Asm. Sharon Quirk-Silva

Existing law, referred to as the Density Bonus Law, requires a city or county to provide a developer that proposes a housing development within the city or county with a density bonus and other incentives or concessions, as specified, if the developer agrees to construct specified percentages of units for lower income households or very low income households, and meets other requirements. Existing law, the California Coastal Act of 1976 (act) , regulates development, as defined, in the coastal zone, as defined, and requires a new development to comply with specified requirements. The Density Bonus Law provides that its provisions do not supersede or in any way alter or lessen the effect or application of the act, and requires that any density bonus, concessions, incentives, waivers or reductions of development standards, and parking ratios to which an applicant is entitled under the Density Bonus Law be permitted in a manner consistent with the act. This bill would instead provide that, in the coastal zone, the Density Bonus Law does not relieve a project from the requirement to obtain a coastal development permit, as specified. The bill would require any density bonus, concessions, incentives, waivers or reductions of development standards, and parking ratios to which an applicant is entitled to be permitted in a manner that is consistent with the Density Bonus Law and does not result in significant adverse impacts to coastal resources and public coastal access, as specified. Existing law, the California Coastal Act, requires each local government lying, in whole or in part, within the coastal zone to prepare a local coastal program, as specified. Existing law specifies that a local coastal program is not required to include housing policies and programs. This bill would repeal that provision and instead require, on or by July 1, 2026, any local government in the coastal zone to submit an amendment to the local government's local coastal program that harmonizes the Density Bonus Law and the California Coastal Act, as specified. The bill would require this amendment to be processed as de minimis, as specified, if certain conditions are met. By requiring local governments to submit an amendment to its local coastal program, 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.

The Personal Income Tax Law imposes a tax on individual taxpayers measured by the taxpayer's taxable income for the taxable year, but excludes certain items of income from the computation of tax, including an exclusion for combat-related special compensation. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2034, would exclude from gross income retirement pay received by a taxpayer from the federal government for service performed in the uniformed services, as defined, during the taxable year. The bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2034, would also exclude from gross income annuity payments received by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, pursuant to a United States Department of Defense Survivor Benefit Plan during the taxable year. The bill would make related findings and declarations. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board and the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide any data requested by the Legislative Analyst to write the report, as provided, and would make taxpayer information received by the Legislative Analyst subject to limitation on the collection and use of that information. By expanding the scope of a crime, 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. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law establishes the State Board of Education, and requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the laws of the state, to govern the public elementary and secondary schools of the state. Existing law requires the state board to determine all questions of policy within its powers. Pursuant to these powers, the state board has adopted a policy known as the California English Learner Roadmap State Board of Education Policy: Educational Programs and Services for English Learners, also known as the EL Roadmap Policy, for the stated purpose of assisting the State Department of Education in providing guidance to local educational agencies with respect to educating English learners attending California public schools. Existing law establishes the State Department of Education, under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and assigns the department numerous duties relating to the governance and funding of local educational agencies. This bill would require the state board to, on or before March 15, 2026, develop and adopt a "California English Learner Roadmap: Parent Toolkit" that will be made available to families served by school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that are implementing the EL Roadmap Policy. The bill would require the state board to convene a workgroup to assist in the development of the parent toolkit, as provided. The bill would require the department to develop forms that may be used by parents of English learner pupils to request services from the pupil's teacher or administrator as it relates to the parent toolkit. The bill would establish the English Learner Roadmap Implementation Grant Pilot Program with the goal of locally planning and implementing the EL Roadmap Policy. The bill would require the department, on or before September 1, 2025, to award no more than 8 one-time grants of up to $1,500,000 per grant and no more than 4 one-time grants of up to $750,000 per grant to school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools, as provided. The bill would require the department to, among other things, determine application procedures and selection criteria for grant awards, review applications, identify and determine how data will be collected and shared with the public, and meet quarterly with leaders from the grant recipients for specified purposes. The bill would require grant recipients to submit to the department specified data as it relates to the grant received. The bill would require the department to submit to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a progress report on or before January 31, 2027, and, on or before December 1, 2028, a final report, with specified information about, among other things, the successes and challenges of the grant program, as provided. This bill would make implementation of its provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature, as provided.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Housing and Community Development, upon appropriation, to make loans or grants, or both loans and grants, to rehabilitate, capitalize operating subsidy reserves for, and extend the long-term affordability of department-funded housing projects that have an affordability restriction that has expired, that have an affordability restriction with a remaining term of less than 10 years, or are otherwise at risk of conversion to market-rate housing. This bill would also authorize the department to make those loans and grants to rehabilitate, capitalize operating subsidy reserves for, and extend the long-term affordability of housing projects that qualify as a challenged development. The bill would define "challenged development" for these purposes to mean a development that meets a specified criteria including that the development is at least 15 years old, serves households of very low income or extremely low income, and has insufficient access to private or other public resources to complete substantial rehabilitation, as determined by the department. This bill would require the department to grant priority for these loans and grants to housing projects that are department funded and have an affordability restriction that has expired or have a remaining term of less than 10 years, or are otherwise at risk for conversion.

Existing law, the California Building Standards Law, establishes the California Building Standards Commission (commission) within the Department of General Services and sets forth its powers and duties, including approval and adoption of building standards and codification of those standards into the California Building Standards Code (code) . Existing law requires the commission to publish, or cause to be published, editions of the code in its entirety once every 3 years. Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development (department) in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency and requires the department to submit an annual report to the Governor and both houses of the Legislature on the operations and accomplishments during the previous fiscal year of the housing programs administered by the department. This bill would require the department to convene a working group no later than December 31, 2025, to research and consider identifying and recommending amendments to state building standards allowing residential developments to be built, as specified. The bill would require the department, no later than December 31, 2026, to provide a one-time report of its findings to the Legislature in the annual report described above. The bill, if the report identifies and recommends amendments to building standards, would require the department to research, develop, and consider proposing such standards for adoption by the commission, as specified.

Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of the state highway system, including associated property. Existing law authorizes the department to lease to public agencies or private entities areas above or below state highways, subject to any reservations, restrictions, and conditions that the department deems necessary to ensure adequate protection to the safety and the adequacy of highway facilities and to abutting or adjacent land uses. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, to submit a report to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Transportation with specified information on every airspace site leased by the department, including information about site inspections and each site's proximity to sensitive infrastructure, as specified.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California as the 3 public segments of postsecondary education in the state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes them to provide instruction to students at community college campuses. This bill would establish the Cal-Bridge Program as an intersegmental partnership program between the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California with a mission of creating a pathway that promotes the advancement of California's diverse undergraduate public postsecondary student population majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to pursue STEM doctors of philosophy (PhDs) and become members of California's professorate or leaders in California's technology industry. The bill would specify the goals of the program, including, among other goals, the goal of preparing students to apply to PhD programs in STEM disciplines, particularly University of California STEM PhD programs. The bill would include 3 Cal-Bridge subprograms to provide resources, research opportunities, and financial support to qualifying public postsecondary undergraduate, PhD, and postdoctoral STEM scholars in their pursuit of becoming members of the California's professorate or leaders in California's technology industry. The bill would authorize funding appropriated for purposes of the program to be used for specified activities. The bill would apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California by appropriate resolution make it applicable. The program would be implemented only upon an appropriation by the Legislature for its purposes.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges and the California State University as 2 of the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requests the campuses of the California Community Colleges, and requires the campuses of the California State University, to give priority housing to current and former homeless youth, as specified. This bill would require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the Chancellor of the California State University to establish pilot programs to allow overnight parking by eligible students, as defined, and would require the chancellors, with the participation of student representatives, and, for the community college pilot program, with the additional participation of community college district leaders, to determine a plan of action for implementing the pilot program that includes, among other things, the issuance of an overnight parking permit. This bill would also require an eligible student who participates in the pilot program to be granted access to overnight parking until the student is provided access to a suitable alternative, including, among other things, a hotel voucher through a public agency or community organization. The bill would provide that a campus selected to participate in the pilot program is not civilly liable for a campus employee's good faith act or omission that fails to prevent an injury to a participating student that occurs in, or in close proximity to, and during the hours of operation of, overnight parking, as provided. This bill would require the Chancellor of the California State University to select 5 campuses to participate in the pilot program. The bill would require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to select 20 campuses to participate in the pilot program, as provided. To the extent that the bill would impose new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require campuses that participate in the pilot program to report to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges or the Chancellor of the California State University, as applicable, on or before July 1, 2027, certain information, including, among other information, the socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds of participating students, and would additionally require, on or before January 31, 2028, the chancellors to report to the Legislature and the Governor on the pilot program, as provided. The bill would provide for implementation of the above-described provisions only upon an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2029. 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 requires the State Fire Marshal to classify lands within state responsibility areas into fire hazard severity zones, and, by regulation, designate fire hazard severity zones and assign to each zone a rating reflecting the degree of severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in the zone. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to periodically review designated and rated zones and, as necessary, revise zones or their ratings or repeal the designation of zones. Existing law also requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state that are not state responsibility areas as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas, and to periodically review and make recommendations relative to very high fire hazard severity zones. Existing law requires a local agency, within 30 days after receiving a transmittal from the State Fire Marshal that identifies those fire hazard severity zones, to make the information available for public review and comment, and, within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, to designate, by ordinance transmitted to the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction. This bill would revise and recast the above-described provisions applicable to fire hazard severity zones in state responsibility areas and in areas that are not state responsibility areas. The bill would, as applied to areas in the state that are not state responsibility areas, require the State Fire Marshal, no less than once every 5 years, to both identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones, and review and make recommendations relative to these designations, as provided. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to provide an opportunity, pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, for the public to review and comment on the fire hazard severity zone maps of areas that are not state responsibility areas before the State Fire Marshal submits them to the local agency, and would require a local agency to transmit a copy of its ordinance to the State Fire Marshal instead of the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. The bill would also require the State Fire Marshal, as applied to lands within state responsibility areas, to review the fire hazard severity zone designations at least once every 5 years. This bill would, as applied to both state responsibility areas and lands that are not state responsibility areas, authorize the State Fire Marshal, in periods between the State Fire Marshal's review of areas of the state for recommendations regarding an area's fire hazard severity zone, to confer with entities, including, but not limited to, public agencies, tribes, and nonprofit organizations, on actions that may impact the degree of fire hazard in an area or the area's recommended fire hazard severity zone designation. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to provide a written response to an entity on actions that may impact the degree of fire hazard, and would require this written response to be posted on the State Fire Marshal's internet website. The bill would authorize those entities to provide information to the State Fire Marshal on actions the entity has taken or plans to take before the next review that may impact the degree of fire hazard in an area or the area's fire hazard severity zone designation. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to consider this information in the next review, and would require any documentation provided to the State Fire Marshal to be posted on the State Fire Marshal's internet website. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to require a regulatory fee from an entity to cover the State Fire Marshal's costs associated with these processes. Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to adopt regulations implementing minimum fire safety standards related to defensible space, as provided. Under existing law, these regulations apply to the perimeters and access to all residential, commercial, and industrial building construction within state responsibility areas approved after January 1, 1991, and within lands classified and designated as very high fire hazard severity zones, that are not within state responsibility areas, after July 1, 2021, as provided. Existing law requires the board, on and after July 1, 2021, to periodically update regulations for fuel breaks and greenbelts near communities, as provided. This bill would, among other things, instead require the State Fire Marshal to adopt or amend regulations implementing the above-described minimum fire safety standards, as provided, applicable only to new building permits, or to parcel or tentative maps or other developments approved after the effective date of the regulations, as provided. The bill would also require the State Fire Marshal to periodically update regulations for fuel breaks and greenbelts near communities, as provided. The bill would provide that the above-described regulations adopted by the board before January 1, 2025, shall remain valid and in effect after that date, and would authorize the State Fire Marshal to amend the board's regulations and adopt new regulations after January 1, 2025, as provided. Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, on or before July 1, 2022, to develop criteria for and maintain a "Fire Risk Reduction Community" list of local agencies located in state responsibility areas, or a very high fire hazard severity zone that is not in a state responsibility area, that meet best practices for local fire planning, as provided. This bill would, among other things, instead require the State Fire Marshal to develop the above-described criteria for and maintain the above-described "Fire Risk Reduction Community" list of local agencies, as provided. The bill would provide that the above-described criteria adopted by the board before January 1, 2025, shall remain valid and in effect after that date, and would authorize the State Fire Marshal to amend the board's criteria and adopt new criteria after January 1, 2025. The bill would also require the State Fire Marshal to develop criteria for and maintain a "Fire Risk Reduction Community" list for neighborhoods or communities, not including public agencies, located in a state responsibility area or a very high fire hazard severity zone, that meet best practices for reducing wildfire risk, as provided. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to post both of these lists on its internet website. Existing law requires a person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in, upon, or adjoining a mountainous area, forest-covered lands, shrub-covered lands, grass-covered lands, or land that is covered with flammable material to maintain a defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, as specified. Existing law also requires a person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains an occupied dwelling or occupied structure in, upon, or adjoining a mountainous area, forest-covered land, shrub-covered land, grass-covered land, or land that is covered with flammable material, which area or land is within a very high fire hazard severity zone designated by the local agency, to maintain a defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, as specified. A violation of either of these requirements is a crime. Existing law requires the persons described above to use more intense fuel reductions between 5 and 30 feet around the structure, and to create an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of the structure, based on regulations promulgated by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, as provided. Existing law requires the board, in consultation with the State Fire Marshal, to develop, periodically update, and post on its internet website a guidance document on fuels management, as provided. This bill would revise and recast these provisions by, among other things, instead requiring the State Fire Marshal to promulgate the regulations, as provided, related to fuel reductions between 5 and 30 feet around the structure and the creation of an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of the structure. The bill would provide that the above-described regulations promulgated by the board before January 1, 2025, shall remain valid and in effect after that date, and would authorize the State Fire Marshal to amend the board's regulations and adopt new regulations after January 1, 2025, as provided. The bill would instead require the State Fire Marshal to develop, periodically update, and post on its internet website the above-described guidance documents on fuels management, and to develop guidance documents with suggestions for creating an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of a structure, as provided. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal or the local agency having jurisdiction over the property to provide notice to affected residents describing specified components of the above-referenced defensible space requirements before imposing penalties for a violation of these requirements, as provided. Under existing law, the requirements for an ember-resistant zone, as provided, do not take effect for new structures until the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection updates the applicable regulations and the guidance documents, as provided, and does not take effect for existing structures until one year after the effective date for the new structures. This bill would eliminate the State Fire Marshal's above-described duty to make reasonable efforts to provide notice to affected residents, as provided. The bill would provide that the above-described requirements for an ember-resistant zone do not take effect for new structures until (1) either the board updates the regulations and guidance documents, if updated before January 1, 2025, or (2) the State Fire Marshal updates the regulations and guidance documents, if after January 1, 2025. Existing law defines a person, for the above-described defensible space requirements applicable to a person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in, upon, or adjoining a mountainous area, forest-covered lands, shrub-covered lands, grass-covered lands, or land that is covered with flammable material, as a private individual, organization, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation. This bill would expand that definition of a person to also include a public agency. By imposing new requirements on local agencies, and because a violation of the requirements would be a crime or expand the scope of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would also make conforming changes. 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1) Existing law establishes various programs, including, among others, the Emergency Housing and Assistance Program and the homeless youth emergency service pilot projects to provide assistance to homeless persons. This bill would, upon appropriation of the Legislature, establish the California Housing Security Program to provide counties with funding to administer a housing subsidy to eligible persons, as specified, to reduce housing insecurity and help Californians meet their basic housing needs. To create the program, the bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development, by January 1, 2026, to establish a 2-year pilot program, as specified, and to issue suggested guidelines to establish the program that include, among other things, criteria for program eligibility. The bill would specify that the subsidy would not be considered income for purposes of determining eligibility or benefits for any other public assistance program, nor would participation in other benefits exclude a person from eligibility for the subsidy. Under the bill, an undocumented person, as specified, who otherwise qualifies for the subsidy would be eligible for the subsidy. The bill would require the department, by January 1, 2026, to also provide each county selected to participate in the pilot program with a specified amount of funding for purposes of administering the housing subsidies. The bill would require, by July 1, 2026, a county participating in the pilot program, in consultation with specified entities, to perform prescribed duties, including reviewing the department's suggested guidelines and developing final guidelines to administer the housing subsidies based on the needs of the county. The bill would require participating counties, by January 1, 2027, to administer housing subsidies through the county and 2 or more grantees that are selected by the county to eligible persons, subject to specified requirements, including that the county is required to consider the final guidelines described above in selecting the grantees. The bill would provide that any resident of a county participating in the pilot program who meets specified eligibility requirements is eligible to apply for housing subsidies from the county or at least one of the selected grantees. Among other things, the bill would require a participating county to enter into a written agreement with the department to use program funds in a manner consistent with the bill's provisions, as specified, and would prohibit the department from providing program funds to a county that refuses or otherwise does not agree to use the funds in that manner. The bill would specify that a county is solely responsible for complying with the bill's provisions. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. (2) Existing law requires the department, on or before December 31 of each year, to submit an annual report to the Governor and both houses of the Legislature on the operations and accomplishments during the previous fiscal year of the housing programs administered by the department, as described, that includes specified information, including the number of individuals and households served and their income levels. The bill would additionally require the department, beginning January 1, 2028, and for the duration of the California Housing Security Program, to include specified programmatic performance metrics for the California Housing Security Program funds within that annual report. (3) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange.