Asm. Bob Blumenfield

This measure would memorialize the Legislature's support of legislation currently pending in the United States Congress that would protect the Pacific Coast from new offshore oil drilling. This measure would also memorialize the Legislature's opposition to the proposed expansion of oil and gas drilling off the Pacific Coast and any federal energy policies and legislation that would weaken California's role in energy siting decisions due to those policies.

(1) Existing law, the California Lighting Efficiency and Toxics Reduction Act, administered by the Department of Toxic Substances Control, prohibits a person from manufacturing for sale or selling in the state specified general purpose lights that contain levels of hazardous substances prohibited by the European Union pursuant to the RoHS Directive. A violation of the hazardous waste control law is a crime. This bill would enact the California Lighting Toxics Reduction and Jobs Act and would define terms, including defining a "class 1 lamp" as a lamp containing mercury and a "class 2 lamp" as a lamp that produces less than a specified amount of light per watt. The bill would require the producer of a class 1 lamp, by September 30, 2011, to submit a product stewardship plan with regard to the collection of class 1 lamps to the department, either individually or jointly with other producers, or by entering into an agreement with a stewardship organization. The bill would require the plan to reasonably demonstrate how the program would contribute to the recycling of all class 1 lamps, including the program's fair share of orphan lamps, on or before January 1, 2020. The department would be required to approve the plan pursuant to a specified procedure and the producer would be required to implement the approved plan by January 1, 2012. The bill would provide for the updating of the plan and would require the plan operator, by April 1, 2013, and on or before each April 1 annually thereafter, to prepare and submit to the department a report for the immediately preceding reporting period. The bill would require an entity submitting a plan to enter into an agreement with the department to pay the costs incurred by the department associated with the review and enforcement of the plan. The bill would require the funds to be deposited in the Lighting Product Stewardship Subaccount, which the bill would establish in the Hazardous Waste Control Account, and would authorize the department to expend the funds in the Lighting Product Stewardship Subaccount, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for those costs. The bill would require the producer of a class 2 lamp, by January 30, 2012, and on or before January 1 annually thereafter, to pay to the commission a fee in an amount established by the commission pursuant to a specified procedure. The commission would be required to deposit the fee revenues in the Energy Efficiency Research Fund, which the bill would create in the State Treasury, and the commission would be authorized to expend the funds in the Energy Efficiency Research Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified research and projects relating to improving class 2 lamps' lighting efficiency and reducing environmental impacts from class 2 lamps. The bill would prohibit a producer, wholesaler, or retailer from selling or offering for sale a class 1 lamp or class 2 lamp to a person in this state on and after January 1, 2012, unless, with regard to the class 1 lamp, the producer is participating in a product stewardship program, or, on or after February 1, 2012, with regard to a class 2 lamp, unless the producer has paid the required fee. The bill would also specify procedures for the enforcement of the act. Since a violation of the hazardous waste control laws is a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. (2) 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 establishes the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency and prescribes its functions with respect to the Santa Monica Mountains Zone, as defined. This bill would establish the Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program. The program would be administered by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to address the resource protection, public recreation, water conservation, and water quality goals of the Upper Los Angeles River watershed in a coordinated, comprehensive, and effective way. The bill would establish the Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program Stakeholder Advisory Committee, comprised of a specified membership, with certain duties regarding proposing and reviewing projects for funding. The bill would authorize the conservancy to undertake projects and award grants to an eligible entity, as defined, for a project that is consistent with the program and meets other requirements. The conservancy would be authorized to adopt grant approval criteria, which would not be regulations subject to the rule-making provisions of the Administration Procedure Act. The conservancy would be required to submit in its annual report to the Governor and Legislature certain information regarding the projects funded by the program. The bill would establish the Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program Account within the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Fund. The bill would specify the funds that may be transferred into that account. (2) Existing law specifies the membership of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy as consisting of 9 voting members and 3 ex officio members. This bill would additionally add to the membership of the conservancy, the chairperson of the Upper Los Angeles River and Watershed Protection Program Stakeholder Advisory Committee, except the bill would authorize that person to vote only upon a project within the Upper Los Angeles River Watershed.

Existing law imposes various taxes, including taxes on the privilege of engaging in certain activities. The Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, provides procedures for the collection of certain fees and surcharges. This bill would impose a tax upon any producer for the privilege of severing oil from the earth or water in this state for sale, transport, consumption, storage, profit, or use, as provided, at the rate of 10% of the gross value of each barrel of oil severed. The tax would be administered by the State Board of Equalization and would be collected pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Fee Collection Procedures Law. This bill would require the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation to make specified certifications and determinations regarding certain oil wells, and to notify the board of the certification or determination. The bill would require the board to deposit all revenues collected pursuant to these provisions, less refunds and reimbursement to the board for expenses incurred in the administration and collection of the tax, into the General Fund. Because this bill would expand the scope of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, it 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. This bill would result in a change in state taxes for the purpose of increasing state revenues within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy, but its operative date would depend on its effective date.

Existing law establishes the Office of Health Information Integrity within the California Health and Human Services Agency to ensure the enforcement of state law mandating confidentiality of medical information, as defined, and to impose administrative fines for the unauthorized use of medical information. This bill would specify that the term "medical information" for these purposes includes personal health records and individually identifiable information.

Existing law authorizes local authorities, by ordinance or resolution, to prohibit or restrict the stopping, parking, or standing of vehicles, including, but not limited to, vehicles that are 6 feet or more in height, including any load thereon, within 100 feet of any intersection, on certain streets or highways, or portions thereof, during all or certain hours of the day. Existing law requires, with the exception of alleys, that the ordinance or resolution does not apply until signs or markings giving adequate notice thereof have been placed. Existing law authorizes a peace officer, or a regularly employed and salaried public employee who is engaged in directing traffic or enforcing parking laws and regulations, to remove a vehicle located within the territorial limits in which the officer or employee is allowed to act under specified and enumerated circumstances, including when a vehicle is parked or left standing where local authorities by resolution or ordinance have prohibited parking and have authorized the removal of vehicles. Existing law also requires that a vehicle may not be removed unless signs are posted giving notice of the removal. This bill would authorize a local authority, in lieu of posting signs that prohibit or restrict the stopping, parking, or standing of vehicles, to provide notice by issuing a warning citation advising the registered owner of the vehicle that he or she may be subject to a notice of violation for a subsequent violation and that a subsequent violation may result in the impounding of the vehicle. The bill would provide that a local authority is not required to provide any further notice for a subsequent violation prior to impounding a vehicle in violation of a local ordinance or resolution authorizing removal of the vehicle.

This bill would make appropriations for support of state government for the 2010–11 fiscal year. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes a local government, as defined, to receive a bill credit, as defined, to a designated benefiting account for electricity exported to the electrical grid by an eligible renewable generating facility, as defined, and requires the commission to adopt a rate tariff for the benefiting account. The existing definition of a local government excludes a joint powers authority. This bill would revise the definition of a local government to include a joint powers authority or agency.

This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year 4708 celebration.

The California Constitution conditions the imposition of a special tax by a city, county, or special district upon the approval of 23 of the voters of the city, county, or special district voting on that tax, and prohibits these entities from imposing an ad valorem tax on real property or a transactions or sales tax on the sale of real property. This measure would alternatively condition the imposition, extension, or increase of a parcel tax, as defined, by a school district, community college district, or county office of education upon the approval of 55% of its voters voting on the proposition, if the proposition meets specified requirements. This measure would also make conforming changes to related provisions.