Asm. Jesse Gabriel

Existing law prescribes the procedure to reorganize school districts, including the filing of a petition with the county superintendent of schools by specified persons. Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools, within 30 days after a petition for reorganization is filed, to examine the petition and, if the county superintendent of schools finds it to be sufficient and signed, to transmit the petition simultaneously to the county committee on school district organization and the State Board of Education. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to the latter provision.

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 act requires the state board to consult with other states, the federal government, and other nations to identify the most effective strategies and methods to reduce greenhouse gases, manage greenhouse gas control programs, and facilitate the development of integrated and cost-effective regional, national, and international greenhouse gas reduction programs. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.

Existing law exempts a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, from paying nonresident tuition at the California State University and the California Community Colleges if the student meets certain requirements. Existing law makes a student who meets these requirements for exemption from nonresident tuition, or who meets equivalent requirements adopted by the Regents of the University of California, eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the state to the full extent permitted by federal law except, under specified circumstances, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards program. This bill would repeal the limitation on those students' eligibility for Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards. The bill would also express the intent of the Legislature that all forms of state-based aid in California be made equally available to these students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition and to all other students who qualify for state-based aid in this state.

The California Constitution provides that mechanics, persons furnishing materials, artisans, and laborers of every class have a lien upon the property upon which they have bestowed labor or furnished material for the value of the labor done and material furnished. The California Constitution also requires the Legislature to provide, by law, for the speedy and efficient enforcement of those liens. Existing statutory law governs private works of improvement and specifies the conditions required to enforce a mechanic's lien. Existing law provides that an associated lien has priority over a lien, mortgage, deed of trust, or other encumbrance on the work of improvement or the real property on which the work of improvement is situated that attaches after commencement of the work of improvement on the property or was unrecorded at the commencement of work and which the claimant had no notice of. This bill would instead provide that an associated lien has priority over a lien, mortgage, deed of trust, or other encumbrance on the work of improvement or the real property on which the work of improvement is situated, that attaches after the date of commencement of the work of improvement.

Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to give diligent care to the health and physical development of pupils and authorizes the governing board of a school district to employ properly certified persons for this purpose. Existing law requires a school of a school district or county office of education and a charter school to notify pupils and parents or guardians of pupils no less than twice during the school year on how to initiate access to available pupil mental health services on campus or in the community, or both, as provided. This bill would require the State Department of Education to develop model referral protocols, as provided, for addressing pupil mental health concerns. The bill would require the department to consult with various entities in developing the protocols, including current classroom teachers and administrators. The bill would require the department to post the model referral protocols on its internet website. The bill would make these provisions contingent upon funds being appropriated for its purpose in the annual Budget Act or other legislation, or state, federal, or private funds being allocated for this purpose.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Decisions of the PUC adopted the California Solar Initiative, administered by the state's 3 largest electrical corporations and subject to the PUC's supervision. Existing law requires the PUC to ensure that not less than 10% of the funds for the California Solar Initiative are utilized for the installation of solar energy systems on low-income residential housing. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to develop criteria for solar energy systems that receive ratepayer-funded incentives under the California Solar Initiative. This bill would authorize the Energy Commission, in consultation with specified entities, to establish minimum requirements and develop rating standards for the performance and safety of a solar energy system that is not receiving ratepayer funded incentives and that is interconnected to the electrical distribution system. This bill would authorize the Energy Commission, in consultation with specified entities, to establish minimum requirements and develop rating standards for the performance and safety of a battery storage unit or system intended to provide storage for energy generated by a solar energy system that is interconnected to the electrical distribution system. The bill would authorize manufacturers of battery storage units or systems to request the Energy Commission to determine that a unit or system meets those requirements and standards. The bill would require the Energy Commission, upon a determination that a battery storage unit or system meets those requirements and standards to place that unit or system on a list of battery storage units or systems that meet the requirements and standards. The bill would require the Energy Commission to continuously update the list and make the list publicly available on its internet website. The bill would authorize the Energy Commission to charge and collect a reasonable fee from manufacturers making such requests to cover its costs for this program. The bill would require the collected fees to be deposited in the Energy Commission Equipment List Subaccount, which would be established by the bill. The bill would continuously appropriate the moneys in the subaccount to the Energy Commission to pay those costs.

(1) The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, would allow a credit against those taxes to a taxpayer that is transferred, and allocated, credits pursuant to the sale of property located in a qualified opportunity zone to a qualified developer, as defined, that has received a credit reservation from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, in specified amounts. The bill would limit the aggregate amount of credit that may be allocated by the committee to $100,000,000. The bill would require the credits to be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. (2) Existing law establishes a low-income housing tax credit program pursuant to which the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee provides procedures and requirements for the allocation, in modified conformity with federal law, of personal income and corporation tax credit amounts to qualified low-income housing projects that have been allocated, or qualify for, a federal low-income housing tax credit, and farmworker housing projects. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, would additionally authorize specified low-income housing projects located in qualified opportunity zones, as defined, to receive a low-income housing tax credit under a specified total credit amount of $200,000,000. (3) Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax credit to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax credit will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new income tax credit. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's office to annually collaborate with the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee to review the effectiveness of these tax credits, as provided. (4) This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Among other things, the program requires that a total of 25,750 Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards be granted annually. This bill would, commencing with the 2020–21 academic year, increase the number of Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards granted annually from 25,750 to 28,750.

Existing law establishes within the Department of Housing and Community Development the California Housing Finance Agency and provides that the primary purpose of the agency is to meet the housing needs of persons and families of low or moderate income. Existing law requires the California Housing Finance Agency administer the Roberti-Greene Home Purchase Assistance Program, to provide home purchase assistance to low- and moderate-income homebuyers to qualify for the purchase of owner-occupied homes. Existing law authorizes the agency, pursuant to specified objectives, to create its own home purchase assistance programs, home purchase assistance products, or both, on terms and conditions as the agency deems prudent. Existing law requires the agency to provide to the Legislature and the Legislative Analyst an annual report containing information concerning all units produced, assisted, or insured using agency funds. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst to conduct a study, and present the findings thereof to the Legislature, to inform the creation of a low-interest loan program for first responders. The bill would require the report to be submitted on or before January 1, 2024. The bill would require the report to include a recommendation as to which state department is best suited to administer the program, an estimation of the amount of funding that would be necessary to conduct the program, and recommendations for qualifications for participation in the program.