Asm. Blanca Rubio

This measure would recognize the essential role that museums have in California as educational institutions and would proclaim May 2022 as Museum Month in California.

(1) Existing law makes it unlawful to deposit, permit to pass, or place where it can pass, specified pollutants into the waters of this state, including any substance or material deleterious to fish, plant life, mammals, or bird life. A violation of this provision is a crime under the Fish and Game Code. Existing law also subjects a violation of that provision to a civil penalty of no more than $25,000 for each violation and an additional civil penalty of no more than $10 for each gallon or pound of material discharged, and requires the civil action to be brought by the Attorney General upon complaint by the Department of Fish and Wildlife or by the district attorney or city attorney in the name of the people of the State of California. Existing law provides that a specified affirmative defense to a violation of the criminal provision does not apply to an action for civil penalties or injunctive relief pursuant to that civil provision. This bill would provide that the specified affirmative defense to a violation of the criminal provision also does not apply in any other civil action that alleges a violation resulting from unlicensed cannabis cultivation. The bill would delete the requirement that the Attorney General only bring that civil action upon complaint by the department and would authorize, for a violation resulting from unlicensed cannabis cultivation, the civil action to be brought by a county counsel in the name of the people of the State of California. (2) Existing law generally requires 12 of all fines and forfeitures imposed or collected in any court of this state for violations of the Fish and Game Code or any other law providing for the protection or preservation of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, or amphibians to be deposited in the county treasury of the county in which the violation was committed. Existing law requires those funds and other specified funds to be deposited in a county fish and wildlife propagation fund and authorizes the county board of supervisors to expend those funds for specified purposes. This bill would additionally authorize expenditures from the fish and wildlife propagation fund of a county for costs incurred by a county counsel in investigating and prosecuting the civil actions specified in paragraph (1) for violations resulting from unlicensed cannabis cultivation. (3) Under existing law, the diversion or use of water other than as authorized by specified provisions of law is a trespass, subject to specified civil liability and injunctive relief imposed in the superior court in actions brought by the Attorney General upon request of the State Water Resources Control Board. Existing law requires funds recovered pursuant to that provision to be deposited in the Water Rights Fund, which is available upon appropriation by the Legislature for specified purposes. This bill would authorize, for a violation resulting from unlicensed cannabis cultivation, the civil action to be brought by a county counsel or city attorney in the name of the people of the State of California, as specified. The bill would delete the requirement that the Attorney General only bring the civil action upon request of the board. The bill would require funds recovered pursuant to that provision to, upon appropriation by the Legislature, first be used to reimburse the Attorney General, city attorney, or county counsel for costs of bringing the action, including reasonable attorney's fees.

Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law prescribes the minimum requirements for a clear multiple or single subject teaching credential, including, among other things, the completion of a program of beginning teacher induction. This bill would, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes, establish the Beginning Teacher Retention and Support Grant Program under the administration of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The bill would require the commission to allocate grants to beginning teacher induction programs, not to exceed $3,500 per participating teacher, as provided. The bill would require a beginning teacher induction program receiving a grant to use those funds on behalf of a participating teacher for mentor training, stipends for mentor teachers, other beginning teacher induction costs following initial preparation, or for the examination or assessment fee for one administration of the reading instruction competence assessment or a teaching performance assessment. Notwithstanding those uses, the bill would require an institution of higher education to first use the grant funds to waive tuition fees for the candidate. The bill would prohibit a participating school district, county office of education, charter school, or institution of higher education from charging a fee to a beginning teacher to participate in a beginning teacher induction program.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary education, with instruction provided by school districts at schoolsites throughout the state. The State Department of Education, under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, has numerous duties with respect to the funding and conduct of the instructional activities undertaken by school districts. This bill, subject to an appropriation for its purposes, and in order to strengthen the statewide infrastructure and capacity to support teacher professional development in science and mathematics, would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the executive director of the State Board of Education, to designate at least one county office of education to serve as the fiscal agent for the California Partnership for Math and Science Education (CAPMSE) and to allocate $62,000,000 over 3 fiscal years to CAPMSE to support professional development, as provided.

This measure would designate May 10, 2022, as National Fentanyl Awareness Day.

This measure would declare May 2, 2022, as CASA Appreciation Day in California.

This bill would recognize the month of May 2022 as Older Americans Month and would encourage all Californians to recognize and treat all older adults with compassion and respect, and to participate in services and activities that contribute to the health, welfare, and happiness of older adults.