(1) The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. This bill would, until January 1, 2032, exempt from the requirements of CEQA development projects, as defined, meeting certain requirements occurring within the downtown revitalization zone, as defined, in the City and County of San Francisco. The bill would require the prime contractor and subcontractors on the development project to provide an affidavit under the penalty of perjury regarding the use of skilled and trained workforce on the development project, as provided. Because the bill would expand the crime of perjury and would increase the duties of the lead agency by requiring it to determine the applicability of the exemption for projects located in the City and County of San Francisco, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021 (Leadership Act) authorizes the Governor, before January 1, 2032, to certify projects that meet specified requirements for streamlining benefits related to CEQA, including the requirement that judicial actions challenging the action of a lead agency for projects certified by the Governor be resolved, to the extent feasible, within 270 days after the filing of the record of proceedings with the court, and a requirement that the applicant agrees to pay the costs of preparing the record of proceedings for the project concurrent with review and consideration of the project, as specified. The Leadership Act provides that if a lead agency fails to approve a project certified by the Governor before January 1, 2033, the certification is no longer valid. The Leadership Act provides that it is repealed on January 1, 2034. This bill would authorize the Governor to certify projects located in the downtown revitalization zone in the City and County of San Francisco that are not exempt from CEQA pursuant to the above provisions and that meet certain requirements for streamlining benefits related to CEQA, including the requirement that judicial actions challenging the action of a lead agency for projects certified by the Governor be resolved, to the extent feasible, within 270 days after the filing of the record of proceedings with the court, and a requirement that the applicant agrees to pay the costs of preparing the record of proceedings for the project concurrent with review and consideration of the project, as specified. The bill would specify that the certification of the project is voided if the lead agency, in approving the project, adopts a statement of overriding consideration for environmental impacts identified in the EIR that cannot be avoided or mitigated to less than significant. The bill would provide that if a lead agency fails to approve a project certified by the Governor before January 1, 2031, the certification is no longer valid. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2032. By increasing the duties of a lead agency in its implementation of CEQA, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing property tax law, in accordance with the California Constitution, provides for a "welfare exemption" for property used exclusively for religious, hospital, scientific, or charitable purposes and that is owned or operated by certain types of nonprofit entities, if certain qualifying criteria are met. This bill would provide, for lien dates occurring on or after January 1, 2025, that property is within that welfare exemption and is entitled to a partial exemption equal to the percentage of the value of the property that is equal to the percentage that the number of units serving moderate-income households represents of the total number of residential units, if the property is used exclusively for rental housing and related facilities, is owned and operated by specified entities, and certain conditions are met. The bill would require, as part of those conditions, the owner of the property to certify, under penalty of perjury, specified information, the property to be located within the downtown revitalization zone of the City and County of San Francisco, as defined, and the owner of the property to claim the exemption within 5 years following the issuance of the first building permit for residential units on the property. (3) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City and County of San Francisco. (4) By expanding the crime of perjury, imposing additional duties on local tax officials, and increasing the duties of the lead agency by requiring it to determine the applicability of the CEQA exemption for projects located in the City and County of San Francisco, 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (5) Existing law requires the state to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding those provisions, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill.
Sponsored bills
Existing law prohibits the possession of certain controlled substances. The California Constitution provides for the Right to Truth-in-Evidence, which requires a 23 vote of the Legislature to exclude any relevant evidence from any criminal proceeding, as specified. This bill would require law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial entities to adopt policies for the arrest and prosecution of drug possession charges to ensure reliable and accurate identifications of controlled substances and to maintain the integrity of convictions, as specified. Unless a test from a crime laboratory confirms the presence of a controlled substance in the sample, the bill would prohibit the use of a colorimetric field drug test, as defined, by law enforcement for a determination of probable cause for an arrest, by a prosecutor when deciding whether to charge a person, by a prosecutor as evidence against a defendant in an arraignment or preliminary hearing, or by a court for a conviction or sentencing, as specified. By excluding relevant evidence from a criminal proceeding, this bill would require a 23 vote of the Legislature. The bill would, when a colorimetric field drug test is used for any reason, allow an individual who pleads guilty to a charge of drug possession to withdraw the plea and move for dismissal of charges in the event of a confirmatory laboratory test that finds that there was no controlled substance in the sample. The bill would allow a defendant to request a confirmatory test at any time during the pendency of the case or, subsequent to the entry of the plea, up to a year after the adjudication of the case. By increasing the duties of local law enforcement, 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 law requires that each application for an original or a renewal of a driver's license contain certain information, including the applicant's true full name, age, and gender. Existing law also requires the application for a driver's license or identification card to contain certain specified elements, including, among other things, whether the applicant has served in the Armed Forces of the United States and a space for an applicant to enroll in the Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. This bill would require the application forms for a driver's license or identification card to contain a space for a person to voluntarily disclose that the applicant has a disability, as defined by the federal American with Disabilities Act (ADA) , and that the disability interferes with the person's ability to effectively communicate with a peace officer. The bill would require the disclosed disability to be certified by a licensed health professional, as specified, on appropriate forms to be developed by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill would require the department to develop an appropriate disability identifier symbol to be placed on a driver's license or identification card that is discreet and represents all types of disabilities, as specified. The bill would provide that a person may choose to no longer have a disability identifier symbol placed on the person's driver's license or identification card and would prohibit the department from retaining any information related to the person's disability. The bill would require the department to issue a new driver's license or identification card without a disability identifier symbol upon request. The bill would require the department to work with the Department of the California Highway Patrol and other relevant stakeholders to develop peace officer training on the meaning of the voluntary disability identifier symbol. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2028, to provide a report to the Legislature and relevant policy committees detailing the disability identifier symbol program and the percentage of persons issued a driver's license or identification card who requested a disability identifier symbol. This bill would make the above provisions operative on January 1, 2027.
(1) Existing law provides for the regulation of various professions and vocations by boards established under the jurisdiction of the Department of Consumer Affairs in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. Existing law, the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act, classifies controlled substances into 5 schedules, and places the greatest restrictions and penalties on the use of those substances placed in Schedule I. Existing law classifies dimethyltryptamine, mescaline, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) , ibogaine, psilocybin, and psilocyn as Schedule I substances, and prohibits various actions related to those substances, including their sale, possession, transportation, manufacture, or cultivation. (2) This bill would enact the Regulated Psychedelic Facilitators Act, which would establish the Board of Regulated Psychedelic Facilitators in the Department of Consumer Affairs to license and regulate psychedelic facilitators, as defined. The bill would require the board to be appointed, as specified, by April 1, 2025. The bill would require the board to establish educational, training, and other qualifications and requirements for obtaining a license as a regulated psychedelic facilitator and would establish conditions of licensure. The bill would require the board to establish fees for the reasonable regulatory costs to the board to administer the act. The bill would require the board to begin accepting license applications by April 1, 2026. The bill would make a license subject to renewal every 2 years. The bill would create the Regulated Psychedelic Facilitators Fund in the State Treasury, would require all funds received pursuant to the act to be credited to the fund, and would make moneys in the fund available to the board for the act's purposes upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would require the board, consistent with recommendations made by the Regulated Psychedelic Substances Advisory Committee, which would be created by the bill, to adopt regulations, on or before January 1, 2026, governing the safe provision of regulated psychedelic facilitation, including regulations governing the scope of practice for regulated psychedelic facilitators and recordkeeping requirements, provided the recordkeeping does not result in the disclosure of personally identifiable information of participants. The bill would require the board to determine which schools and programs meet the requirements of the act and to adopt regulations governing the requirements and process for approving schools and programs related to the provision of psychedelic facilitation training. The bill would authorize the board to charge a reasonable fee for the inspection or approval of schools or programs. The bill would make a violation of the act a misdemeanor and subject a licenseholder's license to suspension or revocation. The bill would make a violation of specified acts subject to discipline or denial of a license by the board in accordance with specified procedures. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would make specified practices unfair business practices, including a person without a license holding themselves out as a regulated psychedelic facilitator. The bill would authorize a local government to reasonably regulate the time, place, and manner of regulated psychedelic facilitation within its boundaries. (3) This bill would enact the Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Act to establish a comprehensive system to control and regulate the production, distribution, transportation, storage, processing, manufacturing, testing, quality control, and sale of regulated psychedelic substances for use in conjunction with psychedelic facilitation, as defined, the provision of psychedelic facilitation, the approval of locations where regulated psychedelic facilitation may take place, and the collection and publication of data on the implementation and outcomes of the act. The bill would define "regulated psychedelic substances" to include dimethyltryptamine; mescaline; 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) ; psilocybin; psilocyn; and spores or mycelium capable of producing mushrooms that contain psilocybin or psilocyn. The bill would establish the Division of Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, to be under the supervision and control of a director appointed by the Governor, in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency to administer and enforce the act. The bill would require the division to take specified actions to carry out its duties under the act, including conducting investigations and employing peace officers. The bill would grant to specified personnel the authority of peace officers while engaged in investigating the laws administered by the division or commencing criminal prosecution arising from investigations, as specified. The bill would require the division, no later than April 1, 2025, to convene a Regulated Psychedelic Substances Expert Oversight Committee, to be appointed by the Governor, to advise the division and the Board of Regulated Psychedelic Facilitators on the development of standards and regulations that include best practices and guidelines that protect public health and safety. The bill would require the oversight committee, commencing on January 1, 2026, to publish an annual public report that includes, among other things, the oversight committee's recommendations to the division and the board and whether those recommendations were implemented. The bill would require the division to adopt regulations, consistent with the recommendations of the oversight committee, for the administration and enforcement of laws regulating regulated psychedelic substances and services, including regulations that establish categories of licensure and registration. The bill would require the division, no later than April 1, 2026, to begin to accept and process applications for licensure. The bill would authorize the division to collect fees in connection with activities it regulates. The bill would create the Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Fund within the State Treasury, and would allocate the funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the division for the purposes of implementing, administering, and enforcing the act. The bill would also create the Psychedelic Substances Public Education and Harm Reduction Fund, to be available to the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to award grants for public education and harm reduction relating to psychedelic substances. The bill would authorize the division to accept moneys from private sources to supplement state funds, which may be appropriated by the Legislature to the fund. The bill would make a violation of the act a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the division to work with state and local enforcement agencies to implement, administer, and enforce the division's rules and regulations. (4) Existing law provides that a physician and surgeon, psychotherapist, or alcohol and drug abuse counselor who engages in specified sexual conduct with a patient or client or certain former patients or clients is guilty of sexual exploitation and prescribes specified criminal penalties for acts of sexual exploitation. This bill would make those provisions applicable to registered psychedelic facilitators. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) This bill would declare that it is the public policy of the people of the State of California that contracts related to the operation of licenses under the Regulated Psychedelic Facilitators Act and the Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Act shall be enforceable. (6) This bill would make conforming changes to the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act. (7) This bill would state that its provisions are severable. (8) This bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. (9) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. (10) 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 vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt new, or expand existing, fixed charges, as defined, for the purpose of collecting a reasonable portion of the fixed costs of providing electrical service to residential customers. Under existing law, the commission may authorize fixed charges for any rate schedule applicable to a residential customer account. Existing law requires the commission, no later than July 1, 2024, to authorize a fixed charge for default residential rates. Existing law requires these fixed charges to be established on an income-graduated basis, with no fewer than 3 income thresholds, so that low-income ratepayers in each baseline territory would realize a lower average monthly bill without making any changes in usage. This bill would prohibit modifications to the amount of the income-graduated fixed charge from exceeding changes in inflation, as provided. The bill would make the provisions authorizing the income-graduated fixed charge inoperative on July 1, 2028. The bill, commencing July 1, 2028, would instead permit the commission to authorize fixed charges that, as of January 1, 2015, do not exceed $5 per residential customer account per month for low-income customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program and that do not exceed $10 per residential customer account per month for customers not enrolled in the CARE program. The bill would authorize these maximum allowable fixed charges to be adjusted by no more than the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for the prior calendar year, beginning January 1, 2016. The bill would require the commission to adopt any modification to an existing fixed charge for the collection of a reasonable portion of the fixed costs of providing electrical service to residential customers in a stand-alone proceeding. The bill would prohibit a fixed charge from resulting in an increase to an electrical corporation's revenue requirement. The bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2027, but no sooner than 2 years after the adoption of the income-graduated fixed charge, to submit a public report to the relevant policy committees of both houses of the Legislature on the electrical corporations' implementation of the income-graduated fixed charge and other cost-saving options, as specified. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and therefore a violation of the bill's requirements or of a commission action implementing its requirements would be a 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.
Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution formally recognizes May as Maternal and Mental Health Awareness Month in California to highlight critical issues facing women and birthing people. The document draws attention to disparities in reproductive care, noting that many women lack access to hospitals with obstetrics services and that costs for fertility treatments remain a significant barrier. It also emphasizes the high prevalence of untreated mental health conditions among new mothers, particularly within communities of color and those with lower incomes. While the resolution does not create new laws, it serves to raise public awareness about the need for equitable access to both physical and mental health services during the reproductive years.
This measure would designate March 7, 2024, as National Vending Day.