Existing law relative to electrical restructuring, within the Public Utilities Act, establishes the Independent System Operator to ensure the efficient use and reliable operation of the electric transmission grid. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatthours sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 40% by December 31, 2024, 45% by December 31, 2027, and 50% by December 31, 2030. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the procurement requirements established by the program. The Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative is a statewide initiative to help identify transmission projects to accommodate the state's renewable energy goals. This bill would require the Independent System Operator, when undertaking transmission planning activities, to take into account a specified report relating to solar photovoltaic system development in the San Joaquin Valley and specified principles of transmission corridor planning developed by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) . The bill would require the Energy Commission, the PUC, and the Independent System Operator, when undertaking activities as part of the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative, to take into account the above-specified report and principles.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes a statewide system of courts with a superior court of one or more judges in each county. Existing law authorizes the Judicial Council to prescribe the methods, means, and standards for electronic collection of data related to court administration, practice, and procedure. This bill would require the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature on a study of veterans and veterans treatment courts that includes a statewide assessment, as specified, of veterans treatment courts currently in operation and a survey of counties that do not operate veterans treatment courts that identifies barriers to program implementation and assesses the need for veterans treatment courts in those counties, if funds are received for that purpose. The bill would require the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature on the results of the study, as specified, on or before June 1, 2019. The bill would create the Veterans Court Assessment Fund in the State Treasury, administered by the Judicial Council, and would authorize the fund to accept private donations, as specified. The bill would appropriate specified sums from the Veterans Court Assessment Fund and from the General Fund for the purpose of conducting the study and report.
Existing law requires the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to adopt emergency regulations to establish a fire prevention fee in an amount not to exceed $150 to be charged on each habitable structure, as defined, on a parcel that is within a state responsibility area, as defined. Existing law requires the state board to adjust the fire prevention fee annually using prescribed methods, and requires the state board, until January 31, 2017, to submit a report to the Legislature every January 31 on the status and uses of the fund, containing specified information and recommendations. This bill would instead require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to submit that report to the Legislature and the board, and would extend to January 31, 2021, the time until which the report is required to be submitted. The bill would additionally require that the report include specified information on each program, subprogram, and element for which the department uses money generated from that fire prevention fee, and other information regarding fund expenditures, as provided.
(1) Existing law makes it unlawful to take mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians outside of established seasons or to exceed any bag limit or possession limit established by statute or by regulations adopted by the Fish and Game Commission. Under existing law, unless otherwise provided, it is unlawful to possess fish, reptiles, or amphibians except during the open season where taken and for 10 days thereafter, and not more than the possession limit thereof is allowed to be possessed during the period after the close of the open season. Existing law makes it unlawful for any person to possess more than one daily bag limit of any fish taken under a sport fishing license unless authorized by certain regulations adopted by the commission. This bill would authorize a charitable organization or nonprofit organization to possess fish taken under a sport fishing license in excess of a possession limit established by statute or by regulations adopted by the commission at any time if the charitable organization or nonprofit organization was given the fish by a donor intermediary, as defined, or a person who holds a sport fishing license and an applicable license tag or tags, the charitable organization or nonprofit organization has documentation to that effect, as specified, and the charitable organization or nonprofit organization retains any tag required to be affixed to a fish in the manner prescribed in the Fish and Game Code or regulations adopted by the commission. The bill would authorize a donor intermediary to possess fish taken under a sport fishing license in excess of a possession limit if the donor intermediary complies with the same requirements as a charitable organization or nonprofit organization. This bill would require the commission to recommend legislation or adopt regulations to clarify when a possession limit is not violated by processing into food lawfully taken sport fish. (2) Existing law requires every person 16 years of age or older who takes any fish, reptile, or amphibian for any purpose other than profit to first obtain a license for that purpose, with specified exceptions, and to have that license on his or her person or in his or her immediate possession when engaged in carrying out any activity authorized by the license. Existing law requires a resident or a nonresident, 16 years of age or older, to be issued a sport fishing license for the period of a calendar year, or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder of the year, upon payment of the applicable fee. This bill would require, on January 1, 2018, and until January 1, 2023, that a resident or nonresident, 16 years of age or older and under 18 years of age at the time of issuance of the license, to be issued a junior sport fishing license for the period of a calendar year, or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder of the year, upon payment of the fee applicable for a one-day fishing license. The bill would also increase from January 1, 2018, until January 1, 2023, the age of persons eligible for a nonresident 10-day sport fishing license and a resident and nonresident one-day and 2-day sport fishing license from 16 years of age or older to 18 years of age and older.
This measure would designate October as Crosswalk Safety Awareness Month.
Existing law requires a pupil to be excused from school for specified types of absences and prohibits those excused absences from generating state apportionment payments by deeming them as absences in computing average daily attendance. This bill would include attending the pupil's naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen as another type of excused absence.
This bill would recognize the month of June 2016 as Portuguese National Heritage Month.
This measure would acknowledge December 17 each year as an annual "Day of Inclusion" in recognition and appreciation of the priceless contributions of all immigrants to the greatness of the United States and California.
This measure would proclaim March 2016 to be Arts Education Month and would encourage all elected officials to participate with their educational communities in celebrating the arts.