Existing law designates certain individuals, such as teachers, peace officers, physicians, and clergy members, among others, as mandated reporters and requires them to report suspected child abuse or neglect to certain specified agencies whenever the mandated reporter, in his or her professional capacity or within the scope of his or her employment, has knowledge of or observes a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Existing law requires specified local agencies receiving reports from mandated reporters to forward a report to the Department of Justice in writing of every case it investigates of known or suspected child abuse or severe neglect that is determined to be substantiated. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to act as a repository of reports of suspected child abuse and severe neglect to be maintained in the Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) . Existing law, as of January 1, 2012, prohibits a police or sheriff's department from forwarding any such report to the Department of Justice. This bill would instead authorize a police or sheriff's department to forward a substantiated report of suspected child abuse or severe neglect taken on or after January 1, 2019, except as specified, to the Department of Justice. The bill would require any police or sheriff's department that forwards a report to comply with the same requirements placed on other reporting agencies and would require the police or sheriff's department to adopt notification and grievance procedures that are consistent with specified regulations of the Department of Social Services. This bill would also make conforming changes.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law governing public contracting authorizes regional transportation agencies, as defined, to use the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) project delivery method, as specified, to design and construct certain projects if there is an evaluation of the traditional design-bid-build method of construction and of the CM/GC method and the board of the regional transportation agency adopts the CM/GC method in a public meeting. Existing law defines "project" for these purposes to mean the construction of an expressway that is not on the state highway system, the construction of specified bridges that are not on the state highway system, specified projects in the County of Riverside, and the construction, alteration, repair, rehabilitation, or improvement of the Golden Gate Bridge. Existing law requires that specified information provided to a regional transportation agency under the CM/GC method be verified under oath. This bill would include in the definition of "project" a Metrolink commuter rail project. By expanding the scope of the existing crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for Metrolink commuter rail projects. (2) Existing law exempts from civil liability any person who, in good faith and not for compensation, renders emergency care or treatment by the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) at the scene of an emergency, except in the case of personal injury or wrongful death that results from the gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct of the person who renders emergency care or treatment. Existing law also exempts from civil liability a person or entity that acquires an AED for emergency use and a health care professional who is involved with the selection, placement, or installation of the AED, as specified. This bill would require a public entity that operates, or contracts for the operation of, a commuter rail system to ensure that each train has an AED as part of its safety equipment subject to specified requirements, including that the AED be installed by July 1, 2020, except as specified, and to transmit confirmation of its compliance with those requirements in writing to the Public Utilities Commission. The bill would exempt an affected public entity that acquires an AED for emergency care from liability for any civil damages resulting from any acts or omissions in the rendering of the emergency care by use of the AED if the public entity has complied with certain requirements. (3) By imposing new duties on local public officials, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. (4) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Board of Trustees of the California State University, as one of the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in California. Existing law requires the trustees to appoint a chief executive officer, known as the Chancellor of the California State University. This bill would require the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University to, on or before March 31, 2019, and on or before March 31 of each academic year thereafter, submit a systemwide report to the relevant fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature and the Department of Finance that includes a summary of current hiring practices for all California State University positions and compares hiring practices at the California State University to the best practices for hiring persons to similar positions at the University of California and the California Community Colleges.
Existing law, known as the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, prohibits a commodities container, or a food container subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) from being made, formed, or filled as to be misleading and provides that a container that does not allow a consumer to fully view its contents is misleading if it contains nonfunctional slack fill. Existing law provides that nonfunctional slack fill is the empty space in a package that is filled to substantially less than its capacity for other than specified reasons. Existing law specifies 15 reasons a commodities container, and 6 reasons a food container subject to the FDCA, may contain slack fill without violating the prohibition. Existing law also provides that these state provisions regarding food containers are operative only to the extent they are identical to specified federal requirements. Existing law, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, establishes the same prohibition against nonfunctional slack fill as described above for commodities containers subject to that law and specifies 14 reasons that a container may contain slack fill without violating the prohibition. This bill would revise and recast one of the reasons nonfood containers may contain slack fill without violating the nonfunctional slack fill prohibition, and would also make this reason applicable to food containers subject to the FDCA. The bill would specify an additional reason containers subject to any of these provisions may contain slack fill without violating the nonfunctional slack fill prohibition.
Existing law, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, which is administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the application, issuance, and suspension of alcoholic beverage licenses. Existing law establishes specified types of alcoholic beverage licenses and prescribes the rights and duties of the respective licensees. Existing law authorizes the department to issue various special on-sale licenses, including to nonprofit theater companies and symphony associations. Certain violations of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act are crimes. This bill would authorize the department to issue a special on-sale general license to the operator of a for-profit cemetery with specified characteristics, including that it be more than 100 years old, be located in, and designated a Historic-Cultural Monument by, the City of Los Angeles, and have an endowment care fund and a memorial care fund that are exempt from the payment of income taxes, as specified. The bill would prescribe requirements for issuing the license and the provision of beverages pursuant to it. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also make conforming and technical changes. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Los Angeles. 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 Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas corporations. This bill would require the Public Utilities Commission, if it determines that a moratorium on new natural gas service connections is necessary to prevent substantial and imminent harm or to ensure gas system reliability, to provide a report to specified policy committees of the Legislature and the affected gas corporation stating the necessity for the action. The bill would require the report to the policy committees to contain certain information. The bill would require a gas corporation, upon receiving a report from the commission that an action is pending to suspend new gas service connections, to immediately notify potential or current customers that may experience a service impact as a result of the proposed suspension. The bill would require the commission to present to the policy committees, at specified yearly information hearings, the status of the natural gas service connections and efforts to provide natural gas supply. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Under existing law, when a vehicle has been towed and stored, the legal owner may only be charged a storage fee during the first 15 days of possession, and beyond the first 15 days, only for any time after 3 days have lapsed after written notification has been made to the legal owner, as specified. This bill would require that fees charged under these provisions for towing and storage be reasonable, as defined. Existing law makes an insurer that is responsible for reasonable towing and storage charges liable to the person providing those services, as specified. This bill would define reasonable charges for these purposes and would provide a list of fees that are presumptively unreasonable. The bill would also require that fees charged for towing and storage, as specified, be reasonable. Existing law grants certain consumer rights to those who utilize towing and storage providers, including the right to retrieve personal belongings from a vehicle without charge, the right to pay by cash or credit card, and the right to receive an itemized statement of charges. Existing law also generally requires these businesses to post a prescribed notice outlining these rights in a place visible to the public and to provide a copy of the notice to customers upon request. A person who violates these provisions is civilly liable to the registered or legal owner of the vehicle, or the registered owner's insurer, as specified. This bill would grant additional consumer protections, including requiring facilities to be open and accessible during normal business hours, authorizing payment of charges to be made by insurer's check, and allowing an owner or insurer to inspect a stored vehicle, as specified. The bill would make conforming changes to the notice required to be posted at specified facilities. The bill would extend application of the consumer protections to any facility that charges for the storage of a vehicle, including among others, a repair garage or service station, but excluding a new motor vehicle dealer.
This measure would urge the Congress and the President of the United States to support the retention of, and investment in, the Amtrak National Network of passenger trains, specifically the California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, the Southwest Chief, and the Sunset Limited, as vital components of the state's rail program and would also urge Congress to reject President Trump's proposed Fiscal Year 2019 federal budget cuts to Amtrak and restore full funding for the Amtrak National Network through the appropriations process.
This measure would urge the federal government and the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission to take immediate action to adequately address cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.
This measure would, among other things, call upon stakeholders in the health professions to foster the well-being of children born with variations of sex characteristics through the enactment of policies and procedures that ensure individualized, multidisciplinary care, as provided.