Sen. Ted Lieu

This measure would recognize the 25th anniversary of the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial on November 23, 2013, and encourage all Californians to take part in ceremonies, organized by the California State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America along with assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs and other veterans service organizations. This measure would call upon the state archives to display memorabilia in a special display on the Vietnam War, as provided, the California State Military Museum to prepare and display exhibits on the Vietnam War, as provided, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to add names to the memorial, as provided.

Existing law makes it a crime for a person to disturb, obstruct, detain, or interfere with any person carrying or accompanying human remains to a cemetery or funeral establishment, or engaged in a funeral service or an interment. This bill would make it a crime, punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding 6 months, or by both, for a person to engage in picketing, as defined, except upon private property, which is targeted at a funeral, as defined, during the time period beginning one hour prior to the funeral and ending one hour after the conclusion of the funeral. The bill would set forth related findings and declarations. Because this bill would create a new 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, until January 1, 2013, establishes the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program. Existing law provides for the awarding of grants for this program, and provides that this program shall only be implemented during fiscal years for which funds are appropriated for these purposes. Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as part of the program, to assist economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia to improve linkages and career-technical education pathways between high schools and community colleges, in a manner that, among other things, improves the quality of career exploration and career outreach materials. Existing law also requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to develop an implementation strategy for achieving this goal, as specified. The program also includes a job development incentive training component and provisions requiring the implementation of accountability measures and an independent evaluation relating to the program. This bill would generally recast and revise the provisions governing the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program that would be repealed by existing law on January 1, 2013, excluding the provisions relating to the economic and workforce regional development centers and consortia, and would establish a revised program that would operate until January 1, 2018.

The Meyers-Milias-Brown Act contains various provisions that govern collective bargaining of local represented employees, and delegates jurisdiction to the Public Employment Relations Board to resolve disputes and enforce the statutory duties and rights of local public agency employers and employees. The act requires the governing body of a public agency to meet and confer in good faith regarding wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment with representatives of recognized employee organizations. Under the act, if the representatives of the public agency and the employee organization fail to reach an agreement, they may mutually agree on the appointment of a mediator and equally share the cost. If the parties reach an impasse, the act provides that a public agency may unilaterally implement its last, best, and final offer. Existing law further authorizes the employee organization, if the mediator is unable to effect settlement of the controversy within 30 days of his or her appointment, to request that the parties' differences be submitted to a factfinding panel. This bill would instead authorize the employee organization to request that the parties' differences be submitted to a factfinding panel not sooner than 30 days or more than 45 days following the appointment or selection of a mediator pursuant to the parties' agreement to mediate or a mediation process required by a public agency's local rules. The bill would also authorize an employee organization, if the dispute was not submitted to mediation, to request that the parties' differences be submitted to a factfinding panel not later than 30 days following the date that either party provided the other with a written notice of a declaration of impasse. The bill would specify that the procedural right of an employee organization to request a factfinding panel cannot be expressly or voluntarily waived. The bill would also specify that its provisions are intended to be technical and clarifying of existing law.

Existing law, the Acupuncture Licensure Act, establishes the Acupuncture Board and makes it responsible for enforcing and administering the act, including licensing persons who meet specified licensure requirements. Under the act, licensees are titled "acupuncturists," and are authorized to perform designated activities pursuant to their license. The unlawful practice of acupuncture and any other violation of the act is a crime. This bill would make it unprofessional conduct for an acupuncturist to use the title of "Doctor" or use the abbreviation "Dr." in connection with the practice of acupuncture unless he or she holds a license authorizing that use or a specified degree. This bill would also make it unprofessional conduct for an acupuncturist to use the title "Doctor" or use the abbreviation "Dr." without indicating the type of license that entitles him or her to use that title.

Existing law provides for the licensing and administration by the Department of Motor Vehicles of traffic violator schools, operators, and instructors. Existing law authorizes the court, after a deposit of bail and bail forfeiture, a plea of guilty or no contest, or a conviction, to order a continuance of the proceeding against a person who receives a notice to appear in court for a violation of a statute relating to the safe operation of a vehicle, in consideration for completion of a program at a licensed school for traffic violators. The court is authorized to order that the conviction be held confidential, unless the person holds a commercial driver's license or the violation occurred in a commercial vehicle. The court is prohibited from ordering or permitting a person who holds a class A, class B, or commercial class C driver's license to complete a licensed traffic violator school. Existing law requires that no violation point count be assessed if the record of conviction is confidential. The driving privilege of a person whose driving record shows 6 or more points within specified timeframes is subject to suspension or revocation. A violation of the Vehicle Code is a crime. This bill would allow the court, after a deposit of the specified fee or bail, a plea of guilty or no contest, or a conviction, to order or permit a person who holds a class A license, class B license, or commercial class C driver's license to attend a traffic violator school for a traffic offense while operating a vehicle requiring only a class C or class M license. The bill would specify that the record of conviction in any 18-month period would not be confidential, would require that the record of conviction be disclosed to insurers for insurance underwriting and rating purposes, and would not count as a violation point for determining whether a driver is presumed to be a negligent operator, unless a specified condition applies to the offense.

This measure would commemorate the 225th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 2012, and the contributions of historical, educational, and patriotic societies, including, but not limited to, the California Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the California Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, in promoting the values embodied in the United States Constitution.

Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, protects and safeguards the right and opportunity of all persons to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination or abridgment on account of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, or sexual orientation. Specifically, an employer or other covered entity is required to reasonably accommodate the religious belief or observance of an individual unless the accommodation would be an undue hardship on the conduct of the business of the employer or other entity. This bill would include a religious dress practice or a religious grooming practice as a belief or observance covered by the protections against religious discrimination, and would specify that an accommodation of an individual's religious dress practice or religious grooming practice that would require that person to be segregated from the public or other employees is not a reasonable accommodation. This bill would further provide that no accommodation is required if an accommodation would result in the violation of specified laws protecting civil rights. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 12926 of the Government Code, proposed by AB 2386, to be operative only if AB 2386 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last.

Existing law provides that a landlord or a landlord's agent may not demand or require cash as the exclusive form of payment of rent or deposit of security, except as specified. This bill would provide that, except as specified, a landlord or landlord's agent shall allow a tenant to pay rent and deposit of security by at least one form of payment that is neither cash nor electronic funds transfer. The bill would define the term "electronic funds transfer" for these purposes.

This measure would designate the interchange at Hazel Avenue and State Highway Route 50 in the County of Sacramento as the Senator Dave Cox Memorial Interchange. 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.