Sen. Sydney Kamlager

Existing law requires a city or county to prepare and adopt a general plan for its jurisdiction that contains certain mandatory elements, including a housing element. Existing law prescribes requirements for the housing element, including adequate sites for various types of housing based on the existing and projected need of all economic segments of the community. Existing law requires a city or county to consider guidelines adopted by the Department of Housing and Community Development (department) in preparing its housing element and prescribes a process for submitting the element for review by the department. Existing law authorizes the department to take certain actions if it determines that the housing element does not comply with prescribed requirements. The Housing Accountability Act prohibits a local agency from disapproving, or conditioning approval in a manner that renders infeasible, specified housing development projects, including projects for very low, low-, or moderate-income households and projects for emergency shelters that comply with applicable, objective general plan, zoning, and subdivision standards and criteria in effect at the time the application for the project is deemed complete, unless the local agency makes specified written findings based on a preponderance of the evidence in the record. This bill would, until January 1, 2029, establish an Office of Housing Appeals (office) within the department, administered by the director of the department, to review housing development projects that are alleged to have been denied or subject to conditions in violation of the Housing Accountability Act. The bill would establish housing appeals panels, consisting of administrative law judges with specified qualifications, within the office. The bill would authorize an applicant, as defined, who proposes a housing development project, as defined, that consists of 5 or more units pursuant to the Housing Accountability Act, as described above, to appeal a local agency's decision on the project application to a housing appeals panel. The bill would prohibit an applicant from bringing an action in court alleging a violation of the Housing Accountability Act for any housing development project prior to the final decision of the office, except as specified. The bill would provide that the statute of limitations for a claim alleging a violation of the Housing Accountability Act or any other claim relating to an action of the local agency on the housing development project at issue does not commence until the date of the final decision of the office, as specified. This bill would require an applicant to file, within 30 days after the date of a final decision by the local agency, a written notice of intent, as specified, with the local agency that the applicant intends to file an appeal. The bill would prescribe the timelines within which applicants, the office, and local agencies would be required to act. The bill would require, among other things, the local agency to transmit a copy of its decision and reasoning to the office if it will contest an appeal. This bill would require the panel to vacate a local decision if it finds that the local agency disapproved the housing development or conditioned the approval of the housing development in violation of the Housing Accountability Act. The bill would require the panel to order the local agency to issue any necessary approval for the development and, if applicable, to modify or remove any conditions or requirements that violate the act. The bill would require a panel to render a written decision within 14 days of an appeal hearing and require the office to post written decisions on its internet website. This bill would provide that a decision by the panel is subject to review by the superior court, which shall review the panel's decision de novo. The bill would require a local agency to carry out an office order within 30 days of entry, unless judicial review is sought. The bill would authorize an applicant to enforce the office orders in court. The bill would entitle the applicant to attorney's fees and costs, and would additionally authorize the court to impose specified fines on the local agency. The bill would authorize the department to charge applicants a fee for an appeal, as specified, and if the office orders approval of the proposed development or modifies or removes any conditions or requirements imposed upon the applicant, the bill would require a local agency to reimburse the applicant for the fee. By increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a court to stay specified court proceedings that are related to an appeal filed with the office until the panel has rendered its written decision. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. 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.

This measure would designate the month of August 2021 as "HPV-Attributable Cancers, Screening, and Vaccination Awareness Month" in the State of California. The measure would encourage all Californians, the State Department of Public Health, and the State Department of Health Care Services to observe the month and appropriate activities that support prevention, including promoting screening and educational outreach to all eligible Californians, increasing the awareness of HPV-attributable cancer and prevention measures within the medical and public health community, and implementing programs to raise awareness about the causes and symptoms of, and prevention measures for, HPV-attributable cancers.

Existing law prohibits manufacturers and contract testing facilities from using traditional animal test methods within the state for which an appropriate alternative test method has been scientifically validated and recommended by the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) and adopted, as specified. Existing law exempts certain animal tests from these provisions, including animal tests performed for the purpose of medical research. Existing law provides that the exclusive remedy for a violation of these provisions is a civil action for injunctive relief brought by, among others, the Attorney General and makes a violation of these provisions punishable by a specified civil penalty. This bill would prohibit a testing facility, as defined, from conducting a canine or feline toxicological experiment, as defined, unless the experiment is conducted for specified purposes, including medical research, as described, to comply with federal requirements pertaining to the approval or maintenance of a medical device, or to develop, manufacture, or market certain types of products. The bill would authorize the Attorney General, the district attorney of the county in which the violation is alleged to have occurred, or the city attorney in certain instances to bring a civil action for a violation of these provisions, punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for each day that each dog or cat is used in a canine or feline toxicological experiment. The bill would define various terms for purposes of carrying out these provisions.

Existing law establishes and requires the State Department of Social Services to administer the CalFood Program to provide food and funding to food banks whose primary function is to facilitate the distribution of food to low-income households, as specified. This bill would require the department to provide a food assistance benefit to low-income California residents, regardless of immigration status, by contracting with nonprofit entities, as defined, to issue the food assistance benefit in the form of prepaid cards. The bill would require the department to procure the prepaid cards to administer the food assistance benefit and to ensure the availability of those prepaid cards to nonprofit entities, as specified. The bill would require participating nonprofit entities to maintain specified records. The bill would require the department and nonprofit entities to distribute all of the food assistance benefits by July 1, 2023. The bill would authorize the department to implement, interpret, or make specific these provisions without taking regulatory action. The bill would exempt contracts awarded pursuant to these provisions from personal services contracting requirements, the Public Contract Code, and the State Contracting Manual, and the contracts would not be subject to the approval of the Department of General Services. The bill would make these provisions operative upon appropriation. The bill would require the department, in consultation with a workgroup, to author a report to provide recommendations and solutions for a permanent food assistance program for low-income California residents experiencing food insecurity, to complete that report by January 1, 2023, and to submit a copy of that report to the Legislature, as specified. This bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2025. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would recognize June 19, 2021, as Juneteenth and would urge the people of California to join in celebrating Juneteenth as a day to honor and reflect on the significant role that African Americans have played in the history of the United States and how they have enriched society through their steadfast commitment to promoting unity and equality.

This measure would recognize June 19, 2021, as Juneteenth and would urge the people of California to join in celebrating Juneteenth as a day to honor and reflect on the significant role that African Americans have played in the history of the United States and how they have enriched society through their steadfast commitment to promoting unity and equality.

Under existing law, the State Department of Health Care Services administers various health programs, including the California Children's Services (CCS) program, which is a statewide program providing medically necessary services required by physically handicapped children whose parents are unable to pay for those services, and the Medi-Cal program, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services under specified health care delivery systems, such as managed care. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law authorizes the department to establish a Whole Child Model (WCM) program, under which managed care plans served by a county organized health system or Regional Health Authority in designated counties provide CCS services to Medi-Cal eligible CCS children and youth. Existing law requires the department to establish a statewide WCM program stakeholder advisory group that includes specified persons, such as CCS case managers and labor organizations, to consult with that advisory group on the implementation of the WCM, and to consider the advisory group's recommendations on prescribed matters. Existing law terminates the advisory group on December 31, 2021. This bill would remove labor organizations from the stakeholder advisory group, and would instead include recognized exclusive representatives of CCS county providers. The bill would instead terminate the advisory group on December 31, 2023.