Existing law regulates certain consumer products and services for the purposes of public health and environmental protection. Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board (state board) to exercise the adjudicatory and regulatory functions of the state in the field of water resources. This bill would, on and after January 1, 2026, prohibit the sale, distribution, installation, or arrangement of the installation of an overwater structure, excluding a floating home, that contains expanded polystyrene, as defined, or other plastic foam that is not fully enclosed and contained in a shell made of aluminum, concrete, steel or plastic with a minimum thickness of 0.15 inches. The bill would, on and after January 1, 2026, prohibit the sale, distribution, installation, or arrangement of the installation of a block or float that contains, or is comprised of, expanded polystyrene or other plastic foam that is not fully enclosed and contained in a shell made of aluminum, concrete, steel or plastic with a minimum thickness of 0.15 inches. The bill would authorize the state board to adopt rules to implement, administer, and enforce these provisions and to maintain and revise a list of materials that are approved to fully enclose and contain expanded polystyrene or other plastic foam used in an overwater structure, block, or float, as specified. The bill would authorize the state board to revise or disqualify a material if the state board determines the material is not sufficient to prevent the release of expanded polystyrene or other plastic foam into the environment. The bill would also authorize the state board to approve a new material for use if the state board determines that the material is sufficient to prevent the release of expanded polystyrene or other plastic foam into the environment and is safe for use in the aquatic environment. The bill would require that, beginning January 1, 2026, an overwater structure that contains, or a block or float that contains or is comprised of, expanded polystyrene or other plastic foam, sold or installed before January 1, 2026, and that is repaired or maintained on or after that date, be fitted with a shell made of aluminum, concrete, steel or plastic with a minimum thickness of 0.15 inches, or other material as the state board may approve, that fully encloses and contains all expanded polystyrene or other plastic foam. The bill would make a violation of its provisions subject to a civil penalty for each violation in an amount not to exceed $10,000.
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Existing law establishes various programs for the enforcement of environmental protection. Existing law defines environmental justice, for certain purposes, as the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Existing law makes legislative findings and declarations that it is in the public interest to provide the people of the state through the Attorney General with adequate remedy to protect the natural resources of the state from pollution, impairment, or destruction. Existing law authorizes the Attorney General to intervene in any judicial or administrative proceeding in which facts are alleged concerning pollution or adverse environmental effects that could affect the public generally. This bill would continue in existence, within the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Environmental Justice for the purpose of protecting people and communities that endure a disproportionate share of environmental pollution and public health hazards. The bill would require the bureau to ensure fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies, pursuant to the existing authority of the Attorney General, as specified. The bill would require the Attorney General to ensure the bureau is staffed with a minimum of 12 attorneys and an appropriate number of support staff.
Existing law requires a state agency, board, or commission that directly or by contract collects demographic data as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of Californians to use separate collection categories and tabulations for each major Asian group and each major Pacific Islander group, as specified. Existing law requires these state entities to include the data in every demographic report on ancestry or ethnic origins of Californians by these state entities published or released on or after July 1, 2012. Existing law further requires these state agencies to make the collected data available to the public pursuant to state and federal law, except for personal identifying information, which existing law deems confidential. This bill would require these state entities to use separate collection categories and tabulations for the Middle Eastern and North African group, as specified. The bill would require these state entities to include the data in every demographic report on ancestry or ethnic origins of California by these state entities published or released on or after January 1, 2026. The bill would require these state entities to make the data available to the public, except as specified, including personal identifying information, which the bill would deem confidential. The bill would require these state entities to update their data collection to reflect additional Middle Eastern and North African groups as they are reported by the United States Census Bureau, as specified. Existing law establishes the state prisons under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Existing law requires the department to collect voluntary self-identification demographic data on the race and ethnic origin of the people admitted, in custody, and released and paroled, as specified. Existing law requires the department to publish monthly the data, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, as specified. Existing law also requires the data be available on the department's internet website, except for personally identifying information, which existing law deems confidential. The bill would require the department to additionally collect demographic data for certain groups, including, among others, the Middle Eastern, North African, and Transnational Middle Eastern and North African groups. 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.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , at least every 2 years, to conduct assessments and forecasts of all aspects of energy industry supply, production, transportation, delivery and distribution, demand, and prices. Existing law authorizes the Energy Commission to require the submission of demand forecasts from electrical utilities, among other entities, to perform its assessments and forecasts. This bill would require the Energy Commission, on or before December 1, 2026, and in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, Independent System Operator, load-serving entities, and resource aggregators, to adopt a set of upfront technical requirements and load modification protocols, as defined, to provide the option for a load-serving entity to reduce or modify its electrical demand forecast upon aggregated system operation, as specified.
The California Endangered Species Act (CESA) requires the Fish and Game Commission to establish a list of endangered species and a list of threatened species, which currently includes wolverines, and to add or remove species from either list if it finds, upon the receipt of sufficient scientific information, as specified, that the action is warranted. The act prohibits the taking of an endangered or threatened species, except in certain situations, including, if specified conditions are met, through the issuance of a permit commonly known as an incidental take permit. Existing law enumerates fully protected mammals, including wolverines, and prohibits the take or possession of these mammals except under limited circumstances. Existing law, until December 31, 2033, authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a permit under CESA that would authorize the take of a fully protected species resulting from impacts attributable to the implementation of specified projects if certain conditions are satisfied, including, among others, the conditions required for the issuance of an incidental take permit. Existing law requires the department to develop a plan on or before July 1, 2024, to assess the population status of each fully protected species. This bill would require the department, in any status assessment for wolverines prepared pursuant to the plan described above, to assess the feasibility of a population reintroduction or supplementation program with the goal of restoring a viable population of wolverines to the state.
Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of the state highway system, including associated property. Existing law authorizes the department to do any act necessary, convenient, or proper for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or use of all highways that are under its jurisdiction, possession, or control. This bill would require the department to mitigate the impact of infrastructure projects that interfere with or eliminate trail access to parks and recreational areas by maintaining safe access for users of existing trails or providing alternative safe access to those parks and recreational areas.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles, under specified circumstances, to require the surrender of a person's driving privilege to operate a motor vehicle. Existing law requires a person's privilege to operate a motor vehicle to be suspended upon notification by a bank or financial institution that a check has been dishonored when that check was presented to the department for payment of specified fines or fees. Existing law authorizes the department to cancel a driver's license certificate or endorsement under specified circumstances, including when the holder has failed to meet any requirements for issuance or retention of the certificate or endorsement. With respect to a driver's license, existing law defines "cancellation" as the termination of a driver's license certificate without prejudice and requires the holder to surrender the certificate. Prior to canceling the privilege for a dishonored check, this bill would require the department to provide a 30-day notice to a person that their privilege to operate a motor vehicle will be canceled because of the dishonored check. The bill would require the notice to include the date on which the privilege will be suspended if the fees are unpaid. The bill would authorize the person to pay any fees due within the 30-day period to avoid the cancellation or surrender the driver's license.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt new, or expand existing, fixed charges, as defined, for the purpose of collecting a reasonable portion of the fixed costs of providing electrical service to residential customers. Under existing law, the commission may authorize fixed charges for any rate schedule applicable to a residential customer account. Existing law requires the commission, no later than July 1, 2024, to authorize a fixed charge for default residential rates. Existing law requires these fixed charges to be established on an income-graduated basis, with no fewer than 3 income thresholds, so that low-income ratepayers in each baseline territory would realize a lower average monthly bill without making any changes in usage. This bill would prohibit modifications to the amount of the income-graduated fixed charge from exceeding changes in inflation, as provided. The bill would make the provisions authorizing the income-graduated fixed charge inoperative on July 1, 2028. The bill, commencing July 1, 2028, would instead permit the commission to authorize fixed charges that, as of January 1, 2015, do not exceed $5 per residential customer account per month for low-income customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program and that do not exceed $10 per residential customer account per month for customers not enrolled in the CARE program. The bill would authorize these maximum allowable fixed charges to be adjusted by no more than the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for the prior calendar year, beginning January 1, 2016. The bill would require the commission to adopt any modification to an existing fixed charge for the collection of a reasonable portion of the fixed costs of providing electrical service to residential customers in a stand-alone proceeding. The bill would prohibit a fixed charge from resulting in an increase to an electrical corporation's revenue requirement. The bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2027, but no sooner than 2 years after the adoption of the income-graduated fixed charge, to submit a public report to the relevant policy committees of both houses of the Legislature on the electrical corporations' implementation of the income-graduated fixed charge and other cost-saving options, as specified. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and therefore a violation of the bill's requirements or of a commission action implementing its requirements would be a crime, the 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes a schedule of covered benefits under the Medi-Cal program. This bill would add menstrual products, as defined, to that schedule of covered benefits. The bill would require the department to seek any necessary federal approvals to implement this coverage. The bill would require the department to seek, and would authorize the department to use, any and all available federal funding, as specified, to implement this coverage.
Existing federal law, the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, creates the Crime Victims Fund and authorizes federal financial assistance to states for the purpose of supporting eligible crime victim assistance programs. Existing law creates various programs under the Office of Emergency Services related to crime prevention and education, including, among other things, programs concerning family violence prevention and domestic violence prevention. This bill would require the office to allocate funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to fill the gap in the federal Victims of Crime Act funding and to prioritize continuity and stability of crime victim services if the federal grant funding that is awarded to the office is 10% or more lower than the amount awarded in the prior year. The bill would require the office to regularly consult, collaborate with, and consider the recommendations regarding allocation of funding from the Victims of Crime Act Steering Committee.