Asm. Laurie Davies

Existing law declares that it is the policy of the state to promote and encourage the use of electric vehicle charging stations and hydrogen-fueling stations and to limit obstacles to their use. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , working with the State Air Resources Board and the Public Utilities Commission, to prepare, and update at least once every 2 years, a statewide assessment of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to support the levels of electric vehicle adoption required for the state to meet its goals of putting at least 5,000,000 zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2030 and of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. This bill would require the Energy Commission, beginning January 1, 2025, to biennially conduct an assessment, in consultation with applicable state and federal agencies, of the abidance of electric vehicle charging stations, as defined, with electric vehicle charging station-related accessibility requirements and related guidance from relevant state and federal agencies, as provided. The bill would require the biennial assessment to include a biennial report, and would require the Energy Commission to submit the report to the Legislature concurrently with the Energy Commission's updates to the statewide assessment of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2036.

Existing law consolidates within the State Department of Health Care Services all substance use disorder functions and programs from the former State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. Under existing law, the State Department of Health Care Services is responsible for administering prevention, treatment, and recovery services for alcohol and drug abuse. Existing law authorizes each county to establish a drug court program. If a county elects to provide that program, existing law requires the county to develop a plan for the operation of a drug court program that, among other things, provides a local action plan for implementing cost-effective drug court systems. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, authorize the superior courts in the Counties of Sacramento, San Diego, Contra Costa, and Solano to conduct a pilot program to provide specific supportive services to adult defendants who participate in the county's drug court, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council to administer the program and would authorize the council to establish guidelines and reporting requirements for the participating drug courts. This bill would require a participating drug court to enroll eligible defendants in specific supportive services unless a defendant refuses or is already enrolled in those services. The bill would require a county probation department or another county department designated by the court, to administer the supportive services payments and reimbursements. By increasing the duties of county agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require participating drug courts to collect and submit specific data to the Judicial Council. The bill would also require the Judicial Council to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature and the Governor on or before January 1, 2028, that compares the data gathered by the participating drug courts to other similar, nonparticipating drug courts, as specified. The bill would repeal these 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 creates the California Environmental Protection Agency, consisting of various boards, offices, and departments, including the State Air Resources Board. Existing law, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would establish the Green Assistance Program within the California Environmental Protection Agency to, among other things, assist small businesses and small nonprofit organizations in applying for moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The bill would authorize the Secretary for Environmental Protection to apply for and accept grants or contributions of funds from any public or private source for the program.

Existing law generally provides for the compensation of victims and derivative victims of specified types of crimes by the California Victim Compensation Board from the Restitution Fund, which is continuously appropriated to the board. Existing law authorizes the board to grant for pecuniary loss, when the board determines that it will best aid the person seeking compensation, as specified. Existing law authorizes the board to reimburse, among other things, the expense of installing or increasing residential security, as specified. This bill would also authorize the board to reimburse the expense of enrollment and participation in self-defense courses offered, provided, or operated by a nonprofit organization, university, or law enforcement agency, in an amount not to exceed $1000. By expanding the authorizations for use of moneys in the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.

Existing law authorizes a county to develop an emergency medical services (EMS) program, and requires a county developing that program to designate a local EMS agency. Existing law authorizes a local EMS agency to develop a community paramedicine or triage to alternate destination program that, among other things, selects providers to triage individuals to mental health facilities and sobering centers as alternates to emergency departments. Existing law requires the Emergency Medical Services Authority to develop and, after approval by the Commission on Emergency Medical Services, adopt regulations and establish minimum standards for the development of those programs. This bill would require the state to survey and analyze the facilities in each county that can serve as an alternate destination facility. The bill would require a local emergency medical services agency to annually report to the Emergency Medical Services Authority regarding the development of triage to alternate destination programs in its jurisdiction, as specified.

Existing law, as amended by the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, enacted as an initiative statute by Proposition 47, as approved by voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, makes it a crime to buy, receive, conceal, sell, or withhold any property that has been stolen or that has been obtained in any manner constituting theft or extortion, knowing that the property has been so obtained. Under existing law, this offense is punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony, unless the value of the property does not exceed $950, in which case an offense is punishable as a misdemeanor. Existing law establishes the Board of State and Community Corrections to provide statewide leadership, coordination, and technical assistance to promote effective state and local efforts and partnerships in California's adult and juvenile criminal justice system, as specified. Under existing law, the board administers several grant programs, including a mentally ill offender crime reduction grant program, a medication-assisted treatment grant program, and a violence intervention and prevention grant program. This bill would, until January 1, 2030, create the Identifying, Apprehending, and Prosecuting Resale of Stolen Property Grant Program to be administered by the board. The bill would require the board to award grants, on a competitive basis, to county district attorneys' offices and law enforcement agencies, acting jointly to investigate and prosecute receiving stolen goods crimes and criminal profiteering. The bill would require the board to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature, as specified, regarding the impact of the grant program. The bill's provisions would be operative only to the extent that funding is provided, by express reference, in the annual Budget Act or another statute.

Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to report an emergency to specified government entities knowing that report to be false. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to initiate communication with the 911 emergency system with the intent to annoy or harass another person. This bill would make a second or subsequent violation of these provisions punishable as a misdemeanor or felony for a person who is 18 years of age or older. By increasing the penalty for existing crimes, 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.

(1) Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Expanded Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for these awards for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Existing law requires a Cal Grant C award to be used only for occupational or technical training in a course of not less than 4 months. Existing law requires the maximum per-student Cal Grant C award amount to be determined each year in the annual Budget Act. This bill, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act for this purpose, would set, commencing with the 2025–26 award year, the maximum per-student Cal Grant C award amount at no less than double the maximum per-student Cal Grant C award amount provided for the 2023–24 award year. (2) Existing law, the Cal Grant Reform Act, revises and recasts the provisions establishing and governing the existing Cal Grant Program into a new Cal Grant Program. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt emergency regulations to implement the Cal Grant Reform Act. Existing law requires the new Cal Grant Program to include a Cal Grant 2 Program with eligibility requirements, as specified. Existing law requires the Cal Grant 2 award to include an access award, covering nontuition expenses, of no less than the maximum per-student amount provided in the 2020–21 award year, as specified. Existing law requires, as a continuation of the Cal Grant C Program, an otherwise eligible student enrolled in a qualifying occupational and technical training program who would have been eligible for aid under the Cal Grant C Program, to be eligible to receive a prorated Cal Grant award as specified in the Budget Act. Existing law specifies that the act becomes operative only if General Fund moneys over the multiyear forecasts beginning in the 2024–25 fiscal year are available to support ongoing augmentations and actions, and if funding is provided in the annual Budget Act to implement the act. This bill would require the prorated Cal Grant award and the per-student Cal Grant 2 access award amounts to be no less than double the maximum award amounts provided for the 2023–24 award year.

Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, which consists of various departments, including the Department of Parks and Recreation. Existing law requires the Director of Parks and Recreation to establish the Outdoor Equity Grants Program to increase the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in outdoor environmental educational experiences at state parks and other public lands where outdoor environmental education programs take place. This bill would establish the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program and require the department to administer the program, for the purpose of increasing water safety in this state by offering vouchers for swimming lessons at no cost to children 4 years of age or younger whose families have an income of no more than 200% of the federal poverty level. The bill would require the department to contract with, and establish a network of, swimming lesson vendors that accept swimming lesson vouchers offered by the program in exchange for providing swimming lessons, to verify those vendors have adequate and appropriate training to provide swimming lessons, to establish the application method and eligibility criteria for swimming lesson vouchers, as provided, to issue swimming lesson vouchers for eligible children, and to adopt rules and regulations necessary to administer the program. The bill would make implementation of these provisions contingent upon an appropriation for these purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute.

Existing law requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to issue a park pass for free use of all park facilities in the state park system to a veteran, as described, who presents to the department proof of a disability, proof of being held captive as a prisoner of war, or proof of being a recipient of a Congressional Medal of Honor, and proof of an honorable discharge from service. This bill would require the department to grant to a resident of this state who is a veteran or current active duty or reserve military personnel for the United States Armed Forces or the California National Guard free access to a unit of the state park system that is operated by the state and accessible with a vehicle day use annual pass, if proper proof of military service is provided, as specified.