Asm. Miguel Santiago

This measure would encourage state and local officials to develop broadband-readiness checklists and "best practices" guidelines, as well as certification processes and model codes, to support effective and efficient broadband deployment. The measure would additionally encourage the Public Utilities Commission to assign a high priority to consideration and adoption of new rules and procedures that streamline access to utility poles and conduits in order to support effective and efficient broadband deployment, including adoption of any "one touch," "Accelerated Safe Access to Poles (ASAP) ," or "right touch" make-ready rules if adopted by the Federal Communications Commission.

This measure would designate April 1, 2018, to April 7, 2018, inclusive, as California Diversity in STEM and Tech Week and would encourage all citizens and community organizations to support the observance of California Diversity in STEM and Tech Week by encouraging and celebrating diversity in the STEM fields and in California's technology and innovation economy.

Under existing law, several agencies have prescribed responsibilities relating to homeless persons. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to administer California's Emergency Solutions Grants Program and make grants under the program to qualifying recipients to implement activities that address the needs of homeless individuals and families and assist them to regain stability in permanent housing as quickly as possible. This bill would establish the Local Homelessness Solutions Program and create the Local Homelessness Solutions Account for the purpose of providing funding to cities, as defined, to create innovative and immediate solutions to the problems caused by homelessness, as specified. The bill would appropriate an unspecified sum from the General Fund to the Local Homelessness Solutions Account and direct the Controller to apportion those funds to cities in proportion to each city's most recent homeless population, as specified. The bill would require cities to match any funds received from the program. The bill would authorize these funds to be expended for, among other things, shelter diversion, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing.

Existing law authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership with the governing board of a school district with the goal of developing seamless pathways from high school to community college for career technical education or preparation for transfer, improving high school graduation rates, or helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness. Existing law requires the partnership agreement to outline the terms of the partnership, as specified, and to establish protocols for information sharing, joint facilities use, and parental consent for high school pupils to enroll in community college courses. These provisions are repealed on January 1, 2022. This bill would authorize the governing body of a private school, including a parochial school, to enter into a CCAP partnership agreement with the governing board of a community college district pursuant to these provisions.

This measure would proclaim the week of March 4, 2018, through March 10, 2018, inclusive, as Women in Construction Week.

The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, generally regulates the disposal, management, and recycling of solid waste. Existing law requires all rigid plastic bottles and rigid plastic containers sold in the state to be labeled with a code that indicates the resin used to produce the rigid plastic bottle or rigid plastic container, and designates the number "6" as the code number for polystyrene resin. This bill would enact the Expanded Polystyrene Food Service Packaging Recovery and Recycling Act, which would authorize expanded polystyrene food service packaging (PFP) manufacturers and polystyrene resin producers to form or designate an organization consisting of PFP manufacturers and resin producers, to be known as the Expanded Polystyrene Food Service Packaging Recycling Organization. If the PFP manufacturers and resin producers form or designate a PFP Recycling Organization, the bill would require each PFP manufacturer or resin producer that formed or designated the organization that sells expanded polystyrene food service packaging or polystyrene resin in this state to pay to the PFP Recycling Organization the expanded polystyrene food service packaging assessment fee established by the PFP Recycling Organization. The bill would require the collected fees to be used by the organization to carry out the requirements of the act and for appropriate projects and programs that would further the purposes of the act, including awarding grants to specified entities for programs designed to increase community access to PFP recycling, to promote efforts to recycle PFP, and to reduce or abate litter from PFP. The bill would impose civil penalties on the PFP manufacturers or resin producers that formed or designated the PFP Recycling Organization that fail to remit the PFP assessment fee, as specified, and would authorize the department to expend the civil penalty moneys to support its duties under the act.