Existing law, the Real Estate Law, establishes the Department of Real Estate, with the Real Estate Commissioner as its chief officer, and sets forth the powers and duties of the commissioner relating to the licensure and regulation of real estate brokers and salespersons. Existing law requires an applicant for an original real estate broker license examination to successfully complete courses of study in specified subjects, including real estate practice, legal aspects of real estate, and real estate appraisal. Existing law specifies each of these courses to be a 3-semester unit course. Existing law also requires an applicant for a real estate salesperson license examination or for both the examination and license to successfully complete courses of study in specified subjects, including real estate principles and real estate practice. Existing law requires a licensee to successfully complete 45 hours of continuing education as a prerequisite to initial license renewal, including, among other things, a 3-hour course in fair housing. For subsequent renewals, the law requires a licensee to complete 45 hours of continuing education, including an 8-hour update survey course. This bill would revise the real estate practice course for an applicant for a real estate broker or salesperson license to include a component on implicit bias, as specified, and would revise the legal aspects of real estate course for that applicant to include a component on state and federal fair housing laws, as specified. The bill would require that fair housing component to include an interactive participatory component, as specified. The bill would revise the fair housing course requirement for initial license renewals to include an interactive participatory component, as specified. The bill would also require a licensee, as part of the licensee's 45 hours of continuing education, to successfully complete a 2-hour course in implicit bias training, as specified. The bill would increase the hours required for the update survey course to 9 hours. The bill would delay the operation of these provisions until January 1, 2023. This bill would revise the description of the courses required for an applicant for a real estate broker or salesperson license to be 3-unit semester courses.
Sponsored bills
Existing law generally requires the licensure and regulation of various health care facilities, including, among others, a hospice facility. The Compassionate Use Act of 1996, an initiative measure enacted by the approval of Proposition 215 at the November 5, 1996, statewide general election, prohibits specified criminal penalties from being imposed on a patient or a patient's primary caregiver who possesses or cultivates cannabis for the personal medical purposes of the patient upon the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physician. Existing law, known as the Medical Marijuana Program, requires counties to administer an identification card program for qualified patients and provides immunity from arrest to qualified patients with a valid identification card or designated primary caregivers, within prescribed limits. This bill, the Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act or Ryan's Law, would require specified types of health care facilities to allow a terminally ill patient's use of medicinal cannabis within the health care facility, subject to certain restrictions. The bill would require a patient to provide the health care facility with a copy of their medical marijuana card or written documentation that the use of medicinal cannabis is recommended by a physician. The bill would require a health care facility to reasonably restrict the manner in which a patient stores and uses medicinal cannabis to ensure the safety of other patients, guests, and employees of the health care facility, compliance with other state laws, and the safe operations of the health care facility. The bill would provide that compliance with the bill would not be a condition for obtaining, retaining, or renewing a license as a health care facility. The bill would require that health care facilities permitting patient use of medical cannabis comply with other drug and medication requirements, as specified, and would make those facilities subject to enforcement actions by the State Department of Public Health. The bill would authorize a health care facility to suspend compliance with these provisions if a regulatory agency, the United States Department of Justice, or the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services takes specified actions, including initiating an enforcement action against a health care facility related to the facility's compliance with a state-regulated medical marijuana program.
Existing law establishes the California Housing Finance Agency within the Department of Housing and Community Development, with the primary purpose of meeting the housing needs of persons and families of low or moderate income. Existing law prescribes requirements for the disposal of surplus land by a local agency. Existing law defines "surplus land" for these purposes to mean land owned in fee simple by any local agency for which the local agency's governing body takes formal action in a regular public meeting declaring that the land is surplus and is not necessary for the agency's use. Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district to sell or lease, for a term not exceeding 99 years, any real property belonging to the school district which is not or will not be needed by the district for school classroom buildings at the time of delivery of title or possession. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, establish the California Surplus Land Unit within the Department of Housing and Community Development with the primary purpose of facilitating the development and construction of residential housing on local surplus land, as defined. In this regard, the bill would authorize the unit to, among other things, facilitate agreements between housing developers and local agencies that seek to dispose of surplus land; provide advice, technical assistance, and consultative and technical service to local agencies with surplus land and developers that seek to develop housing on the surplus land; and collaborate with specified state agencies to assist housing developers and local agencies with obtaining grants, loans, tax credits, credit enhancements, and other types of financing that facilitate the construction of housing on surplus land. The bill would require the unit to, by December 31 of each year, submit an annual report of its activities under these provisions for the preceding year to the Governor, the Secretary of Business, Consumer Services, and Housing, the Director of Housing and Community Development, the Treasurer, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, the Legislative Analyst, and the Legislature, as specified.
The Planning and Zoning Law requires a city or county to adopt a general plan for land use development within its boundaries that includes, among other things, a housing element. That law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to determine whether the housing element is in substantial compliance with specified provisions of that law. Existing law, for award cycles commenced after July 1, 2021, awards a city, county, or city and county, that has adopted a housing element determined by the department to be in substantial compliance with specified provisions of the Planning and Zoning Law and that has been designated by the department as prohousing based upon their adoption of prohousing local policies, as specified, additional points in the scoring of program applications for housing and infrastructure programs pursuant to guidelines adopted by the department, as provided. Existing law defines "prohousing local policies" as policies that facilitate the planning, approval, or construction of housing, including, but not limited to, local financial incentives for housing, reduced parking requirements for sites that are zoned for residential development, and the adoption of zoning allowing for use by right for residential and mixed-use development. This bill would add the preservation of affordable housing units through the extension of existing project-based rental assistance covenants to avoid the displacement of affected tenants and a reduction in available affordable housing units to the list of specified prohousing local policies. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health (department) to implement various programs throughout the state relating to public health, including licensing and regulating health facilities and control of infectious diseases. Existing law requires the department and the Office of Emergency Services, in coordination with other state agencies, to, upon appropriation and as necessary, establish a personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile. Existing law requires the department to establish guidelines for the procurement, management, and distribution of PPE, taking into account, among other things, the amount of each type of PPE that would be required for all health care workers and essential workers, as defined, in the state during a 90-day pandemic or other health emergency. This bill would specifically include wildfire smoke events among health emergencies for these purposes. The bill would include agricultural workers, as defined, in the definition of essential workers. Existing law also establishes the Personal Protective Equipment Advisory Committee (committee) , consisting of representatives from, among other groups, an association representing skilled nursing facilities, a statewide association representing physicians, 2 representatives of labor organizations that represent health care workers, and 2 representatives of labor organizations that represent essential workers, as defined, to make recommendations to the department for the development of guidelines for the procurement, management, and distribution of PPE, as specified. This bill would require the committee to include a representative of a labor organization representing agricultural workers and a representative of an organization that represents agricultural employers. The bill would also require the department to report to the Legislature regarding the PPE stockpile within 6 months of the effective date of these provisions. (2) Existing law establishes the Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board within the Department of Industrial Relations and sets forth their powers and duties relating to the adoption of health and safety standards for workers. Under existing law, certain violations of a standard, order, or special order pursuant to these provisions are crimes. Existing regulations of the division protect employees exposed to wildfire smoke and include control by respiratory protective equipment among the methods to control harmful exposure. This bill would require the division to review and update the contents of the protection from wildfire smoke training and thereafter post it on its internet website. The bill would require that training provided by the employer is required to be in a language and manner readily understandable by employees, taking into account their ethnic and cultural backgrounds and education levels, including the use of pictograms, as necessary. Because a violation of certain safety and health standards or orders constitutes 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law provides procedures for the election or appointment of members of county central committees of the Democratic Party. Existing law provides that a person is not eligible for appointment or election to a committee if the person is not registered as affiliated with the party at the time of the appointment or election. Existing law requires an elections official to attach a certificate to the declaration of candidacy for a person who seeks membership on a county central committee that certifies the person's eligibility for such membership. This bill would instead provide that a person is not eligible for election to a county central committee if the person's affidavit of registration does not state a political party preference for the Democratic party. The bill would make a person who is not a United States citizen, but who would be able to register to vote if the person were a United States citizen, eligible for election to a county central committee if the person meets all other specified eligibility requirements, the committee's bylaws permit such a person to be elected to the committee, the committee notifies the county elections official that its bylaws permit such a person to be elected, and the committee provides the county elections official with a copy of the eligibility requirements specified in its bylaws. The bill would require a candidate to complete a declaration of eligibility, which the county elections official would attach to the candidate's declaration of candidacy in lieu of the certificate described above. By increasing the duties of local elections officials relative to determining the eligibility of candidates for county central committees, the 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 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. Existing law, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, requires the state board to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the 1990 level by 2030. 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. Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, composed of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the state's natural and cultural resources. Existing law requires the agency to update the state's climate adaptation strategy, known as the Safeguarding California Plan, every 3 years. This bill would require, no later than July 1, 2023, the Natural Resources Agency, in coordination with the California Environmental Protection Agency, the state board, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and other relevant state agencies, to establish the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy and, in developing the strategy, to create a framework to advance the state's climate goals. The bill would require the state board, as part of its scoping plan, to establish specified carbon dioxide removal targets for 2030 and beyond. This bill would require, no later than July 1, 2023, the Natural Resources Agency to establish and maintain a registry for the purposes of identifying and listing projects in the state that drive climate action on the state's natural and working lands and are seeking funding from state agencies or private entities. The bill would authorize the agency, in collaboration with relevant state agencies, to create an application process for applicants to have their projects located in the state listed on the registry, as specified. The bill would require the agency to establish a mechanism for retiring the listing of a project from the registry once it is funded and tracking the outcome of the project to ensure it is completed. The bill would require project proponents to notify the agency when a project is completed and provide monitoring and reporting data for the duration of the contract terms of the project. The bill would require the agency to track carbon removal and greenhouse gas emission reduction benefits derived from projects funded through the registry. The bill would authorize the agency to contract with a third-party organization to develop and operate the registry.
Existing law declares that small water suppliers and rural communities are often not covered by established water shortage requirements, and that the state should provide guidance to improve drought planning for small water suppliers and rural communities. Existing law required the Department of Water Resources, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board and other relevant state and local agencies and stakeholders, to use available data to identify, no later than January 1, 2020, small water suppliers and rural communities that may be at risk of drought and water shortage vulnerability. To implement this directive, the department formed a stakeholder advisory group, the County Drought Advisory Group. Existing law required the department, in consultation with the state board, to propose to the Governor and the Legislature, by January 1, 2020, recommendations and guidance relating to the development and implementation of countywide drought and water shortage contingency plans to address the planning needs of small water suppliers and rural communities, as provided. This bill would require small water suppliers, as defined, serving 1,000 to 2,999 service connections, inclusive, and nontransient noncommunity water systems that are schools, no later than July 1, 2023, to develop and maintain an abridged Water Shortage Contingency Plan that includes specified drought-planning elements. The bill would require a small water supplier serving fewer than 1,000 service connections to add drought planning elements to its emergency notification or response plan and submit the plan to the state board. The bill would require these water systems to report annually specified water supply condition information to the state board through the state board's Electronic Annual Reporting System or other reporting tool, as directed by the state board. The bill would require small water suppliers and nontransient noncommunity water systems that are schools to implement, subject to funding availability, specified drought resiliency measures, including, among others, having at least one backup source of water supply and metering each service connection. The bill would exempt from these provisions small water suppliers, or small water suppliers integrated into larger water systems, that voluntarily choose to instead comply with specified existing law relating to urban water management plans. This bill would require a county to establish a standing county drought and water shortage task force to facilitate drought and water shortage preparedness for state small water systems and domestic wells within the county's jurisdiction, as provided. The bill would authorize a county, in lieu of establishing a standing task force, to establish an alternative process that facilitates drought and water shortage preparedness for state small water systems and domestic wells within the county's jurisdiction, as provided. The bill would provide that a county that establishes a drought task force on or before January 1, 2022, shall be deemed in compliance with these requirements as long as the task force continues to exist. The bill would require a county to develop a plan that includes potential drought and water shortage risk and proposed interim and long-term solutions, as provided. Because the bill would impose additional duties on counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the department to take specified actions to support implementation of the recommendations from the County Drought Advisory Group. The bill would require the department to establish a standing interagency drought and water shortage task force to, among other things, facilitate proactive planning and coordination, both for predrought planning and postdrought emergency response, which shall consist of various representatives, including representatives from local governments. Because the bill would impose additional duties on local governments, the 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.
The Mitigation Fee Act authorizes a local agency to establish, increase, or impose a variety of fees, dedications, reservations, or other exactions for services, and in connection with the approval of a development project, as defined. Existing law prohibits a local agency from imposing fees for specified purposes, including fees for water or sewer connections, as defined, that exceed the estimated reasonable cost of providing the service for which the fee is charged, unless voter approval is obtained. Existing law provides that a local agency levying a new water or sewer connection fee or increasing a fee must do so by ordinance or resolution. Existing law requires, for specified fees, including water or sewer connection fees, any judicial action or proceeding to attack, review, set aside, void, or annul an ordinance, resolution, or motion adopting a new fee or service charge or modifying an existing fee or service charge to be commenced within 120 days of the effective date of the ordinance, resolution, or motion according to specified procedures for validation proceedings. Except as provided, this bill would require any judicial action or proceeding to attack, review, set aside, void, validate, or annul an ordinance, resolution, or motion adopting, modifying, or amending water or sewer service fees or charges adopted after January 1, 2022, to be commenced within 120 days of the effective date or the date of final passage, adoption, or approval of the ordinance, resolution, or motion, whichever is later. Articles XIIIC and XIIID of the California Constitution generally require that assessments, fees, and charges be submitted to property owners for approval or rejection after the provision of written notice and the holding of a public hearing. Existing law, the Proposition 218 Omnibus Implementation Act, prescribes specific procedures and parameters for local jurisdictions to comply with Articles XIIIC and XIIID of the California Constitution and defines terms for these purposes. This bill would require a water or sewer agency mailing a written notice to the record owner of a parcel affected by a proposed fee or charge pursuant to Article XIIID to include a statement that there is a 120-day statute of limitations for challenging any new, increased, or extended fee or charge. This bill would provide that the provisions of this bill do not apply to a judicial action arising from billing errors, as provided, due to the defective implementation of an ordinance, resolution, or motion adopting, modifying, or amending a fee or charge for water or sewer service. Because this bill would require an agency issuing a notice pursuant to Article XIIID to include additional information in the notice, 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 the statutory provisions noted above.
This measure would proclaim November 3, 2021, as One Health Day, to celebrate and bring attention to the need for a One Health approach to address shared health threats at the human-animal-environmental interface.