Asm. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry

Existing law establishes the Pierce's Disease Control Program in the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Pierce's Disease Management Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund. Existing law allows certain money in this account to be expended to combat Pierce's disease and its vectors, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and for purposes relating to other designated pests and diseases, as provided. Existing law requires the department to submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding its expenditures, progress, and ongoing priorities in combating Pierce's disease and its vectors in California. Existing law makes these provisions inoperative on March 1, 2026, and repeals them on January 1, 2027. This bill would extend to March 1, 2031, the date on which the above provisions become inoperative, and would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2032. By extending the operative date for a partially continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also delete the requirement for the department to submit the annual report to the Legislature. Existing law creates in the department the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board, which consists of specified members, and prescribes the functions and duties of the board with respect to implementation of the Pierce's disease program. Existing law provides for an annual assessment to be paid by grape processors, as defined, into the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund and continuously appropriates the collected funds for the purposes of, among other things, research and other activities related to the Pierce's disease program. Existing law also requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to report on the status of the program on a biennial basis to specified committees of the Legislature. Existing law repeals these provisions on March 1, 2026. This bill would extend the repeal date of these provisions to March 1, 2031, and would make related conforming changes. By extending the date until which the assessments are collected, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the secretary to prepare the report on an annual basis instead of a biennial basis, to make the report available on the department's internet website instead of submitting it to those committees of the Legislature, and to include information about the status of the Pierce's Disease Control Program in the report. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

This measure would request the Congress of the United States to pass, and the President to sign, the Housing Crisis Response Act of 2023 (H.R. 4233) , the Ending Homelessness Act of 2023 (H.R. 4232) , and the Downpayment Toward Equity Act of 2023 (H.R. 4231) .

Maddy summaryAssembly Concurrent Resolution 217 designates June 29, 2024, as Play Day to encourage all Californians to participate in physical activities. The resolution highlights the importance of play for youth development and addresses disparities in access to sports based on income and race. It serves as a commemorative measure rather than a law that creates new regulations or funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the week of October 6 through October 12, 2024, as National 4-H Week throughout California. It directly affects the nearly 6 million young people participating in the 4-H youth development program and the volunteers who support them. The resolution formally recognizes the organization's role in fostering leadership skills and encourages the celebration of 4-H's contributions to health, science, and civic engagement during that specific week.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates specific periods in 2024 as Boat People Awareness Week and Month to honor Vietnamese refugees who fled their country by sea after the Vietnam War. The resolution highlights the historical hardships these individuals faced, including dangerous voyages and high mortality rates, while acknowledging their significant contributions to communities across California. It does not create new laws or funding but serves as a commemorative measure to recognize the resilience and spirit of the Vietnamese refugee community. The text is intended to be shared with the bill's author for public distribution to raise awareness about this historical event.

This measure would declare the month of June 2024 to be Portuguese Heritage Month and would recognize June 10 as the Day of Portugal and May 20 as the Day of the Azores.

Existing law, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, provides for the regulation of various subjects relating to the processing, labeling, advertising, and sale of food, drugs, and cosmetics, including dietary supplements, under the administration and enforcement of the State Department of Public Health. A violation of those provisions is a crime. Under existing law, it is a misdemeanor for any manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, or other person to sell, transfer, or otherwise furnish a dietary supplement containing ephedrine group alkaloids or other specified substances to a person under 18 years of age, and a seller is required to request a valid identification of prospective purchasers who reasonably appear to be under 18 years of age. This bill would prohibit a retail establishment from selling, transferring, or otherwise furnishing dietary supplements for weight loss or over-the-counter (OTC) diet pills, as defined, to any person under 18 years of age without a prescription, by requiring the retail establishment to follow a specified identification check. The bill would require the department, in consultation with certain entities, to determine which dietary supplements for weight loss and OTC diet pills would be subject to these provisions, in a manner consistent with specified criteria. The bill would make a person who violates these provisions liable for a civil penalty of no more than $250 for each violation, as specified. The bill would exempt a retail clerk from any civil penalties for a violation of these provisions, except as specified. Under the bill, the above-described criminal penalty would not apply to a violation of these provisions. The bill would make these provisions operative on January 1, 2026, and would make the provisions severable.

Existing law, the Water Rights Permitting Reform Act of 1988, authorizes a person to obtain a right to appropriate water for a small domestic use, small irrigation use, or livestock stockpond use upon first registering the use, as those uses are defined by the act, with the State Water Resources Control Board and thereafter applying the water to reasonable and beneficial use with due diligence. The act requires the registration of water use to be made upon a form prescribed by the board that requires, among other things, a certification that the registrant has contacted a representative of the Department of Fish and Wildlife and has agreed to comply with conditions set forth by the department. The act requires the board to establish reasonable general conditions to which all appropriations made pursuant to the act are required to be subject, including, among other things, that all conditions lawfully required by the department are conditions upon the appropriations. The act provides that the board is not required to adopt general conditions for small irrigation use until the board determines that funds are available for that purpose, and that a registration for small irrigation use pursuant to the act is not authorized until the board establishes general conditions for small irrigation use to protect instream beneficial uses, as specified. This bill would require the board to give priority to adopting, on or before June 30, 2027, except as provided, general conditions that permit specified registrants to store water for small irrigation use during times of high streamflow in exchange for those registrants reducing diversions during periods of low streamflow, as specified. The bill would require that the actions of the board under these provisions be deemed an action taken for the protection of the environment for purposes of specified California Environmental Quality Act guidelines, if those actions do not result in the relaxation of streamflow standards. Existing law exempts certain stream segments subject to certain minimum streamflow requirements from the provisions of the act upon proper registration. This bill, if the Director of Fish and Wildlife establishes proposed streamflow requirements for a stream segment, as specified, would prohibit the authorization of a registration for that stream segment until the board establishes instream flow requirements as a part of the general conditions applicable to that stream segment. The bill would require that the establishment of those instream flow requirements be done after the board considers the proposed streamflow requirements, if proposed by the director. The bill would provide that these requirements apply to registrations issued on or after January 1, 2024. Existing law prohibits an entity from substantially diverting or obstructing the natural flow of, or substantially changing or using any material from the bed, channel, or bank of, any river, stream, or lake, or from depositing certain material where it may pass into any river, stream, or lake, without first notifying the department of that activity and entering into a lake or streambed alteration agreement, if required by the department to protect fish and wildlife resources. Existing law exempts certain routine maintenance and operation activities from those requirements after the initial notification and agreement, certain emergency activities from those notification and agreement requirements and certain activities authorized by a license or renewed license issued for cannabis cultivation from those agreement requirements. Existing law authorizes the department to establish a graduated schedule of fees to be charged to any entity subject to the notification and agreement provisions and requires any fees received to be deposited into the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. This bill would exempt an entity from the requirement to enter into a lake or streambed alteration agreement with the department if the entity submits a board-approved registration or renewed or amended registration for water use in specified counties to the department and the department determines certain requirements are met, including, the payment of a fee required for a lake or streambed alteration agreement and the submission of a copy of any department conditions imposed for the registration for water use. With respect to the submission of a renewed or amended registration, the bill would require the department to modify the existing conditions, or add new conditions, which would become part of the renewed or amended registration, if the department determines the conditions for the use will not protect fish and wildlife resources that may be substantially adversely affected by the activity authorized by the renewed or amended registration. If the department determines that an entity has failed to comply with these conditions, the exemption, upon written notice by the department, would no longer apply and the entity would be required to comply with the regular notice and agreement requirements. The bill would limit the number of these registrations to 100 for the first year of implementation and would authorize the department to eliminate or raise this limit thereafter.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health that is led by the State Public Health Officer, who is appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the Senate. The Governor is authorized to appoint, upon the recommendation of the State Public Health Officer, 2 chief deputies, subject to confirmation by the Senate. This bill would establish the Office of Tribal Affairs within the department to be led by a Tribal Health Liaison to assist in addressing the public health disparities impacting tribal communities. The bill would require the office to communicate needs and to propose specific solutions from tribal communities to the department and state entities, as specified. The bill would provide that the Tribal Health Liaison be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the State Public Health Officer and would require the State Public Health Officer to regularly consult with and consider input and information provided by the Tribal Health Liaison. The bill would require the Tribal Health Liaison, among other duties, to regularly consult with California tribal representatives, as specified, and oversee the department's tribal health equity meetings, advisory groups, and workgroups. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Existing law establishes the Early Psychosis Intervention Plus (EPI Plus) Program to encompass early psychosis and mood disorder detection and intervention. Existing law establishes the Early Psychosis and Mood Disorder Detection and Intervention Fund and makes the moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation, to the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Existing law authorizes the commission to allocate moneys from that fund to provide grants to create or expand existing capacity for early psychosis and mood disorder detection and intervention services and supports. This bill would require the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to consult with the State Department of Health Care Services and related state departments and entities, create a strategic plan to achieve specific goals, including improving the understanding of psychosis, as specified, and, no later than July 1, 2025, submit that strategic plan to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. The bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to seek to partner with the University of California to develop a plan to establish the Center for Mental Health Wellness and Innovations to, among other things, promote the widespread availability of evidence-based practices to improve behavioral health services. If the center is established, the bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services, no later than July 1, 2025, to submit the plan to create the center to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature.