Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to approve and begin implementing a comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants to achieve a reduction in methane by 40%, hydrofluorocarbon gases by 40%, and anthropogenic black carbon by 50% below 2013 levels by 2030, as specified. Existing law requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan on or before January 1, 2009, for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, as provided, and to update the plan at least once every 5 years. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the state board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. Existing law requires the state board, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, to develop, among other things, a report that assesses greenhouse gas emissions associated with wildfire and forest management activities. Existing law requires the state board to develop the report every 5 years, with the first report completed on or before December 31, 2020. This bill would require the report to include information, if feasible, regarding the greenhouse gas, criteria air pollutant, and short-lived climate pollutant emissions from wildfires and forest fires, an assessment of the increased severity of wildfires and forest fires from the impacts of climate change, and a calculation of the increase in the emissions of criteria air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and short-lived climate pollutants based on the increased severity of wildfires and forest fires assessed. The bill would require the state board to identify what, if any, information in the report should be included in the scoping plan. The bill would also reduce the reporting period to every 3 years and require the state board to post the report on the state board's internet website.
Sponsored bills
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix just and reasonable rates and charges for public utilities. Existing law requires the commission to exercise its regulatory authority to maintain the California High-Cost Fund-A program, until January 1, 2023, to provide universal service rate support to small independent telephone corporations, as defined, in furtherance of the state's universal service commitment to the continued affordability and widespread availability of safe, reliable, high-quality communications services in rural areas of the state. This bill would authorize a small independent telephone corporation to initiate a rate case through either an advice letter or application. If a rate case is initiated by an advice letter, the bill would require that the case be processed according to the commission's rules governing advice letters. If a rate case is initiated by application, the bill would require that the case be processed according to the commission's rules governing formal proceedings. The bill would authorize the commission, following review of a rate case advice letter, to require that it be resubmitted as an application, if the commission adopts a resolution within 120 days that includes specified factual findings.
This measure would recognize June 6, 2019, as the 75th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day. This measure would express the gratitude and appreciation of the Legislature to the members of the United States Armed Forces who participated in D-Day, and would call upon the people of California to observe the anniversary with appropriate reflections and recognition.
This measure would declare May 4, 2019, as Star Wars Day and would recognize the Star Wars franchise upon the celebration of the opening of "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" at the Disneyland Resort.
This measure would recognize the 150th anniversary of the Legislature first convening session in the State Capitol Building in Sacramento.
This measure would condemn the actions of the Governor in granting a blanket reprieve to death row inmates and would urge the Attorney General to take all necessary actions to enforce the death penalty.
This measure would honor the late former President George H.W. Bush and dedicate June 12, 2019, and every June 12 thereafter, as President George H.W. Bush Day.
(1) Existing law establishes the Judges' Retirement System II, which the Board of Retirement of the Public Employees' Retirement System administers. Existing law authorizes a judge who is a member of the system and who retires upon attaining both 65 years of age and 20 or more years of service, or upon attaining 70 years of age with a minimum of 5 years of service, to elect from specified retirement benefits including a monthly pension. Existing law requires a judge who leaves judicial office after accruing 5 or more years of service, but who has not reached the applicable age of retirement, to be paid a lump sum equal to monetary credits that accrued while he or she was in office, as specified. Existing law authorizes a judge who, among other things, separates from office after accruing 5 or more years of service and has not reached 65 years of age to continue health care benefits if he or she assumes certain payments. Existing law specifies benefits provided to a surviving spouse or other beneficiary in relation to these provisions. This bill would authorize a judge who is not otherwise eligible to retire and who has either attained 60 years of age with a minimum of 5 years of service or accrued 20 or more years of service to leave his or her monetary credits on deposit with the system, to retire, and upon reaching retirement age, as specified, to receive a monthly retirement allowance, as provided. The bill would prescribe procedures to apply if the judge fails to elect within 30 days of separation and would authorize the board to charge an administrative fee, as specified, to a judge who elects to apply these provisions. The bill would specify the monthly allowance provided to a surviving spouse or other beneficiary and would make other conforming changes in relation to these provisions. The bill would also provide, for the purposes of the Judges' Retirement System II, and for a judge first appointed or elected to office on or after January 1, 2019, that a surviving spouse is a spouse who was married to the judge continuously from the date of retirement until the judge's death. (2) Existing law establishes the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) for the purpose of providing health care benefits to employees and annuitants, as defined. PEMHCA defines an annuitant for purposes of receiving postretirement health benefits as including, among others, a person who retires within 120 days of separation from public employment and a judge who receives the above-described lump sum payment of monetary credits. Contributions and premiums paid under PEMHCA are deposited in the Public Employees' Contingency Reserve Fund, which is continuously appropriated. This bill would authorize a judge who elects to retire as described above, but is not yet receiving his or her retirement allowance, to continue health care benefits upon separation from office if he or she assumes specified payments. The bill would include these judges within the definition of annuitant upon commencement of the judge's retirement allowance, thereby authorizing the judge to receive applicable postretirement health benefits. By authorizing the use of continuously appropriated funds for a new purpose, and by depositing additional amounts into a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.