Sen. Tony Mendoza

This measure would memorialize the Congress and the President of the United States to uphold protections of women's equality and to encourage all Americans to participate in the celebration of Women's Equality Day on August 26, 2010, the 90th anniversary of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.

This measure would declare April 2010 as Financial Aid and Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the need for increased financial literacy.

The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes a credit against the taxes imposed by that law in an amount equal to the lesser of 5% of the purchase price or $10,000 in the case of the purchase of a qualified principal residence on and after March 1, 2009, and before March 1, 2010, but not to exceed an aggregate limitation of $100,000,000 for all credits allowable. Existing law requires a certification that the residence has never been occupied be provided to the Franchise Tax Board within one week of the sale of the qualified principal residence. This bill would limit the credit to taxpayers who purchased a qualified principal residence on and after March 1, 2009, and before July 3, 2009, and on and after the effective date of this bill and before March 1, 2010. This bill would also require the aggregate limitation of credits to be reduced by a specified amount per certification received by the Franchise Tax Board. (2) The bill would appropriate the sum of $44,000 from the General Fund to the Franchise Tax Board, in augmentation of a specified appropriation made in the 2009-10 Budget Act. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law authorizes counties to issue dog licenses and dog license tags for a fee, as specified. Existing law provides that whenever dog license tags are issued, the tag shall be issued for 12 or less of the fee required for a dog, if a certificate is presented from a licensed veterinarian that the dog has been spayed or neutered. This bill would provide, in addition, for a reduced fee for a dog license tag, as specified above, if a certificate is presented from a licensed veterinarian stating that the dog is a puppy under the age of 8 months. The bill would make conforming changes to a related provision. By expanding the population of dogs eligible for a reduced license fee, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program on local government which would administer the expanded 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, 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.

This measure would commend the Girl Scouts for 98 years of service and for inspiring millions of girls with the highest ideals of confidence, courage, and character.

Existing law requires the collection of fees for issuing marriage licenses and for confidential marriage licenses. Existing law requires the collection of a fee in addition to the basic fee for the issuance of a marriage license and for the issuance of an authorization for the performance of marriages without a license, in the amount of $23. Existing law requires the additional $23 fee to be collected by the county clerk for deposit into county domestic violence shelter-based programs special funds. Existing law requires fees collected in the special funds to be disbursed to approved domestic violence shelter-based programs that meet certain requirements on a yearly or more frequent basis. This bill would authorize a county board of supervisors to authorize an increase of the above-described fee from $23 to $33. Existing law provides that proposed or existing domestic violence shelter-based programs that meet the aforementioned requirements shall receive funding from the county domestic violence shelter-based programs special funds. This bill would, instead, provide that only existing domestic violence shelter-based programs that meet the requirements shall receive funding. Existing law allows specified local jurisdictions to retain fees received at the time of issuance of a marriage license in excess of the $23 fee. This bill would add Sonoma County as a jurisdiction to whom this provision applies. Existing law requires the money in the special funds to be disbursed using a request for qualification (RFQ) process. This bill would require the RFQ process to involve a determination of whether a domestic violence shelter-based program meets the aforementioned requirements. If a domestic violence shelter-based program meets those requirements, the bill would provide that the program has successfully completed the RFQ process. The bill would provide that an RFQ process shall not be construed to mean a competitive bidding process. Existing law authorizes a county to establish a program for reducing the incidence of domestic violence in the county by establishing or funding domestic violence shelter-based programs that meet the aforementioned requirements. Existing law authorizes geographically adjacent counties to combine their respective domestic violence shelter-based programs funds in order to establish one or more domestic violence shelter-based programs, in order to provide services to the clients of each county that combines its funds with another county. This bill would provide that a county may only fund a domestic violence shelter-based program that is located outside of the county if the funding county is funding all domestic violence shelter-based programs located within its borders that meet the aforementioned requirements and the program located outside of the funding county provides services to residents of the funding county.

This measure would recognize the week of April 18, 2010, through April 24, 2010, as Crime Victims' Rights Week.

This measure would proclaim the month of May to be Women Veterans Recognition Month.

Under existing law, any taxing agency or instrumentality of the state may file a petition and prosecute to completion bankruptcy proceedings permitted under the laws of the United States. This bill would provide that a local public entity may only file under federal bankruptcy law with the approval of the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission, except as specified. The bill would also provide an alternative procedure for a local entity to file under federal bankruptcy law by submitting specific analyses regarding its financial position to the State Auditor who would be required to audit the analyses and financial position of the local entity. The bill would make the local public entity responsible for the costs of the audit, as specified. The public entity would be authorized to file a petition under federal bankruptcy law after the State Auditor has notified the public entity of completion of its audit work and made public the findings of that audit.

Existing law requires each person between the ages of 6 and 18 years, who is not otherwise exempt, to attend the public full-time day school in the school district in which his or her parent or guardian is a resident. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to accept interdistrict transfers by adopting a resolution to become a school district of choice, as defined, and authorizes the governing board to ensure, by resolution, that pupils accepted for transfer are selected through a random, unbiased process that prohibits an evaluation of whether or not the pupil should be enrolled based upon his or her academic or athletic performance. Existing law authorizes a school district of choice to reject the transfer of a pupil if the transfer of that pupil would require the district to create a new program to serve that pupil, except that a school district of choice is prohibited from rejecting the transfer of a special needs pupil, including an individual with exceptional needs, and an English learner. Existing law requires a school district of choice to give priority for attendance to siblings of children already in attendance in that district and authorizes the district to give priority for attendance to children of military personnel. Existing law authorizes a school district of residence to limit the number of pupils transferring out each year, as specified. This bill would require a school district of choice to give priority to English learners, pupils who are individuals with exceptional needs, and pupils who are eligible for free and reduced price meals. The bill would make a legislative finding and declaration related to the fiscal responsibilities of the county superintendent of schools in implementing the limitation on the transfers out of a school district of residence. The bill would require a school district of choice to ensure that a pupil who transfers into the district is enrolled in a school with a higher Academic Performance Index score than the school in which the pupil was previously enrolled.