Asm. Josh Lowenthal

Maddy summaryThis bill designates specific periods in 2024 as Boat People Awareness Week and Month to honor Vietnamese refugees who fled their country by sea after the Vietnam War. The resolution highlights the historical hardships these individuals faced, including dangerous voyages and high mortality rates, while acknowledging their significant contributions to communities across California. It does not create new laws or funding but serves as a commemorative measure to recognize the resilience and spirit of the Vietnamese refugee community. The text is intended to be shared with the bill's author for public distribution to raise awareness about this historical event.

Maddy summaryThis bill recognizes August 15, 2024, as India's Independence Day and encourages all Californians to participate in celebrations honoring the occasion. It directly affects the residents of California, particularly the state's large Indian American community, by formally acknowledging the historical significance of the date when India gained independence from British rule. The measure does not create new laws or change government operations; instead, it serves as a symbolic gesture to highlight the cultural contributions of Indian Americans and the shared values of democracy and nonviolence between the two nations.

This measure would declare the month of June 2024 to be Portuguese Heritage Month and would recognize June 10 as the Day of Portugal and May 20 as the Day of the Azores.

Maddy summaryThis bill officially recognizes June 21, 2024, as the 2024 International Day of Yoga within the state of California. It does not create new laws or change existing regulations but serves as a formal acknowledgment of the global event. The measure is intended to highlight the history and benefits of yoga as a wellness practice.

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.

Existing law authorizes a state agency, with the approval of the Department of General Services, to install and operate toll-free telephone lease lines to provide access by the public and local governmental agencies and requires information made available on a toll-free telephone lease line to be accessible by both tone dial and rotary dial telephone. Existing law requires the department to adopt guidelines for the use of toll-free lease lines by state agencies as are necessary to promote the efficient use of the toll-free lease lines. This bill would repeal this provision. This bill would require a state agency to transition from the use of toll-free telephone numbers to non-toll-free telephone numbers as the primary method for the public to make a voice call to contact the agency. The bill would require a state agency, no later than July 1, 2025, to update its internet website to post the non-toll-free telephone number on its internet website, as specified. The bill would require a state agency, when updating a publication with information about how the public can contact the agency, to include the non-toll-free telephone number. The bill would require a state agency to operate a toll-free telephone number offered to the public as a method of making a voice call to contact the agency on the effective date of the bill. The bill would require a state agency, when implementing these provisions, to ensure equitable access to the agency by all members of the public, as specified. Existing law establishes the Department of Technology within the Government Operations Agency. Existing law requires the department to be generally responsible for the approval and oversight of information technology projects, including, among other things, establishing and maintaining a framework of policies, procedures, and requirements for the initiation, approval, implementation, management, oversight, and continuation of information technology projects. This bill would authorize a state agency, with approval of the department, to install and operate a toll-free or non-toll-free telephone line to enable the public to make a voice call to contact the agency, as specified. The bill would require the department to adopt guidelines for the use of toll-free and non-toll-free telephone lines by state agencies as are necessary to promote the efficient use of the telephone lines.

Existing law generally regulates online platforms, including by requiring, on a semiannual basis and as specified, a social media company to submit to the Attorney General a terms of service report that includes, among other things, the current version of the terms of service of the social media platform. This bill, the California Journalism Preservation Act, would require a covered platform, as defined, to either pay at least $____ annually to compensate digital journalism providers, as defined, for accessing the internet websites of the providers for a California audience, where the money is annually adjusted, as specified, and annually distributed to digital journalism providers, as described, or to participate in a final arbitration process, as specified, and fully pay the arbitration award, as provided. The bill would require, commencing not later than March 1, 2025, a covered platform to compile and post on its internet website a list of digital journalism providers, as described, that the platform accessed for a California audience during the preceding 12 months. The bill would require a covered platform to provide the above-described list to any digital journalism provider upon request, as specified, and to establish a designated email address to which a request may be submitted. This bill would prohibit a covered platform from retaliating against a digital journalism provider for asserting its rights under the act by refusing to access content or changing the ranking, identification, modification, branding, or placement of the content of the digital journalism provider on the covered platform. The bill would require a digital journalism provider to spend at least 70% of funds received pursuant to the act on news journalists and support staff employed by the digital journalism provider. The bill would require an eligible digital journalism provider with 5 or fewer employees, to spend at least 50% of funds received pursuant to these provisions on news journalists and support staff employed by the digital journalism provider. This bill would require, no later than one year after the end of an arbitration proceeding or reaching a settlement in lieu of an arbitration proceeding, or receiving a payment, as specified, and each year thereafter, the digital journalism provider to compile a report containing, among other things, an attestation that the digital journalism provider has complied with the revenue sharing provisions described above. The bill would require a digital journalism provider to publish and distribute that report, as specified. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a digital journalism provider to seek and obtain injunctive relief to compel compliance, as specified, and would require court costs and reasonable attorney's fees to be awarded to a prevailing provider. The bill would state that its provisions are severable. 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 establishes certain requirements relating to gratuities paid to employees, including prohibiting an employer or agent from taking any gratuity that is paid to an employee by a patron or from requiring an employee to credit the amount of a gratuity against the wages due to the employee. Existing law requires an employer to keep accurate records of all gratuities received by the employer and requires that those records be open to inspection by the Department of Industrial Relations. Existing law makes a violation of those provisions by an employer a misdemeanor. This bill would prohibit an employer or agent from prohibiting, or implementing a policy to prohibit, an employee of a restaurant from receiving any gratuity that is paid, given to, or left for an employee by a patron. Because a violation of the bill's provisions would be a crime, the 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.

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.

Maddy summaryThis California Assembly resolution encourages the U.S. Congress to pass legislation creating a National Infrastructure Bank to fund critical repairs and upgrades for roads, bridges, dams, and other public works. The bill cites reports from the American Society of Civil Engineers highlighting billions of dollars in investment gaps and poor conditions affecting California's transportation and water systems. It advocates for a financing model that uses existing federal debt rather than new taxes, aiming to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and prioritize projects in disadvantaged communities. The resolution formally requests that federal leaders adopt this approach to address the state's urgent infrastructure needs.