The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to grant a reprieve, pardon, or commutation after sentence has been entered, except as specified. This measure would prohibit the Governor from granting a pardon or commutation to specified relatives.
Existing law, the California Coastal Act of 1976, provides for the regulation of development of certain lands within the coastal zone, as defined. Under the act, the California Coastal Commission generally has primary responsibility for the implementation of the act and is designated as the state coastal zone planning and management agency for any and all purposes, and is authorized to exercise any and all powers set forth in the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 or any other federal act that relates to the planning or management of the coastal zone. Existing federal law requires federal agency activity within or outside the coastal zone that affects any land or water use or natural resource of the coastal zone to be carried out in a manner that is consistent to the maximum extent practicable with the enforceable policies of approved state management programs, as defined. Existing federal law requires a consistency determination to contain specified information and outlines the process that follows a state agency objection to a federal agency's consistency determination. This bill would deem the commission's objection to concurrence on Consistency Determination CD-0007-24 null and void. The bill would deem the activities at Vandenberg Space Force Base, outlined by Consistency Determination CD-0007-24, consistent with the objectives of the California Coastal Act of 1976. The bill would provide that it shall act as a concurrence regarding consistency with the California Coastal Act of 1976. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for Vandenberg Space Force Base. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. Pursuant to the act, the state board has adopted the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard regulations. This bill would void specified amendments to the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard regulations adopted by the state board on November 8, 2024.
Existing federal law provides for the Medicare Program, which is a public health insurance program for persons 65 years of age and older and specified persons with disabilities who are under 65 years of age. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and 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. The federal Medicaid program prohibits payment to a state for medical assistance furnished to an alien who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law. Existing state law extends Medi-Cal eligibility for the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits to an individual who does not have satisfactory immigrant status if they are otherwise eligible for those benefits, as specified. This bill would create the Serving Our Seniors Fund, would make an individual who does not have satisfactory immigrant status ineligible for Medi-Cal benefits, and would transfer funds previously appropriated for the provision of Medi-Cal benefits to those individuals to that fund. The bill would appropriate the moneys in that fund to the State Department of Health Care Services to restore and maintain payments for Medicare Part B premiums for eligible individuals. By making the moneys available without regard to fiscal years, the bill would create a continuous appropriation.
Existing law, for purposes of unemployment insurance provisions, requires employers to make contributions with respect to unemployment insurance and disability insurance from the wages paid to their employees. Existing law establishes, within the state disability insurance program administered by the Employment Development Department, a family temporary disability insurance program, also known as the paid family leave program, for the provision of wage replacement benefits to workers who take time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a minor child within one year of birth or placement, as specified. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office, on or before January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature that evaluates the quality of services provided by the department to the public with regard to unemployment and disability insurance. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2031.
Existing law requires the driver of a motor vehicle who is involved in an accident that results in damage to the property of a person in excess of $1,000, or in death or bodily injury, to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days after the accident, as specified. A violation of these provisions is punishable as an infraction. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.
Existing law establishes the Multifamily Housing Program administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development. Existing law requires that specified funds appropriated to provide housing for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness and who are inherently impacted by or at increased risk for medical diseases or conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other communicable diseases be disbursed in accordance with the Multifamily Housing Program for specified uses. This disbursement program is referred to as Homekey. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to conduct an evaluation of the Homekey disbursement program described above to review the effectiveness of the program in relation to sustaining people experiencing homelessness, including, among other things, the number of housing units and projects funded since the program's inception, and the timeliness of the allocation of program funds provided to localities participating in the program, including, among other things, the average time between application submission and fund disbursement. The bill would require the office, on or before July 1, 2027, to submit a report to the Legislature, subject to specified requirements, with the results of the above-described evaluation described that includes policy recommendations to address any issues identified during the evaluation. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2031, pursuant to specified provisions.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years. This bill would require the state board to include greenhouse gas emissions from wildlands and forest fires in the scoping plan.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations by boards and other entities within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law establishes procedures for removing from office a member of a board or other licensing entity in the department based on certain conduct by that member. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
Former law, until July 1, 2023, established the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, with a Special Consideration for African Americans Who are Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States. Former law required the task force to, among other things, identify, compile, and synthesize the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and the colonies, as specified, and to recommend the form of compensation that should be awarded, the instrumentalities through which it should be awarded, and who should be eligible for this compensation. This bill would establish the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency as an agency within state government, to be headed by a secretary who is appointed by the Governor and subject to Senate confirmation, and would make conforming changes. The bill would specify that the purpose of the agency is to verify a resident's status as an American Freedman, as defined, and create and maintain an accurate database registry of American Freedmen residents. This bill would require the agency to, upon appropriation by the Legislature, implement the provisions of this bill, including establishing, by July 1, 2027, the American Freedmen Genealogy Office within the agency to verify a resident's status as an American Freedmen and establishing the Office of Freedmen Legal Affairs to conduct and manage its legal affairs. The bill would require the secretary, with the assistance of agency staff, to, among other things, develop a mission statement and strategic plan for the agency, and a matrix and metrics of success for the offices of the agency. The bill would require the secretary, commencing on January 1, 2029, to report to the Legislature on a triennial basis on successes and challenges in meeting its goals. This bill would require the Senate and Assembly to annually conduct hearings to review agency performance, investigate issues, and ensure agency accountability. The bill would require the secretary to appear at those hearings. The bill would require, commencing January 1, 2028, and every 3 years thereafter, the agency to submit a report to the Legislature on its activities and performance. The bill would also require, commencing January 1, 2029, and every 5 years thereafter, through the California State Auditor, the Legislature to request performance and financial audits of the agency and make recommendations for improvement or corrective legislation. This bill would prohibit personal information of American Freedmen residents obtained under this act from being shared outside the agency, except as necessary to fulfill the agency's purpose. The bill would also require interagency sharing of personal information about American Freedmen residents to be limited to demographics only, except as necessary to fulfill the agency's purposes. The bill would prohibit the agency from using any agency resources, including, but not limited to, agency funds, personnel, and infrastructure, to directly or indirectly participate or assist in law enforcement activity. Existing law prohibits a state agency, with certain exceptions, from employing any in-house counsel to act on behalf of the state agency or its employees in any judicial or administrative adjudicative proceeding in which the agency is interested, or is a party as a result of office or official duties, or contracting with outside counsel for any purpose. This bill would exempt the agency from those prohibitions. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
