Rep. LaShae Sharp-Collins

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution formally recognizes the importance of affordable homeownership for California families, particularly those with lower incomes, and highlights how nonprofit-led programs help build generational wealth and reduce economic disparities. The document emphasizes that existing state programs like CalHome support the construction and preservation of affordable homes through competitive funding to cities, counties, indigenous communities, and nonprofit builders such as Habitat for Humanity. While the resolution does not create new laws or funding, it serves as an official acknowledgment of homeownership's role in improving educational outcomes, health, civic participation, and neighborhood stability. The text also notes California's significant housing deficit and racial wealth gaps as context for why expanding affordable ownership opportunities is a priority for state policy.

Existing law, the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973, requires employers to comply with certain safety and health standards, as specified, and charges the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the Department of Industrial Relations with enforcement of the act. Existing law prohibits an employer from laying off or discharging an employee for refusing to perform work that would violate prescribed safety standards where the violation would create a real and apparent hazard to the employee or other employees. Existing law defines "employee" for purposes of those provisions to include a domestic work employee, except as specified. This bill would revise and recast those provisions to, among other things, allow an employee, acting in good faith, to refuse to perform a tasked assigned by an employer if it would violate those prescribed safety standards or if the employee has a reasonable apprehension that the performance of the assigned task would result in injury or illness to the employee or other employees. The bill would make the employee's refusal contingent on the employee or another employee, if reasonably practical, having communicated or attempted to notify the employer of the safety or health risk and the employer having failed to provide a response that is reasonably calculated to allay the employee's concerns. The bill would require the employer to pay the employee full wages during their scheduled work hours until, among other things, the employee can reasonably conclude that the task will no longer result in the risk of serious injury or illness to the employee or other employees. The bill would prohibit an employer from using an employee's refusal to perform an assigned task as grounds for any disciplinary action, and would make certain retaliation protections applicable to the bill's provisions. The bill would delete the provision defining "employee" to include a domestic work employee.

The State Civil Service Act contains various provisions providing for veterans' credits in relation to any open competitive entrance examination. Under existing law, whenever any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100% disabled veteran achieves a passing score on an entrance exam, that person is required to be ranked in the top rank of the resulting eligibility list. This bill would revise that provision to also apply to an active duty service member who achieves a passing score on an entrance exam. The bill would also provide that authorizing employers may grant a preference in hiring and promotion to the eligible spouse of an active duty service member, veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100% disabled veteran. Existing law provides that any member of the Armed Forces who successfully passes any state civil service examination, whose name is placed on an employment list, and who qualifies for veterans' preference shall be allowed the appropriate veterans' credit to the same effect as though that person were entitled to that credit at the time of the establishing of the employment list. This bill would authorize the eligible spouse of an active duty service member, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100% disabled veteran to receive the appropriate credit for any selection test generally related to hiring and promotional preferences. The bill would make other related changes to these provisions.

Existing law establishes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as "GO-Biz," to, among other duties, serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. Existing law, until January 1, 2030, and upon appropriation by the Legislature, creates the California Competes Grant Program, which, among other things, authorizes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to provide grants to an applicant that meets specified criteria relating to the creation of jobs or investments in the state. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions until January 1, 2031.

Existing law creates the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and requires GO-Biz to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. Existing law establishes, until June 30, 2026, the Local Government Immigrant Integration Initiative and requires GO-Biz, upon appropriation, to administer competitive grants to local governments to develop or expand local immigrant integration initiatives. Existing law requires GO-Biz to include in an annual report to each house of the Legislature, as specified, information on awarded grants, project descriptions for each grant award, and information on program report outcomes. This bill would require the report to be submitted on or before May 1.

Existing law establishes in each county a juvenile justice commission, but authorizes the boards of supervisors of 2 or more adjacent counties to agree to establish a regional juvenile justice commission in lieu of a county juvenile justice commission. Existing law requires a juvenile justice commission, among other things, to inquire into the administration of the juvenile court law in the county or region in which the commission serves and to annually inspect any jail or lockup within the county that, in the preceding calendar year, was used for confinement for more than 24 hours of any minor. This bill would require a juvenile justice commission to, or work with a local community-based organization to, administer, at least once every 24 months, a survey of youth younger than 26 years of age who are confined in county juvenile halls, camps, and other facilities used for the confinement of youth, in order to ascertain whether confined youth are chronically or often hungry, whether confined youth have regular access to food between meals, whether confined youth have adequate time for meals, and the quality of the food confined youth are provided. The bill would require a juvenile justice commission to, if that survey indicates that confined youth are often or chronically hungry, make recommendations for changes to county policies to address that hunger. The bill would require the results of the survey and any recommendations made to be posted on the juvenile justice commission's internet website and would require a description of any remedial or corrective actions the county takes to address issues found as a result of the survey to be published on the county probation department's internet website. By imposing new duties on juvenile justice commissions and county probation departments, 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 the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing federal law establishes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to ensure that the level of CalFresh benefits remain at least at the level that was in effect on January 20, 2025, under the Thrifty Food Plan, which is a food plan designed by the United States Department of Agriculture to determine SNAP benefit amounts. Under the bill, the above-described benefit maintenance requirement would be triggered if the federal government makes reductions to SNAP benefits that would result in the level of CalFresh benefits being lower than the threshold. If federal funding is insufficient, when combined with the nonfederal share, to maintain that level, the bill would require the department to implement these provisions using state funds subject to an appropriation. The bill would also require the department to conduct a feasibility study on increasing the eligibility and benefits of the CalFresh program, and to prepare a one-time report containing findings from the study. The bill would require the department to submit the report by January 1, 2027, to the relevant policy committees of the Legislature and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The bill would repeal the provisions relating to the study and report on January 1, 2031.

Existing law establishes the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. The Donahoe Higher Education Act prohibits the campuses of those segments from charging mandatory systemwide tuition or fees to specified students who apply for a waiver, including a child of any veteran of the United States military who has a service-connected disability, has been killed in service, or has died of a service-connected disability, an undergraduate student who is a recipient of a Medal of Honor, or an undergraduate student who is a child of a recipient of a Medal of Honor and who is no more than 27 years old, if certain requirements are satisfied. This bill would additionally prohibit the campuses of the 3 segments of public postsecondary education from charging those students any mandatory campus-based fees, as provided. To the extent the bill would add additional duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would apply to the campuses of the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make it apply. 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 requires school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools to adopt and update a local control and accountability plan (LCAP) using a template adopted by the State Board of Education that requires an LCAP to include certain information, including, among other information, (1) a description of the annual goals to be achieved for specified state priorities, including, among others, pupil achievement and pupil outcomes, (2) a description of the specific actions that the local educational agency will take during each year of the LCAP to achieve these goals, and (3) an assessment of the effectiveness of the specific actions described in the existing LCAP toward achieving the goals, as provided. Existing law requires a school district, not later than 5 days after adoption of an LCAP or annual update to an LCAP, to file the LCAP or annual update to the LCAP with the county superintendent of schools. Existing law authorizes the county superintendent of schools to seek clarification regarding the LCAP or update to the LCAP and to submit recommendations for amendments to the school district regarding the LCAP or update to the LCAP. Existing law requires the governing board of the school district to consider the recommendations submitted by the county superintendent of schools, as specified. This bill would, for school districts that have been identified for certain technical assistance, instead require the county superintendent of schools to submit recommendations, in writing, for amendments to the LCAP or annual update to the LCAP. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies and officials, 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, 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 establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate and maintain. Existing law provides for a formula for the calculation of general purpose apportionments of state funds to community colleges. Existing law provides a separate formula for the allocation of apportionments of state funds to community colleges, which uses the numbers of full-time equivalent students as its basis, for use for apportionments for noncredit instruction and instruction in career development and college preparation. Existing law specific the noncredit courses, noncredit classes, and support services that are eligible for state apportionment. This bill would require the board of governors to allocate base funding for designated categorical programs to noncredit colleges, as defined, and noncredit centers, as defined, that meet specified conditions. The bill would specify that the categorical programs eligible for those base funding allocations include, but are not limited to, disabled student programs and services, mental health services, and veteran resource centers. The bill would require the board of governors, in consultation with the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, to determine the methodology for allocating the base funding.