it loans funds to owners or tenants for the purpose of rehabilitating commercial buildings or structures within the project area. This bill would, until January 1, 2018, expand the agency's programmatic authority by authorizing it to provide direct assistance, including, but not limited to, loans, financial guarantees, or other financial assistance, to businesses within project areas in connection with new or existing facilities for retaining or expanding employment in the project area, increasing energy efficiency of buildings in the project area, or for other specified redevelopment purposes. This bill would specify that these programs constitute redevelopment, as defined. (3) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles.
