Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to encourage the balanced use of all sources of energy to meet the state's needs. Existing law requires the commission to administer the Clean Transportation Program to develop and deploy innovative technologies that transform California's fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state's climate change policies. This bill would require the commission, upon appropriation by the Legislature for the bill's purpose, to establish and implement the Reliable Energy Needs for Everyone in the West Program to provide financial incentives for purchasing renewable propane, renewable hydrogen, or renewable dimethyl ether to customers in heating dominant climate zones in California where combustion fuels will continue to be the lowest cost and most effective means for providing space and water heating to buildings, as provided.

Existing law makes it a crime to possess for sale or purchase for purpose of sale, transport, or sell, various controlled substances, including, among others, fentanyl. Existing law requires the court, when granting probation after conviction of any controlled substance offense, as specified, to order as a condition of probation that the defendant secure education or treatment from a local community agency and requires the court or probation department to refer defendants to controlled substance education or treatment programs that adhere to specified standards. Existing law permits a defendant to withdraw their plea of guilty or plea of nolo contendere and enter a plea of not guilty and authorizes a court to set aside a verdict of guilty, if the defendant has met certain requirements. This bill would require a person who is convicted of, or who pleads guilty or no contest to, the above-described crimes as they relate to fentanyl to receive a written advisory of the danger of distribution of controlled substances and that, if a person dies as a result of that action, the distributor can be charged with homicide or murder. The bill would require that the fact the advisory was given be on the record and recorded on the abstract of the conviction. This bill would require a defendant who is charged with the above-described crimes to be ordered to complete a substance education or treatment program, as described above, and would state that a defendant who successfully completes an education or treatment program is eligible for the relief described above. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would proclaim that the Legislature joins all communities throughout the state in their commitments and affirmations that in California, there is no room for hate.

Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education. This bill would require the commission, when the Health Framework for California Public Schools is next revised after January 1, 2025, to include information on pregnancy centers as a resource in that health framework. Existing law, the California Healthy Youth Act, requires school districts to ensure that all pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention education, as specified. Under the act, this instruction includes, among other things, information about local resources related to sexual and reproductive health and pregnancy prevention and care, as provided. This bill would require the department to make information about pregnancy centers available on its internet website and would require pregnancy centers to be included by school districts in the above-described information about local resources. By imposing additional duties on school districts, 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 requires the State Board of Education to adopt standards, rules, and regulations for school library services. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to exclude from schools and school libraries all books, publications, or papers of a sectarian, partisan, or denominational character. This bill would require the governing board of a school district to exclude from schools and school libraries serving pupils in preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, all books, publications, or papers that contain harmful matter, as defined. The bill would require the harmful matter to be removed on or before July 31, 2025. To the extent these provisions would add new duties on school districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a parent, guardian, or resident of a school district to commence a civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief for violations of these provisions after the governing board of the school district's refusal to remove any harmful matter requested of it. 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 vests the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt new, or expand existing, fixed charges, as defined, for the purpose of collecting a reasonable portion of the fixed costs of providing electrical service to residential customers. Under existing law, the commission may authorize fixed charges for any rate schedule applicable to a residential customer account, and is required, no later than July 1, 2024, to authorize a fixed charge for default residential rates. Existing law requires these fixed charges to be established on an income-graduated basis, with no fewer than 3 income thresholds, so that low-income ratepayers in each baseline territory would realize a lower average monthly bill without making any changes in usage. Existing law requires the PUC to continue the California Alternative Rates for Energy (CARE) program to provide assistance to low-income electric and gas customers with annual household incomes that are no greater than 200% of the federal poverty guideline levels, as specified. This bill would require the PUC to require each electrical corporation to offer default rates to residential customers with at least 2 usage tiers, as provided. The bill would eliminate the requirement that the fixed charges be established on an income-graduated basis as described above, repeal related findings and declarations of the Legislature, and authorize the commission to instead authorize fixed charges that, as of January 1, 2015, do not exceed $10 per residential customer account per month for customers not enrolled in the CARE program and $5 per residential customer account per month for customers enrolled in the CARE program. The bill would authorize the maximum allowable fixed charge to be adjusted by no more than the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for the prior calendar year, as specified. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because certain provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing the above-described requirements would be a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law provides for the recall of local officers. Existing law requires a recall petition to contain, among other things, a copy of the notice of intention that includes the names of at least 10 recall proponents that appear on the notice and that are selected by the proponents. Existing law requires the elections official to verify the signatures on the recall petition and, if the elections official finds the signatures to be sufficient, to submit a certificate as to the sufficiency of the petition to the governing body at its next regular meeting. Within 14 days after the meeting at which the governing body receives the certificate of sufficiency, existing law requires the governing body to issue an order stating that an election will be held to determine whether or not the officer named in the petition should be recalled. This bill would authorize the proponents of a recall of a local officer to file with the elections official a notice withdrawing their petition at any time before the elections official submits the certificate of sufficiency to the governing body at its next regular meeting. The bill would require the elections official, upon receipt of the notice of withdrawal, to take no further action on the petition. The bill would provide that the withdrawal of a recall petition against a local officer does not bar the later filing of a new petition against that officer. The bill would define "proponents," for its purposes, to mean the 10 recall proponents listed on the copy of the notice of intention that appears on the recall petition, as specified. 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.

This measure would encourage the state and local municipalities to develop and fund high-volume spay and neuter clinics across the state to provide sterilization services, and would encourage other actions relating to pets, including actions to control animal breeding and encourage spaying and neutering, as specified.

Under existing law, a person who lodges in a public or private place without permission is guilty of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. Existing law also provides that a person who willfully and maliciously obstructs the free movement of any person on any street, sidewalk, or other public place is guilty of a misdemeanor. Under existing law, a nuisance is anything that is injurious to health or indecent or offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property, so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property. Existing law also provides that a nuisance is anything that obstructs the free passage or use of any public park, square, street, or highway, among other things. Under existing law, a public nuisance is a nuisance that affects the entire community, neighborhood, or a considerable number of persons. Existing law provides various remedies against a public nuisance, including abatement by any public body or officer authorized by law. This bill would prohibit a person from sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property upon a street or sidewalk if a homeless shelter, as defined, is available to the person. The bill would also prohibit sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property within 500 feet of a public or private school, open space, or major transit stop, as specified. The bill would specify that a violation of this prohibition is a public nuisance that can be abated and prevented, as specified. The bill would also provide that a violation of the prohibition may be charged as a misdemeanor or an infraction, at the discretion of the prosecutor. The bill would prohibit a person from being found in violation of the bill's provisions unless provided notice, at least 72 hours before commencement of any enforcement action, as specified. By imposing criminal penalties for a violation of these provisions, 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.