Sen. Connie M. Leyva

This measure would designate a specified portion of Interstate 10 in the Counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino as the Pomona Police Officer Greggory Casillas Memorial Highway. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, establishes a system of child care and development services for children up to 13 years of age, and requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to implement a plan establishing assigned reimbursement rates, per unit of average daily enrollment, to be paid by the state to provider agencies for the provision of those services. Existing law also provides for an adjustment factor to be applied to units of average daily enrollment if a provider agency serves children who meet specified criteria. Existing law provides adjustment factors for infants who are 0 to 18 months of age, and toddlers who are 18 to 36 months of age, and are served in a child day care center, and for infants and toddlers who are 0 to 36 months of age and are served in a family child care home. This bill would increase the adjustment factor for infants who are 0 to 18 months of age and toddlers who are 18 to 36 months of age, would provide that these adjustment factors apply without regard to the kind of facility that the infant or toddler is served by, and would make conforming changes. The bill would establish the Early Education Expansion Program for the purpose of increasing access to inclusive early care and education programs and increasing early learning infrastructure capacity in high-need communities. The bill would require the State Department of Education to award grants on a competitive basis, and would require a grant to be used for one-time infrastructure costs only. The bill would require an applicant to include specified information in its application. The bill would also establish the Early Education Expansion Program for Local Educational Agencies. The bill would require the department to award grants on a competitive basis, and would require the department's Special Education Division and Early Education and Support Division to provide guidance to local educational agencies on serving young children with exceptional needs in the least restrictive environment. The bill would require a grant to be used for one-time infrastructure costs only. The bill would require an applicant to include specified information in its application. The act establishes the California Child Care Initiative Project and provides that the objective of the project is to increase the availability of quality child care programs in the state. This bill would establish in the department the Family Child Care Recruitment and Training Program of 2018, to be administered by the Superintendent, to support the recruitment and training of a new generation of licensed family child care providers. The bill would require the program to provide resources pursuant to the California Child Care Initiative Project as well as startup costs and resources to new family child care providers, among other things, upon appropriation by the Legislature.

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. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. The federal Medicaid program provisions prohibit payment to a state for medical assistance furnished to an alien who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law. Existing law requires individuals under 19 years of age enrolled in restricted-scope Medi-Cal at the time the Director of Health Care Services makes a determination that systems have been programmed for implementation of these provisions, be enrolled in the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits, if otherwise eligible, pursuant to an eligibility and enrollment plan, as specified. Existing law makes the effective date of enrollment for those individuals the same day that systems are operational to begin processing new applications pursuant to the director's determination. This bill would additionally extend eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to individuals 65 years of age or older, if otherwise eligible for those benefits, but for their immigration status, subject to an appropriation. The bill would also delete provisions delaying implementation until the director makes the determination described above. Because counties are required to make Medi-Cal eligibility determinations and this bill would expand Medi-Cal eligibility, 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.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations Existing law, enacted as part of the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015, requires the PUC, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and State Air Resources Board, to direct electrical corporations to file applications for programs and investments to accelerate widespread transportation electrification to reduce dependence on petroleum, meet air quality standards, achieve the goals set forth in the Charge Ahead California Initiative, and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. That law requires that the programs proposed by electrical corporations seek to minimize overall costs and maximize overall benefits. The PUC is required to approve, or modify and approve, programs and investments in transportation electrification, including those that deploy charging infrastructure, through a reasonable cost recovery mechanism, if they are consistent with the above-described purposes, do not unfairly compete with nonutility enterprises, include performance accountability measures, and are in the interests of ratepayers. This bill would require the PUC, on or before July 1, 2019, to direct an electrical corporation with more than 100,000 service connections in California to file a rate design application that supports and accelerates the deployment of zero-emission transit buses to reduce dependence on petroleum, meet air quality standards, and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. This requirement would not apply to an electrical corporation with an approved or proposed rate tariff that meets the goals of the bill as of July 1, 2019. The bill would authorize an electrical corporation with 100,000 or fewer service connections in California to file a rate design application for those purposes. The bill would require a rate design proposed by an electrical corporation to seek to minimize overall costs and maximize overall benefits. The bill would require the commission to approve, or modify and approve, a rate design application filed by an electrical corporation if it is consistent with these requirements and is revenue neutral to the relevant customer class. 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 the provisions of this bill are within the act and require action by the commission for implementation, 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.

The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes various credits against the taxes imposed by that law, including a credit for qualified renters in the amount of $120 for spouses filing joint returns, heads of household, and surviving spouses if adjusted gross income is $50,000, as adjusted, or less, and in the amount of $60 for other individuals if adjusted gross income is $25,000, as adjusted, or less. Existing law requires the Franchise Tax Board to annually adjust for inflation these adjusted gross income amounts. For 2017, the adjusted gross income limit is $80,156 and $40,078, respectively. This bill, for each taxable year beginning on and after January 1, 2018, would increase the credit amount for a qualified renter, as specified, and would require the Franchise Tax Board to annually adjust for inflation the credit amount for taxable years on and after January 1, 2023. The bill would authorize the Governor to suspend the increased credit amount by proclamation if the Governor finds and declares that an economic emergency exists in this state and it is necessary that the increased credit amount be suspended, in which case the credit amount would be the credit amount for the taxable year immediately preceding the taxable year in which the suspension of the credit applies. The bill would also provide that the increased credit amount is $0 for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019, unless otherwise specified in a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill. In the event the increased credit amount is $0, the existing credit amounts of $60 and $120, respectively, would be the credit amounts for that taxable year. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

This measure would proclaim June 2018 as California Grown Flower Month to recognize and honor the people of the California grown flower industry for their dedication and productivity.

The Government Claims Act sets forth the general procedure for the presentation of claims as a prerequisite to commencement of actions for money or damages against local public entities, as defined. The act exempts certain claims against local public entities from the presentation procedures of the act, including, but not limited to, claims made pursuant to a specific provision of the Code of Civil Procedure for the recovery of damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual abuse and arising out of conduct occurring on or after January 1, 2009. Under the act, claims against a local public entity for money or damages that are exempted and that are not governed by any other statutes or regulations expressly relating thereto, are authorized to be governed by the procedure prescribed in an enactment adopted by the local public entity. This bill would specifically exempt from that authorization for procedures prescribed by local enactment claims against a local public entity made pursuant to the above-described existing law for the recovery of damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual abuse.

Existing law requires the Governor to proclaim certain days each year for specified reasons. Existing law also designates particular days each year as having special significance and encourages all public schools and educational institutions to observe those days and to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on those days. This bill would require the Governor to annually proclaim April 10 as Dolores Huerta Day, would designate and set apart that date each year as having special significance, and would encourage all public schools and educational institutions to observe that date by conducting exercises remembering the life of Dolores Huerta and recognizing her accomplishments and the contributions she made to the state.

Existing law authorizes the State Department of Developmental Services to reimburse family home agencies that are vendored to recruit, approve, train, and monitor family home providers, provide social services and in-home support to family home providers, and assist adults with developmental disabilities in moving into approved family homes. Existing law only authorizes private not-for-profit agencies to be selected as family home agencies under these provisions. This bill would further authorize private for-profit agencies to be selected as family home agencies under these provisions.