Sen. Shannon Grove

(1) Existing law creates the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (council) and requires departments administering state programs created on or after July 1, 2017, to collaborate with the council for the purpose of adopting guidelines and regulations to incorporate core components of Housing First. Existing law defines "Housing First" as an evidence-based model that uses housing as a tool, rather than a reward, for recovery and that centers on providing or connecting homeless people to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Under existing law, Housing First providers offer services as needed and requested on a voluntary basis and do not make housing contingent on participation in services. This bill would require a local government entity to provide specified homelessness information for its jurisdiction to the council by January 1, 2025, including expenditures on homelessness programs and efforts provided to homeless persons within its jurisdiction, as well as related information regarding the funding of these services. The bill would specify how a local government would meet this requirement. This bill would require the council to develop and maintain a publicly available internet website homelessness dashboard for prescribed purposes. The bill would require the council to report to the Legislature, and post to its homelessness dashboard, information related to programs that the state has undertaken to reduce homelessness in California, including federal funding for state and local programs by January 1, 2026. The bill would require a state agency or office responsible for these programs to report data related to the programs, in a form prescribed by the council, to the council no later than January 1, 2025. The bill would require the council to perform a specified assessment of the success or failure of funded and implemented programs addressing homelessness. This bill would express that it is the intent of the Legislature that continuums of care collaborate with local government entities, state agencies, and the council to help collect the required information. The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2027. By increasing the duties of local government entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 defines the crime of human trafficking and imposes a penalty of at least 5, 8, or 12 years in state prison and a fine of not more than $500,000. This bill would prohibit plea bargaining in a case in which the indictment or information charges the crime of human trafficking and it is alleged that the victim is a minor, unless there is insufficient evidence to prove the people's case, or testimony of a material witness cannot be obtained, or a reduction or dismissal would not result in a substantial change in sentence. By increasing the penalty for 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 establishes within state government the Office of Planning and Research as the comprehensive state planning agency for long-range planning and research. Existing law, until January 1, 2026, establishes within state government a Governor's Military Council that serves under the direction of the Military Department to advise the Governor on efforts to retain military installations and operations within this state that are necessary for the defense of the nation, and to coordinate and focus those efforts. This bill would establish the California Defense Community Infrastructure Program, which would require the Office of Planning and Research, with input and assistance from the Governor's Military Council, to grant funds to local agencies to assist with matching fund requirements in applications for funds from the federal Defense Community Infrastructure Program. This bill would require the office to use specified project criteria, define an eligible project, and require the Military Council to rank the projects, as specified, and forward their recommendations to the office to award the grants, or, if the Military Council is abolished, would require the office to rank the projects based on the available criteria and funds. This bill would appropriate $50,000,000 for the purposes of the program. The bill would authorize the office to award these grants without regard to fiscal year and would require funds unencumbered after 3 years to revert to the General Fund.

Existing property tax law, pursuant to the authorization of the California Constitution, provides a disabled veteran's property tax exemption for the principal place of residence of a veteran, the veteran's spouse, or the veteran and veteran's spouse jointly, and the unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran, as provided, if the veteran is blind in both eyes, has lost the use of 2 or more limbs, or is totally disabled as a result of injury or disease incurred in military service, or if the veteran has, as a result of a service-connected injury or disease, died while on active duty in military service. Existing law exempts that part of the full value of the residence that does not exceed $100,000, or $150,000 if the household income of the claimant does not exceed $40,000, as adjusted for inflation, as specified. This bill, for property tax lien dates occurring on or after January 1, 2023, would additionally provide a partial exemption for property owned by, and that constitutes the principal place of residence of, a veteran who is partially disabled, as defined, or the veteran's spouse or the veteran and the veteran's spouse jointly, under these provisions. The bill would require that the amount of partial exemption provided be the percentage of the full amount of exemption, as described above, equivalent to the partially disabled veteran's disability rating percentage by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the military service from which the veteran was discharged, as applicable. By adding to the duties of local tax officials in administering the disabled veterans' property tax exemption, 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 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. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

The Williamson Act, also known as the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, authorizes a city or county to enter into contracts with owners of land devoted to agricultural use, whereby the owners agree to continue using the property for that purpose, and the city or county agrees to value the land accordingly for purposes of property taxation. Existing law sets forth procedures for reimbursing cities and counties for property tax revenues not received as a result of these contracts and continuously appropriates General Fund moneys for that purpose. This bill, for the 2022–23 fiscal year, would appropriate an additional $40,000,000 from the General Fund to the Controller to make subvention payments to counties, as provided, in proportion to the losses incurred by those counties by reason of the reduction of assessed property taxes. The bill would make various findings in this regard.

Existing law, the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law and Diesel Fuel Tax Law, impose a tax upon each gallon of motor vehicle fuel or diesel fuel removed from a refinery or terminal rack in this state, entered into this state, or sold in this state, at a specified rate per gallon. Existing law annually adjusts the rates of the taxes imposed by those laws based on inflation. This bill would remove the requirement for future inflation adjustments of those taxes. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing state and federal law sets limits on the total gross weight imposed on the highway by a vehicle or vehicle combination with any group of 2 or more consecutive axles, not to exceed 80,000 pounds, as specified. Existing law authorizes vehicles or vehicle combinations in certain circumstances to carry a gross vehicle weight in excess of 80,000 pounds, such as vehicles transporting logs. Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation or local authorities to issue a special permit authorizing an applicant to operate or move a vehicle or combination of vehicles on a highway of a weight exceeding that maximum. This bill would increase the maximum gross weight for a vehicle or combination of vehicles transporting a load composed solely of a petroleum-based fuel to 88,000 pounds.

Existing law, the Alatorre-Zenovich-Dunlap-Berman Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, grants agricultural employees the right to form and join labor organizations and engage in collective bargaining with respect to wages, terms of employment, and other employment conditions, and authorizes employees to elect exclusive bargaining representatives for these purposes. Existing law creates the Agricultural Labor Relations Board in the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and provides the board specified powers and responsibilities with regard to agricultural labor disputes and representation elections. This bill would repeal the provisions of the Alatorre-Zenovich-Dunlap-Berman Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975 on January 1, 2025. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation in the year 2023 that would, among other objectives, abolish the board, encourage and protect the associational rights of agricultural employees, and appropriate specified funds for the development, improvement, and maintenance of farmworker housing. By July 1, 2023, the bill would require the board to submit to the Legislature a report detailing a process for its abolishment that includes recommendations for subsequent legislation to achieve the objectives of the legislation in the year 2023 described above.

Existing law defines the terms "serious felony" and "violent felony" for various purposes, including, among others, enhancing the punishment for felonies pursuant to existing sentencing provisions commonly known as the Three Strikes Law. This bill would include human trafficking within the definition of a violent felony and the definition of a serious felony for all purposes, including for purposes of the Three Strikes Law. By expanding the scope of an enhancement, 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.