Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires attendance in all schools and classes to be recorded and kept according to specified regulations. Existing law establishes the State Department of Education, under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and assigns to the department numerous duties relating to the financing, governance, and guidance of the public elementary and secondary schools in this state. This bill would require the department to provide a report, to be published annually and made publicly available, of public school enrollment information, as specified, in order for the public to easily determine specified information regarding class size for each schoolsite in every school district, county office of education, and charter school.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes the Domestic Violence Prevention Act for the purpose of preventing acts of domestic violence, abuse, and sexual abuse and providing for a separation of the persons involved in the domestic violence for a period sufficient to enable those persons to seek a resolution of the causes of the violence. Under existing law, the act authorizes the court to issue a protective order, as defined, either ex parte or after a hearing, to restrain a person to prevent the recurrence of domestic violence. Existing law establishes the Civil Discovery Act, which governs the rules and procedures related to discovery in civil actions. The act authorizes the parties in a civil action, unless ordered otherwise, to modify discovery procedures by written stipulation, as specified. This bill would prohibit discovery pursuant to the Civil Discovery Act for purposes of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act except when a court grants a request for discovery upon a showing of good cause by the party making the request, as specified. The bill would require a court determining whether to permit discovery to consider, among other things, the importance and relevance of, and need for, the information sought to be obtained. The bill would authorize a court to continue commencement of the hearing or commence the hearing to receive evidence and then continue the hearing to permit one or more methods of discovery if a court finds good cause and grants a request for discovery. The bill would require the court to limit and control any permitted discovery to the least intrusive methods, as specified. The bill would make related intent statements and findings and declarations.
Existing law establishes various holidays in this state, including Lunar New Year. Existing law requires community colleges to close on specified holidays, including February 12, known as "Lincoln Day," and the third Monday in February, known as "Washington Day." Existing law entitles certain community college employees to be given time off with pay for specified holidays, including for Lincoln Day and Washington Day. This bill would authorize the governing board of a community college district, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding, to replace closing on Lincoln Day or Washington Day with the date corresponding with the second new moon following the winter solstice, or the third new moon following the winter solstice should an intercalary month intervene, known as "Lunar New Year." The bill would require that certain community college employees, in lieu of a paid holiday for Lincoln Day or Washington Day, receive a paid holiday for the Lunar New Year if the governing board of the community college replaces closing on Lincoln Day or Washington Day with closing on Lunar New Year.
Existing law authorizes a person who has been the victim of human trafficking to bring a civil action for damages, as specified, and also to be awarded attorney's fees and costs. Existing law authorizes a plaintiff to be awarded up to 3 times the plaintiff's actual damages or $10,000, whichever is greater. This bill would authorize the plaintiff to seek from the court a finding that specific debts attributed to the plaintiff were incurred as a result of trafficking and without the consent of the plaintiff. The bill would authorize the court to base its finding upon evidence that a debt attributed to the plaintiff was incurred as the result of any illegal act in which the plaintiff was the victim. The bill would provide that the finding would not affect the priority of any lien or other security interest. Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, establishes the Civil Rights Department under the direction of an executive officer known as the Director of Civil Rights to enforce civil rights laws, including laws relating to human trafficking. Existing law authorizes the director to bring a civil action in the name of the department, acting in the public interest, on behalf of an aggrieved person if conference, conciliation, mediation, or persuasion fails to eliminate an unlawful practice. Existing law requires the department to issue the person claiming to be aggrieved a right-to-sue notice if a civil action is not brought by the department, as specified. Existing law authorizes a court to grant relief, including awarding attorney's fees and costs and granting any relief a court is empowered to grant in a civil action, such as requiring an employer to conduct training for all employees, supervisors, and management, and assessing a civil penalty. This bill would provide that the court may grant any relief available under any of the civil rights laws enforced by the department. This bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.
Existing law generally prohibits discrimination in the provision of privileges and services on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, and immigration status. Existing law provides a cause of action against any person who denies, aids or incites a denial, or makes any discrimination or distinction on the bases listed, as specified, and permits the recovery of attorney's fees. Existing law establishes the Civil Rights Department (department) and makes it responsible for, among other things, investigating and prosecuting complaints alleging a violation of these provisions. Existing law establishes the Civil Rights Enforcement and Litigation Fund (fund) , to be administered by the department. This fund consists of attorney's fees and costs awarded by a court to the department when the department is the prevailing party in a civil action brought under specified law. Existing law authorizes moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act, to be used to offset the costs of the department. This bill would, commencing on March 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, require a covered entity, defined as a venture capital company that meets specified criteria, to report to the department specified information about their funding determinations, including, at an aggregate level, specified demographic information for the founding teams of all of the businesses in which the covered entity made a venture capital investment in the prior calendar year to the extent the information was provided pursuant to a survey the bill would require a covered entity to provide to each founding team member of a business that has received funding from a venture capital company to which the covered entity has acted as an investment adviser, as specified. The bill would require this information to be collected and reported in a manner that does not associate the survey response data with an individual founding team member. The bill would require the department to charge and collect fees to administer these provisions, as specified. The bill would require the department to notify the covered entity that the covered entity must submit the report within 60 days of the notification. If the covered entity has not submitted the report after those 60 days have elapsed, the bill would authorize the department to commence prescribed proceedings seeking specified relief, including a penalty, as specified. The bill would require moneys collected pursuant to these provisions to be deposited in the fund, and would express the intent of the Legislature that these moneys be appropriated in the Budget Act to the department for administration of these provisions. The bill would define various terms for these purposes.
Existing law generally entitles a state employee to be given time off with pay for specified holidays and entitles a state employee to one personal holiday per fiscal year. Existing law authorizes the department head or designee to require the employee to provide 5 working days' advance notice before a personal holiday is taken, to deny use subject to operational needs, and to provide by rule for the granting of the personal holiday for employees. Existing law authorizes a state employee to elect to receive 8 hours of holiday credit for certain holidays in lieu of receiving 8 hours of personal holiday credit, as specified. This bill would authorize an employee to elect to receive 8 hours of holiday credit for observance of a holiday or ceremony of the state employee's religion, culture, or heritage in lieu of receiving 8 hours of personal holiday credit. Existing law, the State Civil Service Act, regulates employment with the state and vests in the Department of Human Resources all powers, duties, and authority necessary to operate the state civil service system. Existing law, the Ralph C. Dills Act, grants state employees the right to form and join employee organizations for the purpose of representation of all matters of employer-employee relations. Existing law establishes procedures by which an agreement in the form of a written memorandum of understanding may be reached between the Governor and the recognized employee organization, and presented, as appropriate, to the Legislature for determination. This bill would apply its provisions to a bargaining unit only after the bargaining unit meets and confers with the Department of Human Resources in the ordinary process and timeline for negotiating and renegotiating the bargaining unit's collective bargaining agreement, as specified.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law establishes the Multifamily Affordable Housing Solar Roofs Program. Existing law requires the commission, beginning with the 2016–17 fiscal year and ending with the 2019–20 fiscal year, to authorize the annual allocation of certain amounts of moneys for the program. Existing law requires the commission to continue authorizing the allocation of those moneys through June 30, 2026, if the commission determines that revenues are available and that there is adequate interest and participation in the program. Existing law requires the commission, as part of the program, to award monetary incentives for qualifying solar energy systems, as defined, that are installed on multifamily residential buildings of at least 5 rental housing units that are operated to provide deed-restricted low-income residential housing, as defined, and that meet one or more specified requirements, including that at least 80% of the households have incomes at or below 60% of the area median income, through December 31, 2030. This bill would expand those specified requirements to, among other things, include properties in which at least 66% of the households have incomes at or below 80% of the area median income, properties owned by a tribe, as defined, and rental housing properties owned by public housing agencies or authorities, as defined. The bill would extend the requirement that the commission award monetary incentives for those solar energy systems through December 31, 2032. If those multifamily residential properties are new construction, the bill would prohibit using moneys authorized through the program to meet specified regulatory requirements. The bill would authorize the commission to consider authorizing an advance payment loan to an eligible project if there is reasonable evidence to suggest that an advance payment loan would lead to the delivery of a project that would not occur absent the advance payment loan, as specified. Existing law requires that low-income tenants who participate in the program receive credits on utility bills from the program. This bill would limit the applicability of that requirement to units that are separately metered. Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, 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 a specified reason.
By Executive Order No. N-82-20, Governor Gavin Newsom directed the Natural Resources Agency to combat the biodiversity and climate crises by, among other things, establishing the California Biodiversity Collaborative and conserving at least 30% of California's lands and coastal waters by 2030. Existing law requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to prepare and submit, on or before March 31, 2024, and annually thereafter, a report to the Legislature on the progress made in the prior calendar year toward achieving the goal to conserve 30% of California's lands and coastal waters by 2030. This bill would codify the goal of the state to conserve at least 30% of California's lands and coastal waters by 2030.
Existing law creates various transit districts throughout the state, with specified powers and duties relative to providing public transit service. Existing law provides various provisions applicable to all public transit and transit districts. Existing law requires the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University to, on or before December 31, 2023, develop and make available on its internet website a survey for the purpose of promoting consistency in the collection of specified survey data to inform efforts to improve the safety of riders and reduce street harassment on public transit. This bill would require a transit operator, as defined, to collect and publish specified survey data for the purpose of informing efforts to improve the safety of riders and reduce street harassment on public transit on or before December 31, 2024, to the extent feasible with the funding it receives to conduct these activities from the Department of Transportation under a funding agreement with a transit operator to collect and publish that survey data, as provided. The bill would require the department to enter into these funding agreements on or before July 1, 2024. The bill would require a transit operator to conduct outreach activities with subpopulations of riders who are underrepresented in surveys and impacted by street harassment to gain insight into the perspectives of these riders based on their experiences. The bill would authorize a transit operator to collect survey data in multiple languages to reach limited-English-proficient riders impacted by street harassment, as provided. The bill would require a transit operator to publish and make publicly available on its internet website the survey data collected pursuant to these provisions and promptly notify the Governor and the Legislature of publication of the survey data. The bill would provide that specified information collected by a transit operator in the 5 years before the effective date of this bill is deemed to be survey data collected by the transit operator for purposes of the bill, and that specified outreach activity conducted by a transit operator in the 5 years before the effective date of this bill is deemed to be outreach activity conducted by the transit operator for purposes of the bill. To the extent the bill imposes additional duties on a local agency, 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, 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 False Advertising Law makes it a crime for a person or a firm, corporation, or association, or any employee thereof, to engage in specified false or misleading advertising practices. The Unfair Competition Law makes various unfair competition practices unlawful, including any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue, or misleading advertising. The Consumers Legal Remedies Act makes unlawful certain unfair methods of competition and certain unfair or deceptive acts or practices undertaken by a person in a transaction intended to result or that results in the sale or lease of goods or services to a consumer, including advertising goods or services with intent not to sell them as advertised. Existing law authorizes a consumer who suffers damage as a result of the use or employment by a person of a method, act, or practice declared to be unlawful by that provision to bring an action against that person to recover or obtain certain relief, including actual damages of at least $1,000. This bill would, beginning on July 1, 2024, with specified exceptions, additionally make unlawful advertising, displaying, or offering a price for a good or service that does not include all mandatory fees or charges other than taxes or fees imposed by a government on the transaction, as specified. The bill would provide that assessments made pursuant to the California Tourism Marketing Act and the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989, and business assessments made pursuant to the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994, are fees imposed by a government on the transaction for purposes of these provisions. Existing law authorizes vehicle rental companies, when providing a quote or imposing charges for a rental, to separately state specified rates and charges that a renter must pay to hire or lease the vehicle for the period of time to which the rental rate applies. Existing law prohibits a rental company from imposing charges or fees in addition to the rental rate unless specified conditions are met. Existing law requires the rate advertisements of vehicle rental companies to include a disclaimer providing that additional mandatory charges may be imposed, as specified. This bill would provide that a rental company is not in violation of unlawful advertising, displaying, or offering a price for a good or service for excluding from the advertised, displayed, or offered price of a rental vehicle charges that are disclosed to the consumer in compliance with the above-described provisions. Existing law requires any solicitation to enter into a lease contract that includes the amount of any payment, as specified, to also state, among other things, "Plus tax and license" or a substantially similar statement, if amounts due for use tax, license fees, and registration fees are not included in the payments. This bill would specify that a lessor is not in violation of this prohibition against unlawfully advertising, displaying, or offering a price for a good or service because it excludes from the advertised, displayed, or offered lease payment a fee or charge in accordance with the provision described above. Existing law imposes specified requirements on dealers of motor vehicles and motorcycles sold or leased in this state. Existing law prohibits a holder of a dealer's license from doing specified acts, including advertising the total price of a vehicle without including all costs to the purchaser at time of sale, except taxes, vehicle registration fees, the California tire fee, emission testing charges not exceeding $50, actual fees charged for certificates, finance charges, and any dealer document processing charge or charge to electronically register or transfer the vehicle. This bill would specify that a holder of a dealer's license is not in violation of unlawful advertising, displaying, or offering a price for a good or service for excluding from the advertised, displayed, or offered price of a vehicle a tax, a vehicle registration fee, the California tire fee, an emission testing charge not exceeding $50, an actual fee charged for a certificate, a finance charge, or a dealer document processing charge or charge to electronically register or transfer the vehicle. Existing law imposes specified requirements on manufacturers of motor vehicles and motorcycles and prohibits a person from acting as a motor vehicle manufacturer without having first been issued a license by the Department of Motor Vehicles, as specified. This bill would specify that a motor vehicle manufacturer, or any other person, that advertises a motor vehicle manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) set by an automobile manufacturer, or lease payments based upon an MSRP, does not, by doing so, violate the prohibition described above relating to unlawful advertising, displaying, or offering a price for a good or service.