This measure would proclaim California as a Purple Heart State, honoring the service and sacrifices of our nation's men and women in uniform wounded or killed by the enemy while serving to protect the freedoms enjoyed by all Americans.
Existing law requires the Attorney General, upon receipt of a draft of a petition for a proposed initiative or referendum, to prepare a title and summary of the proposed measure. Under existing law, the Attorney General is required to determine the effect of a proposed initiative measure on revenues and expenditures of the state or local government. If the Attorney General determines that a proposed measure would affect state or local revenues or expenditures, he or she must include in the title either the estimate of the amount of change in state or local revenues or costs or an opinion as to whether a substantial net change in state or local finances would result if the proposed initiative is adopted. Existing law requires the Department of Finance and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to prepare jointly the fiscal estimate that may be included in the title. Existing law imposes specified deadlines on the preparation of a title and summary, and a fiscal estimate. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst, instead of the Attorney General, to prepare the ballot title and summary for all measures submitted to the voters of the state and would require the Legislative Analyst, instead of the Department of Finance and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, to prepare any fiscal estimate or opinion required by a proposed initiative measure. The bill would also change the deadlines applicable to the preparation of a title and summary and a fiscal estimate or opinion. The bill would impose specified requirements with respect to the ballot materials required to be prepared by the Legislative Analyst. The bill would require a court, in determining whether to issue a peremptory writ of mandate regarding a ballot title and summary, ballot label, or other ballot materials prepared by the Legislative Analyst, to not give deference to the Legislative Analyst, but rather to be guided by its duty to protect the interest of the voters to accurate, fair, impartial, and understandable ballot materials. The bill would repeal a provision of law requiring an argument against a measure submitted to the voters by the Legislature to be drafted by a Member of the Legislature and included within the ballot pamphlet, and would grant priority for placement within the ballot pamphlet to an argument against the measure submitted by a voter or group of voters. The bill would make its operation contingent upon the approval by the voters of SCA 19 of the 2011–12 Regular Session, as provided.
The California Constitution provides that the electors may propose a statute or an amendment to the California Constitution by initiative and approve or reject a statute by referendum. An initiative measure may be proposed by presenting to the Secretary of State a petition that sets forth the text of the proposed statute or amendment to the Constitution, and is certified to have been signed by the required number of electors, as prescribed. A referendum measure may be proposed by presenting to the Secretary of State a petition that sets forth the statute or part of the statute to be submitted to the electors, and is certified to have been signed by the required number of electors. Prior to the circulation of an initiative or referendum petition for signatures, the California Constitution requires that a copy of the petition be submitted to the Attorney General, who must prepare a title and summary of the measure. Existing statutory law also directs the Attorney General to prepare the ballot label, and the ballot title and summary that is included in the ballot pamphlet, for each measure that appears on a statewide ballot. This measure would require that an initiative or referendum petition be submitted to the Legislative Analyst instead of the Attorney General, and would transfer from the Attorney General to the Legislative Analyst the duty of preparing the title and summary for an initiative or referendum that is to be circulated. The measure would also require, for each measure that appears on a statewide ballot, that the Legislative Analyst prepare the ballot label, and the ballot title and summary for the ballot pamphlet.
Existing law provides for unemployment compensation benefits to eligible persons who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Existing law also provides that, insofar as federal law requires that state unemployment insurance law contains such a provision of certification, the amount of unemployment compensation benefits, extended duration benefits, and federal-state extended benefits payable to an individual in a period with respect to which that individual is receiving a governmental or other pension, retirement or retired pay, annuity, or any other similar periodic payment shall be reduced by an amount equal to the amount of the pension, retirement or retired pay, annuity, or other payment reasonably attributable to that week, as specified. This bill would provide that the amount of unemployment compensation benefits, extended duration benefits, and federal-state extended benefits payable to an individual for any week which begins after January 1, 2013, in a period with respect to which that individual is receiving a governmental pension, retirement or retired pay, annuity, or any other similar periodic payment, and which is based on the previous work of the individual, shall be reduced by an amount equal to the amount of the pension, retirement or retired pay, annuity, or other payment, which is reasonably attributable to that week, without a requirement from federal law, as specified.
This measure would proclaim April 15 through April 22, 2012, as California Holocaust Memorial Week and would urge Californians to observe these days of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust in an appropriate manner.
Article XVI of the California Constitution requires a general obligation bond act to specify the single object or work to be funded by the bonds, and further requires a bond act to be approved by a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and by a majority of the voters. Article XVI authorizes the Legislature, at any time after the approval of a general obligation bond act by the voters, to reduce the amount of the indebtedness authorized by the act to an amount not less than the amount contracted at the time of the reduction or to repeal the act if no debt has been contracted. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, approved by the voters as Proposition 1A at the November 4, 2008, statewide general election, provides for the issuance of $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for high-speed rail and related rail purposes. Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties related to the development and implementation of a high-speed train system. This bill would provide that no further bonds shall be sold for high-speed rail and related rail purposes pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century. The bill would amend the bond act to authorize redirection of the net proceeds received from outstanding bonds issued and sold prior to the effective date of this act, upon appropriation by the Legislature, from those high-speed rail purposes to retiring the debt incurred from the issuance and sale of those outstanding bonds. This bill would provide that, pursuant to Article XVI of the California Constitution, these provisions shall become effective only upon approval by the voters at the next statewide general election. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
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 judicial review procedures for challenging a lead agency action on the ground of noncompliance with CEQA. This bill would require a judicial proceeding challenging a project, except for a high-speed rail project, located in a distressed county, as defined, to be filed with the Court of Appeal with geographic jurisdiction over the project.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow a credit against those taxes for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2012, in an amount equal to 10% of the loss of income, as defined, not to exceed $300 if single and $600 if married, subject to certain limitations. This bill would allow the credit only if the loss of income is not the result of a dismissal or termination for cause or the result of a finding of guilt in a criminal proceeding or a pending criminal investigation. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
This measure would respectfully request Congress and the Department of Defense to remain committed to maintaining the 144th Fighter Wing and the Aerospace Control Alert mission in California in order to prevent any negative impacts to Southwest air defense operations, the California economy, and the ability of first responders to protect the residents of this state.
