Existing civil law makes a person who commits a sexual battery, as defined, upon another liable to that person for damages and authorizes a court to award equitable relief, as specified. Existing civil law provides that he or she who consents to an act is not wronged by it. This bill would prohibit consent from being a defense in any sexual battery civil action if the person committing the sexual battery is a specified adult who is in a position of authority and is able to exercise undue influence, as defined, over the minor. Under existing law, in any civil action alleging conduct which constitutes sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual battery, opinion evidence, reputation evidence, and evidence of specific instances of plaintiff's sexual conduct, or any of that evidence, is not admissible by the defendant in order to prove consent by the plaintiff or the absence of injury to the plaintiff. Existing law requires specified procedures to be followed in any civil action alleging conduct constituting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual battery if evidence of sexual conduct of the plaintiff is offered to attack the credibility of the plaintiff, as specified. Existing law authorizes the court in its discretion to exclude evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the probability that its admission will either necessitate undue consumption of time or create substantial danger of undue prejudice, confusing the issues, or misleading the jury. This bill, in any sexual battery civil action involving a minor and an adult who is in a position of authority as described above, would prohibit evidence of the plaintiff minor's sexual conduct with the defendant adult from being admissible to prove consent by the plaintiff or the absence of injury to the plaintiff. The bill would authorize such evidence of the plaintiff's sexual conduct to be introduced only to attack the credibility of the plaintiff or to prove something other than consent by the plaintiff if, upon a hearing of the court out of the presence of the jury, the defendant proves that the probative value of that evidence outweighs the prejudice to the plaintiff, as specified.
Sponsored bills
This measure would memorialize the Congress of the United States to place a statue of Sally Ride next to the statue of former President Ronald Reagan in the Congressional collection representing California.
This measure would recognize June 12, 2015, as the 117th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and would call upon the people of the state to observe the month of June with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.
(1) The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards, the Cal Grant C awards, and the Cal Grant T awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Existing law establishes the total number of Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards granted annually at 22,500 and the maximum tuition award amount for each Cal Grant A and B award for new students attending private nonprofit postsecondary educational institution at $9,084 for the 2014–15 award year and $8,056 for the 2015–16 award year and each award year thereafter. This bill would increase the total number of Competitive Cal Grant A and B awards granted annually to 30,000 and would increase the maximum tuition award amount for Cal Grant A and B for students at private nonprofit postsecondary educational institutions to $9,084 for the 2015–16 award year and each award year thereafter. (2) Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. This bill would establish, commencing with the 2015–16 academic year, the Graduation Incentive Grant program to provide eligible matriculating undergraduate students of California State University with financial need attending a campus of the California State University with financial aid for up to 3 college years, as specified. The bill would specify the eligibility criteria and the award amounts of the Graduation Incentive Grant program. The bill would require the California State University to make an annual report, containing specified data about the program, to the Legislature. The program would only be operative in a fiscal year if the Trustees of the California State University determine that sufficient funding has been provided for purposes of the program for that fiscal year in the annual Budget Act or another statute. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature to appropriate funds, for the 2015–16 fiscal year, to the University of California to eliminate a specified tuition increase and to appropriate funds to both the University of California and the California State University to provide additional course offerings and support services for students.
Existing law requires the Attorney General to pay certain judgments against the state. This bill would appropriate $141,250 from the Athletic Commission Fund and $24,106,173.50 from the General Fund to pay specified judgments. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would recognize May 2015 as Better Hearing and Speech Month.
This measure would recognize and honor the men and women of California agriculture for their dedication and productivity by observing March 18, 2015, as National Agriculture Day, and designating March 18, 2015, as California Agriculture Day.
This measure would, among other things, designate the year of 2015 as "State of California Year of Commemoration of the Centennial Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," designate April 24, 2015, as "State of California Day of Commemoration of the Centennial Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," and would call upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to formally and consistently reaffirm the historical truth that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people constituted genocide.