Existing law requires the governing board of each school district to adopt a local control and accountability plan and requires the governing board of a school district to update its local control and accountability plan before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires a local control and accountability plan to include, among other things, a description of the annual goals to be achieved for each state priority, as specified, for all pupils and certain subgroups of pupils. This bill would add to the enumerated state priorities the degree to which the certificated instructional personnel of the school district are offered opportunities for professional development and growth. By requiring the governing board of each school district to include additional information in the local control and accountability plan, 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 these statutory provisions.
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(1) Existing law establishes the right of agricultural employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations to engage in collective bargaining activities with agricultural employers regarding wages, working conditions, or other aspects of employment. Existing law prohibits a labor organization or its agents from engaging in specified unfair labor practices. This bill would additionally prohibit a labor organization from abandoning or failing to represent a bargaining unit for 3 or more years. This bill would require the Agricultural Labor Relations Board to decertify a labor organization that violates this provision. (2) Existing law specifies the time for filing a declaration by an agricultural employer or a certified labor organization representing agricultural employees that the parties have failed to reach a collective bargaining agreement, thus triggering mandatory mediation. Once triggered, the mediation under these provisions is immediately scheduled at a time and location reasonably accessible to the parties and proceeds for 30 days, with an additional 30-day extension upon the mutual agreement of the parties. This bill would deem members of the bargaining unit to be parties for the purposes of the mediation. Existing law establishes the conditions and time periods under which an agricultural employer, as defined, or a certified labor organization representing agricultural employees may file a declaration with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board stating that the parties have failed to reach a collective bargaining agreement, thus triggering a board order for mandatory mediation. Existing law authorizes a party, within 60 days of the order by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board taking effect, to file an action to enforce the order. Existing law prohibits an order of the board from being stayed during the pendency of any appeal of the order unless the appellant demonstrates that he or she is likely to prevail on the merits and that he or she will be irreparably harmed by implementation of the board's order. This bill would condition the effect and enforcement of an order resulting from the binding mediation on the order being approved by a majority of the members of the affected bargaining unit.
Existing law establishes the system of public postsecondary education in the state, which includes the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California, and the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University. Existing law urges publishers of textbooks specifically designed for postsecondary instruction to take specified actions aimed at reducing the amounts that students pay for textbooks, including providing to faculty and departments considering textbook orders a list of all the different products the publisher sells. This bill would require the California State University, and request the University of California, to offer discounted electronic textbook rentals to their students for each textbook assigned in a course, if the content of the electronic and printed versions of the textbook are the same.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, allows various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by that law. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2015, would allow as a deduction under that law the lesser of (1) the amount contributed by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, to a qualified tuition program, as specified, or (2) $3,000 in the case of a qualified taxpayer who is single or is a married individual filing a separate return, and $6,000 in the case of a qualified taxpayer who is a married individual filing a joint return or an individual filing a head of household return. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relating to the development and implementation of an intercity high-speed train system. Existing law authorizes the authority to acquire rights-of-way through purchase or eminent domain. Existing law sets forth the process for acquisition of property by eminent domain, including a requirement for adoption of a resolution of necessity. Existing law, pursuant to the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, authorizes $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for high-speed rail development and other related purposes. Existing law, for purposes of the bond act, defines "usable segment" as a portion of a corridor, as defined, that includes at least 2 stations. This bill would prohibit the authority, or the State Public Works Board acting on behalf of the authority, from adopting a resolution of necessity to commence an eminent domain proceeding to acquire a parcel of real property along a corridor, or usable segment thereof, for the high-speed train system unless the resolution identifies the sources of all funds to be invested in the corridor or usable segment and the anticipated time of receipt of those funds, and certifies that the authority has completed all necessary project level environmental clearances necessary to proceed to construction. The bill, for these purposes, would instead define "usable segment" as a portion of a corridor, as defined, that includes at least 2 stations and shall be used to operate high-speed train service, as specified.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020, and to adopt rules and regulations in an open public process to achieve the maximum, technologically feasible, and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing state board regulations require specified entities to comply with a market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2013, and require additional specified entities to comply with that market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2015. This bill instead would exempt categories of persons or entities that did not have a compliance obligation, as defined, under a market-based compliance mechanism beginning January 1, 2013, from being subject to that market-based compliance mechanism through December 31, 2020. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, would allow a credit under that law in an amount equal to the qualified costs, as defined, paid or incurred by a qualified taxpayer, not to exceed a specified amount, during the taxable year for fuel management activities, as defined, performed on qualified real property owned by the qualified taxpayer. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law, inoperative due to a pending referendum election, would otherwise, as of July 1, 2015, prohibit stores that have a specified amount of sales in dollars or retail floor space from providing a single-use carryout bag to a customer, with specified exceptions. That law would also prohibit those stores from selling or distributing a recycled paper bag at the point of sale unless the store makes that bag available for purchase for not less than $0.10 and would allow those stores to distribute compostable bags at the point of sale only in jurisdictions that meet specified requirements and at a cost of not less than $0.10. This same law, on and after July 1, 2016, would additionally impose these prohibitions and requirements on convenience food stores, foodmarts, and entities that are engaged in the sale of a limited line of goods, or goods intended to be consumed off premises, and that hold a specified license with regard to alcoholic beverages. This inoperative law would require, on and after July 1, 2015, a reusable grocery bag sold by certain stores to a customer at the point of sale to be made by a certified reusable grocery bag producer and to meet specified requirements with regard to the bag's durability, material, labeling, heavy metal content, and, with regard to reusable grocery bags made from plastic film on and after January 1, 2016, recycled material content. Existing law, included in the bill that enacted the provisions currently inoperative due to the pending referendum election, but not included in the referendum election, and thus operative, appropriates $2,000,000 from the Recycling Market Development Revolving Loan Subaccount in the Integrated Waste Management Account to the department for the purposes of providing loans for the creation and retention of jobs and economic activity in California for the manufacture and recycling of plastic reusable grocery bags that use recycled content. Existing law, subject to the referendum election, requires the department, no later than March 1, 2018, to provide a status report to the Legislature on the implementation of all of these provisions. This bill would repeal the above provisions and related provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Community Services District Law specifies the procedures for district formation, procedures for the selection of district governing board members, the powers and duties of the board, and the procedures for changing those powers and duties. Existing law requires the board of directors of each district to consist of 5 members. This bill would authorize the board of directors of the Sierra Cedars Community Services District to consist of 3 members, if the board of directors receives a petition signed by a majority of voters requesting a reduction in the number of board members and thereafter adopts a resolution that orders the reduction, as specified. The bill would also authorize the board, if the number of members is reduced to 3, to adopt a resolution to increase the number of members from 3 to 5, as specified. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for Sierra Cedars Community Services District.
Existing law authorizes the Public Utilities Commission, beginning January 1, 2015, to authorize fixed electricity charges that do not exceed a specified amount per residential customer account per month. Existing law, beginning January 1, 2016, authorizes the adjustment of the maximum allowable fixed charge by no more than the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for the prior calendar year. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.