Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, gas corporations, and water corporations, while local publicly owned utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law prohibits an electrical corporation, gas corporation, or water corporation from terminating a customer's residential service for nonpayment of a delinquent account in certain circumstances, including, among other circumstances, unless the corporation first gives notice to the customer of the delinquency and impending termination, during the pendency of an investigation by the corporation of the customer's dispute or complaint, or when the customer has been granted an extension of the period for payment of a bill. Existing law prohibits a public water system that supplies water to more than 200 service connections from discontinuing a customer's residential service for nonpayment until a payment by the customer has been delinquent for at least 60 days. This bill would require an electrical corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, gas corporation, local publicly owned gas utility, water corporation, or local agency that owns a public water system to postpone the disconnection of a customer's residential service for nonpayment of a delinquent account when the temperature will be 32 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler, or 95 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer, within the utility's service area during the 24 hours after that service disconnection would occur, as specified. The bill would require each of those utilities to notify its residential ratepayers of that requirement and to create an online reporting system available through its internet website, if it has one, that enables its residential ratepayers to report when their utility service has been disconnected in violation of that requirement, as specified. The bill would require the PUC to establish a citation program to impose a penalty on an electrical corporation or gas corporation that violates that requirement, and require each local publicly owned electric utility and local publicly owned gas utility to annually report to the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission the number of residential service connections it disconnected for nonpayment of a delinquent account. The bill would authorize the State Water Resources Control Board to enforce the requirement that a water corporation and local agency that owns a public water system postpone a disconnection of a customer's residential service, as specified. Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime. Because a violation of a PUC action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. In addition, to the extent the bill would impose new requirements on local publicly owned utilities or local agencies that own public water systems, the bill would impose a state-mandated local 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.
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Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , working with the State Air Resources Board and the Public Utilities Commission, to prepare, and update biennially, a statewide assessment of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to support the levels of electric vehicle adoption required for the state to meet its goals of putting at least 5,000,000 zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2030, and of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, as specified. This bill would instead establish a goal of putting at least 8,000,000 zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2030 for purposes of the statewide assessment and would require the Energy Commission to also assess the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to support the levels of electric vehicle adoption required for the state to meet the goal of ensuring 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California are zero-emission vehicles by 2035, and evaluate the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needs of specified use cases to ensure an equitable deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Existing law requires the Energy Commission to develop and adopt an investment plan to determine priorities and opportunities for the Clean Transportation Program. As part of the development of the investment plan, existing law requires the Energy Commission, in consultation with the state board, to assess whether electric vehicle charging station infrastructure is disproportionately deployed by population density, geographical area, or population income level, including whether direct current fast charging stations are disproportionately distributed and whether access to these charging stations is disproportionately available, as specified. This bill would require the Energy Commission to also assess whether Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations are disproportionately distributed, whether drivers whose homes are located in rural or urban communities have disproportionate access to charging station infrastructure, whether homes have equal access to electrical panel capacity sufficient to support at-home charging, and whether charging station infrastructure necessary to fulfill the requirements of the California Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program has been disproportionately distributed.
Existing law makes it an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $25 for a person to smoke on a state beach or in a unit of a state park system. This bill would make it an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $25 for a person to bring an expanded polystyrene, as defined, food container or cooler on a state beach, as defined, or in a unit of a state park system, as defined, and for improper disposal, as provided. The bill would establish a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. The bill would provide that a person who violates this provision for the first time shall be subject to a warning by an officer of the state parks. The bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation to, among other things, develop and post signs at strategic locations, as determined by the Director of Parks and Recreation, of state beaches and units of the state park system operated by the department to provide notice of the expanded polystyrene prohibition. The bill would require an entity operating, pursuant to an agreement with the department, a state beach or unit of the state park system that is not operated by the department to post signs approved by the department at strategic locations, as determined by the operating entity and approved by the department, to provide notice of the expanded polystyrene prohibition. The bill would require the expanded polystyrene prohibition to be enforced at a state beach or unit of the state park system only after appropriate signs have been posted pursuant to these provisions. 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.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax law, allows an earned income tax credit against the taxes imposed under that law to an eligible individual that is equal to that portion of the earned income tax credit allowed by federal law as determined by the earned income tax credit adjustment factor, as specified, and allows a payment from the Tax Relief and Refund Account for an allowable credit in excess of tax liability. The Personal Income Tax Law also allows a young child tax credit against the taxes imposed under that law to a qualified taxpayer in a specified amount multiplied by the earned income tax credit adjustment factor, and allows a payment from the Tax Relief and Refund Account for an amount in excess of tax liability. Existing law defines "qualified taxpayer" for this purpose to include an eligible individual, as defined, who has a qualifying child, defined to be a child younger than 6 years of age as of the last day of the taxable year, and who meets other specified criteria. This bill would remove the requirement that a qualifying child has to be younger than 6 years of age as of the last day of the taxable year. By increasing the payments from the Tax Relief and Refund Account, a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.
Existing law, the Local Agency Public Construction Act, sets forth the requirements for competitive bidding on various types of contracts awarded by local agencies. Existing law, the State Contract Act, requires the Department of General Services to make available a report on state contracting activity containing specified information. This bill would require a local public entity subject to the Local Agency Public Construction Act, commencing January 1, 2026, to maintain and regularly update a public online database and accompanying data dictionary with prescribed information on the entity's contracting activity similar to the information required for the State Contract Act report. The bill would require the State Auditor to review the databases established pursuant to the bill, commencing on an unspecified date, and biannually thereafter, and make recommendations to the Legislature on further transparency and reporting improvements. The Local Agency Public Construction Act requires the board of supervisors of a county to advertise for bids for the performance of work by publication in a daily newspaper or in a weekly newspaper of general circulation published in the county, as prescribed. This bill would require publication, at a minimum, as described above and online. The Local Agency Public Construction Act prescribes bidding procedures that govern contracts by counties with a population of 500,000 or less, including procedures for informal bidding. Those informal bidding procedures include a requirement that notice inviting informal bids be published, mailed, or posted, as prescribed. Those informal bidding procedures also authorize additional modes of notice. This bill would require publication, at a minimum, as described above for counties with a population of 500,000 or less and online. The Local Agency Public Construction Act prescribes bidding procedures for contracts awarded by cities, including a requirement that the first publication or posting of the notice inviting bids be published in a newspaper or posted, as prescribed unless there is only one available newspaper, in which case the act authorizes the legislative body to contract without advertising for bids. This bill would delete that exception and would require those cities to also publish the notice online. By requiring additional duties of local public entities, the bill would create a state-mandated local 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 the statutory provisions noted above. 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.
Existing law establishes the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who serves as the director of the State Department of Education and has numerous other duties. Under existing law, the Superintendent or the Superintendent's representative serves as executive secretary to the Instructional Quality Commission. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the latter provision.
Existing law, until January 1, 2024, increases the smog abatement fee on certain vehicles by a specified amount and requires the revenues generated by the increase to be deposited in the Air Quality Improvement Fund and the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, increases vehicle registration fees and certain service fees for identification plates by specified amounts. Existing law requires the revenue generated by the increase in those fees to be deposited in the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund and either the Air Quality Improvement Fund or the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount, as provided. This bill would extend the increases in those charges to July 1, 2035. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, prohibits the State Air Resources Board from enforcing any element of its clean fuels outlet regulations or other regulation that requires or has the effect of requiring suppliers, as defined, to construct, operate, or provide funding for the construction or operation of publicly available hydrogen-fueling stations. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, requires the state board to aggregate and make available certain information regarding projected leases and sales of, and the registration of, hydrogen-fueled vehicles, to evaluate, based on that information, the need for additional publicly available hydrogen-fueling stations for the actual and projected number of hydrogen-fueled vehicles, the geographic areas where fuel will be needed, and station coverage, and to report the finding of the evaluation to the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, requires the commission to annually allocate $20,000,000 to fund the number of publicly available hydrogen-fueling stations identified by the state board, not to exceed 20% of the moneys appropriated by the Legislature from the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund, until at least 100 publicly available hydrogen-fueling stations are operating in the state. This bill would extend the above-described provisions to July 1, 2035, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2036. The bill would lower the annual allocation described above to $10,000,000, require the commission to make that allocation only until July 1, 2030, and impose other specified requirements. The bill would also delete the requirements that the hydrogen-fueling stations be publicly available and that there be at least 100 hydrogen-fueling stations operating in the state. Existing law creates the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program to provide compensation for the retirement and replacement of passenger vehicles and light-duty and medium-duty trucks that are high polluters. Existing law requires the Bureau of Automotive Repair to administer the program and the state board to adopt the guidelines for the program. Existing law requires the guidelines to ensure vehicle replacement or a mobility option be an option for all motor vehicle owners and may be in addition to compensation for vehicles retired. Existing law creates the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount in the High Polluter Repair or Removal Account and makes available, upon appropriation, all moneys in the account to establish, implement, and administer the program. This bill would require the guidelines to ensure each replacement vehicle in the program be either a plug-in hybrid or zero-emission vehicle unless the state board makes a specified determination regarding either the availability of vehicles or the availability of charging and refueling capabilities in consultation with the commission, as specified. Existing law establishes the Clean Transportation Program that is administered by the commission to provide financial assistance to develop and deploy innovative technologies that transform California's fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state's climate change policies with an emphasis on the development and deployment of technology and alternative and renewable fuels in the marketplace. Existing law authorizes the commission to make a single source or sole source award for applied research. This bill would revise and recast the Clean Transportation Program to, among other things, change the emphasis of the program to the development and deployment of zero-emission technology and fuels in the marketplace where feasible and near-zero-emission technology and fuels elsewhere. The bill would additionally authorize the commission to make a single source or sole source award to public or nonpublic entities that manage a United States Department of Energy national laboratory. The bill would require the commission, on and after January 1, 2025, to expend at least 50% of the moneys appropriated to the program on programs and projects that directly benefit or serve residents of disadvantaged and low-income communities and low-income Californians. The bill would also require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, by January 1, 2028, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board and the Department of Motor Vehicles, to propose to the Legislature alternative funding methodologies or fee structures for funding zero-emission vehicle infrastructure for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles. The bill would require the proposal to include an assessment of the economic equity of the alternatives. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law imposes taxes upon income and real property, as well as taxes upon certain transactions and excise taxes. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2026, impose an annual tax at a rate of 1.5% of a resident of this state's worldwide net worth in excess of $1,000,000,000, or in excess of $500,000,000 in the case of a married taxpayer filing separately. The bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, impose an annual tax at a rate of 1% of a resident's worldwide net worth in excess of $50,000,000, or in excess of $25,000,000 in the case of a married taxpayer filing separately. The bill would also impose, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, an additional tax at a rate of 0.5% of a resident's worldwide net worth in excess of $1,000,000,000, or in excess of $500,000,000 in the case of a married taxpayer filing separately. The bill would describe worldwide net worth with reference to specific federal provisions and would provide that worldwide net worth does not include specific assets, including personal property situated out of state, directly held real property, or liabilities related to directly held real property. The bill would also authorize the Franchise Tax Board to adopt regulations to carry out these provisions, including regulations regarding the valuation of certain assets that are not publicly traded. The bill would require new certifications by taxpayers, made under penalty of perjury. By expanding the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would establish the Wealth Tax Advisory Council. The bill would require the council to determine an adequate level of annual funding and staffing for the administration and collection of the wealth tax imposed by this bill. The bill would provide specific guidelines for what constitutes adequate levels of annual funding and staffing for the administration and collection of a wealth tax. The bill would establish 2 continuously appropriated funds in the State Treasury to cover the expenses of the administration and collection of the wealth tax. Under the bill, the funds would be funded by the greater of either a specified amount or a certain percentage of revenues estimated to be generated by the wealth tax. By establishing new continuously appropriated funds, this bill would make an appropriation. Existing law, the False Claims Act, provides that any person who commits specified acts, including, but not limited to, knowingly presenting a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval or knowingly making or using a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim, is liable to the state or to the political subdivision for 3 times the amount of damages that the state or political subdivision sustained because of the act and for the costs of a civil action brought to recover any penalties or damages, and is subject to a civil penalty. That act requires the Attorney General or the prosecuting authority of a political subdivision to diligently investigate violations of those specific acts involving state funds or political subdivision funds, respectively, and authorizes the Attorney General, the prosecuting authority, or a qui tam plaintiff to bring a civil action against a person who commits those acts. That act does not apply to claims, records, or statements made under the Revenue and Taxation Code. This bill would apply the provisions of the False Claims Act to claims, records, or statements made in relation to the wealth tax imposed by the bill, as specified. Existing law generally makes it a misdemeanor for specified persons, including, among others, officers or employees of the state or its political subdivisions, to disclose information set forth or disclosed in returns, reports, or documents required to be filed under the franchise and income tax laws. This bill would create an exception to these rules in the case of information related to the Wealth Tax, as requested by the University of California or the Wealth Tax Advisory Council, so long as specified information privacy protections are in place, and the request is for a specified purpose. This bill would specify that the tax imposed by the bill shall only become operative if a specified constitutional amendment is approved by the voters and takes effect. 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. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. 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.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. Under the act, the state board is required to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020 and to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the 1990 level by no later than December 31, 2030. Under the act, a violation of a rule, regulation, order, emission limitation, emission reduction measure, or other measure adopted by the state board under the act is a crime. This bill instead would require the state board to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 55% below the 1990 level by no later than December 31, 2030. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to develop contingency plans to deal with possible shortages of electrical energy or fuel supplies to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Existing law establishes the Clean Energy Job Creation Program for purposes of funding projects for energy efficiency retrofits and clean energy installations, along with related improvements and repairs that contribute to reduced operating costs and improved health and safety conditions, on public schools. Existing law requires certain moneys appropriated for purposes of the program to be allocated to local educational agencies, as specified. Existing law authorizes the commission to adjust the funding allocation to local educational agencies and requires the commission, in allocating grants to local educational agencies, to give priority to certain local educational agencies, as provided. This bill would require, if an appropriation is made for this purpose, the commission to develop a Master Plan for Healthy, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Schools on or before March 31, 2025, or 15 months after the appropriation is made, whichever is later. The bill would require the commission to consult with specified state agencies and engage with a diverse group of stakeholders and experts regarding the development of the master plan, as provided. The bill would require the master plan to include specified elements, including, but not limited to, assessments of a representative sample of the state's public elementary and secondary school buildings and grounds, as provided, and a set of priorities, benchmarks, and milestones for health, resilience, and decarbonization of public school campuses and support facilities.