Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law provides for the commission to administer and oversee the implementation of various energy efficiency programs. Existing law requires the commission to identify all potentially achievable cost-effective electricity efficiency savings, to establish efficiency targets for an electrical corporation to achieve, to ensure that there are sufficient moneys available to electrical corporations to meet those efficiency targets, and to undertake a comprehensive review of the feasibility, costs, barriers, and benefits of achieving a cumulative doubling of energy efficiency savings and demand reduction by 2030, as specified. This bill would require the commission, if an energy efficiency program, other than a project to install, modify, repair, replace, or maintain a solar thermal system or solar energy system, contributes $50,000 or more in ratepayer-funded incentives for energy efficiency projects within the same building, facility, or building complex, to require the energy efficiency program administrator or program implementer, as applicable, to ensure that the work is performed by a skilled and trained workforce. The bill would exclude any additional labor costs resulting from the use of a skilled and trained workforce for those energy efficiency programs from the project costs of the commission's cost-effectiveness tests. The Public Utilities Act makes any public utility that violates the Public Utilities Act, or that fails to comply with any part of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission guilty of a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of a commission action implementing its requirements 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.
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Existing law prohibits a business establishment from discriminating against a person because of the person's gender with respect to the price charged for services of similar or like kind. Existing law also requires specified business establishments to disclose in writing the pricing for each standard service, as defined, to display, in a specified manner, a sign stating that it is illegal to base pricing on gender and that a complete price list is available upon request, and to display, in a specified manner, a price list, and to provide the customer with a copy of the complete price list upon request. Existing law requires the Department of Consumer Affairs to develop a pamphlet or other informational materials to explain a business establishment's rights and obligations under these provisions. Existing law requires the department to provide the pamphlet or other informational materials to affected business establishments at specified times and to make the pamphlet or other informational materials available on the department's internet website. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2021, require a city, county, or city and county that issues local business licenses to provide written notification in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean of the above provisions to the licensee at the time the business license is issued or renewed. The bill would declare that it addresses a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. By requiring local agencies to comply with these requirements, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the Department of Consumer Affairs to develop, by October 1, 2020, a written notification of the above provisions in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean and would require the notification to be available for download from the department's internet website. The bill would authorize a city, county, or city and county to provide the department's written notification to a business and to increase the fee for a business license to cover the reasonable cost of providing the notice. The bill would, commencing October 1, 2020, require the department to provide the pamphlet and other informational materials in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean. The bill would require the department to subsequently revise the pamphlet and notice, as necessary. 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 generally makes it unlawful to offer a prize or other inducement as a reward for the taking of a game bird, mammal, fish, reptile, or amphibian in an individual contest, tournament, or derby. Existing law makes specific exceptions to that general prohibition, including authorizing the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue a permit, subject to Fish and Game Commission regulations, to a person authorizing that person to offer a prize or other inducement as a reward for the taking of a game fish if it makes a specified finding. Existing law vests the Department of Parks and Recreation with the control of the state park system. Existing regulations of the Department of Parks and Recreation prohibit a person from having control over a game or recreational activity occurring wholly or partially within or on any property owned, operated or administered by the department without an approved special event permit, as defined. Existing law authorizes the State Lands Commission to lease state lands under the jurisdiction of the commission for purposes as the commission deems advisable, including, but not limited to, grazing leases and leases for commercial, industrial, and recreational purposes. The California Coastal Act of 1976 establishes the California Coastal Commission and requires the commission to implement and administer a coastal development permit process within the coastal zone, as defined. The act exempts from the requirement for a coastal development permit a proposed development found to be a temporary event that does not have any significant adverse impact upon coastal resources within the meaning of guidelines adopted by the commission. The act subjects any permit that is issued or any development or action approved on appeal to be subject to reasonable terms and conditions in order to ensure that the development or action will be in accordance with the act. The act also declares that existing laws relating to discrimination and environmental justice apply to the California Coastal Commission and all public agencies implementing the act. The act provides that, as required by existing law relating to discrimination, no person in the State of California, on specified bases including sex, may be unlawfully denied full and equal access to the benefits of, or be unlawfully subjected to discrimination, under specified programs or activities under the act. Under existing law, the Department of Transportation may issue permits authorizing encroachments, as defined, on state highways. Existing law requires the department to either approve or deny an application for an encroachment permit within 60 days of receiving a completed application. This bill would require those entities to include in permit or lease conditions, for a competition event to be held on land under the jurisdiction of the entity, as described, and that awards prize compensation, as defined, to competitors in gendered categories, a requirement that the prize compensation be identical between the gendered categories at each participant level.
Existing law provides for the payment of unemployment compensation benefits to eligible persons who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Unemployment compensation benefits are paid from the Unemployment Fund, which is continuously appropriated for this purpose. Existing law defines "employment," for purposes of determining eligibility for unemployment compensation benefits, to mean service, including service in interstate commerce, performed by an employee for wages under any contract of hire, written or oral, express or implied. Existing law provides that employment includes an individual's entire service, performed within, or both within and without this state, if the service is either (1) localized in the state, or (2) not localized in the state, some of the service is performed in the state and one of 2 requirements are met, including that the base of operations or place from which such service is directed or controlled is not in any state in which some part of the service is performed but the individual's residence is in this state. The bill would provide, for purposes of determining employment of a motion picture production worker when the service is not localized in the state but some of the service is performed in the state, that the worker's entire service qualifies as employment if their residence is in the state. Existing law provides that as individual's service is localized in a state for purposes of unemployment compensation benefits as described above, if the service is either performed entirely within the state or performed within and outside the state and the service outside the state is incidental to the service performed within the state. Existing law further provides that service is incidental for these purposes if it is temporary or transitory in nature, or only consists of isolated transactions. The bill would provide that service performed by a motion picture production worker outside the state will be considered temporary or transitory for the purposes described above if the worker is a resident of the state, is hired and dispatched from the state, and intends to return to the state to seek reemployment at the conclusion of the assignment outside the state. The bill would also provide legislative findings and declarations in support of these provisions. Because this bill would expand the number of persons who are eligible for benefits from the Unemployment Fund, which is a continuously appropriated fund, it would make an appropriation.
The California Constitution allows a United States citizen who is at least 18 years of age and a resident of California to vote. This measure would reduce the minimum voting age to 17.
Existing law, generally, imposes a minimum franchise tax of $800, except as provided, on every corporation incorporated in this state, qualified to transact intrastate business in this state, or doing business in this state, and an annual tax in an amount equal to the minimum franchise tax on every limited partnership, limited liability partnership, and limited liability company registered, qualified to transact business, or doing business in this state, as specified. Existing law, until taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, exempts a corporation and a limited liability corporation that are small businesses solely owned by a deployed member of the United States Armed Forces, as specified, from paying the minimum franchise tax, or the annual tax, for the privilege of doing business in this state if the corporation or limited liability corporation ceases operation or operates at a loss, as defined. This bill would additionally allow the exemption for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2029. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding the reduction of the minimum franchise tax and annual tax, as provided. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law establishes the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program to be administered by the Office of Planning and Research to coordinate regional and local efforts with state climate adaptation strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change, as specified. Existing law establishes an advisory council, as specified, to support the goals of the Office of Planning and Research related to climate change. This bill would establish the Chief Climate Resilience Officer, appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the Senate, in the Office of Planning and Research to serve as the statewide lead for planning and coordination of climate adaptation policy and implementation in California, and would specify the duties of the chief officer. The bill would make the chief officer, or the chief officer's designee, a member of the advisory council and would designate the chief officer, or the chief officer's designee, as the chair of the advisory council. The bill would include additional expertise members of the advisory council are to have. The bill would specify that members of the advisory council serve staggered 4-year terms, except as provided.
(1) Under the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 1986, the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 1988, and the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of June 1992, the issuance, pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law, of bonds in an amount not to exceed $400,000,000, $600,000,000, and $900,000,000, respectively, and the expenditure of the revenues therefrom, were authorized for the purpose of aid to the University of California and the California State University for, among other things, the construction and equipping of educational facilities, as specified. Existing law establishes the Higher Education Facilities Finance Committee to administer those acts, and to authorize the issuance and sale of bonds to the extent necessary to fund the education facilities construction apportionments expressly authorized by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. More recently, the Class Size Reduction Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 1998, the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2002, the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004, and the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006 authorized the issuance of bonds and the expenditure of revenues therefrom for the University of California and the California State University, as well as for the California Community Colleges and public elementary and secondary schools. This bill would enact the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 2020, which, upon approval by the state electorate, would authorize the issuance of state general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $8,000,000,000, with one-half of the amount designated for the University of California and the Hastings College of the Law and the other half designated for the California State University, for purposes similar to those specified in the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 1986, the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 1988, and the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of June 1992, to be issued and sold in a manner similar to that provided under those acts. The bill would require that any request for funds from the bonds issued pursuant to the bond act enacted by this bill be accompanied by the 5-year capital outlay plan of the particular university or college and include a schedule that prioritizes the seismic retrofitting needed to significantly reduce seismic hazards in buildings identified as high priority by the university or college, as specified. (2) This bill would provide for the submission of the Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 2020 to the voters at the March 3, 2020, statewide primary election, as specified.
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. Under existing law, the board of governors appoints a chief executive officer, who is known as the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. This bill would require the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges, working in collaboration with the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, to develop a forest and woodlands restoration workforce model curriculum and vocational programs to be offered by community college districts commencing on or before July 31, 2021. The bill would require the chancellor's office to allocate funds appropriated for purposes of the bill to community college districts that offer the coursework in accordance with the model curriculum, as specified. The bill would require the model curriculum to reflect regional needs, and to be developed by the chancellor's office in consultation with experts from designated governmental, academic, and nonprofit organizations with a demonstrated expertise in forest and woodland restoration and fire management. The bill would require the final contents of the model curriculum to be determined solely by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The bill would also specify topics to be covered and training to be provided, to the extent practicable and feasible, by the model curriculum and the related vocational programs. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature that certified graduates of the forest and woodlands restoration workforce course would be able to matriculate into the prescribed fire teams of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or into work with other compatible state and federal forest restoration efforts and other private professional restoration businesses and related apprenticeship programs. The bill would require the chancellor's office, working in collaboration with the California Fire Science Consortium, to provide community college districts interested in offering the forest and woodlands restoration workforce course with information about fire advisors from the consortium who are qualified, willing, and available to be course instructors or to consult with those instructors.
Existing law authorizes any postsecondary higher educational institution with a medical center to establish diagnostic and treatment centers for Alzheimer's disease, and requires the State Department of Public Health to administer grants to the postsecondary higher educational institutions that establish a center pursuant to these provisions. Until January 1, 2025, this bill would require the department to implement the action agenda items in the Healthy Brain Initiative, as defined, to the extent resources are available. The bill would require the department to annually notify the Legislature about activities conducted pursuant to these provisions. Until January 1, 2025, the bill would also, upon appropriation by the Legislature, require the department to establish a pilot program in up to 8 local health jurisdictions, as specified, and award participating local health jurisdictions one-time grant funding over 3 consecutive fiscal years, to develop local initiatives that are consistent with the Healthy Brain Initiative. The bill would require the department to conduct an evaluation of the pilot program and produce a report, to be submitted to the Legislature by January 1, 2023, describing best practices and making recommendations regarding which solutions and innovations are most feasible to replicate.