Under existing law, a person who is 18 years of age or older may circulate an initiative, referendum, or recall petition. Existing law requires an initiative petition to contain specified language advising the public of its right to ask whether the person circulating the petition is a paid signature gatherer or a volunteer. This bill would provide that it is a misdemeanor for a person to pay money or any other thing of value based on the number of signatures obtained on a state or local initiative, referendum, or recall petition, and it would prescribe civil and criminal penalties for this crime. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law, The False Claims Act, provides that a person who commits any one of several enumerated acts relating to the submission to the state or a political subdivision of the state a false claim for money, property, or services, as specified, shall be liable to the state or political subdivision for certain damages and for a civil penalty, as specified. Existing law authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action for damages resulting from fraudulent claims against the state or a political subdivision, and it also authorizes an individual person to bring this type of claim and to share in the recovery. This bill would create a similar scheme to permit both the Attorney General and a person to bring a civil claim under this section, and for the person bringing the action to share in the recovery. 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.
Sponsored bills
Existing law prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving. Existing law also prohibits a person from driving while holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device unless the telephone or device is specifically designed and configured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, and is used in that manner while driving. A person who is 18 years of age or younger is prohibited from driving while using a wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device, even if equipped with a hands-free device. Existing law establishes that specified convictions and violations under the Vehicle Code and traffic-related incidents count as points against a driver's record for purposes of suspension or revocation of the privilege to drive and that certain other violations do not result in a violation point. Existing law provides an exemption for the electronic device violations described above from being counted as points against a driver's record for purposes of suspension or revocation of the privilege to drive. This bill would abolish that exemption, thereby making those violations subject to a violation point against the driver's record.
Existing law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to disburse funds, appropriated to the department for the purpose of supporting county veterans service officers pursuant to the annual Budget Act, on a pro rata basis, to counties that have established and maintain a county veterans service officer in accordance with the staffing level and workload of each county veterans service officer under a formula based upon performance developed by the department. This bill would define a workload unit for purposes of these provisions to mean a specific claim activity that is used to allocate subvention funds to counties, which is approved by the department, and performed by county veterans service officers. The bill would appropriate on an annual basis the sum of $7,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs to be available for allocation to counties to fund the activities of county veterans service officers, as specified. The bill would also delete obsolete provisions and would make conforming changes. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Under existing law, the administering agency for the California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program is the Department of General Services, except in the case of contracts for professional bond services. Existing law requires the Director of General Services to adopt written policies and guidelines establishing a uniform process for state contracting to provide a certified disabled veteran business enterprise (DVBE) participation incentive to bidders, which all state agencies are required to use when awarding contracts. Existing law requires an awarding department, upon completion of an awarded contract for which a commitment to achieve a DVBE goal was made, to require the prime contractor that entered into a subcontract with a DVBE to certify to the awarding department specified information relating to amounts paid under the contract. This bill would require an awarding department to maintain all records of the information provided by the prime contractor pursuant to those provisions and to retain the records for a minimum of 6 years after collection. The bill would require the awarding department to maintain those records in a manner that facilitates access and review by external auditors. The bill would require the awarding department to establish appropriate review procedures for those records to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the award amounts and paid amounts reported.
Existing law establishes a specialized license plate program and requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue specialized license plates on behalf of a sponsoring state agency that meets certain requirements. Existing law requires that the DMV charge specified additional fees for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of specialized license plates, and requires the DMV to deposit the fees, less the DMV's costs, into the Specialized License Plate Fund. Existing law requires that moneys in the fund be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to each sponsoring agency in proportion to the amount that is attributable to the agency's specialized license plate program. Existing law authorizes the sponsoring state agency to use these moneys to fund projects and programs that promote the state agency's official policy, mission, or work. This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation to apply to the DMV to sponsor a license plate program for the issuance of license plates bearing the officially licensed logo, emblem, or trademark provided by a California professional sports franchise. The bill would require that the proceeds from those license plates to be deposited into the California State Parks Account created by the bill in the Specialized License Plate Fund, for use, upon appropriation by the Legislature to the Department of Parks and Recreation's Office of Grants and Local Services, for funding operations and maintenance of state parks and recreation grant programs. Existing law, with certain exceptions, imposes certain design criteria for specialized license plates, including, among other things, that the license plate provide a space not larger than two inches by three inches to the left of the numerical series and a space not larger than five-eighths of an inch in height below the numerical series for a distinctive design, decal, or descriptive message. This bill would, notwithstanding those provisions, authorize the Department of Parks and Recreation to accept and use the officially licensed logos, emblems, or trademarks, as applicable, provided by California professional sports franchises for the specialized license plates in a design that the department determines, in consultation with the Department of the California Highway Patrol, does not obscure the readability of the license plate.
Existing law requires the Board of Parole Hearings to meet with an inmate during the 6th year prior to the inmate's minimum eligible parole release date for the purposes of reviewing and documenting the inmate's activities and conduct pertinent to parole eligibility. During this consultation, the board is required to provide the inmate with information about the parole hearing process, legal factors relevant to his or her suitability or unsuitability for parole, and individualized recommendations for the inmate regarding his or her work assignments, rehabilitative programs, and institutional behavior. This bill would establish additional requirements for parole hearings for an inmate with a life sentence that are required to be met before parole is granted. The bill would require the inmate to have, among other things, remorse and insight into the nature of the crime the inmate committed, that the inmate has been free from disciplinary actions for a reasonable period of time prior to the hearing, and that the inmate has developed realistic postrelease plans, as specified.
Under existing law, the Department of General Services, except in the case of contracts for professional bond services, is the administering agency of the California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program, which requires state agencies and all other state entities contracting for materials, supplies, equipment, alteration, repair, or improvement to have at least 3% participation goals for disabled veteran business enterprises (DVBE) , as defined. Existing law requires an awarding department, upon completion of an awarded contract for which a commitment to achieve a DVBE goal was made, to require the prime contractor that entered into a subcontract with a DVBE to certify to the awarding department specified information relating to amounts paid under the contract, as specified. Existing law subjects a person or entity that knowingly provides false information on this certification to certain criminal and civil penalties, as specified. Existing law makes it a crime to, among other things, knowingly and with intent to defraud, fraudulently represent participation of a disabled veteran business enterprise in order to obtain or retain a bid preference or a state contract. Existing law requires the Department of General Services to suspend, for a specified period, any person who violates these provisions from bidding on, or participating as either a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier in, any state contract or project, as specified. Existing law requires the Department of General Services to monitor the status of all reported violations and maintain and make available to all state departments a central listing of all firms and persons who have been determined to have committed violations resulting in suspension. Existing law prohibits an awarding department from entering into any contract with any person suspended for violating these provisions during the person's suspension and requires the awarding department to check the central listing provided by the Department of General Services to verify that the person or contractor to whom the contract is being awarded, or any person being utilized as a subcontractor or supplier by that person or contractor, is not under suspension. This bill would require an awarding department to give a prime contractor that fails to comply with the certification requirements described above reasonable opportunity to cure the failure. The bill would require the awarding department to provide notice of the failure to the Department of General Services, if after providing reasonable opportunity, the prime contractor continues to fail to comply with the certification requirements. The bill would require the Department of General Services, upon notification of the failure, to suspend the prime contractor from bidding on, or participating as either a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier in, any state contract or project for a period of not less than 5 years for a first violation, as specified, except that the contractor would be required to meet all obligations of any existing contract to which it is a party. The bill would require the Department of General Services to permanently suspend the prime contractor from the program for a 2nd violation, except that the contractor would be required to meet all obligations of any existing contract to which it is a party. The bill would subject a suspension issued under these provisions to the monitoring, listing, and verification requirements, and contracting prohibitions, described above.
This measure would recognize the week of May 14, 2018, to May 20, 2018, inclusive, as Infrastructure Week, and would urge the citizens of California to join in this special observance with appropriate events and commemorations.
This measure would declare May 14, 2018, as CASA Appreciation Day in California.
This measure would urge lawmakers in Poland to reverse or revise a recent Polish law on speech related to the Holocaust, would call on Congress to join that effort, and would call for a renewed commitment to Holocaust education in California.