(1) Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires any public record of a state or local agency to be open to inspection at all times during office hours of the agency and, upon request, a copy shall be made promptly available to any person upon payment of copying costs. The act makes certain records exempt from disclosure. Existing law provides the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities and authorizes it to establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations and constitutional requirements of due process. The Public Utilities Act requires the commission to investigate the cause of all accidents occurring upon the property of any public utility or directly or indirectly arising from or connected with its maintenance or operation, resulting in loss of life or injury to person or property and requiring, in the judgment of the commission, investigation by it, and authorizes the commission to make any order or recommendation with respect to the investigation that it determines to be just and reasonable. This bill would subject to the California Public Records Act, except as specified, an order or recommendation made by the commission and any accident report filed with the commission pursuant to these requirements. (2) The Public Utilities Act prohibits the commission or an officer or employee of the commission from disclosing any information furnished to the commission by a public utility, a subsidiary, an affiliate, or corporation holding a controlling interest in a public utility, unless the information is specifically required to be open to public inspection under the act, except on order of the commission or a commissioner in the course of a hearing or proceeding. A violation of that provision is a crime. This bill would repeal that provision and instead provide that all records of, or information furnished to, the commission are public records that shall be subject to the California Public Records Act, unless exempted from disclosure by that act. The bill would provide that any present or former officer or employee of the commission who divulges any information the disclosure of which is exempted or prohibited pursuant to federal or state law is guilty of a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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.
Sponsored bills
This measure would recognize August 8, 2012, as "Are You Dense?" Day 2012, to raise awareness of the risks associated with breast density and the potential benefits of other screening tools to supplement mammography.
This measure would commemorate the 40th anniversary of Title IX on June 23, 2012, commend the movement toward increased equality and fair treatment of female athletes, and praise the goal of greater opportunities in sports for girls and young women in California.
This measure would proclaim June 2012 as Scleroderma Awareness Month.
This measure would memorialize the Legislature's disagreement with the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and would call upon the United States Congress to propose and send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and to restore constitutional rights and fair elections to the people.
Under existing law, a sheriff's or police security officer is a public officer whose duties are limited to the physical security of properties owned, operated, controlled, or administered by the county or city, or any municipality or special district contracting for police services from the county or city, and other necessary duties, as specified. This bill would authorize the duties of a security officer employed by the Chief of Police of the City of Sacramento or the Sheriff of the County of Sacramento to also include the security and protection of properties of public agencies, privately owned companies, or nonprofit entities that contract for security services with the City or County of Sacramento, whose primary business supports national defense, whose facility is qualified as a national critical structure, or that stores or manufactures material that, if stolen, vandalized, or otherwise compromised, may compromise national security or pose a danger to residents within the County of Sacramento. The bill would provide for reimbursement to the City or County of Sacramento for providing those services.
Existing law requires the hiring practices and promotional practices of a local agency, as defined, to conform to the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and prohibits any local agency from, as a part of its hiring practices or promotional practices, employing any educational prerequisites or testing or evaluation methods that are not job-related, unless there is no adverse effect. This bill would prohibit a local agency from inquiring into or considering the criminal history of an applicant or including any inquiry about criminal history on any initial employment application. The bill would authorize a local agency to inquire into or consider an applicant's criminal history after the applicant's qualifications have been screened and the agency has determined the applicant meets the minimum employment requirements, as stated in any notice issued for the position. The bill would not apply to a position for which a local agency is otherwise required by law to conduct a criminal history background check or to any position or individual working within a criminal justice agency, as specified. The bill would also express a legislative finding and declaration that reducing barriers to employment for people who have previously offended, and decreasing unemployment in communities with concentrated numbers of people who have previously offended, is a matter of statewide concern, and that all cities and counties, including charter cities and counties, would be subject to the provisions of the bill.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Under existing law, a health care service plan contract and a health insurance policy are required to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of severe mental illnesses of a person of any age. Existing law does not define the term "severe mental illnesses" for this purpose but describes it as including several conditions. This bill would expand this coverage requirement for certain health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2013, to include the diagnosis and treatment of a mental illness of a person of any age and would define mental illness for this purpose as a mental disorder defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) , including substance abuse but excluding nicotine dependence and specified diagnoses defined in the manual, subject to regulatory revision, as specified. The bill would specify that this requirement does not apply to a health care benefit plan, contract, or health insurance policy with the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System unless the board elects to purchase a plan, contract, or policy that provides mental health coverage. This bill would also exempt certain health care service contracts entered into by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board from its provisions. Because this bill would expand coverage requirements for health care service plans, the willful violation of which would be a crime, it 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.
(1) The Z'berg-Nejedely Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations on timberland unless a timber harvesting plan has been prepared by a registered professional forester and has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and approved by the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection or the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. A violation of the act is a crime. This bill would authorize a working forest tree farmer, as defined, to file a working forest management plan prepared by a registered professional forester with the department and would require the director to review the submitted plan to determine if it is in compliance with the act, and rules and regulations of the board, and to return the plan if the director determines that it is not in compliance. The bill would require an amendment that is a substantial deviation from the approved plan to be approved by the director or the board. The bill would require a working forest tree farmer to file a working forest harvest notice in any year in which there are plans to harvest timber on timberland covered by the working forest management plan. If it is determined that certain objectives are not being met or that there are persistent violations of an approved plan's requirements, the bill would require that the previously approved working forest management plan be canceled by the department and that any further timber operations under the plan be terminated. The bill would require the board, no later than December 31, 2015, to adopt regulations to implement these provisions. Because a violation of these provisions is a crime, this bill would imposed a state-mandated local program. (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.