(1) Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary education in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to provide instruction to pupils. This bill would enact the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015. The bill would require governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies, as defined, that serve pupils entering grade 9 and that have not adopted a fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy as of January 1, 2016, to, before the beginning of the 2016–17 school year, develop and adopt, in a regularly scheduled public meeting, a fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy for pupils entering grade 9 with specified elements, and would authorize governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies serving pupils who are transitioning between elementary and middle school or elementary and junior high school to develop and implement a mathematics placement policy for these pupils, as applicable, with these specified elements. The bill would further require each governing board or body of a local educational agency to ensure that its mathematics placement policy is posted on its Internet Web site. By imposing additional requirements on local educational agencies, the 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 these statutory provisions.
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Existing law requires specified categories of law enforcement officers to meet training standards pursuant to courses of training certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) . Existing law requires POST to include in its basic training course adequate instruction in the handling of persons with developmental disabilities or mental illness, or both. Existing law also requires POST to establish and keep updated a continuing education classroom training course relating to law enforcement interaction with developmentally disabled and mentally ill persons. This bill would require POST to review the training module relating to persons with a mental illness, intellectual disability, or substance abuse disorder in its basic training course, and develop additional training to better prepare law enforcement officers to recognize, deescalate, and appropriately respond to persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, or substance use disorders. The bill would require that this training be at least 15 hours, address issues relating to stigma, be culturally relevant and appropriate, include training scenarios and facilitated learning activities, and be included in the current hour requirement of the regular basic course. The bill would also require POST to establish and keep updated a classroom-based continuing training course that includes instructor-led active learning relating to behavioral health and law enforcement interaction with persons with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance use disorders. The bill would require that this continuing training course be at least 3 consecutive hours. The bill would require this course be made available to each law enforcement officer with a rank of supervisor or below and who is assigned to patrol duties or to supervise officers who are assigned to patrol duties. This bill would require implementation of the training module and continuing training course no later than August 1, 2016.
Existing law requires specified categories of law enforcement officers to meet training standards pursuant to courses of training certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) . Existing law requires POST to include in its basic training course adequate instruction in the handling of persons with developmental disabilities or mental illness, or both. Existing law also requires POST to establish and keep updated a continuing education classroom training course relating to law enforcement interaction with developmentally disabled and mentally ill persons. This bill would require POST to require field training officers who are instructors for the field training program to have at least 8 hours of crisis intervention behavioral health training, as specified. The bill would also require POST to require as part of its existing field training officer course, at least 4 hours of training relating to competencies of the field training program and police training program that addresses how to interact with persons with mental illness or intellectual disability, to be completed as specified. By requiring local law enforcement field training officers to have at least 8 additional hours of training and imposing additional training costs on local law enforcement agencies, 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 these statutory provisions.
(1) Existing law authorizes certain persons, including, among others, any person 16 years of age or older, to have his or her proficiency in basic skills taught in public high schools verified according to criteria established by the State Department of Education. Existing law requires the State Board of Education to award a certificate of proficiency to persons who demonstrate that proficiency. Existing law requires the department to develop standards of competency in basic skills taught in public high schools and to provide for the administration of examinations prepared by, or with the approval of, the department to verify competency. Existing law authorizes the department to charge a fee for each examination application in an amount sufficient to recover the costs of administering the requirements of these provisions, but prohibits the fee from exceeding an amount equal to the cost of test renewal and administration per examination application. This bill would prohibit the department from charging the fee to a homeless child or youth who is under 25 years of age and can verify his or her status as a homeless child or youth. The bill would authorize a homeless services provider, as defined, that has knowledge of the examinee's housing status to verify the examinee's status for purposes of these provisions. The bill would provide that no additional state funds shall be appropriated for purposes of implementing the above provisions. The bill would authorize the state board to adopt emergency regulations for purposes of these provisions. (2) Existing law separately requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a high school equivalency certificate and an official score report, or an official score report only, to a person who has not completed high school and who meets specified requirements, including, among others, having taken all or a portion of a general education development test that has been approved by the state board and administered by a testing center approved by the department, with a score determined by the state board to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates. Existing law authorizes the Superintendent to charge an examinee a one-time fee to pay costs related to administering these provisions and issuing a certificate, as specified. Existing law limits the amount of the fee to $20 per person and requires each scoring contractor to forward that fee to the Superintendent. This bill would, for purposes of those provisions, prohibit a contractor or testing center that charges its own separate fee from charging that separate fee to a homeless child or youth who is under 25 years of age and can verify his or her status as a homeless child or youth. The bill would authorize a homeless services provider, as defined, that has knowledge of the examinee's housing status to verify the examinee's status for purposes of these provisions. The bill would provide that no additional state funds shall be appropriated for purposes of implementing these provisions, and would authorize the Superintendent to adopt emergency regulations for purposes of these provisions. (3) Existing law establishes in the State Treasury a Special Deposit Fund Account, which consists of certain fees, and is continuously appropriated for the support of the department to be used for purposes of the provisions above relating to high school equivalency tests. This bill would authorize the Superintendent, until July 1, 2019, to use surplus funds, as defined, in the Special Deposit Fund Account to reimburse contractors for the loss of fees, if any, pursuant to provisions above relating to high school equivalency tests. By authorizing the expenditure of money in a continuously appropriated fund for a new purpose, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require a contract executed by the department for the provision of those tests to require a contracting party to accept all examinees, including those entitled to a fee waiver pursuant to those provisions. The bill also would require the department to include a provision in all memorandums of understanding with contractors for purposes of providing a high school equivalency test, that if the surplus funds in the Special Deposit Fund Account are depleted, the ongoing costs of a fee waiver for an examinee deemed eligible for a waiver shall be absorbed by the contractor. (4) This bill also would require the department, on or before December 1, 2018, to submit 2 reports to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, one relating to high school proficiency tests, and one relating to high school equivalency tests, that each include, among other things, the number of homeless youth that took a high school proficiency or equivalency test in each of the 2016, 2017, and 2018 calendar years, and the impact of the opportunity to take a high school proficiency or equivalency test at no cost on the number and percentage of homeless youth taking a high school proficiency or equivalency test.
Existing law authorizes the court, in addition to any other penalty in an infraction, misdemeanor, or felony case, to impose a civil assessment of up to $300 against any defendant who fails, after notice and without good cause, to appear in court for any proceeding authorized by law, or who fails to pay all or any portion of a fine ordered by the court or to pay an installment of bail, as specified. Existing law provides that the assessment shall not become effective until at least 10 calendar days after the court mails a warning notice to the defendant, and requires the court, if the defendant appears within the time specified in the notice and shows good cause for the failure to appear or for the failure to pay a fine or installment of bail, to vacate the assessment. This bill would instead provide that the assessment would not become effective until at least 20 calendar days after the court mails a warning notice to the defendant. The bill would provide that payment of bail, fines, penalties, fees, or a civil assessment is not required in order for the court to vacate the assessment at the time the person makes an appearance, as specified. The bill would also provide that payment of a civil assessment is not required to schedule a court hearing on a pending underlying charge. Existing law requires a county to establish an amnesty program for fines and bail initially due on or before January 1, 2013, for Vehicle Code infractions to be conducted in accordance with guidelines adopted by the Judicial Council. Existing law requires the program to accept payments from October 1, 2015, to March 31, 2017, inclusive. Eligibility criteria for the program include, among other things, that the person is not currently making payments to a comprehensive collection program for fines or bail already due, as specified. This bill would revise that criterion to make a person eligible for the program if he or she has not made any payments after September 30, 2015, to a comprehensive collection program for fines or bail already due. The bill would authorize the Judicial Council to consider, adopt, or develop recommendations for an appropriate mechanism to allow reinstatement of the driving privileges of a person who otherwise meets the criteria for amnesty but who has violations in more than one county. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Public Streets, Highways, and Service Easements Vacation Law establishes procedures for the vacation of public streets, highways, and service easements. Under existing law, the legislative body of a local agency may summarily vacate a street or highway that has been impassable for vehicular travel for 5 years and no public money has been expended for maintenance of the street or highway during that period. Existing law provides that an easement may be reserved and excepted from a vacation of a street, highway, or public service easement, as specified. This bill would authorize the legislative body of the City of San Jose to summarily vacate a public service easement located between Casselino Drive and Mullinix Way in the City of San Jose that is impassable for vehicular travel, if the legislative body finds that the vacation will protect the public safety or serve the public interest and convenience. The bill would authorize the legislative body of the City of San Jose to reserve and except from that vacation an easement and right to construct, maintain, operate, replace, remove, and renew a nonvehicular pathway for use by the public in, upon, over, and across the public service easement proposed to be vacated. The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2018. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity for a special law.
Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to improve and maintain the state's highways, and establishes various programs to fund the development, construction, and repair of local roads, bridges, and other critical transportation infrastructure in the state. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact statutory changes to establish permanent, sustainable sources of transportation funding to maintain and repair the state's highways, local roads, bridges, and other critical transportation infrastructure.
(1) Existing law specifies a procedure for the legislative body of a city, county, or district to propose to the voters an ordinance or resolution to adopt a special tax pursuant to constitutional requirements. Existing law authorizes a local agency which is conducting proceedings for the incorporation of a city, formation of a district, change of organization, a reorganization, a change of organization of a city, or a municipal reorganization to propose the adoption of a special tax on behalf of the affected city or district in accordance with this procedure. This bill would additionally authorize a local agency conducting proceedings for the disincorporation of a city to propose the adoption of a special tax on behalf of an affected city in accordance with the above-described procedure. (2) Existing law, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, provides the authority and procedures for the initiation, conduct, and completion of changes of organization and reorganization of cities and districts. The act requires a local agency or school district that initiates proceedings for a change of local government organization or reorganization, by submitting a resolution of application to a local agency formation commission, to also submit a plan for providing services within the affected territory, as specified. This bill would, in the case of a disincorporation or reorganization that includes a disincorporation, require the plan for services to include specific provisions, including, among others, an enumeration and description of the services currently provided by the city proposed for disincorporation. (3) The act requires a petitioner or legislative body desiring to initiate proceedings to submit an application to the executive officer of the local agency formation commission, and requires the local agency formation commission, with regard to an application that includes an incorporation, to immediately notify all affected local agencies and any applicable state agency, as specified. This bill would extend that requirement to an application that includes a disincorporation. (4) Existing law prohibits the commission from approving or conditionally approving a proposal for an incorporation unless the commission finds, among other things, that the proposal is consistent with the intent of the act, the incorporation is consistent with the spheres of influence of affected local agencies, and the proposed city is expected to receive revenues sufficient to provide public services and facilities and a reasonable reserve during the 3 fiscal years following incorporation. This bill would additionally prohibit the commission from approving or conditionally approving a proposal that includes a disincorporation unless the commission finds, among other things, that the disincorporation is consistent with the intent of the act, the disincorporation will address necessary changes to spheres of influence of affected agencies, and the service responsibilities of the city proposed for disincorporation have been assigned, as specified. (5) Existing law requires the executive officer of the commission to prepare a comprehensive fiscal analysis for any proposal that includes an incorporation, as specified. This bill would additionally require the executive officer to prepare a comprehensive fiscal analysis for any proposal that includes a disincorporation, as specified. (6) Existing law requires the commission to determine the amount of property tax revenue to be exchanged by the affected local agency for a proposal that includes the incorporation of a city, and sets forth the procedures to be followed in making that determination. This bill would additionally require the commission to determine the amount of property tax revenue to be exchanged by the affected city and any successor or affected local agency for a proposal that includes a disincorporation of a city, and would set forth the procedures to be followed in making that determination. The bill would additionally require the commission to determine, where the proposal includes the disincorporation of a city with the assignment of property tax revenues to a successor, the increase of the appropriations limit for a successor, if the successor is an existing entity, or the appropriations limit for a new special district, as specified. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that a proposal that includes a disincorporation of a city result in a determination that the debt or contractual obligations and responsibilities of the city being disincorporated be the responsibility of the same territory for repayment. The bill would require the city being disincorporated to provide a written statement prior to issuance of a certificate for filing for a proposal that includes a disincorporation that includes specified information relating to its debts and contractual obligations. (7) Existing law authorizes the commission, in approving a disincorporation of a city, the dissolution of a district, or the reorganization or consolidation of agencies that result in the dissolution of one or more districts or disincorporation of one or more cities, to make the approval conditional upon the agency being dissolved not approving any increase in compensation or benefits for specified officers of the agency, or appropriating, encumbering, expending, or otherwise obligating any revenue of the agency beyond that provided in the current budget at the time the dissolution is approved by the commission, unless it first finds that an emergency exists. This bill would modify this provision to authorize the commission to make the approval conditional upon prohibiting the district that is being dissolved or the city that is being disincorporated from approving any increase in compensation or benefits for specified officers of the agency, or appropriating, encumbering, expending, or otherwise obligating any revenue of the agency beyond that provided in the current budget at the time the dissolution is approved by the commission, unless it first finds that an emergency exists. The act also authorizes the commission to require a single question appearing on the ballot upon issues of annexation and reorganization in any election at which the questions of annexation and district reorganization or incorporation and district reorganization are to be considered at the same time. This bill would additionally apply these provisions to a disincorporation and district reorganization. (8) Existing law provides that an organization or reorganization may provide for, or be made subject to, specified terms and conditions, including the levying of assessments, including certain fees, or the approval by the voters of general or special taxes. Under existing law, these terms and conditions may not directly regulate land use, property development, or subdivision requirements, and the imposition of such a fee as a condition of the issuance of a building permit does not constitute a direct regulation of land use, property development, or subdivision requirements. This bill would expand the scope of terms and conditions that may be provided for or required as a condition of an organization or reorganization to include the levying of fees generally. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to this provision. (9) Existing law requires every public officer of a city being disincorporated, prior to the effective date of the disincorporation, to turn the public property in his or her possession over to the board of supervisors. This bill would instead require all public property of the city being disincorporated, in the control or possession of any public officer or employee of the city, to be transferred to the possession and control of the successor or successors designated by the commission. (10) The act requires the commission, after ascertaining that the disincorporation has carried, to determine and certify in a written statement to the board of supervisors the indebtedness of the city, the amount of money in its treasury, and the amount of any tax levy or other obligation due the city that is unpaid or has not been collected. This bill would repeal this provision. (11) Existing law requires the board of supervisors to make specified determinations if the commission does not provide the board with a statement of those determinations. This bill would repeal this provision. (12) Existing law requires the tax collector to collect any tax that has been levied by a disincorporated city that remains uncollected when due and pay it into the county treasury. This bill would provide that the tax collected and paid into the county treasury is on behalf of the designated successor or county to wind up affairs of the disincorporated city. (13) Existing law requires the board of supervisors of a county to cause taxes to be levied and collected from within the territory formerly included within a disincorporated city, if there is not sufficient money in the treasury of a disincorporated city to the credit of the special fund to pay any city indebtedness as it becomes due. Existing law provides that any taxes levied pursuant to this provision are to be assessed, levied, and collected in the same manner and at the same time as other county taxes, and are additional taxes upon the property included within the territory of the disincorporated city. This bill would repeal these provisions. (14) Existing law requires the board of supervisors to levy a special tax upon all property within the disincorporated city if the revenues from specified public utilities are not sufficient for the administration, conduct, or improvement of the public utility. This bill would repeal this provision. (15) Existing law requires the board of supervisors to annually, at the time other county taxes are levied and collected, to levy and collect a special tax on the remainder of the territory of a disincorporated city sufficient to pay the balance of the debt, and pay that sum to the city treasurer. Existing law requires the city treasurer to pay the bonded indebtedness as it becomes due with the proceeds of those taxes. This bill would repeal these provisions. (16) Existing law provides that on and after the effective date of a disincorporation, the territory of the disincorporated city, all inhabitants within the territory, and all persons formerly entitled to vote by reason of residing within the territory cease to be subject to the jurisdiction of the disincorporated city and have none of the rights or duties of inhabitants or voters of a city. This bill would additionally provide that as of the effective date of a disincorporation, the general plan of the disincorporated city that was in effect immediately prior to the effective date of the disincorporation constitutes the community plan of the county for the territory of the disincorporated city, the zoning ordinances of the disincorporated city that were in effect immediately prior to the effective date of the disincorporation constitute the zoning ordinances of the county for that territory, and any conditional use permit or legal nonconforming use that was in place immediately prior to the effective date of the disincorporation remains in force pursuant to the community plan and zoning ordinances. The bill would provide that any use of land that was authorized under the general plan and zoning ordinances immediately prior to the effective date of the disincorporation continues to be authorized for as long a period as may be required by the California Constitution or the United States Constitution. (17) Existing law requires a county auditor to adjust the allocation of property tax revenues for local agencies whose service area or service responsibility may be altered by specified jurisdictional changes. Existing law establishes procedures for determining the exchange of property tax revenues between a city and a county in the case of a jurisdictional change that consists of a city's qualified annexation of unincorporated territory, defined to mean an annexation of unincorporated territory for which an application or resolution was filed on or after January 1, 1998, and on or before January 1, 2015. This bill would include a city disincorporation and dissolved district in those jurisdictional changes. The bill would also expand the above-described definition of a qualified annexation of unincorporated territory to include an annexation for which an application or resolution was filed on or before January 1, 2021. By increasing the duties of the county auditor, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (18) 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 respectfully request that the Congress of the United States take immediate action to extend the federal investment tax credit in Sections 48 and 25D of Title 26 of the United States Code.
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 specifies the duties of the board of governors, including, among other duties, establishing minimum standards for the formation of community colleges and districts. Under existing regulatory authority, the board of governors requires each community college to be accredited. Existing law requires the accrediting agency for the community colleges to report to the appropriate policy and budget subcommittees of the Legislature upon the issuance of a decision that affects the accreditation status of a community college and to report, on a biannual basis, any accreditation policy changes that affect the accreditation process or status for a community college. This bill would enact the California Community Colleges Fair Accreditation Act of 2015. The act would require that an appropriate percentage of each visiting accreditation team from the accrediting agency for the California Community Colleges be composed of academics, as defined. The bill would prohibit persons with conflicts of interest, as defined, from serving on a visiting accreditation team. The bill would require the accrediting agency to conduct meetings of its decisionmaking body to ensure the ability of members of the public to attend those meetings. The bill would require the accrediting agency to post the agenda of the meetings of its decisionmaking body on its Internet Web site, and to mail that agenda to specified officers of affected institutions, no less than 30 days before a public meeting of that body. The bill would require the accrediting agency to preserve all documents generated during an accreditation-related review, as specified. The bill would authorize the shortening of the time periods required by the bill with respect to certain actions of the agency only pursuant to a written declaration made, under penalty of perjury, by the chief executive officer of the agency, as specified. The bill would authorize an institution to submit an appeal of a decision by the accrediting agency to subject that institution to a sanction of probation or a more serious sanction. The bill would require a member of a panel that would hear one of these appeals to file a specified disclosure form under penalty of perjury. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, 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.