Sen. Connie M. Leyva

This measure would urge the Supreme Court of the United States to uphold the federal constitutional principle of "one person, one vote" and not deny California's children and immigrants equal protection under the law.

This measure would recognize the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Existing law, on and after February 20, 2009, prohibited a person from filing a claim for postponement, and prohibited the Controller from accepting applications for postponement of ad valorem taxes, under the Senior Citizens and Disabled Citizens Property Tax Postponement Law. Existing law, as of July 1, 2016, makes inoperative the prohibition against a qualifying person, as specified, filing a claim for postponement and the Controller from accepting applications for postponement under the program and repeals this prohibition on January 1, 2017. Existing law does not allow owners of mobilehomes, houseboats, and floating homes to seek postponement of ad valorem taxes when the prohibition is lifted. This bill would authorize an owner of a mobilehome, who is a qualified person, to seek postponement of ad valorem taxes under provisions similar to other owners of real property. Because this bill would provide for additional categories of expenditures from the Senior Citizens and Disabled Citizens Property Tax Postponement Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, it would make an appropriation. Because this bill would require local entities to process property liens under the expansion of the property tax postponement program, it 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 these statutory provisions.

Existing property tax law requires the county auditor, in each fiscal year, to allocate property tax revenue to local jurisdictions in accordance with specified formulas and procedures, and generally provides that each jurisdiction shall be allocated an amount equal to the total of the amount of revenue allocated to that jurisdiction in the prior fiscal year, subject to certain modifications, and that jurisdiction's portion of the annual tax increment, as defined. Existing property tax law also requires that, for purposes of determining property tax revenue allocations in each county for the 1992–93 and 1993–94 fiscal years, the amounts of property tax revenue deemed allocated in the prior fiscal year to the county, cities, and special districts be reduced in accordance with certain formulas. It requires that the revenues not allocated to the county, cities, and special districts as a result of these reductions be transferred to the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund in that county for allocation to school districts, community college districts, and the county office of education. Beginning with the 2004–05 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter, existing law requires that each city, county, and city and county receive additional property tax revenues in the form of a vehicle license fee adjustment amount, as defined, from a vehicle license fee property tax compensation fund that exists in each county treasury. Existing law requires that these additional allocations be funded from ad valorem property tax revenues otherwise required to be allocated to educational entities. This bill would modify these reduction and transfer provisions, for the 2015–16 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter, by providing for a vehicle license fee adjustment amount calculated on the basis of changes in assessed valuation. By imposing additional duties upon local tax officials with respect to the allocation of ad valorem property tax revenues, 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, 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 these statutory provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law generally designates the state board as the state agency with the primary responsibility for the control of vehicular air pollution, and air pollution control and air quality management districts with the primary responsibility for the control of air pollution from all sources other than vehicular sources. This bill would establish the Green Assistance Program, to be administered by the Secretary for Environmental Protection in concert with environmental justice programs, that, among other things, would provide technical assistance to small businesses, small nonprofits, and disadvantaged communities in applying for an allocation of moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The bill would declare that the secretary use existing resources for the program.

Existing law regulates various aspects of the workplace and employee safety and health. This bill, upon a change in control of a grocery establishment, would require an incumbent grocery employer to prepare a list of specified eligible grocery workers for a successor grocery employer, and would require the successor grocery employer to hire from this list during a 90-day transition period. The bill would require the successor grocery employer to retain eligible grocery workers for a 90-day period, prohibit the successor grocery employer from discharging those workers without cause during that period, and, upon the close of that period, require the successor grocery employer to consider offering continued employment to those workers. The bill would exempt a grocery establishment located in a food desert from the bill's requirements, as provided. The bill would provide that a collective bargaining agreement may supersede these requirements and that these provisions do not preempt any local ordinances that provide equal or greater protection to eligible grocery workers. This bill would provide that its provisions are severable.

Existing law provides that a minor who violates a criminal law may be adjudged to be a ward of the court. Existing law generally requires that the minor pay a restitution fine to be deposited into the Restitution Fund and restitution to any victim of his or her conduct. Existing law defines a victim to include the immediate surviving family of the actual victim and governmental entities, as specified. This bill would expand the definition of victim to include a corporation, estate, or other legal or commercial entity when that entity is a direct victim of a crime. The bill would also expand the definition of victim to include a person who has sustained economic loss as a result of a crime and who satisfies specified conditions.

Existing law governs annuities and, for those insurance contracts that provide cash surrender benefits, prescribes the cash surrender benefit available prior to maturity. Existing law also requires the death benefit under these contracts to be at least equal to the cash surrender benefit. This bill would instead require the death benefit payable under contracts issued or delivered on or after January 1, 2016, to persons 65 years of age or older to be at least equal to the annuity value or accumulation value, excluding any surrender charges or penalties upon death. The bill would also make technical changes.

This measure would declare the month of May 2015 as National Stroke Awareness Month in California.