Asm. Lisa Calderon

Existing law authorizes the city attorney of any general law city or chartered city to, with the consent of the district attorney of that county, prosecute any misdemeanor committed within the city arising out of violation of state law, as specified. This bill would, notwithstanding the above-described authorization for city attorneys, authorize the city attorney of any general law city to prosecute any misdemeanor committed within the city arising out of violation of state law, provided that specified conditions are met, including that the legislative body of a city passes an ordinance granting that prosecutorial authority to the city attorney.

Existing law establishes a system of statewide child welfare services, administered by the State Department of Social Services and county child welfare agencies, with the intent that all children are entitled to be safe and free from abuse and neglect. Existing law establishes the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge a child to be a dependent of the court under certain circumstances, including when the child suffered, or there is a substantial risk that the child will suffer, serious physical harm, or a parent fails to provide the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment. Existing law establishes the grounds for removal of a dependent child from the custody of their parents or guardian, and establishes procedures to determine placement of a dependent child. Existing law establishes procedures for an initial petition hearing by the juvenile court if a child is being taken into temporary custody, and requires the court to review the status of every dependent child in foster care no less frequently than once every 6 months Existing law requires any order placing a child in foster care, and ordering reunification services, to provide for visitation between the parent or guardian and the child, but prohibits a visitation from jeopardizing the safety of a child. Existing law also requires the court to continue to permit the parent or legal guardian to visit the child pending status hearings unless it finds that visitation would be detrimental to the child. This bill would remove the above-described prohibition on visitations that jeopardize the safety of a child. The bill would, during the initial petition hearing, require the court to make an order regarding visitation between the child and the parent or guardian that sets forth a frequency and duration that is most conducive to quality family time and specifies whether the visitation shall be supervised. This bill would, with any order placing a child in foster care and ordering reunification services and during subsequent review hearings, require a court to order unsupervised visitation between a parent or legal guardian and a child or children, unless unsupervised visitation would present an identified present danger of harm to the child, and there are no reasonable means by which the child's physical or emotional health may be protected without having supervised visitation. The bill would define unsupervised visitation for these purposes. The bill would require a court, if the court orders supervised visitation, to specify the factual basis for its order and to order that the agency has discretion to liberalize the visitation to unsupervised unless the court finds that granting this discretion would be contrary to the child's safety. The bill would also require the county child welfare agency or their designee to supervise visits in specified circumstances when an alternate individual has not been approved to supervise visits. Existing law requires social workers to create reports and recommendations to be reviewed by the court as part of a review hearing. This bill would require social workers to specify why the return of the child would be detrimental to the child and, if visitation has not been liberalized, what efforts were put in place to liberalize the parent or legal guardian's visits and why liberalization was contrary to the child's welfare. By increasing the duties of counties, 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 federal law, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, and known as COBRA, requires that certain employers provide former employees with continuation of benefits. COBRA requires that an employee be notified of the continuation of coverage for which the employee may be eligible upon certain qualifying events, including termination. Existing law requires all employers, whether public or private, to provide employees, upon termination, notification of all continuation, disability extension, and conversion coverage options under any employer-sponsored coverage for which the employee may remain eligible. This bill would require all employers, whether public or private, to provide a notice to employees, following termination or reduction in hours, as specified, stating that the employee may be eligible for coverage under COBRA and that the employee will receive an election notice from the plan administrator or group health plan, as provided. The bill would authorize an employer to provide the notification via hard copy or via email to an employee's email account if the employee elects to receive electronic statements or materials, as prescribed. The bill would prohibit an employer from discharging or taking other adverse action against an employee who does not elect to receive electronic statements or materials.

Existing law establishes the Office of Information Security, within the Department of Technology, to, among other things, ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of state systems and applications. Existing law requires the Chief of the Office of Information Security to establish an information security program that includes, among other things, creating, updating, and publishing information security and privacy policies, standards, and procedures for state agencies, and requires state agencies, as described, to certify to the office that the agency is in compliance with those policies, standards, and procedures. Existing law authorizes the office to, among other things, conduct or require to be conducted an independent security assessment of every state agency, department, or office, as specified. This bill would require the office, on or before January 1, 2026, to develop a Baseline Information Security Score metric to estimate the information security status of applicable state agencies, departments, and offices, and would require the metric to utilize readily available information, including, among other things, compliance certifications submitted to the office and results of relevant independent security assessments completed as described above. The bill would also require the office, beginning January 1, 2027, and annually on or before January 1 thereafter, to calculate a Baseline Information Security Score based on the above-described metric for each applicable state agency, department, and office. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Existing law establishes the State Air Resources Board consisting of 14 members with 12 members appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Senate. Existing law provides that, of the 12 members appointed by the Governor, 6 of those members are to be from certain air quality management districts or air pollution control districts, as provided. In addition to the 14 members of the state board, existing law provides that 2 Members of the Legislature serve on the state board as ex officio, nonvoting members of the state board. Existing law provides that members appointed as members from the air districts serve on the state board without compensation. Existing law provides that the elected official members of the state board receive $100 for each day, or a portion of that amount, but not to exceed $1,000 in any month, attending meetings of the state board or its committees, or upon authorization of the state board while on official business of the state board (per diem amount) . Existing law specifies the annual salary of each member of the state board. This bill would repeal the prohibition on compensation of the members of the state board from air districts and would specify that those members are to receive the annual salary provided to other members of the state board. The bill would repeal the per diem amount provided to elected official members of the state board.

Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) with various responsibilities with respect to developing and implementing the state's energy policies. Existing law vests the Energy Commission with the exclusive authority to certify all electrical transmission lines and thermal powerplants, and their sites, in the state, as specified. This bill would require, as part of an application submitted for a permit to install or interconnect a distributed energy resource or an aggregated distributed energy resource, or at the time an aggregated distributed energy resource program is initiated, the applicant or aggregator to provide notice to the Energy Commission that contains specified information about the distributed energy resources, aggregated distributed energy resources, or aggregation program, as provided. The bill would require the commission to share the information in those notices with the Public Utilities Commission, the Independent System Operator, and electrical corporations or local publicly owned electric utilities, as provided.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. The CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. The CEQA exempts certain projects from its requirements, including actions necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency. Existing law prohibits an electrical corporation from beginning the construction of a line, plant, or system, or extensions of those facilities without first having to obtain from the Public Utilities Commission a certificate that the present or future convenience and necessity require or will require the construction. Existing law specifies that the certificate is not required for the extension, expansion, upgrade, or other modification of existing electrical transmission facilities. This bill would, for electrical infrastructure projects, as defined, designate the commission as the lead agency for purposes of the CEQA, would require the commission to prescribe procedures for the preparation of the appropriate environmental review document for those projects, and would specify the manner in which the environmental review for those projects is to be conducted. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2035.

Maddy summaryThis California Assembly resolution encourages the U.S. Congress to pass legislation creating a National Infrastructure Bank to fund critical repairs and upgrades for roads, bridges, dams, and other public works. The bill cites reports from the American Society of Civil Engineers highlighting billions of dollars in investment gaps and poor conditions affecting California's transportation and water systems. It advocates for a financing model that uses existing federal debt rather than new taxes, aiming to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and prioritize projects in disadvantaged communities. The resolution formally requests that federal leaders adopt this approach to address the state's urgent infrastructure needs.

Maddy summaryThis California House Resolution condemns the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump and calls for an end to political violence. The measure highlights the event where Trump was wounded while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and notes that one attendee died and others were injured while trying to protect him. It urges the state to foster a political environment based on respectful discourse and nonviolence. The resolution is a formal statement of the Assembly's stance and does not create new laws or change existing policies.

This measure would recognize the importance of California Native American Day, celebrated this year on September 27, 2024, and the annual California Indian Cultural Awareness Conference, to the enhancement of awareness of California Indian culture.