Existing law generally requires county boards of supervisors, city councils, and the governing boards of school districts, community college districts, and other special districts, if those bodies are elected using district-based elections, to adopt new boundaries for the districts following each federal decennial census. Notwithstanding that requirement, existing law authorizes a local jurisdiction other than a charter city to establish an independent redistricting commission to adopt new boundaries for the local jurisdiction's districts. This bill would require a county, general law city, charter city, or charter city and county that contains over 300,000 residents, and a school district or community college district that contains over 500,000 residents, to establish an independent redistricting commission to adopt district boundaries after each federal decennial census. The bill would require a county, general law city, charter city, or charter city or county with over 300,000 residents, and a school district or community college district with over 500,000 residents, that does not enact an ordinance, resolution, or charter amendment establishing an independent redistricting commission by January 1, 2030, and January 1 of every subsequent year ending in 0, to establish a 14-member independent redistricting commission according to specified procedures, including procedures for the random selection of the members of the commission from among applicants meeting certain qualifications. By requiring certain local jurisdictions to establish independent redistricting commissions to adopt district boundaries, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would prohibit a member of an independent redistricting commission from communicating with any individual or organization regarding redistricting matters, except as provided. The bill would require the State Auditor to provide the contact information of any applicant to serve on the Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is responsible for adjusting the boundary lines of the congressional, legislative, and State Board of Equalization districts, to any city or county that has established an independent or hybrid redistricting commission, provided that the applicant has consented to share this information and the city or county has requested to receive this information, and to inform those applicants of opportunities to serve on an independent or hybrid redistricting commission. The bill would require the State Auditor to establish a database and create and advertise a process for this exchange of information. Under existing law, independent redistricting commissions have been established for the Counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Fresno, and Kern. The bill would exempt the Counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Fresno, and Kern from the bill's provisions requiring a county with over 300,000 residents to establish an independent redistricting commission, unless the existing law provisions establishing independent redistricting commissions for those counties are repealed or invalidated. The bill also would exempt a charter city with a population of at least 2,500,000 people from the bill's provisions if specified conditions are met, including if both this bill and Senate Bill 52 are enacted and if the city complies with certain provisions in Senate Bill 52 that require such cities to establish independent redistricting commissions. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 23003 of the Elections Code proposed by Assembly Bill 764 to be operative only if this bill and Assembly Bill 764 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. 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.
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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. Under the act, the state board is required to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020 and to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the 1990 level by no later than December 31, 2030. Under the act, a violation of a rule, regulation, order, emission limitation, emission reduction measure, or other measure adopted by the state board under the act is a crime. This bill instead would require the state board to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 55% below the 1990 level by no later than December 31, 2030. By expanding the scope of a crime, 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.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, including an exclusion for the amount of student loan indebtedness repaid or canceled pursuant to a specified federal law. This bill would exclude from an individual's gross income, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2026, the amount of certain student loans discharged, in whole or in part, after December 31, 2020, and before January 1, 2026, in conformity with federal law. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that 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 make findings and declarations related to a gift of public funds.
Existing law establishes the Department of General Services to provide centralized services, including, but not limited to, planning, acquisition, construction and maintenance of state buildings and property. Existing law authorizes the Director of General Services, with the consent of the state agency concerned, to lease state-owned real property when the Director of General Services deems that leasing serves a beneficial public purpose limited to the development of housing. This bill would enact the Social Housing Act and would create, in the Department of General Services, the Social Housing Program, the mission of which would be to ensure that qualified social housing developments are produced on leased state property to help address the housing crisis, as specified. The bill would authorize the program to identify and develop up to 3 qualified social housing projects, as specified, with the intent to use the results to inform public policy related to developing an independent public entity to develop statewide qualified social housing. The bill would require the program to solicit bids to develop qualified social housing units, and prioritize bids that demonstrate long-term revenue neutrality or a cost rent model, as those terms are defined. The bill would require the program to employ 2 different leasing models, the rental model and the ownership model, as specified, in creating social housing. The bill would prohibit a city or county from denying a social housing development authorized under the program. The bill would authorize a city or county to propose objective design review standards, as specified, and authorize a city or county to propose modifications to mitigate any specific, adverse impacts on public health or safety, as specified.
The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, generally regulates the disposal, management, and recycling of, among other solid waste, plastic packaging containers and single-use foodware accessories. Existing law establishes the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, which covers certain single-use packaging and plastic single-use food serviceware, as provided. As part of its comprehensive statutory scheme, existing law requires producers, as defined, of these covered materials to source reduce plastic covered material, to ensure that all covered material offered for sale, distributed, or imported in or into the state on or after January 1, 2032, is recyclable or compostable, and to ensure that plastic covered material offered for sale, distributed, or imported in or into the state achieves specified recycling rates, as provided. The act prohibits a producer from selling, offering for sale, importing, or distributing covered materials in the state unless the producer is approved to participate in the producer responsibility plan of a producer responsibility organization (PRO) , as prescribed, for the source reduction, collection, processing, and recycling of covered material, except as provided. The act requires the department to establish a producer responsibility advisory board for specified purposes. The act authorizes an affected entity that asserts that specific actions taken to meet the requirements of the act are disrupting or otherwise adversely affecting the sustained operation or commercial viability of solid waste collection programs, solid waste recycling facilities, or composting facilities providing services in accordance with local solid waste handling requirements, to bring the concern and evidence supporting that assertion to the advisory board for discussion and to ask the advisory board to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the information. If the evaluation demonstrates that specific actions are disrupting or otherwise adversely affecting existing operations, the act requires the advisory board to submit the concern to the department for further analysis. The act requires the department to analyze the information provided by the advisory board and authorizes the department to offer a recommendation for resolution. This bill would instead authorize an affected entity that asserts that specific actions taken by the PRO, a producer, or an entity under contract with the PRO are not consistent with specified prohibitions and requirements of the act and are disrupting or otherwise adversely affecting the sustained operation or commercial viability of solid waste collection programs, solid waste recycling facilities, or composting facilities providing services in accordance with local solid waste handling requirements to bring that concern and supporting evidence to the advisory board. The bill would delete the requirement that the board submit the concern to the department for further analysis and would instead require that the advisory board, rather than the department, offer a recommendation for resolution within 90 days of submission of the request for a preliminary evaluation. The bill would thereafter authorize either party to initiate nonbinding arbitration, as specified. The bill would specify the duties and the authority of the arbitrator, as described, including requiring the arbitrator to transmit the proposed decision to the department and the advisory board. The bill would require the department to review the arbitrator's proposed decision within 60 days of receipt and to make a specified determination. If the arbitrator proposes a revision to an approved producer responsibility plan, the bill would require the department to publicly notice the proposed plan revision on its internet website, as provided. The bill would authorize the department, if the department makes a specified determination, to approve or reject the proposed plan revision. The bill would authorize any party to request that the department conduct a de novo adjudicative proceeding within 60 days after the arbitrator delivers the proposed decision to the department and the advisory board. The bill would deem the arbitrator's proposed decision to be final if no action is taken by the department or other party within 60 days of the arbitrator's proposed decision being submitted to the department and the advisory committee. The bill would require the department to include any actions taken under these provisions in a specified report submitted to the Legislature. The bill would also require an approved producer responsibility plan to remain in effect and be implemented during any action taken pursuant to these new and revised procedures in response to an assertion described above. The bill would also prohibit initiation of that action from delaying the approval of a proposed plan or plan amendment. The act authorizes the department to adopt regulations to identify responsible end markets and to establish criteria regarding benefits to the environment and minimizes risks to public health and worker health and safety. The act sets forth definitions for purposes of the act. This bill would instead authorize the department to adopt regulations to establish standards for the PRO regarding responsible end markets for covered material and to establish criteria that prioritizes benefits to the environment and minimizes risks to public health and worker health and safety. The bill would also revise and clarify certain definitions in the act. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 42041 of the Public Resources Code proposed by AB 1526 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1526 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law establishes the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, which covers certain single-use packaging and plastic single-use food service ware, as provided. As part of its comprehensive statutory scheme, the act requires the producers, as defined, of these covered materials to source reduce plastic covered material, to ensure that covered material offered for sale, distributed, or imported in or into the state on or after January 1, 2032, is recyclable or eligible to be labeled "compostable," and to ensure that plastic covered material offered for sale, distributed, or imported in or into the state meets specified recycling rates. Existing law vests the California Environmental Protection Agency with authority over various environmental matters and various state agencies, including the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) , the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Existing law establishes the Ocean Protection Council to, among other things, coordinate activities of state agencies that are related to the protection and conservation of coastal waters and ocean ecosystems. Existing law requires CalRecycle to consult with the council regarding its adoption of regulations to establish a process, and develop criteria, for determining the types of food service packaging that are reusable, recyclable, or compostable. Existing law establishes the Department of Food and Agriculture to promote and protect the agricultural industry of the state. This bill would require the California Environmental Protection Agency, by January 1, 2025, to establish a working group of the above-referenced state entities that would establish a framework, by July 1, 2026, for evaluating novel plastic and plastic-alternative material types used to produce single-use products as they are developed, in order to inform state policy decisions designed to create a more sustainable and circular economy, as provided. The bill would require the working group to, among other things, develop recommendations related to novel material types, including the appropriate marketing and labeling of the material, the handling of the material at the end of its useful life, and how the material needs to be treated in relation to existing state policies, rules, and regulations. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2029.
The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, generally regulates the disposal, management, and recycling of solid waste. Existing law prohibits certain stores from providing a single-use carryout bag to a customer and prohibits those stores from selling or distributing a reusable grocery bag or a recycled paper bag at the point of sale unless the store makes that bag available for purchase for not less than $0.10. Existing law requires a store to retain those collected moneys to be used only for costs associated with complying with those provisions, actual costs of providing recycled paper bags or reusable grocery bags, and costs associated with a store's educational materials or educational campaign encouraging the use of reusable grocery bags. Existing law authorizes a city, county, city and county, or the state to impose civil penalties on a person or entity that knows or reasonably should have known it is in violation of those requirements. This bill would require a store to retain the collected moneys to also be used for costs associated with providing consumers with an opportunity for returning reusable grocery bags to the store for recycling, and any other costs associated with ensuring that collected bags are recycled. The bill would require stores to submit an annual report to the department with specified information related to the total costs associated with complying with the act, as specified, and the balance, if any, of remaining funds, in the year. The bill would authorize a chain that owns more than one store to report aggregated data for all of the stores operated under that chain. The bill would authorize an authorized representative of a store with a collective bargaining agreement to review and make copies of those annual reports. The bill would require that these provisions apply only to certain stores, as described.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law sets forth specified coverage requirements for health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies. This bill, the Let California Kids Hear Act, would require a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, to include coverage for hearing aids for enrollees and insureds under 21 years of age, if medically necessary. The bill would limit the maximum required coverage amount to $3,000 per individual hearing aid, as specified. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to a health care service plan 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.
Existing law requires a core recycler that accepts, ships, or sells used catalytic converters to maintain specified information regarding the purchase and sale of the catalytic converters. Existing law prohibits a core recycler from providing payment for a catalytic converter unless, among other requirements, the payment is made by check, as specified. This bill, in addition to payment by check, would allow for payment by credit card or any other form of traceable payment other than cash. Existing law licenses and regulates motor vehicle dealers and retailers. Existing law prohibits a motor vehicle dealer or retailer from selling any motor vehicle that is not in compliance with the requirements enumerated in the Vehicle Code. This bill would prohibit a dealer or retailer from selling a new or used motor vehicle equipped with a catalytic converter unless the catalytic converter has been permanently marked, as defined, with the vehicle identification number of the vehicle to which it is attached. The bill would, until January 1, 2025, exempt from this prohibition a vehicle purchased from a dealer licensed in this state who is also licensed in another state and does not have a warranty service facility in this state. A violation of this provision would be punishable as an infraction, as specified. By creating a new infraction, 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.