Rep. Beth Gaines

This measure would recognize the month of November 2011 as Native American Heritage Month, would encourage Californians to participate in appropriate observances that celebrate and commemorate Native Americans, and would applaud and encourage the observance of California Indian nations for their outstanding contributions to this state.

(1) 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 (EIR) 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. 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. CEQA establishes administrative procedures for the review and certification of the EIR for a project and judicial review procedures for any action or proceeding brought to challenge the lead agency's decision to certify the EIR or to grant project approvals. This bill would establish specified administrative and judicial review procedures for the administrative and judicial review of the EIR and approvals granted for a project related to the development of a specified stadium in the City of Los Angeles. Because the lead agency would be required to use these alternative procedures for administrative review of the EIR if the project applicant so chooses, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the lead agency and applicant to implement specified measures, as a condition of approval of the project, to minimize traffic congestion and air quality impacts that may result from spectators driving to the stadium. (2) 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. (3) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the development of a stadium in the City of Los Angeles.

Existing law establishes in the California Environmental Protection Agency the State Air Resources Board, which is responsible for control of emissions from motor vehicles and is designated the air pollution control agency for all purposes set forth in federal law. Existing law requires the state board to consist of 11 members appointed based on certain qualifications. This bill, until January 1, 2017, would require one appointed member of the state board to be an owner within the past 5 years of a small business, as defined. The bill would also make various technical, nonsubstantive changes. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 39510 of the Health and Safety Code, proposed by AB 146, to be operative only if AB 146 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective January 1, 2012, and this bill is chaptered last.

This measure would designate the month of September of every year as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month throughout the State of California, and would encourage and promote efforts to educate the people and the health care practitioners of the state regarding ovarian cancer and its early detection and prevention, the risk factors involved in its development, and the early warning symptoms and signs.

Existing law provides certain protections for members of the National Guard ordered into active state service by the Governor or active federal service by the President of the United States for emergency purposes, and for reservists called to active duty, as specified, including requiring that specified institutions that grant a student a military leave of absence make arrangements to reasonably accommodate and assist the student in meeting coursework requirements missed due to military service, credit the student's tuition and fee charges toward a subsequent academic term, or grant a refund of tuition and fees paid by the student for the academic term provided the student withdraws from the institution by a specified date, at the student's election. This bill would revise the conditions for a tuition and fees refund to remove the requirement of the student's withdrawal by a specified date. The bill would also require any refund toward an academic term to equal 100% of the tuition and fees paid to the institution for the academic term in which the student was required to report for military service, regardless of whether the student was called to military service before the academic term had commenced or after the academic term had commenced.

This measure would designate a specified location on State Highway Route 1 in the City of Guadalupe in Santa Barbara County as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.

(1) Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, on or before September 1, 2011, to adopt emergency regulations to establish a fire prevention fee in an amount not to exceed $150 to be charged on each structure on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, as defined, and requires that the fire prevention fee be adjusted annually using prescribed methods. Existing law requires the State Board of Equalization to collect the fire prevention fees, as prescribed, commencing with the 2011–12 fiscal year. Existing law establishes the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and prohibits the collections of fire prevention fees if, commencing with the 2012–13 fiscal year, there are sufficient amounts of moneys in the fund to finance specified fire prevention activities for a fiscal year. Existing law requires that the fire prevention fees collected, except as provided, be deposited into the fund and be made available, to the board and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for certain specified fire protection activities that benefit the owners of structures in state responsibility areas who are required to pay the fee. Existing law further requires the board, on and after January 1, 2013, to submit an annual written report to the Legislature on specified topics. This bill would repeal the above provisions relating to the fire prevention fees. (2) The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. Governor Schwarzenegger issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 6, 2010. Governor Brown issued a proclamation on January 20, 2011, declaring and reaffirming that a fiscal emergency exists and stating that his proclamation supersedes the earlier proclamation for purposes of that constitutional provision. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared and reaffirmed by the Governor by proclamation issued on January 20, 2011, pursuant to the California Constitution.

This measure would proclaim October 22 to October 30, 2011, as including Red Ribbon Week, and would encourage all Californians to help build drug-free communities and participate in drug prevention activities.

This measure would recognize the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks as a day of solemn commemoration.

Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to establish recommended minimum standards for fire protection personnel at all career levels. Under existing law, the Training Regulations of the State Fire Marshal establish minimum standards for statewide training and certification systems for the California fire service. Existing law allows a state agency or an agency of a political subdivision within the state to elect to be subject to those standards or to petition for an alternative to those training and certification standards. This bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to accept certification by the United States Department of Defense as a firefighter, as specified, as an alternative for the fire protection personnel training and certification standards for the position of Firefighter I established by the State Fire Marshal.