Sen. Elaine Alquist

Existing law requires courts to refer minors under 16 years of age who refuse to testify in a court proceeding to a probation officer, as specified, and to receive a recommendation and report from that probation officer, before imposing a sanction for contempt, except as specified. This bill would require the court to require a victim of a sex crime who is subject to the above requirements to meet with a victim advocate, as defined, unless the court finds, for good cause, that it is not in the best interest of the victim.

This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 1 in the County of Los Angeles as the Honorable Jenny Oropeza Memorial Overcrossing. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.

This measure would recognize June 15th as Justice for Janitors Day, a day to commemorate the struggle of janitors for affordable family health care and dignified wages.

(1) Existing law generally requires secondhand dealers and coin dealers, as defined, to report specified transactions involving tangible personal property, on forms provided or approved by the Department of Justice, to the local law enforcement agency where their businesses are located. Existing law defines "tangible personal property" for these purposes, and excludes from that definition, among other items, commercial grade ingots defined to include, among other items, 0.99 fine ingots of gold, silver, or platinum. This bill would revise the definition of commercial grade ingots to include 0.99 fine or finer ingots of gold, silver, palladium, or platinum. Under existing law, secondhand dealers and coin dealers are required to report the information described above using an electronic reporting system 12 months after the Department of Justice develops that system. This bill would eliminate the electronic filing requirements for coin dealers, and would instead require that secondhand dealers report this information using the single, statewide, uniform electronic reporting system on and after the date that the system is implemented, as specified. (2) Existing law requires a local law enforcement agency to issue a license to engage in the business of a secondhand dealer or pawnbroker to an applicant who meets designated criteria. Existing law authorizes the local licensing authority and the Department of Justice to charge an initial licensure fee and a renewal fee, as specified. This bill would require the Department of Justice to charge a licensure fee and a renewal fee of no more than $300, as specified. The bill would also require licensees issued a license before the effective date of this bill to pay an additional fee of no more than $288 for the purpose of funding the single, statewide, uniform electronic reporting system, with payment due within 120 days of the enactment of this bill. The bill would require that the fees assessed by the department be deposited in the Secondhand Dealer and Pawnbroker Fund, which the bill would create in the State Treasury. The bill would require that the money in the fund be used by the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose of paying for specified regulatory costs, including the cost of implementing, operating, and maintaining the single, statewide, uniform electronic reporting system. The bill would also require applicants for a license to submit fingerprint images relative to a required criminal background check, with associated fee revenue to be deposited in the Fingerprint Fee Account, and would make those revenues available to the Department of Justice, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for these purposes. This bill would make findings and declarations of the Legislature, and state the intent of the Legislature, with regard to these matters. The bill would make other related conforming changes. The bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law requires the Department of General Services, under the police power of the state, to supervise the design and construction of any school building or the reconstruction or alteration of or addition to any school building, if not exempted, to ensure that plans and specifications comply with specified rules, regulations, and building standards and to ensure that the work of construction is performed in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, for the protection of life and property. Existing law authorizes the department to issue a stop work order when construction work on a public school is not being performed in accordance with existing law and would compromise the structural integrity of the building, thereby endangering the public safety, but requires the department to allow construction of incidental and minor nonstructural additions or nonstructural alterations without invoking its stop work authority. Existing law establishes in the Department of General Services the Division of the State Architect and provides that the State Architect has general charge, under the Department of General Services, of the erection of all state buildings. This bill would require the Department of General Services to convene a workgroup, or continue to use an existing workgroup, as specified, to develop and adopt recommendations for improving the oversight of school construction projects. The bill would require the workgroup to review changes made within the Division of the State Architect to improve its oversight of school construction projects and to review the Field Act to consider changes to the act concerning occupancy of school facilities when and if significant safety concerns are identified. The bill would require the Division of the State Architect by July 1, 2013, to report the recommendations of the workgroup to the Senate Select Committee on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery, at a public hearing with an opportunity for public comment, as specified, and to the appropriate Senate and Assembly policy committees. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2015.

Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law creates the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority with various transportation responsibilities in the County of Santa Clara. This bill would, by July 1, 2013, require the department and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to enter into a memorandum of understanding to implement the Innovative Delivery Team Demonstration Program, which would, until January 1, 2020, provide a different business model for the application of advanced technologies with the goal of delivering transportation projects and services in the County of Santa Clara in a more responsive, cost-effective, and efficient manner. The bill would require the demonstration program to serve as a mechanism for testing innovative approaches for improving project delivery and local assistance. The bill would require the department to assign specified personnel to the demonstration program. The bill would also require the authority to provide space, equipment, and other resources, as specified, to the demonstration program. The bill would require the authority to carry out, for purposes of implementing the demonstration program, specified responsibilities for state highway projects in the County of Santa Clara. The bill would require the authority to manage the local assistance process, for purposes of implementing the demonstration program, in the County of Santa Clara. The bill would require the demonstration program to adhere to all applicable federal rules and regulations, as specified. The bill would require the authority, in consultation with the department, to evaluate the effectiveness of the demonstration program and to report to the Legislature by July 1, 2015, and by July 1, 2018, on specified matters. By requiring the authority to participate in this demonstration program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also declare the intent of the Legislature in this regard. 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.

(1) Existing law, the Sex Offender Registration Act, requires persons convicted of specified sex offenses to register with local authorities for life while residing, located, attending school, or working in California. Willful failure to register, as required, is a misdemeanor, or a felony, depending on the underlying offense. Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of various community care and child care facilities by the State Department of Social Services. This bill would prohibit a person required to register under the act from residing, except as specified, working, or volunteering in, among other places, foster homes or facilities licensed by the State Department of Social Services or a county child welfare services agency. Violation of this prohibition would be a misdemeanor. The bill would also authorize a juvenile court to waive this prohibition if the residence involved is that of a noncustodial parent, relative, or nonrelative extended family member who receives the placement of a child who is or may be declared a dependent of the court and the court finds that placing the child in that residence is in the child's best interest. This bill would require specified officials who register a person under the act to make a specified determination regarding the registration, notify the person when his or her registered residence or place of employment would be prohibited by the bill, and take appropriate law enforcement action, or make a specified notification, including notifying the county child welfare agency and the Department of Social Services, as specified, if the person registers at a prohibited residence or place of employment. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to, by January 1, 2014, provide specified public officers and persons or entities that register a person who is required to register with the addresses or other equivalent data of, among other things, foster homes or facilities that serve children under 18 years of age and that are licensed by the department or a county child welfare agency. This bill would also require specified investigators of the State Department of Social Services to compare the residence and employment addresses of persons required to register under the act against the addresses of certain facilities, including, among others, foster homes or facilities licensed by the department or a county child welfare agency. The bill would require investigators to immediately, or as soon as practicably possible, make a report, as specified, to the appropriate county child welfare agency and the State Department of Social Services if those addresses match. (2) Existing law, the California Child Day Care Act, requires the Director of Social Services to annually publish and make available certain lists covering all licensed child day care facilities, other than small family day care homes, as defined, and the services for which each facility has been licensed. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to prevent the use of lists containing names, addresses, and other identifying information of small family day care homes, except for specified purposes, including, among others, providing the names and addresses of these small family day care homes to certain state agencies, programs, organizations, or plans. This bill would include a local law enforcement agency among the agencies that may receive lists containing the names, addresses, and other identifying information of small family day care homes, as specified. This bill would create a new crime and impose additional duties upon local officials, thereby creating 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 a specified reason. 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.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to designate the headquarters for each of its employees, except as provided. This bill would remove that requirement and would authorize the board of governors to appoint a person without permanent civil service status to a position classified as a career executive assignment, for the position of vice chancellor or assistant vice chancellor, if the person has a minimum of 5 years of specified work experience, previously held permanent status in the civil service, was employed by the Legislature for 2 or more consecutive years, or held for 2 or more consecutive years one or more nonelected exempt positions in the executive branch.

This measure would commemorate the 40th anniversary of Title IX on June 23, 2012, commend the movement toward increased equality and fair treatment of female athletes, and praise the goal of greater opportunities in sports for girls and young women in California.

This measure would proclaim June 2012 as Scleroderma Awareness Month.