Under existing law, programs have been established pursuant to bond acts for, among other things, the development and enhancement of state and local parks and recreational facilities. Existing law, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, approved by the voters as Proposition 1 at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $7,545,000,000 to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. Existing law, the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, an initiative measure approved by the voters as Proposition 84 at the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $5,388,000,000 for the purposes of financing safe drinking water, water quality and supply, flood control, natural resource protection, and park improvements. Existing law, the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Act of 2002, approved by the voters as Proposition 40 at the March 5, 2002, statewide primary election, authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $2,600,000,000, for the purpose of financing a program for the acquisition, development, restoration, protection, rehabilitation, stabilization, reconstruction, preservation, and interpretation of park, coastal, agricultural land, air, and historical resources. This bill would enact the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in an amount of $4,000,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a drought, water, parks, climate, coastal protection, and outdoor access for all program. The bill, upon voter approval, would reallocate $100,000,000 of the unissued bonds authorized for the purposes of Propositions 1, 40, and 84 to finance the purposes of a drought, water, parks, climate, coastal protection, and outdoor access for all program. The bill would provide for the submission of these provisions to the voters at the June 5, 2018, statewide primary direct election. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
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Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) , prohibits an employer from engaging in various defined forms of discriminatory employment practices. Existing law prohibits an employer, whether a public agency or private individual or corporation, from asking an applicant for employment to disclose, or from utilizing as a factor in determining any condition of employment, information concerning an arrest or detention that did not result in a conviction, or information concerning a referral or participation in, any pretrial or posttrial diversion program, except as specified. Existing law also prohibits a state or local agency from asking an applicant for employment to disclose information regarding a criminal conviction, except as specified, until the agency has determined the applicant meets the minimum employment qualifications for the position. This bill would repeal the prohibition on a state or local agency from asking an applicant for employment to disclose information regarding a criminal conviction, as described above. The bill would, instead, provide it is an unlawful employment practice under FEHA for an employer with 5 or more employees to include on any application for employment any question that seeks the disclosure of an applicant's conviction history, to inquire into or consider the conviction history of an applicant until that applicant has received a conditional offer, and, when conducting a conviction history background check, to consider, distribute, or disseminate information related to specified prior arrests, diversions, and convictions. This bill would also require an employer who intends to deny an applicant a position of employment solely or in part because of the applicant's conviction history to make an individualized assessment of whether the applicant's conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and to consider certain topics when making that assessment. The bill would require an employer who makes a preliminary decision to deny employment based on that individualized assessment to provide the applicant written notification of the decision. The bill would require the notification to contain specified information. The bill would grant an applicant 5 business days to respond to that notification before the employer may make a final decision. If the applicant notifies the employer in writing that he or she disputes the accuracy of the conviction history and is obtaining evidence to support that assertion, the bill would grant the applicant an additional 5 business days to respond to the notice. The bill would require an employer to consider information submitted by the applicant before making a final decision. The bill would require an employer who has made a final decision to deny employment to the applicant to notify the applicant in writing of specified topics. The bill would exempt specified positions of employment from the provisions of the bill.
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 establishes community college districts throughout the state that employ faculty and provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate. Existing law, for purposes of provisions relating to community college employees, defines an "academic employee" as a person employed by a community college district in a type of service, excluding paraprofessional service, for which minimum qualifications have been established, and thus, for this purpose, the term "academic employee" is synonymous with "certificated employee." This bill, at least 2 business days before an academic employee of a community college is placed on involuntary paid administrative leave related to an allegation or allegations of misconduct, would require the employee to be provided with the general nature of the accusations related to the proposed involuntary paid administrative leave and notification in writing of the general nature of the allegation or allegations upon which the decision to place the employee on involuntary paid administrative leave is based, as specified. The bill would provide that the employer should complete its investigation of the accused misconduct and initiate disciplinary proceedings against, or reinstate, the academic employee within 90 days of placing the employee on involuntary paid administrative leave.
(1) 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, known as the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, establishes and provides for the funding of the Student Success and Support Program. Existing law requires, as a condition for receiving Student Success and Support Program funding, that the governing board of each community college district maintain a student equity plan, as specified. Existing law requires the student equity plan to include, for each community college in the community college district, campus-based research as to the extent of student equity by gender and for each of several specified categories of students. Existing law also requires the student equity plan to include whether significant underrepresentation of any of these categories of students is found to exist in terms of access to, and completion of, basic skills, career technical education and workforce training, and transfer courses. This bill would require the student equity plan to instead include whether that significant underrepresentation of any of these categories of students is found to exist in terms of access and retention, degree and certificate completion, English as a Second Language and basic skills completion, and transfer. The bill would require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a standard methodology, for measurement of student equity and disproportionate impact for disaggregated subgroups of the student population of the California Community Colleges, for use in the student equity plans of community college districts, as specified. (2) Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to establish a list of eligible and ineligible expenditures and activities to ensure that Student Success and Support Program funding is used to support the implementation of student equity plan goals and the coordination of services for the targeted student populations. This bill would require that Student Success and Support Program funding be used to support the implementation of student equity plan goals and the coordination of services for the targeted student population through evidence-based practices. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 78220 and 78221 of the Education Code proposed by AB 1018 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1018 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
(1) Existing law requires, as a condition for receiving Student Success and Support Program funding, that the governing board of each community college district maintain a student equity plan, as specified, and requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to make an annual report related to those plans. This bill would add homeless, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students to the categories of students required to be addressed in the student equity plans. The bill would also add any additional categories of students determined by the governing board of the community college. To the extent that these provisions would impose new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the chancellor to establish a list of eligible and ineligible expenditures and activities to ensure that Student Success and Support Program funding is used to support evidence-based practices to implement student equity plan goals and coordinate services for the targeted student populations. This bill would, instead of the list, require the chancellor to provide guidance to community college districts regarding expenditures and activities to ensure that Student Success and Support Program funding is used to support these purposes. 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. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 78220 and 78221 of the Education Code proposed by AB 504 to be operative only if this bill and AB 504 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. Under existing law, an employer must provide reasonably required treatments, including, but not limited to, medical and surgical treatment, to cure or relieve an employee's injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. This bill would require employers to provide immediate support from a nurse case manager to employees injured in the course of employment by an act of domestic terrorism, as defined, would require employer-appointed nurse case managers to assist claimants to obtain medically necessary medical treatments, as specified, and would require an employer to provide a prescribed notice to claimants, as specified. The bill would make its provisions applicable only if the Governor declares a state of emergency, as defined, in connection with the act of domestic terrorism. This bill would make related legislative findings and declarations.
Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer child care and development programs that offer a full range of services for eligible children from infancy to 13 years of age. Existing law establishes eligibility requirements and requires families to meet at least one requirement in each of 2 specified areas, including the area relating to why the family has a need for the child care service. This bill would include in the area relating to need, as a requirement that may be satisfied for purposes of eligibility, that the family needs the child care services because the parents are engaged in an educational program for English language learners or to attain a high school diploma or general educational development certificate.
Existing law, the Moore-Brown-Roberti Family Rights Act, or California Family Rights Act (CFRA) , makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, as defined, to refuse to grant a request by an eligible employee to take up to 12 workweeks of unpaid protected leave during any 12-month period (1) for reason of a child born to, adopted by, or placed for foster care with, the employee, (2) to care for the employee's parent or spouse who has a serious health condition, as defined, or (3) because the employee is suffering from a serious health condition rendering him or her unable to perform the functions of the job. Existing law prohibits an employer from refusing to allow a female employee disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition to take a leave for a reasonable time of up to 4 months before returning to work. Existing law also prohibits an employer from refusing to maintain and pay for coverage under a group health plan for an employee who takes that leave, as specified. This bill would prohibit an employer, as defined, from refusing to allow an employee with more than 12 months of service with the employer, who has at least 1,250 hours of service with the employer during the previous 12-month period, and who works at a worksite in which the employer employs at least 20 employees within 75 miles, to take up to 12 weeks of parental leave to bond with a new child within one year of the child's birth, adoption, or foster care placement. The bill would also prohibit an employer from refusing to maintain and pay for coverage under a group health plan for an employee who takes this leave. The bill would allow the employer to recover coverage costs under specific circumstances. The bill would provide that it would not apply to an employee who is subject to both specified state law regarding family care and medical leave, and the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Under the bill, if the employer employs both parents and they are entitled to leave pursuant to this bill for the same birth, adoption, or foster care placement, the parents' mandated parental leave would be capped at the amount granted to an employee by the bill. The bill would authorize the employer to grant simultaneous leave to these parents. This bill would also prohibit an employer from refusing to hire, or from discharging, fining, suspending, expelling, or discriminating against, an individual for exercising the right to parental leave provided by this bill or giving information or testimony as to his or her own parental leave, or another person's parental leave, in an inquiry or proceeding related to rights guaranteed under this bill. The bill would additionally prohibit an employer from interfering with, restraining, or denying the exercise of, or the attempt to exercise, any right provided under this bill. The bill would require the Fair Employment and Housing Council, to the extent that state regulations interpreting CFRA are within the scope of, and not inconsistent with the bill or with other state law, to incorporate those regulations by reference to govern leave under the bill. Under existing law, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing is authorized to provide mediation services to parties involved in actions under its jurisdiction. This bill, until January 1, 2020, would require the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, upon receiving funding from the Legislature, to create a parental leave mediation pilot program, as specified. Under the pilot program, within 60 days of receipt of a right-to-sue notice, an employer may request all parties to participate in the department's Mediation Division Program. If the employer makes such a request, the bill would prohibit an employee from pursuing any civil action under these provisions until the mediation is complete, as defined, which would include an employee's election not to participate in mediation. The bill would provide that the employee's statute of limitations would be tolled during the course of the mediation, as specified.
The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) , with jurisdiction over all public utilities, as defined. Existing decisions of the PUC institute an Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) to fund renewable energy and research, development, and demonstration programs. Existing law creates in the State Treasury the Electric Program Investment Charge Fund to be administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and requires the PUC to forward to the Energy Commission at least quarterly moneys for those EPIC programs the PUC has determined should be administered by the Energy Commission for deposit in the fund. Existing law requires the Energy Commission, in administering moneys in the fund for research, development, and demonstration programs, to develop and implement the EPIC program for the purpose of awarding funds to projects that may lead to technological advancement and breakthroughs to overcome barriers that prevent the achievement of the state's statutory energy goals and that may result in a portfolio of projects that are strategically focused and sufficiently narrow to make advancement on the most significant technological challenges. Existing law requires the Energy Commission to prepare and submit to Legislature an annual report regarding the operation of the EPIC program. This bill would require the Energy Commission, until July 1, 2023, to allocate at least 25% of the moneys in the fund for technology demonstration and deployment at sites located in, and benefiting, disadvantaged communities, as defined. The bill would require the Energy Commission to allocate at least an additional 10% of the moneys in the fund for technology demonstration and deployment at sites located in, and benefiting, low-income communities, as defined. The bill would require the Energy Commission, under the EPIC program, to take into account adverse localized health impacts of proposed projects to the greatest extent possible, and give preference for funding to clean energy projects that benefit residents of low-income or disadvantaged communities. The bill would require the annual report regarding the operation of the EPIC program to include a description of the impact on program administration resulting from awarding funds to disadvantaged and low-income communities pursuant to the above provisions, including any information that would help the Legislature determine whether to reauthorize those allocations beyond June 30, 2023.
Existing law establishes various veterans homes for the benefit of the aged and disabled persons who served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs, on or before February 1, 2019, and annually thereafter, to submit to the Legislature and post on its Internet Web site a specified financial report of the veterans homes located in Barstow, Chula Vista, Fresno, Lancaster, Redding, Ventura, West Los Angeles, and Yountville. The bill would further require the department to review the use of a veterans home, using specified factors, no later than 5 years before the expiration of a specified use restriction imposed by federal law to determine the best continued, unrestricted use of the veterans home. The bill would require the department, every 5 years after the date of the expiration of the use restriction, to review the veterans home, using specified factors, to determine its best continued use.