The California Farmland Conservancy Program Act establishes a program for grants from the Department of Conservation for the acquisition of agricultural conservation easements or fee title. The act imposes requirements for the funding of agricultural conservation easements. The act creates the California Farmland Conservancy Program Fund. The moneys in the fund, upon appropriation, are required to be used for the purposes of the program, including the purchase of agricultural conservation easements. The act requires an applicant for an agricultural conservation easement to meet specified eligibility criteria related to commercial agricultural production and agricultural land conservation, and specifies criteria the Director of Conservation is required to consider in evaluating the proposal. This bill, notwithstanding any other provision of the act, would authorize the Director of Conservation to make grants from a source other than the fund, and, upon appropriation by the Legislature from that source, disburse moneys for those grants to an applicant for the acquisition of an agricultural conservation easement, if the director determines that the grant meets the purposes of the act and additional specified requirements, including that the easement does not, and will not, substantially prevent agricultural uses on the easement property and that any restriction on the current or reasonably foreseeable agricultural use of the easement property would only be imposed to restrict those areas of the property that are not in cultivation. Existing law also establishes the Soil Conservation Fund, which provides money, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified land use purposes. This bill would establish the Farm, Ranch, and Watershed Account within the Soil and Conservation Fund from which money would be disbursed to provide the above grants.
Sponsored bills
Existing law requires elections officials to provide a sample ballot to each voter registered at least 29 days prior to an election. Existing law requires elections officials to send notice of the polling place to voters registered after 29 days prior to an election. Existing law further requires elections officials to provide a vote by mail ballot and supplies necessary to complete and return the ballot to each qualified vote by mail voter prior to an election. This bill would require, for a statewide election, that elections officials include a notification with the sample ballot, or notice of the polling place, that would inform the voter that he or she will receive a state ballot pamphlet. The bill would additionally require that elections officials include a notification with the vote by mail ballot that would inform the voter that he or she should receive a voter information guide. Because the bill would require additional duties from elections officials, it 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 these statutory provisions.
Existing law, until January 1, 2014, allows certain state and local transportation entities, if authorized by the California Transportation Commission, to use a design‑build process for contracting on transportation projects, as specified. This bill would authorize the Riverside County Transportation Commission, if authorized by the commission, to utilize this design-build procurement process for the State Route 91 Corridor Improvements Project on the state highway system. The bill would make the Department of Transportation responsible for the performance of construction inspection services for the project, as specified, and would require the commission to report on the progress of the project and related matters to specified legislative committees. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law establishes a motor vehicle inspection and maintenance (smog check) program, developed, implemented, and administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs (the department) . The duty of enforcing and administering the program is vested in the Chief of the Bureau of Automotive Repair within the department. The owner of a motor vehicle that has failed its most recent smog check inspection has the right to retire the vehicle from operation at a dismantler under contract with the Bureau of Automotive Repair, and the department is required to pay this person up to $1,500, or more if cost effective. This bill would instead require the department to pay a person who retires his or her vehicle $1,500 for a low-income motor vehicle owner, as defined, and $1,000 for all other motor vehicle owners, and would authorize additional payments above these amounts based on consideration of specified criteria. The bill would require the department to permit vehicle retirement for any motor vehicle that has been continuously registered in the state for at least 2 years prior to vehicle retirement, and that fails any type of smog check inspection lawfully performed in the state. Existing law also creates an enhanced fleet modernization program for the retirement of high polluting vehicles to be administered by the Bureau of Automotive Repair pursuant to guidelines adopted by the State Air Resources Board. This bill would require retirement payments made pursuant to that program to also be $1,500 for a low-income motor vehicle owner and $1,000 for all other motor vehicle owners, and would authorize additional payments above these amounts based on the same criteria as in the vehicle retirement program discussed above. (2) Existing law provides for a repair assistance program available to an individual whose maximum income level is 185% of the federal poverty level, or 225% of the federal poverty level if a certain determination is made, and who is the owner of a motor vehicle that has failed a smog check inspection or received a notice to correct, or an individual who has failed a smog check inspection and is directed to a test-only facility. This bill would make the repair assistance program available only to low-income individuals whose income does not exceed 225% of the federal poverty level, as specified. The bill would make other conforming changes, and delete obsolete provisions of law.
Existing law provides for the regulation of various professions and vocations, including those of an athlete agent. This bill would make it unlawful for any person to hold himself or herself out as a certified athletic trainer unless he or she has been certified by the Board of Certification, Inc., and has either graduated from a college or university, after completing an accredited athletic training education program, as specified, or completed requirements for certification by the Board of Certification, Inc., prior to January 1, 2004. The bill would make it an unfair business practice to violate these provisions.
Existing law requires a motor vehicle, when operated upon a highway, to be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet, but prohibits a horn from emitting an unreasonably loud or harsh sound. A violation of the vehicle code is a crime. This bill would prohibit a motor vehicle from being equipped with an aftermarket horn that emits a sound greater than 110 dB(A) . By creating a new 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 requires an elections official to count only those vote by mail ballots returned by mail that are received by the elections official or delivered to a polling place by the close of the polls on the day of the election that contain specified information. Existing law also requires the elections official to establish procedures to ensure the secrecy of any vote by mail ballot returned to a precinct polling place. Existing law also requires procedures to track and confirm the receipt of voted vote by mail ballots and requires that this information be available by means of online access using the county's elections division Internet Web site. Existing law requires the elections official to establish procedures to ensure the security, confidentiality, and integrity of any personal information collected, stored, or otherwise used in tracking vote by mail ballots. This bill would require county elections officials to permit a vote by mail voter to find out whether his or her vote had been counted, and if not, the reason why, via online access on the county's Internet Web site or via a toll-free telephone number. Because this bill would impose new duties on local elections officials, it 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 these statutory provisions.
This measure would recognize March 31, 2010, as the anniversary of the birth of César Chávez, and would call upon all Californians to participate in appropriate observances to remember César Chávez as a symbol of hope and justice to all persons.
This measure would recognize the contributions of the automotive aftermarket to the state and consumers and its efforts to educate the motoring public about the benefits of proper vehicle maintenance. The measure also would recognize and support the designation of April as National Car Care Month and encourage all citizens to participate in activities that promote proper vehicle maintenance.
This measure would recognize May 2010 as Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month.