Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. This bill would establish the California Promise, which would require the trustees and the board of governors to establish a program that authorizes a campus of the California State University and the California Community Colleges to enter into a pledge with a student who satisfies specified criteria to support the student in obtaining an associate degree within 2 academic years, or a baccalaureate degree within 4 academic years, of freshman admission. The bill would prohibit systemwide tuition charged to a California State University student who participates in a California Promise program for an academic year from exceeding the amount of tuition charged to the student for the academic year of the student's freshman admission, and would prohibit tuition of a community college transfer student from exceeding a specified amount. By imposing new duties on community college districts, 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 these statutory provisions.
Sponsored bills
Existing law makes it a crime to willfully threaten to commit a crime that will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement is to be taken as a threat and which, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made, is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person threatened a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and thereby causes that person reasonably to be in sustained fear for his or her own safety or for his or her immediate family's safety. Under existing law, this crime is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for no more than one year for a misdemeanor, or by imprisonment in state prison for a felony. This bill would make a person who, by any means, including, but not limited to, by means of an electronic act, willfully threatens unlawful violence to another person to occur upon the grounds of a school, as defined, with specific intent and under certain circumstances, and that threat creates a disruption at the school, guilty of a misdemeanor or felony punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a specified term. 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 provides that a law enforcement official has discretion to cooperate with federal immigration officials by detaining an individual on the basis of an immigration hold after that individual becomes eligible for release from custody only if the continued detention of the individual on the basis of the immigration hold would not violate any federal, state, or local law, or any local policy, and only under other specified circumstances. This bill would prohibit a local law enforcement agency from taking custody of a previously convicted felon who is being detained or incarcerated by another law enforcement agency if the felon is scheduled for deportation or transfer to federal authorities for deportation proceedings unless there is an outstanding felony warrant, and the agency has confirmed that the prosecutorial authority with jurisdiction to prosecute the felony has a current intent to prosecute that felony. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes the Veterans' Home of California, under the administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including homes in Yountville and Barstow. Existing law also authorizes the Department of General Services, on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to acquire, design, equip, construct, and establish additional veterans' homes in other locations, including Fresno. This bill would rename the veterans' home in the County of Fresno as the Dr. Charlie Waters Memorial Veterans' Home and would make specified findings of the Legislature regarding Dr. Waters' life.
Existing law designates the Metropolitan Transportation Commission as the regional transportation planning agency for the San Francisco Bay area. Existing law creates the Bay Area Toll Authority, governed by the same board as the commission, with specified powers and duties relative to the administration of toll revenues from state-owned toll bridges within the geographic jurisdiction of the commission. Existing law authorizes the authority to make direct contributions to the commission in furtherance of the exercise of the authority's powers, including contributions in the form of personnel services, office space, overhead, and other funding necessary to carry out the function of the authority, with those contributions not to exceed 1% of the gross annual bridge revenues. This bill would require this limitation to apply to any revenues derived from bridge tolls, fees, or taxes, regardless of classification.
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 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 exempt from the provisions of CEQA a project, or the issuance of a permit for a project, that consists of the inspection, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, replacement, or removal of, or the addition of an auxiliary lane or bikeway to, existing transportation infrastructure and that meets certain requirements. The bill would require the public agency carrying out the project to take certain actions.
(1) Existing law establishes in state government the Transportation Agency, which includes various departments and state entities, including the California Transportation Commission. Existing law vests the California Transportation Commission with specified powers, duties, and functions relative to transportation matters. Existing law requires the commission to retain independent authority to perform the duties and functions prescribed to it under any provision of law. This bill would exclude the California Transportation Commission from the Transportation Agency, establish it as an entity in state government, and require it to act in an independent oversight role. The bill would also make conforming changes. (2) Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to prepare a state highway operation and protection program every other year for the expenditure of transportation capital improvement funds for projects that are necessary to preserve and protect the state highway system, excluding projects that add new traffic lanes. The program is required to be based on an asset management plan, as specified. Existing law requires the department to specify, for each project in the program, the capital and support budget and projected delivery date for various components of the project. Existing law provides for the California Transportation Commission to review and adopt the program, and authorizes the commission to decline to adopt the program if it determines that the program is not sufficiently consistent with the asset management plan. This bill would additionally require the department to program capital outlay support resources for each project in the program. The bill would provide that the commission is not required to approve the program in its entirety, as submitted by the department, and may approve or reject individual projects programmed by the department. The bill would require the department to submit any change in a programmed project's cost, scope, or schedule to the commission for its approval.
Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school whenever, in the judgment of the governing board of the school district, the transportation is advisable and good reasons for it exist. Existing law further authorizes the governing board of any school district to contract with the county superintendent of schools to provide necessary transportation services. This bill would, commencing with data for the 2014–15 fiscal year, and for each fiscal year thereafter, require the State Department of Education to request specified pupil transportation data from each school district, charter school, county office of education, joint powers authority, and regional occupational center or program that provides pupil transportation. The bill would require the department to post the data received on its Internet Web site, and would require the data to be separated between home-to-school transportation and special education transportation.