Asm. Richard Bloom

This measure would designate that January 16, 2017, be observed as the official memorial of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth and commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the work of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement in changing public policy in California and in the United States of America.

Existing law declares the official state animal, rock, mineral, grass, insect, bird, and marine fish, among other things. This bill would make denim the official state fabric.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical and gas corporations. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, on or before November 1, 2017, and every 3rd year thereafter, in collaboration with the PUC and local publicly owned electric utilities, to establish annual targets for statewide energy efficiency savings and demand reduction that will achieve a cumulative doubling of statewide energy efficiency savings in electricity and natural gas final end uses of retail customers by January 1, 2030. Existing law requires the PUC to identify all potentially achievable cost-effective electricity and natural gas efficiency savings and to establish efficiency targets for electrical and gas corporations to achieve. This bill would require the PUC to ensure that there are sufficient moneys available for electrical and gas corporations to meet those efficiency targets.

Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires, when an applicant proposes a housing development within the jurisdiction of the local government, that the city, county, or city and county provide the developer with a density bonus and other incentives or concessions for the production of lower income housing units or for the donation of land within the development if the developer, among other things, agrees to construct a specified percentage of units for very low income, low-income, or moderate-income households or qualifying residents. Existing law authorizes the waiver or reduction of development standards that would preclude this development. Existing law requires continued affordability for 55 years or longer, as specified, of all very low income and low-income units that qualified an applicant for a density bonus. Existing law requires a city, county, or city and county to adopt an ordinance to implement these requirements and to establish procedures to carry them out. This bill would revise and recast these provisions to require the local government to adopt procedures and timelines for processing a density bonus application, provide a list of documents and information required to be submitted with the application in order for it to be deemed complete, and notify the applicant whether it is complete. By increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would prohibit a local government from requiring additional reports or studies to be prepared as a condition of an application. The bill would additionally require each component of any density calculation that results in fractional units to be rounded up to the next whole number, and would provide that this provision is declaratory of existing law. Existing law defines the term "density bonus" for these purposes to mean a density increase over the otherwise maximum allowable residential density as of the date of the application and provides that the applicant may elect to accept a lesser percentage of density bonus. This bill would specify that the term "density bonus" means a density increase over the maximum allowable gross residential density at the time of the date of the application, or, if elected by the applicant, a lesser percentage of density increase or no increase in density. Existing law requires a local government to grant a proposal for specific incentives or concessions requested by an applicant unless the local government makes written findings, based on substantial evidence, that, among other things, the concession or incentive is not required in order to provide affordable housing costs or for rents for the targeted units, as specified. This bill would, instead, provide that the local government is required to provide the requested concessions or incentives unless it finds, based on substantial evidence, that the concession or incentive does not result in identifiable and actual cost reductions, to provide for affordable housing costs or rents for the targeted units, as specified. Existing law defines the term "housing development" for these purposes to mean a development project for 5 or more residential units. This bill would expand that definition to include mixed-use housing. 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 incorporate additional changes to Section 65915 of the Government Code, proposed by AB 2442 and AB 2556, that would become operative only if this bill and either or both of those bills are chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2017, and this bill is chaptered last.

Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relative to the development and implementation of a high-speed train system. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, approved by the voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, statewide general election, provides for the issuance of $9.95 billion for high-speed train capital projects and other associated purposes. The bond act requires the authority to expend the proceeds of the bond act pursuant to certain planning and reporting requirements, which require the authority to approve that the corridor or usable segment would be suitable and ready for high-speed train operations. This bill would provide for the purposes of a certain required funding plan that a corridor or usable segment thereof would be "suitable and ready for high-speed train operation" if specified conditions are met. The bill would also require the authority to include in its business plan and project update report information describing the use of these bond proceeds demonstrating that the investments made are consistent with the authority's current business plan and advance the development of the Phase I blended system as described in the business plan.

The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes the legislative body of a city or county to regulate, among other things, the intensity of land use, and also authorizes a local agency to provide by ordinance for the creation of 2nd units in single-family and multifamily residential zones, as specified. That law makes findings and declarations with respect to the value of 2nd units to California's housing supply. This bill would replace the term "second unit" with "accessory dwelling unit" throughout the law. The bill would additionally find and declare that, among other things, allowing accessory dwelling units in single-family or multifamily residential zones provides additional rental housing stock, and these units are an essential component of housing supply in California. The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes the ordinance for the creation of 2nd units in single-family and multifamily residential zones to include specified provisions regarding areas where accessory dwelling units may be located, standards, including the imposition of parking standards, and lot density. Existing law, when a local agency has not adopted an ordinance governing 2nd units as so described, requires the local agency to approve or disapprove the application ministerially, as provided. This bill would instead require the ordinance for the creation of accessory dwelling units to include the provisions described above. The bill would prohibit the imposition of parking standards under specified circumstances. The bill would revise requirements for the approval or disapproval of an accessory dwelling unit application when a local agency has not adopted an ordinance. The bill would also require the ministerial approval of an application for a building permit to create one accessory dwelling unit within the existing space of a single-family residence or accessory structure, as specified. The bill would prohibit a local agency from requiring an applicant for this permit to install a new or separate utility connection directly between the unit and the utility or imposing a related connection fee or capacity charge. The bill would authorize a local agency to impose this requirement for other accessory dwelling units. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 65852.2 of the Government Code proposed by AB 2299 that would become operative only if AB 2299 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2017, and this bill is chaptered last. By increasing the duties of local officials, this 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 various state water policies, including the policy that the Legislature consider other works as may be necessary to develop water to satisfy the requirements of the watershed in which water originates whenever the Legislature authorizes the construction or acquisition of a project that will develop water for use outside that watershed, as specified. This bill would declare it to be state policy that source watersheds are recognized and defined as integral components of California's water infrastructure. The bill would state the particular importance to maintaining the reliability, quantity, timing, and quality of California's environmental, drinking, and agricultural water supply as climate change advances of source watersheds that supply the majority of the state's drinking and irrigated agricultural water. The bill would state that the maintenance and repair of source watersheds is eligible for the same forms of financing as other water collection and treatment infrastructure and would specify that the maintenance and repair activities that are eligible are limited to specified forest ecosystem restoration and conservation activities.