This measure would proclaim April 2013 as the "California Wines: Down to Earth" month, to celebrate the sustainable leadership of California wineries and winegrape growers.
This measure would call on the United States Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, Senate Bill No. 47, authored by Senator Leahy, and ensure the sustainability of vital programs designed to keep women and families safe from violence and abuse.
Existing law regulates the wages, hours, and working conditions of any man, woman, and minor employed in any occupation, trade, or industry, whether compensation is measured by time, piece, or otherwise, except for individuals employed as outside salesmen and individuals participating in specified national service programs. Under existing law, the Industrial Welfare Commission within the Department of Industrial Relations is authorized to adopt rules, regulations, and orders to ensure that employers comply with those provisions of law. This bill would require the Department of Industrial Relations, by January 1, 2014, to adopt regulations governing the working conditions of domestic work employees, as defined.
Existing law requires the collection of fees for providing certified copies of vital records, including marriage certificates, birth certificates, fetal death records, and death records. Existing law provides for the establishment of county domestic violence program special funds for the purpose of funding local domestic violence programs. Certain fees payable at the time a certified copy of any of the above-referenced vital records is issued may be collected by the county clerks for deposit into these funds. Additionally, existing law authorizes certain counties, upon making certain findings and declarations, to authorize an increase in fees for certified copies of certain vital records, as specified. Existing law requires the revenue from the fee increase to be allocated for purposes relating to domestic violence prevention, intervention, and prosecution. Existing law authorizes a county board of supervisors to designate a local voluntary commission, whose duties primarily relate to services for children or human services, and requires the county board of supervisors, if the local voluntary commission is designated, to establish a county children's trust fund. Existing law establishes the State Children's Trust Fund, of which money may be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the State Department of Social Services for the purpose of funding child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs. This bill would authorize a county board of supervisors and certain city councils, upon making findings and declarations regarding the need for governmental oversight and coordination of the multiple agencies dealing with domestic violence and child abuse, to authorize an increase in the fees for certified copies of certain vital records up to a maximum of $5 per license or record and to annually adjust that amount for inflation, as specified. This bill would require the fees to be allocated, as specified, by the county or city for purposes relating to the prevention and intervention of domestic violence and child abuse. This bill would require proceeds from the fee increase from birth certificates to be deposited into the county children's trust fund or the State Children's Trust Fund, as specified.
The Rees-Levering Motor Vehicle Sales and Finance Act regulates conditional sales contracts for motor vehicles, and, among other things, requires a person selling or leasing a motor vehicle under a conditional sale contract to disclose certain information to the buyer of the vehicle. A willful violation of those provisions is a misdemeanor and may render the contract unenforceable. A seller who violates the provisions of the act may also be liable to the buyer for monetary damages. This bill would require a buy-here-pay-here dealer, as defined, to issue a 30-day or 1,000-mile warranty to the buyer or lessee of a used vehicle bought or leased at retail price, and would require the warranty to cover the engine, transmission, drive axle, front and rear wheel drive components, engine cooling system, brakes, front and rear suspension systems, steering, seatbelts, inflatable restraint systems, catalytic converter or other emissions components, heater, seals and gaskets, electrical, electronic, and computer components, alternator, generator, starter, and ignition system. The bill would require the buy-here-pay-here dealer to either repair those covered parts that fail or, at the buy-here-pay-here dealer's election, to cancel the sale or lease and reimburse the buyer or lessee, as specified. The bill would require the buy-here-pay-here dealer to pay 100% of the cost of labor and parts for any repairs under the warranty. The bill would void an agreement for the purchase or lease of a vehicle that waives, limits, or disclaims these requirements. The bill would provide that a warranty is deemed to have been issued if a buy-here-pay-here dealer fails to issue a warranty pursuant to these provisions. The bill would prohibit a buy-here-pay-here dealer from requiring the buyer to make payments in person, with the exception of the downpayment for the vehicle, would prohibit the buy-here-pay-here dealer from repossessing the vehicle or charging a penalty following timely payment of a deferred downpayment, as specified, would prohibit the buy-here-pay-here dealer from, after the sale of the vehicle, tracking the vehicle using electronic tracking technology and from disabling the vehicle with starter interrupt technology, except as specified, and would make a violation of these prohibitions a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also make findings and declarations related to buy-here-pay-here dealers, and would authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles to promulgate any necessary regulations. 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.
Under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, it is unlawful to engage in specified discriminatory practices in employment or housing accommodations on the basis of sex. Under existing law, "sex," for purposes of the act, includes gender, pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth. This bill would provide that, for purposes of the act, the term "sex" also includes breastfeeding or medical conditions related to breastfeeding. This bill would also state that the changes made by this bill to the above provisions are declaratory of existing law. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 12926 of the Government Code proposed by AB 1964, that would become operative only if AB 1964 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last.
(1) Existing law establishes the state flag and the state's emblems, including, among other things, the poppy as the official state flower, the California redwood as the official state tree, and the California desert tortoise as the official state reptile. This bill would establish the Pacific leatherback sea turtle as the official state marine reptile. (2) Existing law designates certain periods of time for specified purposes of celebration or recognition. This bill would designate October 15, 2013, and every October 15 thereafter, as Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day. The bill would encourage public schools, state and federal agencies, nongovernmental agencies, fishers, coastal tour operators, and other interested stakeholders to engage in certain activities, as specified.
(1) Existing law authorizes the Director of the Department of Fish and Game to authorize one or more operators of commercial fishing vessels to take and land a limited number of Dungeness crab for the purpose of quality testing, as provided. Existing law prohibits the department from approving a testing program unless it is funded by the entity authorized to conduct the testing program and prohibits the sale of the crab taken for testing. Those provisions become inoperative on April 1, 2019, and are repealed on January 1, 2020. This bill would delete the above prohibitions, and, instead, would specifically authorize the sale of tested crab meat and the use of sale revenues for purposes of managing the testing program. The bill would require that the sale revenues be deposited in an account managed and overseen by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. The bill would require the department, in consultation with specified entities, to develop suggested guidelines for the management of the funds from the sale, among other guidelines. (2) Existing law requires the director to adopt a program, as provided, for Dungeness crab trap limits for all California permits, that includes 7 tiers of Dungeness crab trap limits based on all California landings receipts under California permits, as specified. Existing law authorizes an individual to submit an appeal of a trap tag allocation by March 31, 2014, as provided. Existing law requires the individual requesting the appeal to pay all expenses, including a nonrefundable filing fee, as determined by the department, to pay for the department's reasonable costs associated with the appeal that is heard and decided by an administrative law judge. Those provisions become inoperative on April 1, 2019, and are repealed on January 1, 2020. This bill would authorize any Dungeness crab permitholder to apply to the administrative law judge for a waiver of these appeal fees. The bill would authorize the administrative law judge to consider certain factors when making this determination, including medical hardship. This bill would require the department to decide an appeal to revise downward a trap tag allocation. (3) Existing law regulating the Dungeness crab fishery permits the owner of a vessel to whom a Dungeness crab vessel permit has been issued, upon the written approval of the department, to temporarily transfer the permit to another replacement vessel for which use in the Dungeness crab fishery is not permitted, for a period of not more than 6 months during the current permit year, under specified circumstances. Existing law also permits the transfer of a permit to another vessel in the event of loss or destruction of a permitted vessel, within 2 years after the loss or damage of the original vessel. This bill would require the owner of a vessel to whom a Dungeness crab vessel permit has been issued to have had California Dungeness crab landings made with trap gear documented on department landing receipts and to have had California Dungeness crab landings of not less than 5,000 pounds cumulative for the past 2 Dungeness crab seasons to translate the permit. The bill also would require the replacement vessel to be equivalent in size and capacity, as specified, to the vessel from which the permit is transferred. The bill would require specified proof of loss, theft, damage, mechanical breakdown, or destruction to be submitted for a vessel permit to be transferred. This bill would require a vessel owner to sign an application for transfer and certify that the information included is true to the best of his or her information and belief. By expanding the definition of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) Existing law regulating commercial fishing traps makes it unlawful, except as specified, to willfully or recklessly disturb, move, or damage any trap that belongs to another person and that is marked with a buoy identification number. This bill would authorize the department, in consultation with the Dungeness Crab Task Force, to develop regulations as necessary to provide for the retrieval of lost or abandoned commercial crab traps. Those provisions would become inoperative on April 1, 2019, and would be repealed on January 1, 2020. (5) Existing law authorizes expenditures from the fish and wildlife propagation fund of any county to be made for specified purposes, including for reasonable administrative costs, as provided. Existing law defines "reasonable cost" as an amount that does not exceed 3% of the average amount received by the fund during the previous 3-year period, or $3,000 annually, whichever is greater, as provided. This bill would instead define "reasonable cost" as an amount that does not exceed 15% of the average amount received by the fund during the previous 3-year period, or $10,000 annually, whichever is greater. (6) Existing law requires the department to charge a specified fee for each Dungeness crab vessel permit and for certain transfers of permits for the reasonable regulatory costs of the department. This bill would provide for these fees for each transfer of a permit. (7) 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. (8) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
