Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards prescribe waste discharge requirements for the discharge of stormwater by municipalities and industries in accordance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. Existing law requires regulated municipalities and industries to obtain a stormwater permit. The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 provides the authority and procedure for the initiation, conduct, and completion of changes of organization, reorganization, and sphere of influence changes for cities and districts, as specified. This bill would authorize a municipal wastewater agency, as defined, to enter into agreements with entities responsible for stormwater management for the purpose of managing stormwater and dry weather runoff, as defined, to acquire, construct, expand, operate, maintain, and provide facilities for specified purposes relating to managing stormwater and dry weather runoff, and to levy taxes, fees, and charges consistent with the municipal wastewater agency's existing authority in order to fund projects undertaken pursuant to the bill. The bill would require the exercise of any new authority granted under the bill to comply with the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000. The bill would require a municipal wastewater agency that enters into or amends one of these agreements after January 1, 2022, to file a copy of the agreement or amendment with the local agency formation commission in each county where any part of the municipal wastewater agency's territory is located, but would exempt those agreements and amendments from local agency formation commission approval except as required by the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000. To the extent this requirement would impose new duties on local agency formation commissions, 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.
Sponsored bills
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.
Existing law, the Marks-Roos Local Bond Pooling Act of 1985, authorizes certain joint powers authorities, upon application by a local agency that owns and operates a publicly owned utility, defined to mean certain utilities furnishing water or wastewater service to not less than 25,000 retail customers, to issue rate reduction bonds to finance utility projects, as defined, subject to certain requirements. Under the act, these rate reduction bonds are secured by a pledge of utility project property, and the joint powers authority issuing the bonds may impose on, and collect from, customers of the publicly owned utility a utility project charge to finance the bonds, as provided. This bill would expand the definition of a publicly owned utility for these purposes to include a local publicly owned electric utility, as defined. The bill would authorize an authority to issue rate reduction bonds to finance or refinance utility projects for the provision of generation, transmission, or distribution of electrical service. The bill would include in the allowable costs of a public capital improvement, a utility project, or portion of the improvement or utility project financed with rate reduction bonds the cost of tangible and intangible property that is related to all or any part of the cost of construction, renovation, and acquisition of all lands, structures, real or personal property, rights, rights-of-way, franchises, easements, and interests acquired to be used for a public capital improvement or a utility project. The bill would include in the definition of local agency a party to the agreement creating the authority, or an agency or subdivision of that party sponsoring a project of public capital improvements or other utility project, as defined. The act authorizes a local agency that owns and operates a publicly owned utility to apply to specified joint powers authorities to finance costs of a utility project for the publicly owned utility with the proceeds of rate reduction bonds if specified conditions are met, including that the local agency make specified determinations. The act requires the California Pollution Control Financing Authority, among other things, to review each issuance of rate reduction bonds issued under these provisions, except as provided, and to submit an annual report to the Legislature of its activities related to these bond issuance requirements. Under existing law, the authority to issue rate reduction bonds, as described above, terminates after December 31, 2026. This bill would extend this sunset date to December 31, 2036. The bill would also make clarifying changes to the act. The bill would require the annual report to be submitted to the relevant legislative policy committees with jurisdiction over energy and public utilities issues.
Existing law generally establishes rules of the road for the operation of vehicles on state highways and roads, and authorizes the Department of Transportation and local governments to consider equestrian safety and designate equestrian crossings on highways, as specified. Existing law requires a person under 18 years of age to wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet, as specified, while operating, or riding as a passenger upon, a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard, or while wearing in-line or roller skates, upon a street, bikeway, or any other public bicycle path or trail. A violation of the Vehicle Code is punishable as an infraction. This bill would require a person under 18 years of age to wear a properly fitted and fastened helmet meeting specified requirements when that person is riding an equestrian animal on a paved highway. The bill would require a person, regardless of age, riding an equestrian animal upon a paved highway during hours of darkness to use reflective gear or a lamp emitting a white light on their person or on the equestrian animal, as specified. The bill would make a violation of these provisions an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $25, except as provided. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would make the parent or legal guardian having control or custody of an unemancipated minor whose conduct violates this section jointly and severally liable with the minor for the amount of the fine. 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 measure would urge the Congress of the United States to work with President Joseph R. Biden to pass comprehensive immigration reform guided by empathy, inclusion, and opportunity, as provided.
This measure would proclaim the month of July 2021 as California Parks and Recreation Professionals Month to celebrate the accomplishments and resilience of parks and recreation professionals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, including federally qualified health center (FQHC) services and rural health clinic (RHC) services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law provides that FQHC and RHC services are to be reimbursed, to the extent that federal financial participation is obtained, to providers on a per-visit basis. "Visit" is defined as a face-to-face encounter between a patient of an FQHC or RHC and specified health care professionals, including a physician and marriage and family therapist. Under existing law, "physician," for these purposes, includes, but is not limited to, a physician and surgeon, an osteopath, and a podiatrist. This bill would authorize reimbursement for a maximum of 2 visits taking place on the same day at a single location if after the first visit the patient suffers illness or injury requiring additional diagnosis or treatment, or if the patient has a medical visit and a mental health visit or a dental visit, as defined. The bill would authorize an FQHC or RHC that currently includes the cost of a medical visit and a mental health visit that take place on the same day at a single location as a single visit for purposes of establishing the FQHC's or RHC's rate to apply for an adjustment to its per-visit rate, and after the department has approved that rate adjustment, to bill a medical visit and a mental health visit that take place on the same day at a single location as separate visits, in accordance with the bill. This bill would also include a licensed acupuncturist within those health professionals covered under the definition of a "visit." The bill would require the department, by July 1, 2022, to submit a state plan amendment to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reflect certain changes described in the bill, and to seek necessary federal approvals. The bill would also make conforming and technical changes.
The California Constitution provides that the electors may approve or reject a statute by referendum. A referendum measure may be proposed by presenting to the Secretary of State a petition that sets forth the statute or part of the statute to be submitted to the electors, and is certified to have been signed by the required number of electors. A majority vote in favor of a referendum measure approves the statute or part of the statute subject to the referendum, and the statute then takes effect on the fifth day after the Secretary of State files the statement of the vote for the election at which the measure is voted on. This measure would instead require that the ballot for a referendum measure provide that a "Yes" vote is in favor of the referendum and rejects the statute or part of the statute subject to the referendum, and a "No" vote is against the referendum and approves the statute or part of the statute subject to the referendum, thus requiring a majority vote in favor of the referendum to reject the statute or part of the statute subject to the referendum. The measure would also make conforming changes.