This measure would urge each state secretary of state and other relevant state elections officials to join California in refusing to provide state voter data to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
This measure would support the April 22, 2017, March for Science and affirm the importance of basic and applied scientific research, the scientific education of all schoolchildren, and the foundational role of independent, rigorous scientific discovery and inquiry in the policymaking process at all levels. The measure would urge the President and Congress of the United States to work together to support, encourage, and heed the truths established by scientists and scientific research in policymaking to keep the United States of America the world's global leader in scientific research and business innovation.
(1) The federal Clean Air Act regulates the discharge of air pollutants into the atmosphere. The federal Clean Water Act regulates the discharge of pollutants into water. The federal Safe Drinking Water Act establishes drinking water standards for drinking water systems. The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 generally prohibits activities affecting threatened and endangered species listed pursuant to that act unless authorized by a permit from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service, as appropriate. Existing state law regulates the discharge of air pollutants into the atmosphere. The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act regulates the discharge of pollutants into the waters of the state. The California Safe Drinking Water Act establishes standards for drinking water and regulates drinking water systems. The California Endangered Species Act requires the Fish and Game Commission to establish a list of endangered species and a list of threatened species, and generally prohibits the taking of those species. This bill would require specified agencies to take prescribed actions to maintain and enforce certain requirements and standards pertaining to air, water, and protected species. By imposing new duties on local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law provides for the enforcement of laws regulating the discharge of pollutants into the atmosphere and waters of the state. Existing law provides for the enforcement of drinking water standards. Existing law provides for the enforcement of the California Endangered Species Act. This bill would authorize a person acting in the public interest to bring an action to enforce certain standards and requirements implementing the above-mentioned state laws if specified conditions are satisfied. The bill would make the operation of this authorization contingent on the occurrence of certain events. (3) Existing federal law generally establishes standards for workers' rights and worker safety. Existing state law generally establishes standards for workers' rights and worker safety. This bill would prohibit a state agency that implements those laws from amending or revising its rules and regulations in a manner that is less stringent in its protection of workers' rights or worker safety than standards established by federal law in existence as of January 1, 2016. (4) Existing law authorizes a person to petition a court for the issuance of a writ of mandate to a public agency to compel the performance of an action required by law or to review a decision of the public agency. This bill would expressly authorize a person to petition a court for a writ of mandate to compel a state or local agency to perform an act required by, or to review a state or local agency's action for compliance with, this measure. (5) This bill would make its provisions inoperative as of January 20, 2021, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2022. (6) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law defines a hate crime as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of the victim's disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. Existing law also defines as a hate crime a criminal act committed because of the victim's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. Existing law defines association for these purposes as including advocacy for or identification with people who have one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or as being on the ground owned or rented by, or adjacent to, a community center, educational facility, office, meeting hall, place of worship, private institution, public agency, or library that is identified with people who have these actual or perceived characteristics. Existing law provides punishments for hate crimes that range from misdemeanors with specified penalties to felonies with additional terms of one to 3 years in state prison, depending on the underlying criminal act and other circumstances. Existing law requires, with conditions, the Attorney General to direct local law enforcement agencies to report specified information relative to hate crimes to the Department of Justice. Existing law requires the department to annually submit a report to the Legislature that analyzes the results of information obtained from local law enforcement pursuant to these provisions. Local law enforcement entities are required by existing law to provide a brochure on hate crimes to victims of these crimes and to the public, and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing is required by existing law to revise those brochures as needed and to provide those brochures to local law enforcement agencies upon request. This bill would revise the definition of association for these purposes and would include representation, defense, or support of a person or group that has one or more of the above specified characteristics, whether by an individual or a public or private entity. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. By expanding the information that law enforcement agencies are required to report to the Department of Justice, 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law, until July 1, 2023, authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to establish a statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program. Existing law requires a district baccalaureate degree pilot program to commence by the beginning of the 2017–18 academic year and requires a student participating in a baccalaureate degree pilot program to complete his or her degree by the end of the 2022–23 academic year. This bill would extend the operation of the statewide baccalaureate degree pilot program until July 1, 2028, and would extend the time by which a student participating in a baccalaureate degree pilot program is required to complete his or her degree to the end of the 2027–28 academic year.
Existing law vests exclusive jurisdiction over ungranted tidelands and submerged lands owned by the state to the State Lands Commission. Existing law confers the powers of the commission as to leasing or granting of rights or privileges to lands owned by the state upon a local trustee of granted public trust lands to which those lands have been granted. Existing law authorizes the commission to let leases for the extraction of oil and gas from coastal tidelands or submerged lands in state waters and beds of navigable rivers and lakes within the state in accordance with specified provisions of law. Existing law, notwithstanding those provisions or any other provision of law, prohibits a state agency or state officer from entering into any new lease for the extraction of oil or gas from the California Coastal Sanctuary, which includes certain state waters subject to tidal influence, unless either (1) the President of the United States has found a severe energy supply interruption and has ordered distribution of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the Governor finds that the energy resources of the sanctuary will contribute significantly to the alleviation of that interruption, and the Legislature subsequently acts to amend the law to allow the extraction, or (2) the commission determines that the oil or gas deposits are being drained by means of producing wells upon adjacent federal lands and the lease is in the best interest of the state. This bill would prohibit the commission and the local trustees of granted public trust lands from entering into any new lease or other conveyance or from entering into any lease renewal, extension, or modification that authorizes a lessee to engage in new or additional exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas upon lands owned by the state and under the jurisdiction of the commission that are located seaward of the ordinary high water mark for tidal waterways and the ordinary low water mark for navigable nontidal waterways that would result in the increase of oil or natural gas production from federal waters. The bill would apply the exceptions applicable to the California Coastal Sanctuary to these provisions. The bill would authorize the commission to establish guidelines for the implementation of these provisions.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue special license plates, including environmental license plates and specified special environmental design license plates. Under existing law, a state agency is authorized to apply to the DMV to sponsor a special license plate program, and the DMV is required to issue those license plates if the agency meets certain requirements. The DMV is required to charge specified fees for certain services related to the issuance of those plates. This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to apply to sponsor a reproductive freedom license plate program, and would require the DMV to issue the license plates if the State Department of Health Care Services meets certain requirements. The bill would authorize the State Department of Health Care Services to accept and use donated artwork from California artists for the license plate. The bill would require the revenue generated from the license plates, as specified, to be deposited in the California Reproductive Freedom Fund, created by the bill, and to be used, upon appropriation, for the Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment program (Family PACT) .
Under existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State Department of Developmental Services is responsible for providing various services and supports to persons with developmental disabilities, and for ensuring the appropriateness and quality of those services and supports. Existing law authorizes the department to contract with regional centers to provide these services and supports. Existing law sets forth the department's and the regional center's authority to establish provider rates. Existing law prohibits certain provider rate increases, but authorizes increases to those rates as necessary to adjust employee wages to meet the state minimum wage law. Existing law further requires the department to adopt regulations that specify rates, calculated on the basis of a cost model, including, among other things, changes in the state or federal minimum wage, for community care facilities serving persons with developmental disabilities, as specified. Existing law authorizes the department to approve rate adjustments for a work activity program that demonstrates to the department that the adjustment is necessary, as specified. Existing law authorizes community-based day program and in-home respite services agency providers with temporary payment rates set by the department to seek unanticipated rate adjustments from the department, as specified. This bill would require the cost model described above to also include changes in local minimum wage. The bill would additionally authorize adjustment of prescribed provider rates if the adjustment is necessary in order to pay employees no less than the minimum wage required to comply with an ordinance that increases the minimum wage, as specified. The bill would provide that these provisions become operative on July 1, 2018.
