Existing law creates the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority for purposes relating to the development of a light rail project extending from the City of Los Angeles to the Cities of Pasadena and Montclair. This bill would provide for the extension of the project to the City of Ontario, instead of the City of Montclair. Existing law creates the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and requires LACMTA to assume responsibility for operating all completed phases of the light rail project. Existing law grants LACMTA the authority to operate the portion of the light rail project that extends approximately one-half mile from the Los Angeles and San Bernardino County line to the Montclair Transit Center, subject to approval by the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) of an operations and maintenance agreement, as specified, with respect to the portion of the project on the right-of-way owned by SANBAG. This bill would instead grant LACMTA authority to operate the portion of the light rail project that extends from the Los Angeles and San Bernardino County line to the LA/Ontario International Airport, subject to the approval of SANBAG described above. Because this bill would require a local authority to assume additional responsibilities, it would create 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.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law, the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. (2) Under existing law, various measures have been approved by the voters to provide funds for water supply and protection facilities and programs. This bill would enact the Clean, Safe, and Reliable Drinking Water Act of 2014, which, if adopted by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $8,200,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a clean, safe, and reliable drinking water program. This bill would provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election.
This measure would urge the President and Congress of the United States to take specified action and adopt specified policies designed to protect unaccompanied minors immigrating to the United States.
Existing law, the California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act, provides for the licensure of residential care facilities for the elderly by the State Department of Social Services and makes a violation of those provisions a crime. Existing law authorizes a person to request an inspection of a facility by transmitting notice of an alleged violation of law to the department. Existing law requires the department to review a complaint and conduct an onsite inspection within 10 days and requires the department to provide the substance of the complaint to the licensee no earlier than the time of the inspection. This bill, beginning July 1, 2015, would make various changes to this complaint procedure, including prohibiting the department from giving a licensee advance notice of an investigation regarding a complaint and requiring the department to conduct an onsite investigation within one working day of receiving a complaint if the complaint alleges physical abuse, sexual abuse, or a threat of imminent danger. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that the department conduct investigations in the manner required to ensure maximum effectiveness while respecting the rights of residents and to complete an investigation, except as specified, within 90 days of receiving a complaint, or within 30 days when the complaint alleges physical abuse, sexual abuse, or a threat of imminent danger. The bill would prohibit a licensee, or officer or employee of the licensee, from interfering with or obstructing an investigation conducted pursuant to these provisions and would require the department to assess an immediate civil penalty, as specified, per day per violation for violations of that prohibition. Because a violation of this prohibition would also be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a complainant who is dissatisfied with the department's investigation, findings, or enforcement to file an appeal, as specified, and would require the department to inform the complainant of these appeal rights, as specified. Existing law prohibits a licensee from discriminating or retaliating in any manner against a person receiving the services of the licensee's residential care facility for the elderly, or against an employee of the licensee's facility, on the basis, or for the reason that, the person or employee or any other person has initiated or participated in the filing of a complaint, grievance, or a request for inspection with the department, or has initiated or participated in the filing of a complaint, grievance, or request for investigation with the appropriate local ombudsman, or with the state ombudsman. This bill would require the department to assess an immediate civil penalty, as specified, per day for each violation of these provisions. 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 provides that every person confined in a local detention facility, state prison, or under the jurisdiction of the Division of Juvenile Facilities of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, who commits a battery upon the person of a peace officer by "gassing," as defined, is guilty of aggravated battery. This bill would provide that a person who commits battery upon the person of specified individuals, including emergency medical technicians, by gassing is guilty of aggravated battery, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding 6 months, a fine not exceeding $1,000, or both. The bill would also authorize a law enforcement agency, if there is probable cause to believe a violation has occurred, to order the individual suspected of a violation to be tested for communicable diseases, and would require the results of the tests to be provided to the person who has been subject to a reported or suspected violation. By creating a new crime, 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.
Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services regulates the licensure and operation of community care facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly, child day care centers, and family day care homes. Existing law requires that these facilities be subject to unannounced visits by the department that occur at least once every 5 years. Existing law requires the department to conduct an annual unannounced visit under specified circumstances, including when a license is on probation, and to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 20% of the facilities not subject to an evaluation under those specified circumstances. This bill would instead make every facility of the types described above subject to an annual unannounced visit by the department on and after July 1, 2017. The bill would revise the provisions requiring the department to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 20% of the facilities by instead requiring the department to conduct annual unannounced visits to no less than 30% of facilities on or before July 1, 2015, and no less than 20% of those facilities on or before July 1, 2016. The bill would also delete the provisions requiring an unannounced visit at least once every 5 years. Existing law requires the department to immediately request a fire clearance and notify an applicant to arrange a time for the department to conduct a prelicensure survey if an application for initial licensure is complete. This bill would provide that the prelicensure survey is optional at the discretion of the department if the department determines that an application is for licensure of a currently licensed facility for which there will be no material change to the management or operations of the facility.
The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to classify personal property for differential taxation or for exemption by means of a statute approved by a 23 vote of the membership of each house. Under the Private Railroad Car Tax Law, the State Board of Equalization assesses and taxes private railroad cars operated upon railroads in this state by class based on the owner's acquisition cost, less depreciation, as provided. In making an assessment, the board is required to determine the average number of each class of private railroad cars physically present in the state in the calendar year immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the tax is imposed upon the basis of car days. This bill would instead require the board, in making the assessment, to determine the physical presence of private railroad cars in the state in the calendar year immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the tax is imposed upon the basis of mileage. Existing law also requires the board, in making the above assessment, to value the cars by class based on the owner's acquisition cost, less depreciation, and sets forth the manner in which depreciation is calculated for each class of cars, as specified. This bill would instead require the board, in making the assessment, to value the cars based on the owner's acquisition cost, including additions and betterments, less depreciation, and would revise the manner in which the depreciation is calculated, as specified. Existing law requires the board to exclude from the California factor car mileage, car days, or other data that occurs while cars are not qualified for revenue service and are in a repair facility in the state, as specified. Existing law defines the term "class of private railroad cars" for these purposes. This bill would delete the definition of the term "class of private railroad cars" and would eliminate the requirement that the board exclude from the California factor car mileage, car days, or other data that occurs while cars are not qualified for revenue service and are in a repair facility in the state.
Under existing law, the State Department of Developmental Services has jurisdiction over specified state hospitals that provide services to persons with developmental disabilities, also known as developmental centers. Existing law authorizes the department to operate any facility, provide its employees to assist in the operation of any facility, or provide other necessary services and support if, in the discretion of the department, it determines that the activity will assist in meeting the goal of the orderly closures of Agnews Developmental Center and Lanterman Developmental Center. Existing law authorizes the department to contract with any entity for the use of the department's employees to provide services in furtherance of the orderly closures of Agnews Developmental Center and Lanterman Developmental Center. Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the state to contract with appropriate agencies, including regional centers, to provide fixed points of contact in the community for persons with developmental disabilities and their families, to the end that these persons may have access to the services and support best suited to them throughout their lifetime. Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that the network of regional centers for persons with developmental disabilities and their families be accessible to every family in need of regional center services and that the design and activities of regional centers reflect a strong commitment to the delivery of direct service coordination. This bill would require regional centers to ensure that any person or entity hired by, or contracted with, the regional center to provide services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities provide these services and support in a manner consistent with all state and federal laws and regulations applicable to developmental centers.
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 state board is required to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020, and to adopt rules and regulations in an open public process to achieve the maximum, technologically feasible, and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing state board regulations require specified entities to comply with a market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2013, and require additional specified entities to comply with that market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2015. This bill instead would exempt categories of persons or entities that did not have a compliance obligation, as defined, under a market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2013, from being subject to that market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2015, and until December 31, 2017. The bill would require all participating categories of persons or entities to have a compliance obligation beginning January 1, 2018. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school. Existing law, among other things, requires each school district or county office of education that provides transportation to receive the same home-to-school and special education transportation allowances that it received in the prior fiscal year and prohibits the transportation allowances from exceeding the prior year's approved transportation costs, increased by the amount provided in the annual Budget Act. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, commencing with the 2015–16 fiscal year, to apportion to each school district, county office of education, entity providing services under a school transportation joint powers agreement, or a regional occupational center or program that provides pupil transportation an amount equal to a specified annually increasing percentage of its approved transportation costs for the prior fiscal year or 100% of its school transportation apportionment for the 2013–14 fiscal year, annually adjusted as specified, whichever is greater. The bill would require the Superintendent to establish a process to provide startup school transportation apportionments to school districts that did not provide pupil transportation services in the 2014–15 fiscal year, as specified. These provisions would be operative only to the extent that funding for purposes of the bill is provided in the annual Budget Act or another statute.