Existing law requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, headed by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, to promote and protect the agricultural industry of the state. This bill would, until January 1, 2014, create the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative. It would require, by July 1, 2011, the Department of Food and Agriculture, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Social Services, to prepare recommendations, to be presented upon request to the Legislature, regarding actions that need to be taken to promote food access in the state. The bill would also require, to the extent that federal funds are made available, the Department of Food and Agriculture to implement the initiative. The bill would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to coordinate efforts to maximize the funding opportunities provided by the federal 2010 Healthy Food Financing Initiative. The bill would create the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative Fund in the State Treasury, to be comprised of federal, state, and private funds, for the purpose of expanding access to healthy foods in underserved communities and, to the extent practicable, to leverage other funding, as specified. Moneys in the fund shall be expended upon appropriation by the Legislature.
Sponsored bills
Existing law prescribes procedures for the issuance of registered warrants and provides that a registered warrant is acceptable and may be used as security for the performance of any public or private trust or obligation. This bill would, if the Controller makes a specified determination, require a state agency to accept, from a person or entity, a registered warrant issued by the Controller and endorsed by that payee, at full face value, for the payment of any obligations owed by that payee to that state agency. The bill would specify that its requirements do not apply to certain obligations and would require the Controller, on or before the September 1 following the conclusion of a fiscal year in which a state agency is required to accept registered warrants pursuant to these provisions, to submit a report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The bill would make its provisions inoperative on July 1, 2012, and would repeal them on January 1, 2013. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the Every Woman Counts program, requires the State Department of Public Health to provide breast cancer and cervical cancer screening services to eligible low-income individuals under a federal grant made under the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention breast and cervical cancer early detection program. Funding for these services is provided by a combination of federal and state moneys. Existing law requires these services to be provided at the level of funding budgeted from state and other resources during the fiscal year in which the Legislature has appropriated funds to the department for this purpose. The bill would require the department, 90 days prior to making policy changes, to send written notice outlining the proposed changes to contractors providing services pursuant to this program and to notify the Legislature, in writing, if the changes would restrict access or reduce services offered. Existing law establishes the Breast Cancer Fund, which funds various programs through the Breast Cancer Control Program for the detection, treatment, and cure of breast and cervical cancer, as specified. Entities funded by the Breast Cancer Control Program are required to submit a specified report annually to the Legislature. This bill would require that the report be submitted on or before February 1 of each year and would add specified information to that report.
Existing law generally provides for the confidentiality of juvenile court records and records relating to the administration of public social services. However, records connected to public social services programs are generally permitted to be disclosed for purposes related to the administration of those programs and for other prescribed purposes. Under existing law, counties are authorized to establish multidisciplinary personnel teams trained in the prevention, identification, or treatment of child abuse and neglect cases, or the abuse of elder or dependent persons. Existing law provides, for purposes of the disclosure of information, that the activities of multidisciplinary teams engaged in the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse or the abuse of elder or dependent persons are activities performed in the administration of public social services. This bill would recast these provisions to provide that activities of multidisciplinary personnel teams engaged in the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of child abuse or neglect, or the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of the abuse of an elder or dependent person, are activities performed in the administration of public social services. Existing law provides that testimony about discussions relative to the disclosure or exchange of the information or writings during multidisciplinary personnel team meetings is not admissible in any criminal, civil, or juvenile court proceeding. Existing law also provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. This bill would include in the definition of a multidisciplinary personnel team CalWORKs case managers, and social workers with experience or training in child abuse or neglect prevention, identification, management, or treatment. This bill would also include information relevant to the provision of child welfare services, as defined, as information that may be disclosed and exchanged by a multidisciplinary personnel team. Because the California Constitution provides that a statute excluding relevant evidence in a criminal proceeding requires a 23 vote for passage by the Legislature, this bill requires a 23 vote. Existing law permits a county to establish a computerized database system to allow provider agencies, as defined, to share specified information regarding families at risk for child abuse or neglect for the purpose of forming a multidisciplinary personnel team to prevent, identify, manage, or treat child abuse. This bill would require the database to include information about persons living in a child's home and a contact person instead of the employee assigned to the case from a provider agency. This bill would require a county that establishes this database system to install database system controls to monitor system use and to detect any violations of the system controls. This bill would in addition, with respect to the County of Los Angeles, authorize the database to include information about convictions of family members or persons living in the child's home for crimes that involved a child as a victim, as specified. Existing law requires the information obtained pursuant to the computerized database system to be kept confidential and to be used solely for the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of child abuse, child neglect, or both. This bill would permit the information to be used for the provision of child welfare services. This bill would also provide that any person knowingly and intentionally violating the above confidentiality requirements shall be subject to prescribed administrative and civil penalties. Existing law makes all information and records obtained in the course of providing intake assessment and services under statutes relating to services for persons with developmental disabilities and persons with mental illness confidential, and permits disclosure only under prescribed conditions, including, but not limited to, the courts as necessary to the administration of justice. This bill would recast some, but not all, related confidentiality provisions, to provide that the above information, if relevant to the provision of child welfare services, as defined, or the investigation, prevention, identification, management, or treatment of child abuse or neglect, may be disclosed to multidisciplinary personnel teams. This bill would also recast some, but not all, related confidentiality provisions to expressly prohibit this information from being used in a criminal or delinquency proceeding, but that evidence identical to the information contained within the records is admissible if obtained by other means as permitted by law. Existing law permits a psychotherapist, when the psychotherapist opines that a patient presents a serious danger of violence to a reasonably foreseeable victim or victims, to release mental health information or records to that person or persons, and to law enforcement agencies. This bill would recast some, but not all, related confidentiality provisions to permit a psychotherapist to release the information or records to county child welfare agencies. By imposing a higher level of service on local government this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Los Angeles. This bill would incorporate changes to Section 18961.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code made by AB 2229, to become operative only if both this bill and AB 2229 are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2011, and this bill is enacted last. 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 bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law sets forth various personal rights and provides that all persons within California have the right to be free from violence, or intimidation by the threat of violence, because of, among other characteristics, their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, or sex. Existing law further permits an individual whose exercise or enjoyment of specified personal rights has been interfered with to bring a civil action for damages, including actual damages, exemplary damages, attorney's fees, injunctive relief, and other appropriate relief. Existing law requires the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to receive, investigate, and conciliate complaints that an individual's personal rights have been violated. This bill would specify that homeless persons, as defined, are entitled to the rights set forth under existing law, and would provide that a homeless person has the right to be free from violence or intimidation by threat of violence directed against that person on the basis of that person's status as a homeless person. The bill would also provide that these provisions shall not be construed to enlarge or diminish an existing duty, if any, by an owner of residential rental or commercial property to protect a homeless person who is present on the property from violence or intimidation by threats of violence. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 51.7 of the Civil Code, proposed by AB 1680, contingent upon the prior enactment of that bill.
Existing law establishes the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. These segments include the California State University, the campuses of which are administered by the Trustees of the California State University, the University of California, which is administered by the Regents of the University of California, and the California Community Colleges, which are administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes them to provide instruction to students at community college campuses. Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher Education Act, authorizes the community colleges to grant associate in arts and associate in science degrees. The act also requires the regents, the trustees, and the board of governors to have as a fundamental policy the maintenance of a healthy and expanded program to increase the number of transfer students from community colleges. This bill would enact the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, which, commencing with the 2011–12 academic year, would require a student that receives an associate degree for transfer to be deemed eligible for transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program when the student meets prescribed requirements. The bill would condition a community college district's receipt of state apportionment funds on its development and granting of associate degrees for transfer, unless each of the state's community college districts waives reimbursement for specified state-mandated costs of implementing the bill in accordance with a prescribed procedure. This bill would prohibit a community college district from imposing any requirements, in addition to these requirements, for a student to be eligible for the associate degree for transfer, and would prohibit remedial noncollegiate level coursework from being counted towards the units required for the associate degree for transfer. This bill would require the California State University to guarantee admission with junior status to any community college student who meets the requirements for the associate degree for transfer. This bill would not guarantee a student admission for specified majors or campuses, but would require the California State University to grant a student priority admission to his or her local California State University campus and to a program or major that is similar to his or her community college major or area of emphasis, as determined by the California State University campus to which the student is admitted. This bill would authorize the California State University to require a transferring student to take additional coursework at the California State University in specified circumstances, and would prohibit the California State University from requiring a transferring student to repeat courses that are similar to those taken at the community college that counted towards the units required for the associate degree for transfer. This bill would also require the Legislative Analyst's Office to review and report to specified legislative committees and subcommittees, within a prescribed time period, on specified outcomes and recommendations related to this act. By requiring a community college district to grant the associate degree for transfer in exchange for receipt of state apportionment funds, 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.
Existing law regulates legal gambling in California and prohibits, until January 1, 2015, the governing body and the electors of a county, city, or city and county from authorizing or expanding any legal gaming beyond that permitted on January 1, 1996. Additionally, the commission is prohibited, until January 1, 2015, from issuing a gambling license for a gambling establishment that was not licensed to operate on December 31, 1999, except as specified. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions to January 1, 2020.
Existing law permits a city, county, or city and county to permit controlled gambling, consistent with state law, if a majority of voters affirmatively approve an ordinance so permitting, as specified. Existing law provides that an amendment of an ordinance permitting an increase of 24.99% in the number of gambling tables that may be operated in a gambling establishment in a city, county, or city and county, or 2 tables, whichever is greater, compared to the ordinance in effect on January 1, 1996, may occur without voter approval. Any amendment to a city or county ordinance relating to gambling establishments or the Gambling Control Act is required to be submitted to the Division of Gambling Control for review and comment before the ordinance is adopted by the city or county. This bill, instead, would provide that an amendment of an ordinance permitting an increase of 2 tables in the number of gambling tables that may be operated in a gambling establishment in a city, county, or city and county, compared to the ordinance in effect on January 1, 2010, may occur without voter approval. The bill would permit a city, county, or city and county to exercise its authority to amend a local gaming ordinance without voter approval pursuant to this provision only one time.
The Personal Income Tax Law authorizes taxpayers to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of specified funds. This bill would additionally allow individuals to designate on their tax returns that a specified amount in excess of their tax liability be transferred to the California Youth Leadership Fund, which would be created by this bill. The bill would require money in that fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature and depending on the amount of donations collected, to be allocated to specified nonprofit civic youth organizations as annual grants to operate civic education and mock legislative programs, as prescribed, and the balance of the money to the California YMCA Youth and Government Program, for the purpose of funding the activities of the California YMCA Youth and Government Model Legislature and Court Program and to the Joint Committee on Rules of the Legislature, for the purposes of funding the activities of the California Youth Legislature, as prescribed. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board, when another voluntary contribution designation is removed, to revise the form of tax returns to provide for the designation created by this bill, and would allow, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Franchise Tax Board, and the Controller to receive a portion of the funds designated to cover costs incurred in collecting and administering the funds. The bill would provide that these provisions would remain in effect only until January 1 of the 5th taxable year following the first appearance of the California Youth Leadership Fund on the tax return, but would further provide that if the Franchise Tax Board determines that the amount of contributions estimated to be received during a calendar year will not equal or exceed the minimum contribution amount, as defined, for the calendar year, these provisions would be repealed with respect to taxable years beginning on or after January 1 of that calendar year. This bill would become operative only if Senate Bill 516 of the 2009–10 Regular Session of the Legislature is chaptered and becomes operative.
Existing law, until January 1, 2014, allows certain state and local transportation entities, if authorized by the California Transportation Commission, to use a design‑build process for contracting on transportation projects, as specified. This bill would authorize the Riverside County Transportation Commission, if authorized by the commission, to utilize this design-build procurement process for the State Route 91 Corridor Improvements Project on the state highway system. The bill would make the Department of Transportation responsible for the performance of construction inspection services for the project, as specified, and would require the commission to report on the progress of the project and related matters to specified legislative committees. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.