Existing law sets forth procedures for voting by mail and requires the local elections official to compare the signature on a vote by mail ballot received with the voter's signature that appears on the affidavit of registration. Existing law requires the elections official to establish procedures to track and confirm the receipt of vote by mail ballots that are voted and to make that information available by means of online access using the county's elections division Internet Web site, or, if it has no Internet Web site, then by toll-free telephone number that may be used to confirm the date the ballot was received. This bill would further require the local elections official to establish a free access system by which a vote by mail voter may find out whether his or her ballot was counted and, if not, the reason why it was not counted, thereby imposing 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 these statutory provisions.
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Existing law requires the Governor to proclaim various days as holidays and days of remembrance. Existing law also designates certain days in each year as having special significance for purposes of encouraging schools to observe those days and conduct suitable commemorative exercises. This bill would require the Governor to annually proclaim March 30 of each year as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day." The bill would also encourage schools to conduct exercises on March 30 of each year to recognize the contributions of those involved in the Vietnam conflict.
Existing law relating to the administration of personal income taxes authorizes individual taxpayers to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of specified funds or accounts. This bill would allow individual taxpayers to designate on their tax returns, that a specified amount in excess of their tax liability be transferred to the Safely Surrendered Baby Fund, which would be created by this bill. This bill would provide that all moneys contributed to the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated to the Franchise Tax Board and the Controller for reimbursement of costs, as provided, and to the State Department of Social Services for programs to increase public awareness and outreach regarding the Safely Surrendered Baby Law, as specified. This bill would provide that these voluntary contribution provisions are repealed on either January 1 of the 5th taxable year following the taxable year the fund first appears on the personal income tax return or on January 1 of an earlier calendar year, if the Franchise Tax Board estimates that the annual contribution amount will be less than $250,000, or an adjusted amount, as specified, for subsequent taxable years.
(1) Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt procedures for determining the compliance of any system designed for the control of gasoline vapor emissions during gasoline marketing operations, including storage and transfer operations, and additional performance standards to ensure that systems for the control of gasoline vapors from motor vehicle fueling operations do not cause excessive spillage and emissions. Existing law prohibits the state board from requiring a gasoline dispensing facility that meets certain requirements from undergoing an Enhanced Vapor Recovery Phase II upgrade until April 1, 2011. This bill would exempt a gasoline dispensing facility that does not meet these requirements from penalties for failing to undergo an Enhanced Vapor Recovery Phase II upgrade until April 1, 2010. (2) The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 19, 2008. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on December 19, 2008, pursuant to the California Constitution.
(1) 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 on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect, unless the project is exempt from the act. CEQA provides for various exemptions from its requirements. Existing law requires cities and counties to prepare, adopt, and amend general plans containing specified elements. This bill would exempt from CEQA any activity or approval, necessary or incidental to, the development, planning, design, site acquisition, subdivision, financing, leasing, construction, operation, or maintenance of a stadium complex and associated development included in the same project or approval together with any accessory roadway, utility, or other infrastructure improvement to that stadium complex and associated development, for which an application for the project or approval was submitted on or before January 31, 2009, to the City of Industry, if specified requirements are met. The bill would require the city to require the stadium complex and associated development to comply with those mitigation measures that are contained in a mitigation monitoring and reporting program that is adopted by the City of Industry in connection with the stadium complex and associated development. Because a lead agency would be required to determine the applicability of the exemption, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill also would exempt from any legal requirement concerning the content of a general plan or consistency with a general plan, and prohibit those requirements from resulting in the invalidation of, the city's approval of, and decisions regarding, specified actions taken with respect to the stadium complex and associated development included in the same project or approval and any accessory improvements to that stadium complex and associated development. The bill additionally would provide that a consistency determination is not required by the city for any decision with respect to those actions. (2) The bill would have retroactive application. (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. (4) The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 19, 2008. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on December 19, 2008, pursuant to the California Constitution.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation by the State Department of Public Health of long-term health care facilities, including skilled nursing facilities. Existing law creates the State Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account in the Special Deposit Fund, with the moneys in this account to be used, upon appropriation, for prescribed purposes. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2011, require skilled nursing facilities to post, in accordance with prescribed requirements, the overall facility rating information determined by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and to inform consumers regarding information available at the department's Internet Web site. A violation of these provisions would be a class B violation, as defined, with the proceeds from fines collected to be deposited into the State Health Facilities Citation Penalties Account.
Existing law requires, when an application for equalization is filed by a member or alternate member of an assessment appeals board on his or her own behalf or the behalf of specified family members, that the assessment appeal be heard by a special alternate assessment appeals board panel appointed by order of the presiding judge of the superior court, as specified. Existing law requires a member or alternate member of an assessment appeals board to notify the clerk immediately upon filing such an application on his or her own behalf, or upon his or her decision to represent a specified family member. This bill would, instead, make those provisions applicable to applications for equalization filed by a current member of an assessment appeals board, or an alternate member, in the county in which the board member or alternate member serves, a current assessment hearing officer in the county in which the hearing officer serves, a current employee of the county counsel who advises the assessment appeals board or represents the assessor before the assessment appeals board in the county in which the person is employed, or an application in which one of those specified persons represents his or her spouse, parent, or child. This bill would also allow, in the discretion of the clerk of the board, an application appeal to be heard by a special alternate board consisting of 3 special alternate assessment appeals board members who are qualified and in good standing in another county. The bill would provide that the special alternate appeals board may hear only the application for equalization set forth in the transmittal document prepared by the clerk of the board of the county in which the application is filed, and would require that each appeals board member on the special alternate board be in good standing in his or her county. Existing law provides that no current employees of the office of the clerk of the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board may represent an applicant for compensation on any application for equalization, as specified. Existing law requires an employee of the clerk of the assessment appeals board to notify the clerk immediately upon filing an application on his or her own behalf or upon his or her decision to represent specified family members in an assessment appeal. This bill would prohibit a current member of an assessment appeals board, or any alternate member, in the county in which the board member or alternate member serves, a current assessment hearing officer in the county in which the officer serves, a current employee of the office of the clerk of the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board in the county in which the person is employed, a current employee of the county counsel who advises the assessment appeals board or represents the assessor before the assessment appeals board in the county in which the person is employed, and a current employee of the assessor's office in the county in which the person is employed, from representing an applicant for compensation on any application for equalization, as specified, and would require those persons to provide notification to the clerk of the board immediately upon filing an application for equalization on his or her own behalf, or upon his or her decision to represent specified family members in an assessment appeal. By increasing the duties of local government officials, 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 these statutory provisions.
Existing law authorizes the Director of General Services to acquire and dispose of state real property under specified conditions. This bill would authorize the department to dispose of 3 specified parcels of real property pursuant to certain provisions.
(1) Existing law establishes the CalHome Program under the administration of the Department of Housing and Community Development and authorizes funds appropriated for purposes of the program to be used to enable low- and very low income households to become or remain homeowners. The program authorizes the use of grant funds for, among other things, home rehabilitation. Existing administrative regulations require installation of an ignition resistant construction system only when a manufactured home, mobilehome, multifamily manufactured home, or commercial modular is installed in designated areas. This bill would provide that home rehabilitation includes the installation or retrofit of ignition resistant exterior components on existing manufactured homes, mobilehomes, and accessory structures required pursuant to specified administrative regulations. The bill would prohibit rehabilitation funding for these purposes under a specified circumstance. (2) Under the CalHome Program, the department provides the program funds to local public agencies or nonprofit corporations as either grants or loans to assist home ownership and requires them to meet prescribed criteria. In administering the program, the department is authorized to permit local public agencies and nonprofit corporations to apply their own guidelines with respect to the use of CalHome funds. This bill would prohibit a local public agency and a nonprofit corporation from denying funding or applying different underwriting guidelines to a housing program or project solely on the basis that the home is a manufactured home or mobilehome or the home is located in a mobilehome park or a manufactured housing community. (3) Existing law requires the California Housing Finance Agency to administer the California Homebuyer's Downpayment Assistance Program for the purpose of assisting first-time low- and moderate-income home buyers utilizing existing mortgage financing. Under the program, the amount of the downpayment assistance is due and payable at the end of the term or upon sale of or refinancing of the home. This bill would authorize the agency, in its discretion, to permit the downpayment assistance loan to be subordinated to refinancing if it determines that certain criteria have been met. The bill would authorize the agency to permit subordination on those terms and conditions as it determines are reasonable. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows taxpayers, until January 1, 2010, to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of the California Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Research Fund. This bill would extend the operation of those contribution provisions to January 1, 2015.