This measure would designate April 2014 as Autism Awareness Month and would encourage residents to show support for autism awareness by lighting their homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship with blue light bulbs.
This measure would recognize the week of March 23, 2014, to March 29, 2014, inclusive, as National Agriculture Week, and would designate March 19, 2014, as California Agriculture Day.
The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes the legislative body of any city or county to adopt ordinances regulating zoning within its jurisdiction, as specified. This bill would additionally authorize the legislative body of any city or county to adopt ordinances to establish, as a condition of development, inclusionary housing requirements, as specified, and would declare the intent of the Legislature in adding this provision. The bill would also make a technical, nonsubstantive change.
Existing law provides that the unlawful possession of certain controlled substances, including, among others, opiates, opium, opium derivatives, mescaline, peyote, tetrahydrocannabinols, and cocaine base, is a felony punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years. This bill would make the unlawful possession of any of those substances punishable as either a felony punishable in county jail or as a misdemeanor punishable in a county jail for not more than one year.
Existing law divides the state into agricultural districts, and establishes that District 1-A is the County of San Mateo and the City and County of San Francisco. Existing law generally establishes the powers and duties of a district agricultural association, and also generally regulates the transfer of firearms. A violation of the statutes governing agricultural districts is a misdemeanor. This bill would require the prior approval of the board of supervisors of both the County of San Mateo and the City and County of San Francisco for an officer, employee, operator, or lessee of District 1-A to contract for, authorize, or allow an event at which a firearm or ammunition is sold at the Cow Palace. By creating a new crime, 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.
Existing law requires the Employment Development Department, in consultation and coordination with veterans' organizations and veteran service providers, to research the needs of veterans throughout the state and develop a profile of veterans' employment and training needs and to seek federal funding for those purposes. This bill would require the Employment Development Department and the Department of Consumer Affairs, on or before January 1, 2015, jointly to present a report to the Legislature containing best practices by state governments around the nation in facilitating the credentialing of veterans by using their documented military education and experience.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires health care service plans, for large group plan contracts, and health insurers, for large group health insurance policies, at least 60 days in advance of a rate change, to file with the respective departments all specified rate information for unreasonable rate increases and, with that filing, to disclose specified aggregate data. This bill would instead require the plans and insurers to disclose specified aggregate data for products and for rate filings, as specified, in the large group market on an annual basis. The bill would also require a health plan or health insurer that exclusively contracts with no more than 2 medical groups in the state to provide claims or other data to large group purchasers that request the data and demonstrate the ability to comply with privacy laws, as specified, and would require the health care service plan or health insurer to use only deidentified data in those disclosures, as specified, to protect the privacy rights of individuals. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements would be a 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.
Existing law authorizes a court or magistrate to issue a warrant for the search of a place and the seizure of property or things identified in the warrant where there is probable cause to believe that specified grounds exist. Existing law also provides for a warrant procedure for the acquisition of stored communications and other identifying information in the possession of a foreign corporation that is a provider of electronic communication services or remote computing services to the general public, and procedures for a California corporation that provides electronic communication services or remote computing services to the general public when served with a warrant issued by a court in another state. This bill would delete the warrant requirement that the providers of electronic communication services or remote computing services be providing those services to the general public. This bill would prohibit a governmental entity, as defined, from obtaining the contents of a wire or electronic communication from a provider of electronic communication services or remote computing services that is stored, held, or maintained by that service provider without a valid search warrant issued by a duly authorized magistrate, with jurisdiction over the offense under investigation, using established warrant procedures. The bill would require, within 3 days after a governmental entity receives those contents from a service provider pursuant to the warrant, the governmental entity to serve upon or deliver to the subscriber, customer, or user a copy of the warrant and a notice, as specified, including certain information. The bill would authorize a delay in serving the warrant notice, as provided. This bill would prohibit, except as provided, a person or entity providing electronic communication services or remote computing services from knowingly divulging to any person or entity the contents of a wire or electronic communication that is stored, held, or maintained by that service provider. Any knowing or intentional violation of these provisions, except as provided, would be subject to a civil action with appropriate relief, including, but not limited to, actual damages of not less than $1,000, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and court costs. Existing law prohibits a cause of action against a foreign or California corporation or other entity, as specified, for providing records, information, facilities, or assistance in accordance with the terms of a warrant. This bill would also prohibit a cause of action against a foreign or California corporation or other entity, as specified, that provides records, information, facilities, or assistance pursuant to statutory authorization, as specified.
Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission in the Natural Resources Agency, and specifies the powers and duties of the commission with respect to energy resources in the state. Under existing law, various provisions regulate petroleum supply and pricing. Existing law requires the commission to obtain and analyze monthly production reports prepared by the State Oil and Gas Supervisor under a specific provision. Existing law authorizes the State Lands Commission to enter into oil and gas leases for the extraction and removal of oil and gas deposits on state lands. Existing law requires the leases to include a royalty provision. This bill would, until January 1, 2018, require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, or the commission, upon appropriation by the Legislature of moneys generated by the collection of royalty payments from the oil and gas leases, to identify data currently collected or developed by the commission and to establish a methodology to analyze whether fuel price manipulation has occurred or is occurring. The bill would require the commission to establish a Motor Vehicle Fuel Market Advisory Committee, as specified, to review specific data and provide ongoing comments, insight, and recommendations about fuel market behavior and transactions related to potential market manipulation and methods to deter those activities. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board and other relevant state agencies, to include in its integrated energy policy report a one-time report on further legislative recommendations to limit the amount of price volatility and comparative price increase in the California fuel market.
Existing federal law permits certain aliens to engage in employment in the United States under specified conditions. Existing state law regulates the services of foreign labor contractors, as defined, with regard to contracts, recruitment procedures and representations, and information as to terms and conditions of employment. Existing law provides that any person who violates or induces a violation of the latter provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor. Existing law also permits any person aggrieved by a violation of these provisions to bring an action for injunctive relief or damages, or both, and authorizes recovery of damages, costs, and reasonable attorney's fees, in an amount not less than $500, if the aggrieved person prevails on the action. Under existing state law, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of Industrial Relations, under the direction of the Labor Commissioner, enforces and administers the licensing and supervision of farm labor contractors, as defined. This bill would change the definition of a foreign labor contractor to mean a person who performs foreign labor contracting activity, as defined, and would require a foreign labor contractor to register with the Labor Commissioner and pay a specified fee, upon satisfying specified conditions. The bill would require the commissioner to enforce and administer the registration and supervision of foreign labor contractors, and would authorize the commissioner to adopt regulations or policies and procedures to implement these provisions. The bill would prohibit a person from knowingly entering into an agreement for the services of a foreign labor contractor that is not registered with the commissioner. The bill would also require foreign labor contractors to disclose specified information and deposit with the commissioner a surety bond in a specified amount, for payment of any amount adjudicated against the foreign labor contractor, as a condition of registration, as specified. The bill would further require persons knowingly using the services of foreign labor contractors to obtain foreign workers to disclose specified information to the commissioner. The bill would require a foreign labor contractor to disclose in writing to each foreign worker who is recruited for employment certain information, as specified. The bill would prohibit a foreign labor contractor and its agent from assessing a fee or cost to a foreign worker for foreign labor contracting activities. The bill would also prohibit charging a foreign worker with any costs or expenses not customarily assessed against similarly situated workers, and would limit the amount of housing costs charged to the foreign worker to the market rate for similar housing. The bill would prohibit requiring a foreign worker to pay any costs or expenses prior to commencement of work. The bill would prohibit additional requirements or changes to the terms of the contract originally provided to and signed by the foreign worker, unless the foreign worker is provided at least 48 hours to review and consider the additional requirements or changes, and would require the specific consent of the foreign worker, as provided, to each additional requirement or change. The bill would authorize a civil penalty for violations of these provisions, would authorize the commissioner or a person aggrieved by a violation of these provisions to bring an action for injunctive relief or damages, or both, and would authorize recovery of damages, costs, and reasonable attorney's fees, as specified, including enforcement of liability against the bond deposited with the commissioner. The bill would exempt a person from joint and several liability for an act or omission by a foreign labor contractor if the person is using a registered foreign labor contractor's services. The bill would also exempt a person who uses the services of a registered foreign labor contractor from misdemeanor liability for an act or omission by the foreign labor contractor. Because this bill would expand the scope of the provisions regulating foreign labor contractors, a violation of which is a misdemeanor, 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.
