Existing law establishes various state water policies, including that the protection of the public interest in the development of the water resources of the state is of vital concern to the people of the state and that the state shall determine in what way the water of the state, both surface and underground, should be developed for the greatest public benefit. This bill would require the Department of Water Resources to develop a state water policy that gives priority to the formation of joint powers authorities that are formed to address critical surface water storage needs and to funding of the joint powers authorities' surface water projects. The bill would make findings and declarations of the Legislature, including, but not limited to, that, of the water storage projects available, the Temperance Flat Dam and Sites Reservoir will meet statewide goals and provide specified public benefits to the greatest extent.
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Existing law designates particular days each year as having special significance, and encourages all public schools and educational institutions to observe those days and to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on those days. This bill would express legislative findings and declarations relating to the Asian Lunar New Year. The bill would require the Governor, each year, to designate the date corresponding with the start of the Asian lunar calendar as Asian Lunar New Year's Day, a day having special significance. The bill would also encourage all public schools and educational institutions to conduct exercises observing the Asian Lunar New Year with appropriate activities and programs.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix just and reasonable rates and charges for every public utility. Existing law, with certain exceptions, prohibits a public utility from changing any rate, except upon a showing before the commission and a finding by the commission that the new rate is justified. Existing law requires the commission to exercise its regulatory authority to maintain the California High-Cost Fund-A Program (CHCF-A program) to provide universal service rate support to small independent telephone corporations, as defined, in amounts sufficient to meet the revenue requirement, as defined, established by the commission through rate-of-return regulation in furtherance of the state's universal service commitment to the continued affordability and widespread availability of safe, reliable, high-quality communications services in rural areas of the state. This bill would revise the CHCF-A program requirements to provide that the revenue requirement of a small independent telephone corporation includes rate case expenses, as defined. This bill would require the commission to issue its final decision on a general rate case of a small independent telephone corporation no later than 390 days following the corporation's filing of its general rate case application or advice letter initiating the general rate case. If the commission fails to issue a final decision by the 390th day, the bill would authorize the small independent telephone corporation to file a tariff implementing interim rates. The interim rates would generally be effective on the first day of the first test year in the general rate case application, subject to refund and adjustment upward or downward back to the interim rate effective date, consistent with the final rates adopted by the commission. The bill would provide that these provisions may be waived at any time by mutual consent of the executive director of the commission and the small independent telephone corporation.
This act would commend the meaningful contributions that Latino customs, such as the celebration of La Virgen de Guadalupe, make to the diverse heritage of American society.
This measure would acknowledge the month of May 2016 as Foster Care Awareness Month.
This measure would designate the month of May 2016 as National Bike Month in California and would encourage Californians to ride bicycles for commuting and recreation.
Existing law establishes the Monterey County Water Resources Agency as a flood control and water agency within the County of Monterey. Existing law authorizes the agency to award a design-build contract for the combined design and construction of a project to connect Lake San Antonio, located in the County of Monterey, and Lake Nacimiento, located in the County of San Luis Obispo, with an underground tunnel or pipeline for the purpose of maximizing water storage, supply, and groundwater recharge. This bill would appropriate $10,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Water Resources and would require the department to grant the $10,000,000 to the agency for the purpose of constructing a water conveyance tunnel between Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio and spillway modifications at Lake San Antonio, as specified. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would proclaim the month of February 2016 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and would encourage all Californians to observe Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month with programs and activities that raise awareness about teen dating violence.
Existing law requires all voting to be by ballot and requires each polling place to provide, at each election at which public officers are to be voted for, but one form of ballot for all candidates for public office, except for partisan primary elections, as specified. Existing law specifies the order of precedence of offices on the ballot and authorizes a county elections official to vary the order for certain offices and measures submitted to the voters, in order to allow for the most efficient use of space on the ballot in counties that use a voting system, as defined. Existing law requires state measures to always precede local measures. This bill, for the November 8, 2016, statewide general election only, would authorize a county board of supervisors to direct the county elections official to place a local measure related to local transportation finance above state measures. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
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 act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years. This bill would require the state board, as a part of the update to the scoping plan and in consultation with other state entities, to provide a comprehensive overview of state efforts to encourage the development of in-state biomethane and renewable natural gas.