Sen. Ricardo Lara

This measure would declare October 2, 2015, as California Manufacturing Day.

Existing law generally requires an employer to compensate, without regard to negligence, an employee for an injury sustained by the employee if the injury arose out of, and in the course of, employment, as specified. Existing law also establishes the Uninsured Employers Fund and the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund, both continuously appropriated funds. In the event that an employer fails to pay compensation as required, then the employee may apply to be paid by the Director of Industrial Relations from the Uninsured Employers Benefits Trust Fund. In the event that a permanently, partially disabled employee receives a later, compensable injury resulting in additional permanent disability, then that employee shall receive compensation from the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund. This bill would provide that a person shall not be excluded from receiving benefits under the Uninsured Employers Fund or the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund based on his or her citizenship or immigration status. The bill would provide that these provisions are declaratory of existing law. By increasing the number of applicants eligible for a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.

This measure would urge the Supreme Court of the United States to uphold the federal constitutional principle of "one person, one vote" and not deny California's children and immigrants equal protection under the law.

Existing law provides that certain minors who have committed specified crimes may be prosecuted under the general law in a court of criminal jurisdiction if the juvenile court concludes, after the evaluation of 5 criteria, that the minor is not a fit and proper subject to be dealt with under the juvenile court law. This bill would enumerate, within each of those 5 criteria, certain factors that may be given weight. Existing law generally provides that when a person is prosecuted for a criminal offense committed while he or she was under 18 years of age, he or she is subject to the same sentence as an adult convicted of the identical offense, except under certain circumstances, including, among others, when the conviction was for a type of offense that, in combination with the person's age at the time the offense was committed, would have made the person eligible for transfer to a court of criminal jurisdiction pursuant to a rebuttable presumption that the person is not a fit and proper subject to be dealt with under the juvenile court law, and the person prevails on a motion requesting that he or she receive a disposition under the juvenile court law. Existing law requires, in order to prevail on that motion, the person to demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, that he or she is a fit and proper subject to be dealt with under the juvenile court law, based upon 5 specified criteria. This bill would enumerate, within each of the 5 criteria, certain factors that may be given weight.

Existing law establishes a specialized license plate program under which the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues specialized license plates on behalf of a sponsoring state agency that meets certain requirements. Existing law authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to sponsor a Gold Star Family specialized license plate program, which allows specified persons to apply for Gold Star Family license plates. Existing law requires that Gold Star Family license plates be issued in a sequential series. Existing law imposes additional fees for the issuance and renewal of specialized license plates, but exempts Gold Star Family license plates from these fees. Existing law also requires an applicant to pay specified environmental fees when applying for a specialized environmental license plate, and directs the DMV to deposit this revenue in the California Environmental License Plate Fund. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2017, require the DMV to issue Gold Star Family license plates as environmental license plates if the requester pays the above-described environmental license plate fees and specialized license plate fees. The bill would direct the revenue generated from the environmental license plate fees to be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Account within the State Transportation Fund until the DMV's upfront cost of implementing this program is covered. The bill would then direct this revenue to be deposited into the Veterans Service Office Fund.

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. The state board is required to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law makes a specified continuous appropriation to the High-Speed Rail Authority from the fund. This bill would require the High-Speed Rail Authority to allocate not less than 25% of the moneys continuously appropriated to the authority from the fund to projects that either reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions directly associated with the construction of the high-speed rail project and provide a cobenefit of improving air quality. The bill would require priority to be given within this expenditure category to measures and projects that are located in communities in areas designated as extreme nonattainment. The bill would expand the purposes of a continuous appropriation, thereby making an appropriation.

The Local Agency Public Construction Act prescribes procedures for contracting by local public agencies, including specific provisions for cities. Existing law permits a governmental agency to solicit proposals and enter into agreements with private entities for the design, construction, or reconstruction by, and may lease to, private entities, for specified types of fee-producing infrastructure projects. Existing law permits these agreements to provide for the lease of, or ownership of, infrastructure facilities owned by a governmental entity, but constructed by a private entity, to that private entity for a period of up to 35 years. This bill, notwithstanding the act and any other law, would authorize the City of Long Beach to contract and procure a project for the revitalization and redevelopment of the Long Beach Civic Center, as defined, in accordance with prescribed procedures for proposal evaluation and contract award. The bill would authorize the lease of all or a portion of the project to, or ownership by, a private entity or entities, for a term of up to 50 years. The bill would make a statement that a special law is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique and special circumstances surrounding the existing Long Beach Civic Center, and the need to immediately, quickly, and efficiently develop the project, and to resolve property issues potentially delaying the project.

Existing law requires persons between 6 and 18 years of age, inclusive, to attend a public school within the school district in which the pupil's parent or legal guardian resides, unless otherwise exempted. Existing law provides that a pupil complies with a school district's residency requirements for school attendance in that school district if the pupil meets one of the specified requirements. This bill would provide that a pupil complies with a school district's residency requirements in instances where the pupil's parent or legal guardian resides outside of the boundaries of that school district but is employed and lives with the pupil at the place of his or her employment within the boundaries of the school district for a minimum of 3 days during the school week. By requiring a school district to allow those pupils to attend a public school within the school district, thereby increasing the duties of a school district, 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, 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.

Under existing law, every person who deters or prevents an executive officer from performing any of his or her duties, or knowingly resists the officer, is punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both, as specified. This bill would provide that the fact that a person takes a photograph or makes an audio or video recording of an executive officer, while the officer is in a public place or the person taking the photograph or making the recording is in a place he or she has the right to be, is not, in and of itself, a violation of the above-mentioned provision. Under existing law, every person who willfully resists, delays, or obstructs any public officer, peace officer, or emergency medical technician in the discharge or attempt to discharge any of his or her duties shall be punished by a fine or imprisonment, or both, as specified. This bill would provide that the fact that a person takes a photograph or makes an audio or video recording of a public officer or peace officer, while the officer is in a public place or the person taking the photograph or making the recording is in a place he or she has the right to be, is not, in and of itself, a violation of the above-mentioned provision, nor does it constitute reasonable suspicion to detain the person or probable cause to arrest the person.