Sen. Catherine Blakespear

Existing law prohibits a full-service restaurant, as specified, from providing single-use plastic straws, as defined, to consumers unless requested by the consumer. Existing law requires a city, county, or city and county, to authorize an enforcement agency to enforce these provisions. Existing law specifies that the first and 2nd violations of these provisions would result in a notice of violation and any subsequent violation would be an infraction punishable by a fine of $25 for each day the full-service restaurant is in violation, but not to exceed an annual total of $300. This bill would require a chain restaurant, before serving a beverage, to ask a customer if the customer intends to consume the beverage on the premises or off the premises. The bill would prohibit a chain restaurant from serving a beverage in a single-use vessel if a customer indicates intent to consume the beverage on the premises, as specified, and would subject a violator to the enforcement provisions described above. By expanding the scope of 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.

Existing law authorizes an unmarried person who is under 18 years of age to marry upon obtaining a court order granting permission and the written consent of at least one of the parents or the guardian of each underage party to the marriage, as specified. Existing law requires the court, if it considers it necessary, as part of the court order granting permission to marry, to require the parties to the prospective marriage of a minor to participate in premarital counseling, as specified. Existing law provides that 2 unmarried, unrelated adults who have chosen to share one another's lives in an intimate and committed relationship of mutual caring may establish a domestic partnership by filing a declaration with the Secretary of State, if certain requirements are met. Existing law provides that a person under 18 years of age who, together with the person with whom the person proposes to establish a domestic partnership, meets the requirements for a domestic partnership other than the requirement of being at least 18 years of age, is capable of consenting to and establishing a domestic partnership upon obtaining a court order granting permission to the underage person or persons to establish a domestic partnership. Under existing law, registered domestic partners have the same rights, protections, and benefits as spouses. This bill would repeal the authorization for a person under 18 years of age to be issued a marriage license or to establish a domestic partnership, thereby prohibiting a person under 18 years of age from being issued a marriage license or from establishing a domestic partnership. The bill would make conforming changes. Existing law required the State Registrar to create a document, no later than March 1, 2020, concerning marriage certificates in which one or both of the parties were minors at the time of solemnization of the marriage. Existing law requires the State Registrar to update that document annually, as specified. Existing law requires the local registrar to submit specified information for the purposes of that report. This bill would repeal those provisions.

Under existing law, a person who lodges in a public or private place without permission is guilty of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. Existing law also provides that a person who willfully and maliciously obstructs the free movement of any person on any street, sidewalk, or other public place is guilty of a misdemeanor. Under existing law, a nuisance is anything that is injurious to health or indecent or offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property, so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property. Existing law also provides that a nuisance is anything that obstructs the free passage or use of any public park, square, street, or highway, among other things. Under existing law, a public nuisance is a nuisance that affects the entire community, neighborhood, or a considerable number of persons. Existing law provides various remedies against a public nuisance, including abatement by any public body or officer authorized by law. This bill would prohibit a person from sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property upon a street or sidewalk if a homeless shelter, as defined, is available to the person. The bill would also prohibit sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property within 500 feet of a public or private school, open space, or major transit stop, as specified. The bill would specify that a violation of this prohibition is a public nuisance that can be abated and prevented, as specified. The bill would also provide that a violation of the prohibition may be charged as a misdemeanor or an infraction, at the discretion of the prosecutor. The bill would prohibit a person from being found in violation of the bill's provisions unless provided notice, at least 72 hours before commencement of any enforcement action, as specified. By imposing criminal penalties for a violation of these provisions, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

This measure would recognize February 2, 2024, as Wear Red Day and the month of February 2024 as American Heart Month.

This measure would designate March 2024 as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in California.

(1) Existing law establishes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials. Existing law requires, as a minimum requirement for a preliminary multiple subject, single subject, or education specialist teaching credential, the satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation that has been accredited by the Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness that have been adopted by the commission. This bill would, among other things, require the commission, on or before January 1, 2027, to update its literacy standards of program quality and effectiveness, literacy teaching performance expectations, and literacy instruction preconditions for program sponsors offering Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist Credentials and Reading and Literacy Added Authorizations, or any other reading- or literacy-specific credential, certification, or authorization developed by the commission, in order to ensure compliance with effective means of teaching literacy, as defined, and adherence to the science reading, as provided. (2) Existing law prescribes the powers of the commission regarding the accreditation system, including, among others, to adopt and implement an accreditation framework, which sets forth the policies of the commission regarding the accreditation of educator preparation in California. This bill, for program sponsors whose educator preparation programs are not in compliance with the literacy instruction preconditions, as defined, literacy standards of program quality and effectiveness, as defined, or literacy teaching performance expectations, as defined, would require the commission to establish a probationary accreditation process that includes mandatory requirements for faculty at the program sponsor to successfully complete professional development and training on the science of reading and effective means of teaching literacy in order to remove probationary status, or lose accreditation, as specified. (3) Existing law establishes the Committee on Accreditation, consisting of 12 members selected for their distinguished records of accomplishment in education, and requires the committee to, among other things, make decisions about the accreditation of educator preparation programs in accordance with the accreditation framework, adopt guidelines for accreditation reviews, and monitor the performance of accreditation teams and other aspects of the accreditation system. This bill would require at least one of the 12 members to have demonstrated expertise in the science of reading and effective means of teaching literacy, and would require the committee to make decisions regarding initial and existing accreditation status of programs of educator preparation, including program approval, with respect to the quality of educator preparation in literacy standards of program quality and effectiveness, the literacy instruction preconditions, and the literacy teaching performance expectations, as provided. (4) Existing law requires the accreditation framework to include provisions regarding well-trained accreditation teams, as specified. This bill would, among other things, require an accreditation or program review team to report to literacy personnel, as defined, on the results of their accreditation or program review team site visits, as specified, including a separate section with respect to literacy instruction preconditions, literacy standards of program quality and effectiveness, and literacy teaching performance expectations, including detailed summaries as to what evidence was gathered and reviewed during the site visit. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to, among other things, provide funding so that by no later than June 30, 2025, the commission employs sufficient personnel with demonstrated expertise in the science of reading, as defined, and effective means of teaching literacy, as defined, to ensure that the commission's review for accrediting a program sponsor, and its review and approval of the program sponsor's programs and schools, be held to rigorous literacy program standards. (5) Existing law requires the State Department of Education to issue a request for proposals to contract for the development of standards for professional development for educators and instructional leaders. Existing law requires the standards to serve as guidelines for providers of professional development activities and authorizes them to be used to facilitate coordination among existing professional development programs. This bill would, among other things, require the department, on or before August 30, 2025, with technical assistance from the literacy staff, as defined, to designate a county office of education, or a consortium of county offices of education, with demonstrated expertise in the science of reading and evidence-based literacy instruction, with an emphasis on demonstrated, prior experience in literacy with pupils in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 5, inclusive, to serve as the state literacy expert lead for purposes of administering, supporting, and monitoring specified professional development and training. The bill would require the state literacy expert lead, on or before January 1, 2026, to develop a list of professional development and training programs that it recommends and submit the list to the department of for approval, as specified. The bill would authorize the state literacy expert lead to also develop and provide professional development and training programs, as specified. The bill would, commencing March 1, 2026, require school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to ensure participation in, and would require all applicable personnel, as defined, to satisfactorily complete by no later than June 30, 2028, an approved professional development and training program that is listed on the department's internet website, as specified, and except as provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (6) Existing law, subject to an appropriation included in the annual Budget Act for these purposes, authorizes the department and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to establish a process, administered by the department, to select, subject to approval by the executive director of the State Board of Education, an expert lead agency based on specific expertise in an area of need to conduct activities and build statewide capacity to address that area of need within the statewide system of support, as specified. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2025, require any expert lead agency supporting literacy initiatives for those purposes to demonstrate expertise in the science of reading and proficiency in evidence-based literacy instruction, as specified. (7) Existing law requires the state board to adopt basic instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, for governing boards, subject to specified provisions, including, among others, that the state board adopt at least 5 basic instructional materials for all applicable grade levels in each of the specified subject areas, including, among others, language arts, including, but not limited to, spelling, reading, and English language development. In reviewing and adopting or recommending for adoption submitted basic instructional materials, existing law requires the state board to use specified criteria, and to ensure that, in its judgment, the submitted basic instructional materials meet that criteria, including, among others, that the instructional materials are aligned to the content standards adopted by the state board in the subject area and the grade level or levels for which they are submitted. Notwithstanding any other law, existing law authorizes a local educational agency to use instructional materials that are aligned with the academic content standards previously adopted by the state board. This bill would revise and recast provisions relating to adoption of instructional materials for English language arts, English language development, and reading by, among other things, requiring the state board, on or before January 1, 2026, to adopt basic and supplementary instructional materials, as defined, for transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, in English language arts, English language development, and reading. The bill would require the state board to, among other things, ensure that all instructional materials adopted pursuant to these provisions are aligned to the most recently adopted academic content standards and curriculum frameworks, and adhere to the science of reading. The bill would require the department to publish the complete list of the state board's adopted instructional materials on the department's internet website and to distribute the complete list to all local educational agencies, as specified. Upon the state board's adoption of those instructional materials, the bill would require all basic and supplementary instructional materials in English language arts, English language development, and reading for transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and any of grades 1 to 8, inclusive, adopted by each school district, county office of education, and charter school to, among other requirements, adhere to the science of reading, and would prohibit those local educational agencies from adopting basic instructional materials in English language arts, English language development, or reading that have not been adopted by the state board unless the local educational agency is granted a waiver, as specified. On or before December 31, 2027, the bill would require each local educational agency to provide to the department, and the department to develop, maintain, and annually update, a current list of basic and supplementary instructional materials in English language arts, English language development, and reading, adopted by each local educational agency that is publicly accessible on the department's internet website. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (8) Existing law requires the University of California, Los Angeles and the California State University, Dominguez Hills, along with California State University campuses serving the Los Angeles Basin selected by the Board of Trustees of the California State University, to form a neurodiversity and learning collaborative in order to, among other things, create a framework for embedding neurodiversity knowledge into the teacher education programs at the University of California and the California State University. This bill would authorize that collaborative to be expanded to include any University of California campus or California State University campus willing to voluntarily participate in strengthening educational support and effective means of teaching literacy through faculty professional development and training programs that adhere to the science of reading. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to provide grant funding to both expand the collaborative and to, among other things, provide faculty professional development aligned with the science of reading to faculty members who teach literacy and reading instruction at accredited institutions with approved educator preparation programs. (9) This bill would make Legislative findings and declarations relating to these provisions, conforming changes, and other nonsubstantive changes. (10) 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.

Under existing law, there are programs providing assistance for, among other things, emergency housing, multifamily housing, farmworker housing, home ownership for very low and low-income households, and downpayment assistance for first-time home buyers. Existing law also authorizes the issuance of bonds in specified amounts pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law and requires that proceeds from the sale of these bonds be used to finance various existing housing programs, capital outlay related to infill development, brownfield cleanup that promotes infill development, and housing-related parks. This bill would enact the Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2024, which, if adopted, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $10,000,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law. Proceeds from the sale of these bonds would be used to finance programs to fund affordable rental housing and homeownership programs, including, among others, the Multifamily Housing Program, the CalHome Program, and the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program. This bill would provide for submission of the bond act to the voters at the March 5, 2024, statewide general election in accordance with specified law. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.