(1) Existing law establishes the Pierce's Disease Control Program in the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Pierce's Disease Management Account in the Food and Agriculture Fund. Existing law allows money in this account to be expended as specified to combat Pierce's disease and its vectors. Existing law declares that these provisions shall become inoperative on March 1, 2011. This bill would allow specified money in the account to also be expended for purposes relating to other designated pests and diseases, as provided. The bill would change the date on which the above provisions become inoperative to March 1, 2016. (2) Existing law creates in the Department of Food and Agriculture the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board, which consists of specified numbers of representatives of producers and processors, as defined, in the grape industry who are appointed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture. Existing law sets forth the powers of the board and provides for an annual assessment to be paid by the processors into the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund for the purposes of, among other things, research and other activities related to the transmittal of the plant killing Pierce's disease bacterium, and its vectors, particularly the glassy-winged sharpshooter. Existing law repeals these provisions on March 1, 2011. This bill would authorize the expenditure of the assessments for purposes relating to other designated pests and diseases, as provided, and would extend the repeal date of these provisions to March 1, 2016, except that this bill would make these provisions inoperative as of March 1, 2011, unless the secretary finds, in a referendum conducted by him or her, or a person designated by him or her, that a favorable vote has been given. The bill would require, no later than April 15, 2010, the secretary to establish a list of those individuals eligible to vote on the continued implementation of these provisions, as specified. The bill would also make a conforming change and other technical changes. (3) Existing law authorizes the Department of Food and Agriculture and the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board to charge expenditures for administrative purposes, as specified, in an amount not to exceed a total of 7% of the assessments collected pursuant to these provisions. This bill would increase the amount that may be charged for administrative purposes to an amount not to exceed a total of 14% of the assessments collected. Because assessments collected pursuant to these provisions are deposited in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund, which is continuously appropriated, by extending the collection of these assessments and authorizing expenditure for a new purpose, this bill would make an appropriation. (4) Existing law, operative until March 1, 2011, provides that the Secretary of Food and Agriculture shall appoint an advisory task force to advise him or her on the control and management of Pierce's disease. This bill would extend these provisions to March 1, 2016. This bill would authorize the Pierce's Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board, after consulting with the advisory task force and upon making specified findings, to recommend to the secretary, and would authorize the secretary to determine, that a pest or disease affecting grapes grown in California and crushed for wine, wine vinegar, juice, concentrate, or beverage brandy be designated as an other designated pest or disease, and that money should be expended on research and outreach programs for specified purposes relating to the other designated pest or disease, except as provided. The bill would also make conforming changes.
Sponsored bills
Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified powers and duties relating to the development and implementation of an intercity high-speed rail system. Existing law requires the authority to prepare and to submit to the Legislature a revised business plan containing specified elements by September 1, 2008. This bill would require the authority to prepare, publish, adopt, and submit to the Legislature a business plan addressing specified elements no later than January 1, 2012, and every 2 years thereafter, with a draft of the business plan to be available at least 60 days in advance for public review and comment, followed by a public hearing.
The Public Employees' Retirement System provides preretirement death benefits for the surviving spouse or children, or both, as specified, of state members and specified school members not covered by the federal Social Security Act and provides that a surviving spouse becomes eligible for certain of these benefits when he or she attains 60 years of age and meets other specified criteria. Existing law provides that on January 1, 2010, the surviving spouse's eligibility age will increase to 62 years of age, and the financial monthly benefits to the survivors would decrease. This bill would delete the provisions that would change the law on January 1, 2010, and would instead maintain indefinitely the benefits that are currently in effect. Existing law requires the state to pay sworn members of the California Highway Patrol who are rank-and-file members of State Bargaining Unit 5 the estimated average total compensation for each corresponding rank for the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, San Diego Police Department, Oakland Police Department, and San Francisco Police Department, as specified. Existing law requires the state and the exclusive representative for State Bargaining Unit 5 to jointly survey annually and calculate the estimated average total compensation based on projected average total compensation for the above-named departments as of July 1 of the year in which the survey is conducted. Existing law requires any increase in total compensation resulting from those provisions to be implemented through a memorandum of understanding negotiated pursuant to the Ralph C. Dills Act. This bill would instead use any amount that would otherwise be used to permanently increase compensation for those members of State Bargaining Unit 5 pursuant to those provisions, effective on July 1, 2009, and on July 1, 2010, to permanently prefund postemployment health care benefits for patrol members, as defined. The bill would prohibit any amount used to prefund postemployment health care for patrol members pursuant to that provision from being included in any calculation for benefits using final compensation. The bill would require patrol members to contribute an additional 0.5% of base pay toward prefunding retiree health benefit obligations effective on the first day of the pay period following the effective date of this act and the ratification of the addendum by the members of State Bargaining Unit 5. The bill would also require the state to contribute toward prefunding retiree health benefits, on a prospective basis, as specified, effective July 1, 2012. The bill would provide that if those provision are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if those provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions would not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. Existing law requires the Department of Personnel Administration to provide any side letter, appendix, or other addendum to a properly ratified memorandum of understanding that requires the expenditure of $250,000 or more related to salary and benefits and that is not already contained in the original memorandum of understanding or the Budget Act to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Existing law requires the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, within 30 days after receiving the side letter, appendix, or other addendum, to determine if the addendum presents substantial additions that are not reasonably within the parameters of the original memorandum of understanding and thereby requires legislative action to ratify the addendum. This bill would approve an addendum to a memorandum of understanding entered into by the state employer and State Bargaining Unit 5 that require the expenditure of funds. The bill would approve provisions of the addendum that require the expenditure of funds. The bill would provide that those provisions shall not take effect unless the funds are specifically appropriated by the Legislature or already exist within available appropriations, and would allow the reopening of negotiations if the Legislature does not approve or fully fund any addendum included in the bill.
This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to expand federally funded research efforts aimed at developing a reliable means of detecting pancreatic cancer in its early stages.
Existing law provides that no disaster worker who is performing disaster services during a state of war emergency, a state of emergency, or a local emergency shall be liable for civil damages on account of personal injury to or death of any person or property, as provided. This bill would provide that disaster service workers shall not be liable when acting within the scope of their responsibilities under the authority of the governmental emergency organization, as provided. This bill would provide that these provisions apply exclusively to any legal action filed on or after the effective date of this bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law requires a person driving a vehicle on a freeway approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle displaying emergency lights, or a stationary tow truck that is displaying flashing amber warning lights to approach with due caution and, before passing in a lane immediately adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle or tow truck, to either change lanes or slow to a reasonable and prudent speed, absent any other direction by a peace officer. This provision is repealed on January 1, 2010. A violation of this provision is an infraction. This bill would delete the repeal date. Because this bill would extend a criminal violation indefinitely, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires tow trucks used to tow disabled vehicles to be equipped with flashing amber warning lamps, and authorizes tow trucks to display flashing amber warning lamps while providing service to a disabled vehicle. Existing law prohibits a tow truck from displaying flashing amber warning lamps on a freeway except when an unusual traffic hazard or extreme hazard exists. This provision is repealed on January 1, 2010. A violation of this provision is a crime. This bill would delete the repeal date. Because this bill would extend a criminal violation indefinitely, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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.
Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system and associated property. Existing law authorizes the department to sell real property that is no longer necessary for highway purposes. This bill would require the Department of Transportation to transfer, for fair market value, on or before June 30, 2010, ownership of a specified portion of a parcel of land in Kern County acquired for the Mojave Bypass to the East Kern Airport District for open-space purposes.
This measure would designate State Highway Route 184, also known as Weedpatch Highway, in Kern County as the Deputy James Throne Memorial Highway. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.
This measure would proclaim August 2009 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.
Existing law, the Horse Racing Law, provides that if the total amount paid to the state as license fees by racing associations and fairs is less than $40,000,000 in any calendar year, all associations and fairs that conducted live racing during the year of the shortfall shall remit to the state, on a pro rata basis according to the amount paid as license fees by each association or fair, the amount necessary to bring the total amount paid to the state as license fees to $40,000,000. This bill would delete those provisions and instead provide that, notwithstanding any other provision of law and in lieu of any license fee payable to the state prescribed for or referred to in specified provisions of the Horse Racing Law, any association or fair that conducts a racing meeting shall pay a license fee to fund the California Horse Racing Board and the equine drug testing program in accordance with a formula devised by the board in consultation with the industry, as provided. The bill would provide that the license fee reductions resulting from these provisions, after payments to fund the board and the equine drug testing program, shall be distributed as specified for thoroughbred racing, quarter horse racing, harness racing, and all other breeds. Existing law provides that revenues from satellite wagering are deposited in a separate account in the Fair and Exposition Fund and that, if those revenues exceed $11,000,000 in a fiscal year, 98 percent of the excess is transferred to the Fair and Exposition Fund for specified allocations. Existing law also provides that, after the Fair and Exposition Fund receives more than $13,000,000 in a fiscal year, half of the excess is transferred to the General Fund. This bill would require, on July 1, 2009, and each July 1 thereafter, the transfer of $32,000,000 from the General Fund to be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the separate account of the Fair and Exposition Fund created for satellite wagering revenues, and would continuously appropriate those moneys for allocation for the financial support of the network of California fairs. The bill would require that all of the amount in excess of $11,000,000 be transferred to the Fair and Exposition Fund for allocation as specified in existing law, except that no part of this transferred money would be further transferred to the General Fund. Existing law requires the first $1,100,000 of all revenues distributed to racing associations for payment to the state as license fees to be deposited in a special account in the Fair and Exposition Fund and continuously appropriated to the Department of Food and Agriculture for supplementing purses at fair meetings to achieve certain specified purposes. This bill would instead require the first $1,100,000 of all funds for distribution as purses generated at satellite wagering facilities statewide from wagering on thoroughbred horse racing to be deposited in that special account for those purposes. Under existing law, revenues distributed to the state as license fees from horse racing are required to be deposited in the Fair and Exposition Fund and are continuously appropriated to the Department of Food and Agriculture for various regulatory and general governmental purposes. Because this bill would require that General Fund moneys be deposited into, and distributed from, that fund, the bill would make an appropriation. This bill would become effective on July 1, 2009.