This measure would declare May 23, 2012, as the 24th Annual State Scientist Day, as a tribute to the dedication and professionalism of the state scientists who work on behalf of all the residents of California.
(1) The Enterprise Zone Act provides for the designation and oversight by the Department of Housing and Community Development of various types of economic development areas throughout the state, including enterprise zones, targeted tax areas, local agency military base recovery areas (LAMBRAs) , and manufacturing enhancement areas, collectively known as geographically targeted economic development areas, or G-TEDAs. Pursuant to these provisions, qualifying entities in those areas may receive certain tax and regulatory incentives. This bill would, until January 1, 2020, establish the Clean Manufacturing and Job Creation Incentive Act of 2012, and would authorize the legislative body of a city, county, or city and county to establish a clean manufacturing zone, as defined, within the city, county, or city and county's boundaries for the purpose of providing incentives to manufacturing businesses to locate within that city, county, or city and county. (2) Existing property tax law provides for the levy of an annual ad valorem tax on personal property, with certain exceptions, based upon the full value of that property. This bill, commencing with the 2013–14 fiscal year, would, until January 1, 2020, authorize local agencies, as defined, to provide an annual rebate to a taxpayer in an amount that shall not exceed the amount of property tax revenue paid by the taxpayer for that year for qualified manufacturing property that is located within a clean manufacturing zone.
Existing law requires that, on and after January 1, 2008, the minimum wage for all industries be not less than $8.00 per hour. This bill would provide for an adjustment to the hourly minimum wage on January 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, to maintain employee purchasing power. The automatically adjusted minimum wage would be calculated using the California Consumer Price Index, as specified. The bill would prohibit the Industrial Welfare Commission from adjusting the minimum wage downward and from adjusting the minimum wage upward if the average percentage of inflation for the previous year, as defined, was negative. The bill would require the Industrial Welfare Commission to publicize the automatically adjusted minimum wage. This bill would provide that the commission may increase the minimum wage in an amount greater than the formula would provide.
Existing law establishes various educational, vocational, reentry, and other programs for offenders in custody or released to parole or probation. This bill would establish, until 2018, a youthful offender reentry competitive grant program consisting of grants administered by the California Emergency Management Agency to eligible nonprofit programs, as defined, to target offenders who will be 16 to 23 years of age upon discharge from local or Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities, or probation or parole, as specified. The bill would specify that the bill does not mandate funding for the grant program and would authorize the agency to accept private contributions to fund its grants. The bill would provide that participation by discharged offenders would be voluntary, and that priority would be given to youths who are gang affiliated, or who have a family member who is gang affiliated, as specified. The bill would set forth those elements which, at a minimum, would be required to be provided in an eligible nonprofit program by a grantee.
Existing law requires the Franchise Tax Board to make a refund to a taxpayer of any overpayment of taxes. Existing law authorizes the Franchise Tax Board to electronically deposit a taxpayer's refund into the taxpayer's checking or savings account. This bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to include information on its Internet Web site and taxpayer form instructions and publications, as defined, stating that on those tax returns, the individual taxpayer has the ability or option to directly deposit all or a portion of a tax refund into an account under specified tax-advantaged savings plans.
(1) The Permit Streamlining Act requires each state agency and local agency to compile one or more lists that specify in detail the information that will be required from any applicant for a development project, and requires a public agency that is the lead agency for a development project, or a public agency which is a responsible agency for a development project that has been approved by the lead agency, to approve or disapprove the project within applicable periods of time. The act also requires any state agency which is the lead agency for a development project to inform the applicant that the Office of Permit Assistance has been created to assist, and provide information to, developers relating to the permit approval process. This bill would require the office to provide information to developers explaining the permit approval process at the state and local levels, or assisting them in meeting statutory environmental quality requirements, as specified, and would prohibit the office or the state from incurring any liability as a result of the provision of this assistance. The bill would require the office to assist state and local agencies in streamlining the permit approval process, and an applicant in identifying any permit required by a state agency for the proposed project. The bill would authorize the office to call a conference of parties at the state level to resolve questions or mediate disputes arising from a permit application for a development project. The bill would require that the office be located exclusively in Sacramento, and to consist of no more than 4 personnel through 2013. This bill would require the office to develop guidelines providing technical assistance to local agencies for the establishment and operation of an expedited development permit process, and would require the guidelines to contain specified components. The bill would also require the office, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to provide grants and technical assistance to cities, counties, and cities and counties for the establishment of an expedited development permit process according to the guidelines. The bill would further require a city, county, or city and county that receives a grant to enact an ordinance adopting an expedited development permit process according to the guidelines within 10 months of the date of receipt of the grant. This bill would also require the office, in consultation with the Natural Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency, to develop a consolidated project information form to be used by applicants for commercial or industrial development projects. The bill would require the form to collect sufficient information to allow the office to determine the state agencies that have permitting requirements applicable to the development project for which the form was submitted. This bill would authorize the office to charge the applicant fees for the above-described services, not to exceed the estimated reasonable cost of their provision, and would require the office to adopt or amend regulations to provide for these fees prior to charging or levying them. The bill would require a city, county, or city and county, including a charter city, charter county, or charter city and county, with a population of 100,000 or more, upon the request of an applicant, to designate an administrative entity, as defined, to serve as the applicant's single point of contact with the local agency with respect to all applications and permits required by the local agency for the applicant's commercial or industrial development project. The administrative entity would be required to provide the applicant information regarding the status of, and to coordinate the review and decisionmaking process with respect to, the applications and permits required by the local agency for the development project. The bill would require the administrative entity, upon the request of the applicant, to coordinate with the office regarding any applications or permits required by the state for the development project. The bill would authorize a city, county, or city and county to charge a fee to defray costs incurred by the administrative entity in providing the above-described services to the applicant. By establishing a new requirement on specified local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would also express a legislative finding and declaration that its provisions apply to all cities, including charter cities. (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 declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Under existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State Department of Developmental Services is authorized to contract with regional centers to provide support and services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Existing law requires a regional center to include specified information on its Internet Web site for the purpose of promoting transparency and access to public information that includes specified information. This bill would add prescribed information to this requirement.
This measure would designate May 2012 as Foster Care Month in California.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. This bill would require the commission to require an electrical corporation and gas corporation with 100,000 or more service connections in the state to develop and implement an on-bill repayment program, as defined, for eligible energy efficiency, renewable energy, and distributed generation investments, financed pursuant to an agreement with an OBR partner, as defined, on terms that the commission approves and ensures that the terms are just and reasonable. The bill would require the commission ensure that any on-bill repayment program approved by the commission include certain elements. The bill would authorize the commission to require an electrical corporation or gas corporation to treat any resulting shortfall in payment for electric or gas service consistent with the rules established by the commission for a customer's failure to pay for electric or gas service. The bill would authorize the commission to order an electrical corporation or gas corporation with less than 100,000 service connections in the state to establish on-bill repayment programs based upon each utility's individual circumstances. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would require action by the commission to implement its requirements, a violation of the commission's orders would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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 measure would designate the second full week in April as California Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
