Sen. Ellen Corbett

Existing law generally requires a railroad to provide for the sounding of a horn or other similar device when a train will be entering a highway grade crossing, except in areas where a quiet zone has been established consistent with the requirements of federal regulations. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to facilitate the process of establishing local safety enhancements at railroad crossings necessary for the approval of quiet zones.

Existing law requires an applicant for an original driver's license to take an examination that includes an actual demonstration of the applicant's ability to exercise control of a motor vehicle by driving it under the supervision of an examining officer. Existing law allows the examining officer to request evidence of financial responsibility for the vehicle prior to supervising the driving portion of the examination. This bill would allow evidence of financial responsibility to be provided for the above purposes using a mobile electronic device.

The Political Reform Act of 1974 provides for the comprehensive regulation of the lobbying industry and imposes various restrictions on public officials for the purpose of avoiding conflicts of interests. The act prohibits a lobbyist or lobbying firm from making gifts to any person aggregating more than $10 in a calendar month and prohibits an elected state officer, elected officer of a local government agency, or other designated individual from accepting gifts from any single source in any calendar year with a total value of more than $250. Existing law requires the Fair Political Practices Commission to adjust the gift limitation amount on January 1 of each odd-numbered year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. This bill would prohibit a lobbyist or lobbying firm from making a gift of any amount. The bill would prohibit an elected state officer, elected officer of a local government agency, or other designated individual from accepting gifts from a single source in a calendar year with a total value of more than $200 and would authorize the Fair Political Practices Commission to increase the gift limitation amount each odd-numbered year based upon changes in the Consumer Price Index. The bill would further prohibit a candidate for elective state office, elected state officer, or legislative official from receiving a gift of tickets to specified venues and events or a gift comprised of specified recreational activities. The act prohibits a public official at any level of state or local government from making, participating in making, or in any way attempting to use the official's position to influence a governmental decision in which the official knows or has reason to know that he or she has a financial interest. The act provides that the public official has a financial interest in a decision if it is reasonably foreseeable that the decision will have a material financial effect on the official, the official's immediate family, or other prescribed persons, including a donor of a gift or gifts aggregating $250 or more in value within the 12 months preceding the decision. The act requires the Commission to adjust the gift value amount that creates a financial interest in the donor to equal the above-described limitation amount on the value of gifts from a single source in a calendar year. This bill would reduce to $200 the aggregate value of gifts that create a financial interest for a public official in the gift's donor. The bill would also require the Commission to adjust this amount to equal the amount of any adjustment made by the Commission to the above-described gift limitation on the value of gifts from a single source in a calendar year. Violation of the act is punishable as a misdemeanor. By creating additional crimes, 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. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.

The California Constitution conditions the imposition of a special tax by a city, county, or special district upon the approval of 23 of the voters of the city, county, or special district voting on that tax, except that certain school entities may levy an ad valorem property tax for specified purposes with the approval of 55% of the voters within the jurisdiction of these entities. This measure would provide that the imposition, extension, or increase of a special tax by a local government for the purpose of providing funding for transportation projects requires the approval of 55% of its voters voting on the proposition, if the proposition proposing the tax includes certain requirements. The measure would also make conforming and technical, nonsubstantive changes.

Existing law requires the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to provide to the Legislature, not later than February 1, 2014, a strategy for international trade and investment that, at a minimum, includes specified information, goals, objectives, and actions related to the promotion of trade. This bill would require the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to provide to the Legislature, not later than December 1, 2014, a strategy for promoting trade for California airports, land ports, and seaports that, at a minimum, includes specified information, objectives, goals, and recommendations. The bill would require that the strategy be submitted to the Chief Clerk of the Assembly and the Secretary of the Senate, with copies provided to the Speaker of the Assembly, the President pro Tempore of the Senate, and the chairs of specified legislative committees. The bill would also require the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to convene, no later than February 1, 2014, a statewide business partnership for promotion of trade for California ports and to explore greater utilization of California ports, which would be required to advise the director on establishing that trade strategy, as prescribed. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission, with jurisdiction over all public utilities, as defined, and authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility. Existing law authorizes certain public utilities, including electrical corporations, as defined, to propose research and development programs and authorizes the commission to allow inclusion of expenses for research and development in rates. Existing law requires the commission to consider specified guidelines in evaluating the research, development, and demonstration programs proposed by electrical corporations and gas corporations. Existing law prohibits the commission, in implementing the 21st Century Energy System Decision, as defined, from authorizing recovery from ratepayers of any expense for research and development projects that are not for purposes of cyber security and grid integration and limits total funding for research and development projects for the purposes of cyber security and grid integration from exceeding $35,000,000. This bill would limit total funding for research and development projects for the purposes of cyber security and grid integration from exceeding $60,000,000.

Existing law establishes the "Sexual Assault Victims' DNA Bill of Rights," which, among other things, encourages a law enforcement agency assigned to investigate specified sexual assault offenses to perform DNA testing of rape kit evidence or other crime scene evidence in a timely manner to assure the longest possible statute of limitations. Existing law also requires a law enforcement agency to inform victims of certain sexual assault offenses, if the identity of the perpetrator is in issue, if the law enforcement agency elects not to analyze DNA evidence within certain time limits. This bill instead would, with respect to specific sex offenses, encourage a law enforcement agency in whose jurisdiction the sexual assault offense occurred to submit sexual assault forensic evidence received by the agency on or after January 1, 2016, to the crime lab within 20 days after it is booked into evidence, and ensure that a rapid turnaround DNA program, as defined, is in place to submit forensic evidence collected from the victim of a sexual assault to the crime lab within 5 days after the evidence is obtained from the victim. The bill would also encourage the crime lab, with respect to sexual assault forensic evidence received by the lab on or after January 1, 2016, to process that evidence, create DNA profiles when able, and upload qualifying DNA profiles into the Combined DNA Index System as soon as practically possible, but no later than 120 days after initially receiving the evidence, or to transmit the sexual assault forensic evidence to another crime lab as soon as practically possible, but no later than 30 days after initially receiving the evidence, as specified. The bill would also revise the provisions requiring a law enforcement agency to inform victims of certain sexual assault offenses, to make the requirement applicable without regard to whether the identity of the perpetrator is in issue, if the law enforcement agency does not analyze DNA evidence, and to require those entities to notify the victims within 6 months of the time limits established under existing law. By imposing a higher level of service on local law enforcement agencies, 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 these statutory provisions.

Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, provides for the comprehensive regulation of campaign financing, including requiring the reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures and imposing other reporting and recordkeeping requirements on campaign committees. "Contribution" is defined for purposes of the act as a payment, a forgiveness of a loan, a payment of a loan by a third party, or an enforceable promise to make a payment, except to the extent that full and adequate consideration is received, unless it is clear from the surrounding circumstances that it is not made for political purposes. The definition does not include a payment made by an occupant of a home or office for costs related to any meeting or fundraising event held in the occupant's home or office if the costs for the meeting or fundraising event are $500 or less. The act prohibits a lobbyist from making, and an elected state officer or candidate for elective state office from accepting, a contribution if the lobbyist is registered to lobby the governmental agency for which the candidate is seeking election or the governmental agency of the elected state officer. This bill would revise the definition of "contribution" to include a payment made by a lobbyist or a cohabitant of a lobbyist for costs related to a fundraising event held at the home of the lobbyist, as specified. The bill would make these payments attributable to the lobbyist for purposes of the prohibition against a lobbyist making a contribution to specified candidates and elected officers. The bill would also revise the definition of "contribution" to include a payment made by a lobbying firm for costs related to a fundraising event held at the office of the lobbying firm. A violation of the act's provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, 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. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.

Existing law specifies the authority of agents in dealing with 3rd persons. The Consumers Legal Remedies Act prohibits unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices undertaken by a person in a transaction intended to result or which results in the sale or lease of goods to any consumer, as defined, and authorizes specified remedies for a consumer who suffers damages as a result of the use of these methods, acts, or practices. This bill would prohibit a person, firm, corporation, or association that is a nongovernmental entity and contracts to perform, on or after January 1, 2015, public health and safety labor or services for a public agency from displaying on a vehicle or uniform a logo, as defined, that reasonably could be interpreted as implying that the labor or services are being provided by employees of the public agency, unless the vehicle or uniform conspicuously displays specific disclosures. The bill would prohibit a public agency from requiring a person or employee of a nongovernmental entity providing public health and safety labor or services under contract with the public agency to wear a badge containing the logo of the public agency. The bill would also prohibit a nongovernmental entity providing public health and safety labor or services under contract with a public agency from requiring a person or its employee to wear a badge containing the logo of the public agency. This bill would define the term "public health and safety labor or services" to mean fire protection services, rescue services, emergency medical services, hazardous material emergency response services, and ambulance services. This bill would authorize that these provisions may be enforced by the Consumers Legal Remedies Act.

(1) Existing law, the California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of residential care facilities for the elderly by the State Department of Social Services. Violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. Existing law requires that every licensed residential care facility for the elderly be subject to unannounced visits by the department and requires the department to visit these facilities as often as necessary to ensure the quality of care provided, but no less often than once every 5 years. Existing law requires the department to notify the residential care facility for the elderly in writing of all deficiencies and to set a reasonable length of time for compliance by the facility. Existing law requires inspection reports, consultation reports, lists of deficiencies, and plans of correction to be open to public inspection. This bill would require residential care facilities for the elderly to remedy the deficiencies within 10 days of the notification, except as specified. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the department to post on its Internet Web site information on how to obtain an inspection report, and would state the intent of the Legislature that the department make inspection reports available on its Internet Web site by January 1, 2020. The bill would also require the department to design, or cause to be designed, a poster that contains information on the appropriate reporting agency in case of a complaint or emergency. The bill would require a residential care facility for the elderly to post this poster in the main entryway of its facility. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that increased staffing and funding resources for the State Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) appropriated in the Budget Act of 2014 be used to enhance the CCLD's structure and improve its operations. Existing law also states the intent of the Legislature to increase the frequency of facility inspections resulting in annual inspections for some or all facility types, including residential care facilities for the elderly. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, during the 2015–16 legislative budget subcommittee hearings, to update the Legislature on the status of the structural and quality enhancement improvements. This bill would require the department to also report the projected costs of conducting annual inspections of residential care facilities for the elderly beginning January 1, 2018. (3) Existing law requires the department to notify affected placement agencies and the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman whenever the department substantiates that a violation has occurred that poses a serious threat to the health and safety of any resident when the violation results in the assessment of any penalty or causes an accusation to be filed for the revocation of a license. This bill would additionally require the department to provide the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman with a precautionary notification if the department begins to prepare to issue a temporary suspension or revocation of any license. 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.