Asm. Julia Brownley

Existing law requires the Governor to proclaim certain days each year for specified reasons. Existing law also designates particular days each year as having special significance in public schools and educational institutions and encourages those entities to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on those dates. This bill would require the Governor annually to proclaim January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, would designate that date of each year as having special significance in public schools and educational institutions, and would encourage those entities to observe that date by conducting exercises remembering the life of Fred Korematsu and recognizing the importance of preserving civil liberties.

(1) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law also authorizes the establishment of community college districts, and further authorizes the operation, by these districts, of community college campuses that offer instructional services throughout the state. Existing law requires a community college district to charge a nonresident tuition fee to nonresident students, with certain exceptions. Existing law requires the fee to be set according to one of 4 formulas, one of which divides the expense of education in all districts by the number of full-time equivalent students, as defined, attending all districts in the preceding fiscal year. This bill would provide that if the amount calculated by this formula for the succeeding fiscal year is less than a specified amount, then the district is authorized to set the nonresident tuition fee at a specified amount. (2) Existing law requires the governing board of a community college district to consider nonresident tuition fees of public community colleges in other states when adopting a tuition fee for nonresident students. This bill would delete the requirement that the governing board of a community college district consider nonresident tuition fees of public community colleges in other states, and instead authorize the governing board to adopt a nonresident tuition fee that is no greater than the average of the nonresident tuition fees of public community colleges of no less than 12 states with comparable cost of living, as defined. This bill would require the additional revenue generated by the increased nonresident tuition permitted under the changes to existing law made by this bill to be used to expand and enhance services to resident students, and would prohibit the admission of nonresident students from coming at the expense of resident enrollment. (3) This bill would require the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges to make specified data relating to nonresident tuition available to the Legislative Analyst's Office, and would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to include a summary of this data in its annual analysis of the Governor's budget proposal.

Existing law assigns specified amounts of the state's 2009 federal tax credit bond volume cap to the State Department of Education and the California School Finance Authority, to be assigned and distributed to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, as specified. This bill would authorize the department to assign and distribute the state's 2010 federal tax credit bond volume cap for qualified school construction bonds to or for the benefit of school districts and county offices of education and would authorize the California School Finance Authority to assign and distribute the state's 2010 federal tax credit bond volume cap for qualified school construction bonds to or for the benefit of charter schools, or to be further assigned and distributed to one or more issuers in the state for the benefit of charter schools, as determined by the authority. The bill would allow a charter school to apply for the federal qualified school construction bond volume cap if it meets specified criteria. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law requires every employer to provide a reasonable amount of break time to accommodate an employee who desires to express breast milk for the employee's infant child. Existing law requires employers to make reasonable efforts to provide the employee with the use of a room, other than a toilet stall, for the employee to express breast milk, as specified. This bill would authorize an employer to use the designation "Breast-Feeding Mother-Friendly Workplace" in its promotional materials if the employer submits its workplace breast-feeding policy to the Labor Commissioner and the Labor Commissioner determines that the employer's policy provides for specified criteria.

(1) The Ralph M. Brown Act requires that all meetings of a legislative body, as defined, of a local agency be open and public and all persons be permitted to attend unless a closed session is authorized. The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act requires, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of a state body be open and public and all persons be permitted to attend. This bill would expressly state that a charter school is subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act, unless it is operated by an entity governed by the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, in which case the school would be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. (2) The California Public Records Act requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection and to make copies available upon request and payment of a fee unless they are exempt from disclosure. This bill would expressly state that a charter school is subject to the California Public Records Act. (3) Existing law prohibits certain public officials, including, but not limited to, members of governing boards of school districts and citizens' oversight committees, from engaging in specified activities that are inconsistent or incompatible with, or inimical to, their duties as public officials, including, but not limited to, entering into a contract in which the official or the official's family member has a financial interest, as specified. This bill would expressly state that a charter school is subject to these provisions. (4) The Political Reform Act of 1974 requires every state agency and local governmental agency to adopt a conflict-of-interest code, formulated at the most decentralized level possible, that requires designated employees of the agency to file statements of economic interest disclosing any investments, business positions, interests in real property, or sources of income that may foreseeably be affected materially by any governmental decision made or participated in by the designated employee by virtue of his or her position. This bill would expressly state that a charter school is subject to the Political Reform Act of 1974. (5) This bill would state various exceptions and clarifications regarding the applicability of the acts described in (1) to (4) , inclusive. (6) Existing law requires a member of the governing board of a school district to abstain from voting on personnel matters that uniquely affect a relative of the member. This bill would expressly authorize an individual to serve as a member of the governing body of a charter school and be employed in a separate position at that charter school. The bill would require a member of the governing body of a charter school to abstain from voting on any matter affecting his or her own employment or any personnel matter that uniquely affects a relative of the member. (7) The bill would make these provisions operative on July 1, 2011.

This measure would recognize March 31, 2010, as the anniversary of the birth of César Chávez, and would call upon all Californians to participate in appropriate observances to remember César Chávez as a symbol of hope and justice to all persons.

This measure would recognize the contributions of the automotive aftermarket to the state and consumers and its efforts to educate the motoring public about the benefits of proper vehicle maintenance. The measure also would recognize and support the designation of April as National Car Care Month and encourage all citizens to participate in activities that promote proper vehicle maintenance.

This measure would recognize May 2010 as Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month.

This measure would recognize September 2010 and each September thereafter as Students with Epilepsy Month. This measure would also encourage the epilepsy foundations in California to continue to join with the educational and health communities to conduct epilepsy education and awareness.

This measure would proclaim the 3rd week of April, each year, as California Native Plant Week and would encourage community groups, schools, and citizens to undertake appropriate activities to promote the conservation, restoration, and appreciation of California's native plants.