Asm. Heath Flora

This measure would recognize the Lunar New Year celebration.

This measure would proclaim January 13, 2019, as Korean American Day.

This measure would honor the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Existing law requires the California State University to offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master's degree in the liberal arts and sciences and professional education. Existing law authorizes research, scholarship, and creative activity in support of the university's undergraduate and graduate instructional mission. This bill would require the Trustees of the California State University to oversee a competitive process to award funds for the Wildland and Wildland-Urban Interface Wildfire Research Grant Program to one or more campuses of the California State University that can demonstrate an ability to fulfill certain criteria for, among other purposes, conducting research in critical areas of advancement and reform in wildland firefighting and issues vital to the state in the advancement of the understanding of fires in the wildland-urban interface. The bill would require trustees, by July 1, 2020, and every July 1 thereafter, to submit a report to the Legislature on the research and activities of the program. The bill would appropriate $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the trustees for these purposes, thereby making an appropriation.

Under existing law, the Department of Parks and Recreation administers and manages the state park system. Existing law permits visitors to bring animals into units of the state park system when the Director of Parks and Recreation determines that it is in the public interest, subject to certain conditions. This bill would require the department to establish and maintain on its Internet Web site a comprehensive, up-to-date list of each unit with information on whether the unit or a portion of the unit allows dogs and additional specified information.

Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program under which, through a combination of federal, state, and county funds, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. The CalWORKs program also provides a nonrecurring special needs benefit for permanent housing assistance to pay for last month's rent and security deposits, up to 2 months of rent arrearages, or standard costs of deposits for utilities, as specified. Existing law requires payments to providers for temporary shelter and permanent housing and utilities to be made on behalf of the families requesting these payments. Existing law prohibits payments from being made to a housing provider unless it is a commercial establishment, shelter, or person in the business of renting properties who has a history of renting properties. This bill, commencing July 1, 2019, would remove the requirement that a person in the business of renting properties have a history of renting properties in order to receive payments and would additionally authorize payments to a housing provider with which the families requesting assistance have executed a valid lease, sublease, or shared housing agreement. Because this bill would increase the administrative duties of counties, it would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize the State Department of Social Services to implement these provisions through an all-county letter or similar instruction from the Director of Social Services until final regulations are adopted, and would require the department to adopt emergency regulations on or before July 1, 2020. 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 continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would, instead, provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill.

Existing law requires an excavator planning to conduct any excavation to contact the appropriate regional notification center before beginning that excavation, as specified. Existing law, if an excavation is within the tolerance zone of a subsurface installation, requires the excavator to determine the exact location of the subsurface installations in conflict with the excavation using specified tools, except as otherwise provided. This bill, beginning July 1, 2020, would authorize an excavator to use certain equipment prior to determining the exact location of the subsurface installations, and would require the California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board, on or before July 1, 2020, to adopt regulations to implement this provision.

Existing law specifies the time period within which various proceedings may be commenced under provisions of law relating to workers' compensation. With certain exceptions, a proceeding to collect death benefits is required to be commenced within one year from several circumstances, including, but not limited to, from the date of death if it occurs within one year from the date of injury. Existing law prohibits proceedings from being commenced more than one year after the date of death, and generally not more than 240 weeks from the date of injury. Existing law, for specified deceased members, including peace officers and active firefighting members, extends until January 1, 2019, the time period to commence proceedings to collect death benefits, if the proceedings are brought by, or on behalf of, a person who was a dependent on the date of death, from 240 weeks from the date of injury to no later than 420 weeks from the date of injury, not to exceed one year after the date of death for certain injuries, as specified. This bill would delete the January 1, 2019, date of repeal operation of the above-referenced extension.