Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

Existing law governs the recall of elective officers of the state and of all counties, cities, other specified local public entities, and judges of courts of appeal and trial courts. Existing law requires proponents of the recall to serve, file, and publish a copy of the notice of intention, as specified. Existing law requires the notice of intention to contain, among other things, the printed name, signature, and residence address, including street and number, city, and ZIP Code, of each of the proponents of the recall. Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires a state or local public agency to make public records available for public inspection and to make copies available upon request and payment of a fee, unless the records are exempt from disclosure. This bill would require the published copy of the notice of intention to omit, among other things, the proponents' signatures and street numbers and street names of their residence addresses, as specified. The bill would require the county elections official or Secretary of State, as applicable, to redact the proponents' signatures and street numbers and street names of their residence addresses before making the notice of intention available to the public. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. By increasing the duties of county elections officials, 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.

Existing law establishes the Department of Motor Vehicles, tasked with issuance and renewal of licenses to drivers. Existing law requires the department to prescribe and provide suitable forms of applications, certificates of ownership, registration cards, driver's licenses, and all other forms that are deemed necessary. This bill would, by January 1, 2026, require the department, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to develop a Blue Envelope Program. Under the program, the bill would require the blue envelope to contain specified information for requesters with a condition or disability, as specified. The bill would also authorize others, including a parent or legal guardian of a passenger with a disability, to request a blue envelope.

Existing law defines "disabled veteran" for purposes of the Vehicle Code as, among other things, a person who, as a result of injury or disease suffered while on active service with the Armed Forces of the United States, has a disability that has been rated at 100% by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Existing law also defines a "disabled veteran" as a veteran who is unable to move without the aid of an assistant device. This bill would instead define a disabled veteran as a veteran who cannot walk without the use of an assistant device. The bill would expand the definition of "disabled veteran" to include a veteran who cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, a veteran who is severely limited in the ability to walk because of an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition, or a veteran who has visual acuity of 20/200 or less, among other conditions, as specified.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Pursuant to authority delegated by the Federal Communications Commission to state regulatory bodies and its existing statutory authority, the Public Utilities Commission has established procedures for implementing 2-1-1 dialing in California to connect people to social services and aid in times of disaster. Existing law, until January 1, 2023, authorized the commission, if it determined that doing so was an appropriate use of funds collected from ratepayers, to expend up to $1,500,000 from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund to help close 2-1-1 service gaps in counties lacking access to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information and referral services, where technically feasible, through available 2-1-1 service. Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) within the Governor's office to provide long-range planning and research and to serve as the comprehensive state planning agency. This bill would, upon appropriation, require the OPR to establish and convene the 2-1-1 Strategic Advisory Committee. The bill would require the committee to be composed of specified members, including directors of specified state agencies or their designees, representatives of community-based organizations that represent specified vulnerable populations, a member of the public with lived experience in utilizing 2-1-1 services, and city or county officials with knowledge or experience with local 2-1-1 programs and services. The bill would require the committee to, among other things, identify and establish an ongoing funding source for statewide 2-1-1 infrastructure and operations, and recommend policies and priorities to encourage the development of California's 2-1-1 infrastructure. The bill would require the committee's meetings to be open to the public.

Existing law authorizes school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to provide emergency naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist to school nurses or voluntary trained personnel, and authorizes those nurses and voluntary trained personnel to use naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist to provide emergency medical aid to persons suffering, or reasonably believed to be suffering, from an opioid overdose, as provided. This bill would require each individual public school operated by a school district, county office of education, or charter school that has elected to make a school nurse or trained personnel available at the school pursuant to those provisions to maintain at least 2 units of naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist for purposes of those authorizations.

Existing law makes it a crime to solicit or encourage a minor to commit specified crimes relating to controlled substances, to hire or employ a minor to transport or sell controlled substances, or to sell or give controlled substances to minors and imposes a punishment of imprisonment for a period of 3, 6, or 9 years. Existing law makes a person who is 18 years of age or older who violates these provisions with respect to heroin, cocaine, or cocaine base on the grounds of, or within certain locations, such as a church, synagogue, or a public swimming pool, among others, or on the grounds of, or within 1,000 feet of, public or private schools, as specified, subject to punishment with an additional enhancement in the state prison of one or 2 years. This bill would make the above-described enhancement applicable to offenses involving fentanyl if the person had knowledge that the specific controlled substance involved was fentanyl. By increasing the penalties for a crime, this bill would create 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.

Existing law authorizes a court to grant pretrial diversion to a defendant suffering from a mental disorder, on an accusatory pleading alleging the commission of a misdemeanor or felony offense, in order to allow the defendant to undergo mental health treatment. Existing law prohibits defendants charged with specified offenses, including murder, from being placed in this diversion program. This bill would add attempted murder to the list of charged offenses that prohibit a defendant from being placed in this diversion program.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution formally recognizes May as Maternal and Mental Health Awareness Month in California to highlight critical issues facing women and birthing people. The document draws attention to disparities in reproductive care, noting that many women lack access to hospitals with obstetrics services and that costs for fertility treatments remain a significant barrier. It also emphasizes the high prevalence of untreated mental health conditions among new mothers, particularly within communities of color and those with lower incomes. While the resolution does not create new laws, it serves to raise public awareness about the need for equitable access to both physical and mental health services during the reproductive years.

The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines gross income as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, and before January 1, 2033, would provide an exclusion from gross income for amounts received from a settlement entity, as defined, by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, to replace property damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster that was declared a state of emergency by both the Governor and the President of the United States. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities and other conditions, and their families. Under existing law, the regional centers purchase needed services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities through approved service providers, or arrange for their provision through other publicly funded agencies. The services and supports to be provided to a regional center consumer are contained in an individual program plan (IPP) , which is developed by the planning team according to specified procedures. Existing law defines "services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities" to mean specialized services and supports or special adaptations of generic services and supports directed toward the alleviation of a developmental disability or toward the social, personal, physical, or economic habilitation or rehabilitation of an individual with a developmental disability, or toward the achievement and maintenance of an independent, productive, and normal life. Under existing law, specialized medical and dental care are included within that definition. Under existing law, the determination of which services and supports are necessary for each consumer are made through the IPP process. This bill would require the department, by July 1, 2026, to enter into a contract with a dental school or college in the state that meets certain criteria relating to public status, accreditation, and a demonstrated record of working with regional centers, for the purpose of establishing a statewide program centered in the state's regional centers. The bill would require that the contract expire on June 30, 2031. Under the bill, the program would be established to improve the provision of dental care services to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and specifically to prevent or reduce the need for developmental services consumers to receive dental treatment using sedation and general anesthesia. The bill would require the dental school or college to establish an Oral Health for People with Disabilities Technical Assistance Center. The bill would require the center, among other responsibilities, to provide practical experience, systems development, and expertise in relevant subject areas, to train, monitor, and provide support for regional center and oral health personnel, and to collect and analyze program data with the support of participating regional centers and oral health providers. The bill would require the department to submit an annual report of the collected data to the Legislature. The bill also would specify regional center duties, including identifying consumers who can benefit from the program, and establishing vendor agreements with interested oral health professionals. Under the bill, duties of the department would include providing guidance and establishing protocols to support the program, and establishing procedures for regional center directors for participation in the program and allowing aggregation and publication by the center of deidentified results data, as specified.