(1) Existing law states that the theft of a firearm is grand theft, punishable as a felony by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years. The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, enacted by Proposition 47, as approved by the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, notwithstanding these provisions, instead requires the theft of property that does not exceed $950 to be considered petty theft, and makes the crime punishable as a misdemeanor, except in cases when the defendant has previously been convicted of one or more specified serious or violent felonies or an offense requiring registration as a sex offender. This bill would make the theft of a firearm grand theft in all cases, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years. (2) Under existing law, every person who buys or receives any property that has been stolen, knowing the property to be stolen, is guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony, except that if the value of the property does not exceed $950, Proposition 47 makes the offense punishable as a misdemeanor if the defendant has not previously been convicted of one or more specified serious or violent felonies or an offense requiring registration as a sex offender. This bill would make buying or receiving a stolen firearm a misdemeanor or a felony. (3) The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to amend or repeal an initiative statute by another statute that becomes effective when approved by the electors. This bill would provide that it would become effective only upon approval of the voters, and would provide for the submission of this measure to the voters for approval at the next statewide general election.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law, the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 (the act) , requires the State Allocation Board to allocate to applicant school districts prescribed per-unhoused-pupil state funding for construction and modernization of school facilities, including hardship funding and supplemental funding for site development and acquisition. Existing law requires all new construction projects submitted to the Division of the State Architect pursuant to the act to include locks that allow doors to classrooms and rooms with an occupancy of 5 or more persons to be locked from the inside, except as specified. This bill would additionally require modernization projects submitted to the Division of the State Architect pursuant to those provisions to include those locks, except as specified, but would apply only to modernization projects that are funded by the proceeds of bonds issued pursuant to a state bond act for school facilities that is approved by the voters at a statewide election after January 1, 2016. This bill, no later than January 1, 2022, would require the governing board of each school district and each county superintendent of schools, for each of its schools, to equip the doors of every classroom and every room with an occupancy of 5 or more persons with locks that allow the doors to be locked from the inside, except as specified. The bill would make this provision operative upon voter approval of a state bond act for school facilities at a statewide election after January 1, 2016. By imposing new requirements on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law, the Donahoe Higher Education Act, sets forth the missions and functions of the segments of postsecondary education in this state. The California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California are the state's 3 segments of public postsecondary education. Provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act only apply to the University of California to the extent that the Regents of the University of California act, by appropriate resolution, to make these provisions applicable. This bill would provide that, when construction projects are undertaken at a facility on a campus within its jurisdiction, the governing board of each campus of the California Community Colleges and the Trustees of the California State University shall, and the Regents of the University of California are requested to, equip classrooms, offices, or other rooms where students and school staff gather with locking mechanisms, commonly known as classroom function locks, that allow the doors to be locked from the inside or equip these doors with the best alternative technology that accomplishes the same result. To the extent that this provision would impose new duties on community college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. (3) 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 these statutory provisions.
Existing law establishes the Oil Spill Response Trust Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for, among other purposes, providing funds to cover promptly the costs of response, containment, and cleanup of oil spills into waters of the state, including damage assessment costs and wildlife rehabilitation. Existing law establishes the Hazardous Materials Response and Restoration Subaccount, a continuously appropriated subaccount in the Fish and Wildlife Pollution Account in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, for, among other purposes, the protection, preservation, and restoration of fish and wildlife impacted by discharges of hazardous materials into the environment of the state. This bill would authorize the administrator for oil spill response, upon making a specified finding, to loan moneys from the Oil Spill Response Trust Fund to the Hazardous Materials Response and Restoration Subaccount in an amount, not exceeding $500,000 annually, necessary to reimburse organizations providing wildlife rescue and rehabilitation services for expenses incurred by rescue and rehabilitation operations for wildlife injured by spill events of nonoil materials, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would prohibit the administrator from making a loan if the total amount of moneys made from these loans that has not been repaid exceeds $2,500,000. The bill would require the administrator to notify the Joint Legislative Budget Committee of the loan. The bill would require the administrator, through a public process, to develop and adopt guidelines identifying expenses eligible for reimbursement.
This measure would proclaim January 26, 2016, as India Republic Day, and would urge all Californians to join in celebrating India Republic Day.
Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife, when income is derived directly from real property acquired and operated by the state as a wildlife management area, as defined, to pay annually to the county in which the property is located an amount equal to the county taxes levied upon the property at the time title to the property was transferred to the state, and any assessments levied upon the property by any irrigation, drainage, or reclamation district. This bill would appropriate $19,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to make payments to counties for unpaid amounts under these provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including a credit for a percentage of specified research expenses. These laws, in modified conformity, apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, relating to the election of alternative incremental credit. These laws provide that the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to election of alternative simplified credit shall not apply. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, would not apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to the election of alternative incremental credit. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, and before January 1, 2021, would apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to election of alternative simplified credit in modified conformity, and for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, would apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, relating to the inclusion of qualified research expenses and gross receipts of an acquired person and aggregation of expenditures. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
The Economic Revitalization Act establishes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as "GO-Biz," to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. The Bergeson-Peace Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank Act establishes the Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank within GO-Biz to, among other things, assist in the promotion of economic development throughout the state. This bill would enact the Small Business Technical Assistance Act of 2015, within the bank under the direction of GO-Biz to, among other things, serve as the lead state entity for overseeing the state's participation with the federal California Small Business Development Center Program, the Women's Business Center program, the Veteran Business Outreach Center program, the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) , and the Procurement Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement program. The bill would also recognize those federal programs, and would authorize GO-Biz or any other state entity to contract with a federal small business technical assistance center. The bill would require the State Chair of the California Small Business Development Center Leadership Council, or the contract lead for any of the other federal small business technical assistance centers, to report specific information to GO-Biz relating to any year that state funds are appropriated to support the California Small Business Development Center Program or any of the other federal small business technical assistance center programs, and would, in turn, require the director of GO-Biz or the contract lead for any of the other small business technical assistance centers to provide that report to the Legislature and post the report on the GO-Biz's Internet Web site. The bill would also require the state chair, as a condition of accepting state funds, to allow access to other information about those federal programs under certain conditions. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations in this regard.
. Existing law requires $2,000,000 from the proceeds of bonds sold pursuant to the Costa-Machado Water Act of 2000 to be allocated, upon appropriation, to the State Water Resources Control Board to rehabilitate and improve the Clear Lake watershed by funding specified projects or activities. This bill would appropriate $2,400,000 from an unspecified fund to the County of Lake for the purposes of restoring Clear Lake wetlands, maintaining the water quality of Clear Lake, preventing the spread of invasive species to Clear Lake, and controlling and eradicating invasive species in Clear Lake.
This measure would proclaim the month of January 2016 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, encourage all Californians to become educated about human trafficking and work to eradicate these criminal practices within and beyond our borders, and encourage Members of the Legislature, as well as organizations, businesses, and individuals, to host or sponsor and attend community events in order to bring visibility and support to efforts made by nongovernmental organizations to recognize and combat human trafficking.
Existing law establishes various public social services programs to provide protection, care, and assistance to the people of the state in need of those services, by providing appropriate aid and services to the needy and distressed. Existing law establishes homeless youth emergency service pilot projects in the Counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Clara, and San Francisco. This bill would require, from moneys appropriated by the Legislature, as specified, for the purposes of the program, the State Department of Social Services to establish and operate a Homeless Youth Basic Material Needs Assistance Program for homeless youth in California. The bill would require the department to solicit proposals from, and contract with, nonprofit organizations for the purpose of providing basic material needs assistance to homeless youth as directed by the department. The bill would require contracted nonprofit organizations to, among other things, provide a minimum of 100% matching funds, as specified. The bill would require each contracted nonprofit organization to prepare a report for the department including, among other information, the number of homeless youth assisted. The bill would require, after the program has been operating for 3 years, each contracted nonprofit organization to issue and provide to the department, and the department to collect and issue, a report including, among other information, the number of homeless youth assisted each year, and a description of the assistance provided.