Asm. Chris Ward

Existing law establishes a California Building Standards Commission in the Government Operations Agency. Existing law requires only those building standards approved by the commission, and that are effective at the local level at the time an application for a building permit is submitted, to apply to the plans and specifications for, and to the construction performed under, that building permit, except as provided, including for a city or county that has been subject to an emergency proclaimed pursuant to the California Emergency Services Act (CESA) . Existing law, the CESA, among other things, authorizes the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency in an area affected or likely to be affected thereby if specified conditions exist and either (1) specified local officials request the Governor to so declare or (2) the Governor determines that local authority is inadequate to cope with the emergency. This bill would, until January 1, 2029, and notwithstanding any subsequent updates to building standards approved by the commission, permit an individual submitting a proposed development plan for a residential development to utilize, and require a local agency to allow the utilization of, a template floor plan if certain conditions are met, including that the proposed new development is located on the same parcel that contained a residential building that was damaged or destroyed, prior to January 1, 2020, as a result of a disaster in an area for which a state of emergency was proclaimed by the Governor pursuant to the CESA. By imposing additional duties on local agencies, 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.

This measure would reaffirm the Legislature's commitment to upholding the human rights of immigrants, commend the courage and determination of immigrant community leaders, and celebrate the 26th annual Immigrant Day of Action.

This measure would request the Congress of the United States to pass legislation and the President of the United States to sign into law a statute providing for, and the United States Department of Transportation and all federal agencies implementing any federal statute or regulation providing federal funding for ports or multimodal freight transportation to provide, a fair allocation of federal transportation funding for freight projects in California, specifically, and on the Pacific Coast of the United States, generally, based on the volume of containerized freight moved.

This measure would recognize the importance of California Native American Day, celebrated this year on September 23, 2022, and the annual California Indian Cultural Awareness Conference, to the enhancement of awareness of California Indian culture.