This measure would designate the week of June 23, 2024, to June 29, 2024, inclusive, and every third week of June thereafter, as Roadside Assistance Worker Appreciation Week.
(1) Existing law divides theft into grand theft and petty theft. Existing law punishes petty theft as a misdemeanor while grand theft is punished as either a misdemeanor or a felony. Existing law lists specific types of theft which are grand theft and all other cases of theft as petty theft. Existing law authorizes a person to be charged with grand theft if the property taken exceeds $950 over the course of distinct but related acts. This bill would clarify that those related acts include acts committed against multiple victims or in counties other than the county of the current offense. The bill would also clarify that evidence that distinct acts are motivated by one intention, one general impulse, and one plan may include, but is not limited to, evidence that the acts involve the same defendant or defendants, are substantially similar in nature, or occur within a 90-day period. (2) Existing law prohibits the possession or receipt of stolen property, as specified. A violation of this prohibition is punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the value of the property and whether the offender has certain prior convictions. This bill would make it a crime for any person to possess property unlawfully that was acquired through one or more acts of shoplifting, theft, or burglary from a retail business, if the property is not possessed for personal use and the person has intent to sell, exchange, or return the merchandise for value, or the intent to act in concert with one or more persons to sell, exchange, or return the merchandise for value, and the value of the possessed property exceeds $950. The bill would, for the purpose of determining the value of the property, aggregate the property with any other property possessed by the person with that intent within the prior 2 years and with any property possessed by another person acting in concert with the first person to sell, exchange, or return the merchandise for value, if that property was also acquired unlawfully. The bill would make this crime punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law prohibits shoplifting, defined as entering a commercial establishment with intent to commit theft while that establishment is open during regular business hours, where the value of the property that is taken or intended to be taken does not exceed $950. Existing law requires an act that falls within this definition to be charged as shoplifting and not as burglary or theft. Under existing law, shoplifting is punishable as a misdemeanor, except when the defendant has prior convictions, as specified. Existing law authorizes a peace officer to make a warrantless arrest for a misdemeanor when the officer has probable cause to believe the person to be arrested has committed the misdemeanor in the officer's presence. Existing law also authorizes a private person to make an arrest for a misdemeanor committed in their presence, and requires the person to deliver the arrested person to a peace officer or magistrate. Existing law additionally authorizes a merchant to detain a person for a reasonable time and in a reasonable manner to determine if a person has unlawfully taken merchandise. Existing law authorizes a peace officer to make a warrantless arrest for specified misdemeanors relating to domestic violence, violation of a restraining order, and carrying a concealed firearm at an airport that did not occur in the officer's presence. This bill would authorize a peace officer to make a warrantless arrest for a misdemeanor shoplifting offense not committed in the officer's presence if the officer has probable cause to believe that person has committed shoplifting, as specified. The bill would clarify that local law enforcement or a local jurisdiction is prohibited from bringing a nuisance action against a business solely for the act of reporting retail crime, unless the report is knowingly false. (4) Existing law requires a peace officer to release upon a signed promise to appear any person arrested for a misdemeanor, unless the person demands to be taken before a magistrate. Existing law provides certain reasons a person arrested for a misdemeanor shall not be released including that the person is intoxicated or in need of medical attention, the person is unable to provide satisfactory proof of identification, or there are outstanding arrest warrants for the person. Additionally, existing law exempts from this provision persons arrested for specified crimes including domestic violence, stalking, threatening a witness, and, until January 1, 2026, organized retail theft. This bill would extend that exemption for organized retail theft until January 1, 2031. (5) Existing law, until January 1, 2026, authorizes a city or county prosecuting authority or county probation department to create a diversion or deferred entry of judgment program for persons who commit a theft offense or repeat theft offenses, as specified. This bill would extend that authorization until January 1, 2031. (6) Existing law authorizes the court to suspend a criminal sentence and make and enforce terms of probation for a period not to exceed 2 years, and in misdemeanor cases, for a period not to exceed one year. Existing law authorizes the court to make and enforce the terms of probation for specified theft cases for a period not to exceed 3 years. This bill would, for an offense of shoplifting or petty theft, authorize the court to make and enforce the terms of probation for a period not to exceed 2 years. The bill would require a court that imposes a term longer than one year to consider referring the defendant to a collaborative court or rehabilitation program that is relevant to the underlying factor or factors that led to the commission of the offense, as specified. For a defendant under 25 years of age, the bill would require the court, to the extent such a program is available, to refer the defendant to a program modeled on healing-centered, restorative, trauma-informed, and positive youth development approaches that is provided in collaboration with community-based organizations. By increasing the period of probation, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (7) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law prohibits the theft of merchandise from a retail establishment. Existing law authorizes a court, upon sentencing a person for specified offenses, including stalking and elder abuse, to issue a criminal protective order prohibiting the person from contacting any victim of their offense. This bill would authorize a court, when sentencing a person for an offense involving theft from a retail establishment, vandalism of a retail establishment, or battery of an employee of a retail establishment, to issue a criminal protective order prohibiting a person from entering the retail establishment, including any parking lots and including other franchise or chain locations of the retail establishment, as specified. The bill would also authorize a prosecuting attorney, city attorney, county counsel, or attorney representing a retail establishment to file a petition for the issuance of a criminal protective order of this type against a person who has been arrested, including, but not limited to, the issuance of a citation in lieu of a custodial arrest, 2 or more times for any of the offenses at the same retail establishment, as specified. The bill would also make conforming changes. The bill would make a violation of these orders punishable as a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires a person arrested for a misdemeanor to be issued a written notice to appear and to be released upon their signed promise to appear, except as otherwise provided. This bill would exempt a violation of a retail establishment restraining order from that requirement. 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 law defines types of theft, including petty theft, grand theft, and shoplifting. Existing law also defines the crimes of robbery and burglary. Existing law sets forth specific rules relating to the jurisdiction for the prosecution of theft by fraud, organized retail theft, and receiving stolen property, including that the jurisdiction for prosecution includes the county where an offense involving the theft or receipt of the stolen merchandise occurred, the county in which the merchandise was recovered, or the county where any act was done by the defendant in instigating, procuring, promoting, or aiding or abetting in the commission of a theft offense or other qualifying offense. Existing law jurisdictionally limits prosecution of each of the above to criminal actions brought by the Attorney General. This bill would no longer limit the jurisdictional rules for the above crimes to criminal actions brought by the Attorney General. If a case is brought by someone other than the Attorney General and multiple offenses are committed by the same defendant in multiple jurisdictions, the bill would allow a criminal action to be brought in any of those jurisdictions subject to a hearing on consolidation of the offenses, as specified. The bill would require the prosecution to present written evidence at the hearing that all district attorneys in counties with jurisdiction over the offenses agree to the venue. The bill would require charged offenses from jurisdictions where there is not a written agreement from the district attorney to be returned to that jurisdiction.
Existing law, the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, authorizes the involuntary commitment and treatment of persons with specified mental disorders. Under the act, when a person, as a result of a mental health disorder, is a danger to self or others, or gravely disabled, the person may, upon probable cause, be taken into custody by specified individuals, including, among others, by peace officers and designated members of a mobile crisis team, and placed in a facility designated by the county and approved by the State Department of Health Care Services for up to 72 hours for evaluation and treatment. This bill would additionally authorize, until January 1, 2030, a person to be taken into custody, pursuant to those provisions, by a licensed mental health professional, as defined. The bill would require a licensed mental health professional who is not direct staff of, or contracted by, a county to complete a specified training prior to exercising that authority and would prohibit those licensed mental health professionals from transporting a person taken into custody pursuant to the above-described provisions unless specifically authorized by the county to do so. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to collect and publish annually quantitative information concerning the operation of various provisions relating to community mental health services, including the number of persons admitted for evaluation and treatment for certain periods, transferred to mental health facilities, and for whom certain conservatorships are established, as specified. Existing law requires each county behavioral health director, each designated and approved facility, and each other entity, as specified, to provide accurate and complete data as prescribed by the department. This bill would require county behavioral health directors to provide, and would require the State Department of Health Care Services to collect and publish, additional information, including, among other things, the number of individuals designated by each county to perform specified functions, their profession, and the number of holds initiated per profession, as specified. The bill would require each law enforcement agency to provide accurate and complete data to the department regarding the number of holds initiated by a peace officer. By increasing the duties on county behavioral health directors and law enforcement agencies, 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law establishes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, known as "GO-Biz," within the Governor's office to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. Existing law establishes, within GO-Biz, the Energy Unit to accelerate the planning, financing, and execution of critical energy infrastructure projects that are necessary for the state to reach its climate, energy, and sustainability policy goals, including by identifying barriers, making recommendations, creating a working group, coordinating between the state's climate and energy agencies, and cooperating with local, regional, federal, and California public and private businesses and investors. Existing law requires the Energy Unit to submit a report to the Legislature on its activities on or before February 1 of each year, as specified. This bill would require the Energy Unit to identify, among other things, nonratepayer-funded energy industry resources, including grants, tax credits, loans, and technical assistance, across local, state, and federal departments and agencies that are available to assist businesses and workers in the transition to a net-zero-powered economy. The bill would require the Energy Unit to work with specified agencies to identify workforce development programs specific to the energy industry and gather data on how education and outreach is conducted to disadvantaged communities, as defined. The bill would also require the Energy Unit, in collaboration with the Small Business Advocate, to identify the participation levels in those energy industry resources by businesses owned by women, minorities, disabled individuals, and veteran-owned businesses, as well as individuals from disadvantaged communities. This bill would require the Energy Unit to hold at least 3 public workshops and engage with stakeholders and specified representatives to develop recommendations on addressing barriers to access to those energy industry resources faced by business-owner groups and individuals who live in disadvantaged communities and how to increase their participation levels to the extent that there are disparities, as specified. The bill would also require the Energy Unit to convene a technical advisory group for related purposes, as specified. The bill would require the Energy Unit to include those findings and recommendations and other related information in its annual report to the Legislature. The bill would also make related legislative findings and declarations.
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 imposes certain requirements on grocery employers, as defined, upon the purchase or change in control of a grocery establishment, including requiring a successor grocery employer to retain eligible grocery workers for a specified period after transfer of the grocery establishment. This bill would prohibit a grocery retail store or a retail drug establishment, as those terms are defined, from providing a self-service checkout option for customers unless specified conditions are satisfied, including having no more than 2 self-service checkout stations monitored by any one employee and requiring the employee to be relieved of all other duties. The bill would require a grocery retail store or retail drug establishment that offers self-service checkout to include self-service checkout in the employer's illness and prevention program, as required by Division of Occupational Safety and Health regulations. The bill would require a grocery retail store or retail drug establishment that intends to implement consequential workplace technology, as defined, to notify workers, their collective bargaining representatives, and the public at least 60 days in advance of the implementation of the technology with a general description of the technology and the intended purpose of the technology, as specified. This bill would establish remedies and penalties for a violation of the bill's provisions, including a civil penalty of $100 for each day in violation, not to exceed an aggregate penalty of $10,000.
Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to establish a food assistance program, known as the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) , to provide assistance to a noncitizen of the United States if the person's immigration status meets the eligibility criteria of SNAP in effect on August 21, 1996, but the person is not eligible for SNAP benefits solely due to their immigration status, as specified. Existing law also makes eligible for the program an applicant who is otherwise eligible for the program, but who entered the United States on or after August 22, 1996, if the applicant is sponsored and the applicant meets one of a list of criteria, including that the applicant, after entry into the United States, is a victim of the sponsor or the spouse of the sponsor if the spouse is living with the sponsor. Existing law, to become operative on the date that the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System (SAWS) has been updated to perform the necessary automation, and subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, makes an individual 55 years of age or older eligible for the program if the individual's immigration status is the sole basis for their ineligibility for CalFresh benefits. This bill would delete the above-described contingency and, commencing on October 1, 2027, remove that age limitation and make any individual eligible for the program if the individual's immigration status is the sole basis for their ineligibility for CalFresh benefits. By extending eligibility for CFAP, which is administered by the 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law provides for the California Health and Human Services Agency, which includes the State Department of Social Services. Under existing law, the California Health and Human Services Agency is under the direction of an executive officer known as the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, who is appointed by, and holds office at the pleasure of, the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. This bill would create, within the State Department of Social Services, a Food Insecurity Officer, to be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Governor. The Food Insecurity Officer would be required to report to the Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, of the California Health and Human Services Agency. The bill would require the Food Insecurity Officer to coordinate and address food insecurity throughout state government operations and would authorize the Food Insecurity Officer to engage with state entities for these purposes, as specified. The bill would include among the Food Insecurity Officer's duties advancing the benefit adequacy and enrollment rates of the CalFresh and California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) , as specified. The bill would require the Food Insecurity Officer to consult with relevant state entities and stakeholders with expertise in food insecurity and related best practices in carrying out their duties. The bill would also require the Food Insecurity Officer, beginning January 1, 2026, to submit an annual report to the relevant policy and budget committees of the Legislature that includes, among other things, data on food insecurity, CalFresh and CFAP enrollment rates, and budgetary and policy recommendations, as specified.
