Sen. Carol Liu

This measure would declare that the Legislature honors and commends the commitment, energy, vision, and leadership demonstrated by local, regional, state, and federal government agencies, as well as nonprofit and civic groups, organizations, and associations, in the creation of parks and the restoration of natural habitats along the Los Angeles River and its San Fernando Valley tributaries.

(1) The California Library Services Act establishes the California Library Services Board and provides that its duties include, among other things, adopting rules, regulations, and general policies relating to the implementation of the act. Under the act, a library system, constituted as specified, receives an annual allowance for the improvement and maintenance of coordinated reference service support to the members of the system. The act authorizes a library system to apply for funds for special services programs, as defined. The act requires a library system to apply for funds for intrasystem communications and delivery and for planning, coordination, and evaluation of overall systemwide services. The act also requires each system to establish an administrative council and an advisory board, each with specified duties. This bill would delete the annual allowance for the improvement and maintenance of coordinated reference service support to the members of a library system. The bill would also delete the authorization for a library system to apply for funds for special services programs. The bill would delete the requirement that a library system establish a specified advisory board. The bill would make conforming changes. (2) The Library of California Act augments the services provided under the California Library Services Act and establishes regional library networks composed of libraries that agree to share services and resources with one another. The Library of California Act establishes the Library of California Board, and provides that the initial members of the board shall be those persons serving on the California Library Services Board at the time of the enactment of the Library of California Act. Existing law provides for a transition period from the California Library Services Act services and funding to the Library of California Act services and funding, and repeals the California Library Services Act upon completion of the transition. This bill would repeal the Library of California Act. The bill would require that, on January 1, 2013, the members of the California Library Services Board be those persons serving on the Library of California Board, who shall serve for the duration of their terms.

This measure would recognize September 2012 as Pain Awareness Month and call upon all Californians to observe that month by learning how to improve the quality of life of Californians suffering from pain. This measure would also recognize September 14, 2012, as Women In Pain Awareness Day to draw public attention to gender disparity in pain assessment and treatment in the United States.

This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 1 in the County of Los Angeles as the Honorable Jenny Oropeza Memorial Overcrossing. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.

Existing law creates the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, governed by a board of 5 voting members and 3 nonvoting members, appointed as specified, for purposes relating to the development of a light rail project extending from the City of Los Angeles to the Cities of Pasadena and Claremont, and authorizes the authority to accept grants, fees, and allocations from the state, local agencies, and private entities. This bill would provide for the extension of the project to the City of Montclair, instead of the City of Claremont. The bill would authorize the authority to also accept grants, fees, and allocations from federal agencies, and to accept transfers of funds from federal, state, and local agencies. Existing law creates the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and specifies that the LACMTA shall assume responsibility for operating the project upon dissolution of the authority. Existing law creates the San Bernardino County Transportation Commission and requires the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) to function in that capacity. This bill would require the LACMTA to assume responsibility for operating all completed phases of the project. The bill would require the authority to enter into a construction agreement with SANBAG prior to commencing construction of the portion of the project in the County of San Bernardino. The bill would grant LACMTA authority to operate the portion of the project located in the County of San Bernardino, subject to approval by SANBAG through approval of an operations and maintenance agreement, as specified, with respect to the portion of the project on the right-of-way owned by SANBAG. The bill would expand the board of the authority by one nonvoting member to be appointed by the president of the board of directors of SANBAG. Existing law authorizes the governing board of the authority to appoint an executive director to carry out the duties of the authority, including awarding and approving contracts. This bill would require that contracts awarded by the executive director comply with laws generally applicable to local agency procurements, as specified. Because this bill would require a local authority to assume additional responsibilities, it would create 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.

(1) Existing law generally requires secondhand dealers and coin dealers, as defined, to report specified transactions involving tangible personal property, on forms provided or approved by the Department of Justice, to the local law enforcement agency where their businesses are located. Existing law defines "tangible personal property" for these purposes, and excludes from that definition, among other items, commercial grade ingots defined to include, among other items, 0.99 fine ingots of gold, silver, or platinum. This bill would revise the definition of commercial grade ingots to include 0.99 fine or finer ingots of gold, silver, palladium, or platinum. Under existing law, secondhand dealers and coin dealers are required to report the information described above using an electronic reporting system 12 months after the Department of Justice develops that system. This bill would eliminate the electronic filing requirements for coin dealers, and would instead require that secondhand dealers report this information using the single, statewide, uniform electronic reporting system on and after the date that the system is implemented, as specified. (2) Existing law requires a local law enforcement agency to issue a license to engage in the business of a secondhand dealer or pawnbroker to an applicant who meets designated criteria. Existing law authorizes the local licensing authority and the Department of Justice to charge an initial licensure fee and a renewal fee, as specified. This bill would require the Department of Justice to charge a licensure fee and a renewal fee of no more than $300, as specified. The bill would also require licensees issued a license before the effective date of this bill to pay an additional fee of no more than $288 for the purpose of funding the single, statewide, uniform electronic reporting system, with payment due within 120 days of the enactment of this bill. The bill would require that the fees assessed by the department be deposited in the Secondhand Dealer and Pawnbroker Fund, which the bill would create in the State Treasury. The bill would require that the money in the fund be used by the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose of paying for specified regulatory costs, including the cost of implementing, operating, and maintaining the single, statewide, uniform electronic reporting system. The bill would also require applicants for a license to submit fingerprint images relative to a required criminal background check, with associated fee revenue to be deposited in the Fingerprint Fee Account, and would make those revenues available to the Department of Justice, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for these purposes. This bill would make findings and declarations of the Legislature, and state the intent of the Legislature, with regard to these matters. The bill would make other related conforming changes. The bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act (the act) , provides for the licensure and regulation of community care and residential facilities by the State Department of Social Services. Under existing law, a violation of any of these provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would define "private nontraditional alternative treatment facility for youth," for purposes of the act. The bill would prohibit a person, firm, partnership, association organization, or corporation from operating, establishing, managing, conducting, or maintaining these type of treatment facilities unless licensing provisions are met and components of the program are accredited by an approved organization, as specified. The bill would prohibit a private nontraditional alternative treatment facility for youth from using corporal punishment, as defined. By adding private nontraditional alternative treatment facilities for youth to the act, this bill would create a new crime and 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 establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the board of governors to designate the headquarters for each of its employees, except as provided. This bill would remove that requirement and would authorize the board of governors to appoint a person without permanent civil service status to a position classified as a career executive assignment, for the position of vice chancellor or assistant vice chancellor, if the person has a minimum of 5 years of specified work experience, previously held permanent status in the civil service, was employed by the Legislature for 2 or more consecutive years, or held for 2 or more consecutive years one or more nonelected exempt positions in the executive branch.

This measure would commemorate the 40th anniversary of Title IX on June 23, 2012, commend the movement toward increased equality and fair treatment of female athletes, and praise the goal of greater opportunities in sports for girls and young women in California.

This measure would proclaim June 2012 as Scleroderma Awareness Month.