Existing law authorizes a court to grant pretrial diversion, for a period no longer than 2 years, to a defendant suffering from a mental disorder, on an accusatory pleading alleging the commission of a misdemeanor or felony offense, in order to allow the defendant to undergo mental health treatment. Existing law conditions eligibility on, among other criteria, a court finding that the defendant's mental disorder played a significant role in the commission of the charged offense. Existing law requires, if the defendant has performed satisfactorily in diversion, that the court dismiss the defendant's criminal charges, with a record filed with the Department of Justice indicating the disposition of the case diverted, that the arrest is deemed never to have occurred, and requires the court to order access to the record of the arrest restricted, except as specified. This bill would make defendants ineligible for the diversion program for certain offenses, including murder, voluntary manslaughter, and rape. The bill would authorize a court to require the defendant to make a prima facie showing that the defendant will meet the minimum requirements of eligibility for diversion and that the defendant and the offense are suitable for diversion, as specified. The bill would also require the court, upon request, to conduct a hearing to determine whether restitution is owed to any victim as a result of the diverted offense and, if owed, to order its payment during the period of diversion. The bill would provide that a defendant's inability to pay restitution due to indigence or mental disorder would not be grounds for denial of diversion or a finding that the defendant has failed to comply with the terms of diversion. The bill would also make technical changes.
Sponsored bills
The Planning and Zoning Law requires, when an applicant proposes a housing development within the jurisdiction of a 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, low-, or moderate-income households or qualifying residents. That law also authorizes a city council or county board of supervisors to establish a procedure by ordinance to grant the developer of a commercial or industrial project that meets specified criteria a density bonus, defined for this purpose as a floor area ratio bonus over the otherwise maximum allowable density permitted, when the developer has set aside a specified area to be used for a child care facility, as provided. This bill would authorize a city council or county board of supervisors to establish a procedure by ordinance to grant a developer of an eligible housing development, upon the request of the developer, a floor area ratio bonus, calculated as provided, in lieu of a density bonus awarded on the basis of dwelling units per acre. The bill would define "eligible housing development" as a development that meets specified criteria related to residential use or mixed use, location, zoning, replacement of units, and affordability. The bill would prohibit the city council or county board of supervisors from imposing any parking requirement on an eligible housing development in excess of specified ratios. The bill would require a city or county that adopts a floor area ratio bonus ordinance to allow an applicant seeking to develop an eligible residential development to calculate impact fees based on square feet, instead of on a per unit basis. The bill would also authorize an applicant for a floor area ratio bonus to submit a proposal for specified additional incentives or concessions, as provided.
Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program under which, through a combination of federal, state, and county funds, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. The CalWORKs program also provides a nonrecurring special needs benefit for permanent housing assistance to pay for last month's rent and security deposits, up to 2 months of rent arrearages, or standard costs of deposits for utilities, as specified. Existing law requires payments to providers for temporary shelter and permanent housing and utilities to be made on behalf of the families requesting these payments. Existing law prohibits payments from being made to a housing provider unless it is a commercial establishment, shelter, or person in the business of renting properties who has a history of renting properties. This bill, commencing July 1, 2019, would remove the requirement that a person in the business of renting properties have a history of renting properties in order to receive payments and would additionally authorize payments to a housing provider with which the families requesting assistance have executed a valid lease, sublease, or shared housing agreement. Because this bill would increase the administrative duties of counties, it would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize the State Department of Social Services to implement these provisions through an all-county letter or similar instruction from the Director of Social Services until final regulations are adopted, and would require the department to adopt emergency regulations on or before July 1, 2020. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would, instead, provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.
Existing law generally provides for the compensation of victims and derivative victims of specified types of crimes by the California Victim Compensation Board from the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for specified losses suffered as a result of those crimes, including a cash payment or reimbursement not to exceed a specified amount to a victim for expenses incurred in relocating, if the expenses are determined by law enforcement to be necessary for the personal safety of the victim or by a mental health treatment provider to be necessary for the emotional well-being of the victim. Existing law requires the board to be named as the recipient of funds upon expiration of the victim's rental agreement if a security deposit is required for relocation. This bill would authorize "expenses incurred in relocating" as described above to include a pet deposit and additional rent required if the victim has a pet. The bill would also require the board to be named as the recipient of funds upon expiration of the victim's rental agreement if a pet deposit is required for relocation. By expanding the authorization for use of continuously appropriated funds, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 13957 of the Government Code proposed by AB 900, AB 1865, and AB 1939 to be operative only if this bill and any or all of those bills are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act provides that any on- or off-sale licensee, or agent or employee of the licensee, who sells, gives, or delivers to any person any alcoholic beverage between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. of the same day, and any person who knowingly purchases any alcoholic beverages between those hours, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Existing law provides for moneys collected as fees pursuant to the act to be deposited in the Alcohol Beverage Control Fund, with those moneys generally allocated to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill, beginning January 1, 2021, and before January 2, 2026, would require the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to conduct a pilot program that would authorize the department to issue an additional hours license to an on-sale licensee located in a qualified city which would authorize, with or without conditions, the selling, giving, or purchasing of alcoholic beverages at the licensed premises between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., upon completion of specified requirements by the qualified city in which the licensee is located. The bill would impose specified fees related to the license to be deposited in the Alcohol Beverage Control Fund. The bill would require the applicant to notify specified persons of the application for an additional hours license and would provide a procedure for protest and hearing regarding the application. The bill would require the Department of the California Highway Patrol and each qualified city that has elected to participate in the program to submit reports to the Legislature and specified committees regarding the regional impact of the additional hours licenses, as specified. The bill would provide that any person under 21 years of age who enters and remains in the licensed public premises during the additional serving hours without lawful business therein is guilty of a misdemeanor, as provided. The pilot program would apply to Cathedral City, Coachella, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palm Springs, Sacramento, San Francisco, and West Hollywood. This bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating new crimes. 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 make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the qualified cities.
Existing law defines a nuisance and includes within this definition anything that is injurious to health, including nuisance caused by illegal conduct involving unlawful weapons or ammunition. Existing law establishes the criteria for determining when a tenant is guilty of unlawful detainer, including conduct involving illegally selling a controlled substance, or the commission of an offense involving the unlawful possession or use of illegal weapons or ammunition or the use of the premises to further that purpose. Existing law, until January 1, 2019, for real property situated in the City of Los Angeles, the City of Long Beach, the City of Oakland, and the City of Sacramento, authorizes a city prosecutor or city attorney to file, in the name of the people, an action for unlawful detainer to abate the nuisance caused by illegal conduct involving unlawful weapons or ammunition on real property, as specified. This bill would prohibit a jurisdiction from bringing on unlawful detainer action under these provisions unless that entity made a good faith effort to collect and report certain information to the California Research Bureau. Existing law, until January 1, 2019, for real property situated in the City of Oakland and the City of Sacramento, authorizes a city prosecutor or city attorney to file an action for unlawful detainer in the name of the people against any person who is in violation of the nuisance or the illegal purpose provisions of the unlawful detainer provision described above, with respect to controlled substances. Existing law also requires the city attorney and city prosecutor of the participating jurisdictions, by a specified date, to submit information to the California Research Bureau, and the bureau in turn, to submit a report to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Judiciary, as specified, summarizing the information collected and evaluating the merits of the programs established, by March 20, 2016, and March 20, 2018. This bill would extend the sunset dates for these provisions until January 1, 2024, would additionally apply the unlawful detainer provisions with respect to controlled substances to real property in the City of Long Beach, and would extend the reporting deadlines for the California Research Bureau to submit its report to the legislative committees to March 20, 2021, and March 20, 2023. The bill would also eliminate some elements that the local authorities are required to report to the California Research Bureau. The bill would, for unlawful detainer auctions for properties situated in Long Beach, Oakland, and Sacramento for nuisances related to controlled substances, provide that a defendant could raise as an affirmative defense that the jurisdiction did not make a good faith effort to collect and report the required information. Because this bill would extend existing reporting requirements for local authorities, 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the cities of Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento.
Existing law requires specified businesses and other establishments to post a notice, as developed by the Department of Justice, that contains information relating to slavery and human trafficking, including information regarding specified nonprofit organizations that a person can call for services or support in the elimination of slavery and human trafficking. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) makes specified employment practices unlawful, including the harassment of an employee directly by the employer or indirectly by agents of the employer with the employer's knowledge. FEHA requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide at least 2 hours of prescribed training and education regarding sexual harassment to all supervisory employees within 6 months of their assumption of a supervisory position and once every 2 years, as specified. This bill would amend FEHA to require specified employers to provide at least 20 minutes of prescribed training and education regarding human trafficking awareness to employees who are likely to interact or come into contact with victims of human trafficking, as defined. The bill would establish a schedule for compliance commencing January 1, 2020. The bill would authorize the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, in the case of an employer violation of the bill's requirements, to seek an order requiring compliance.
Existing law prohibits specified conduct inside public buildings owned and occupied, or leased and occupied, by the state. Existing law provides that a judicial officer has the power to preserve and enforce order in judicial proceedings and to compel obedience to judicial orders, as specified. This bill would clarify the power of judicial officers to prevent activities that threaten access to courthouses, including by protecting the privilege from arrest. The bill would provide that no person shall be subject to civil arrest in a courthouse while attending a court proceeding or having legal business in the courthouse, and that a violation of these provisions constitutes contempt of court. The bill would also authorize the Attorney General to bring a civil action to obtain equitable and declaratory relief for a violation of this section, and it would allow a party in a successful action to enforce liability for a violation of this section to recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. By expanding the scope of an existing 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.
Existing law requires the driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction to pass to the left at a safe distance without interfering with the safe operation of the overtaken vehicle, as specified. Existing law requires the driver of a vehicle overtaking any interurban electric or streetcar stopped or about to stop for the purpose of receiving or discharging any passenger to stop the vehicle to the rear of the nearest running board or door of the car and remain standing until all passengers have boarded the car, or upon alighting have reached a place of safety, except as provided. A violation of these provisions is an offense. This bill would require, commencing January 1, 2020, and subject to exceptions, the driver of a vehicle on a public street or highway approaching or overtaking a stopped waste service vehicle, as defined, to make a lane change into an available lane adjacent to the waste service vehicle and pass at a safe distance without interfering with the safe operation of the waste service vehicle, with due regard for safety and traffic conditions, if practicable and not prohibited by law. The bill would require that if that maneuver would be unsafe or impractical, the driver slow to a reasonable and prudent speed that is safe for existing weather, road, and vehicular or pedestrian traffic conditions. The requirements of the bill would apply if the waste service vehicle is readily identifiable as a waste service vehicle based on the vehicle configuration or markings on the vehicle, and displays flashing amber lights. Because a violation of these provisions would be a 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.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law authorizes the department to enter contracts with managed care plans to provide Medi-Cal services. Under existing law, Medi-Cal covers early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment for individuals under 21 years of age, consistent with federal law. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to adopt regulations establishing a standard of care under which a child is evaluated for risk of lead poisoning by health care providers during the child's periodic health assessment. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to ensure that a child enrolled in Medi-Cal receives blood lead screening tests at 12 and 24 months of age, or at any time at which the child is identified as having a high risk of lead exposure, as described by the State Department of Public Health, and that a child 2 to 6 years of age, inclusive, receives a blood lead screening test if there is no record of a previous test for that child. The bill would require the department to report its progress toward blood lead screening tests for all enrolled children, as specified, in its annual External Accountability Set as part of the annual external quality review organization review, and annually on its Internet Web site, to ensure Medi-Cal managed care plans make certain each enrolled child receives required blood lead screening tests, and to ensure Medi-Cal managed care plans require health care providers to test enrolled children, as specified. The bill would further require the department to ensure a Medi-Cal managed care plan notifies a child's parent, parents, guardian, or other person charged with his or her support and maintenance, and the child's health care provider, with specified information, including when a child has missed a required blood lead screening test, as specified. The bill would require a contract between the department and a Medi-Cal managed care plan to ensure the plan and its contractors meet the standard of care for early and periodic screening when providing lead testing. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to prepare provider training guidelines, curriculum, and resources to educate providers about childhood lead poisoning prevention, exposure risks, exposure health effects, and sources of exposure. The bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to ensure a Medi-Cal managed care plan notifies and educates a contracted health care provider that, for 2 consecutive 12-month periods, fails to blood lead test at least 80% of the enrolled children, as specified, and to ensure that education reflects the training guidelines, curriculum, and resources developed by the State Department of Public Health. The bill would provide that it is the goal of the state that all children at risk of lead exposure receive blood lead screening tests. The bill would also make findings and declarations.