The California Ocean Protection Act establishes the Ocean Protection Council in state government. Existing law requires the council to develop and implement a specified voluntary sustainable seafood promotion program. The program would, among other things, consist of a protocol, which is required to be developed in a transparent process and adopted by the council in a public meeting, to guide entities on how to be independently certified to internationally accepted standards for sustainable seafood, as defined, a marketing assistance program, and a competitive grant and loan program. It would prohibit seafood produced through aquaculture or fish farming from being certified as sustainable under these provisions until nationally or internationally accepted sustainability standards have been developed and implemented. The Administrative Procedure Act generally sets forth the requirements for the adoption, publication, review, and implementation of regulations by state agencies. This bill would provide that the voluntary sustainable seafood program, each component of the program, and actions taken by the council to implement the program are not regulations for the purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would expressly require that any substantive amendments or revisions to the protocol be developed in a transparent process and adopted by the council in a public meeting.
Sponsored bills
This measure would proclaim the month of March of every year as Read Across California Month and request that public and private stakeholders work together to raise awareness of the importance of reading to young children and the importance of independent reading among our pupils and citizens of California by encouraging everyone to read for 30 minutes for 30 days during the month of March of every year, in conjunction with the Read Across America campaign held annually on March 2.
This measure would recognize June 19, 2011, as Veterans of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Day, in memory of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for freedom and democracy and the victims of the Vietnam War, and in honor of the survivors, activists, and freedom fighters of that war.
This measure would recognize March 31, 2011, 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 continue designation and observance of the month of October as Italian American Heritage Month. This measure would also encourage the Legislature to continue the Italian American Legislator Project and welcome the exhibit "The Italian American Legislator Project of 2011: A Legacy of Service to the California Legislature" to the State Capitol Building in October 2011 and encourage all Californians, through the K–12 curriculum and otherwise, to learn about the history, role, and contributions of Italian Americans to the State of California.
Existing law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs, in voluntary cooperation with the Board of Supervisors of the County of Monterey, the City of Seaside, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, and local agencies to design, develop, and construct the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery at Fort Ord, as specified. The State Contract Act requires projects that are not under the jurisdiction of specified departments to be under the charge and control of the Department of General Services. This bill would authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to enter into an agreement with the Fort Ord Reuse Authority for the veterans cemetery project to be under the sole charge and direct control of the authority.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2006, and before January 1, 2011, individual taxpayers to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of the California Sea Otter Fund. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, and before January 1, 2016, unless as otherwise provided, allow taxpayers to designate on their tax returns that a specified amount in excess of their tax liability be transferred to the California Sea Otter Fund, which would be created by this bill. This bill would require money in that fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated to the Department of Fish and Game for the purposes of establishing a sea otter fund, as prescribed, and to the California Coastal Conservancy for competitive grants and contracts for research, projects, and programs related to the Federal Sea Otter Recovery Plan or improving the nearshore ocean ecosystem. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to revise the 2011 form of tax returns to provide for the designation created by this bill, and would allow, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Franchise Tax Board and the Controller to receive a portion of the funds designated to cover costs incurred in collecting and administering the funds. This bill makes legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of the California Sea Otter Fund.
Existing law, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, sets forth the procedures for incorporations and changes of organizations of cities, including procedures for disincorporation. This bill would provide that every city with a population of less than 150 people as of January 1, 2010, would be disincorporated into that city's respective county as of 91 days after the effective date of the bill, unless a county board of supervisors determines, by majority vote within the 90-day period following enactment of these provisions, that continuing such a city within that county's boundaries would serve a public purpose if the board of supervisors determines that the city is in an isolated rural location that makes it impractical for the residents of the community to organize in another form of local governance. The bill would also require the local agency formation commission within the county to oversee the terms and conditions of the disincorporation of the city, as specified. The bill would become operative only if AB 781 of the 2011–12 Regular Session is enacted.
This measure would resolve that the month of April be designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, would recognize April 27, 2011, as Denim Day California, and would encourage everyone to wear jeans on that day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse for, and never an invitation to, rape or sexual assault.