The California Constitution limits the maximum amount of any ad valorem tax on real property to 1% of the full cash value of the property. The California Constitution states that the 1% limitation for ad valorem taxes does not apply to ad valorem taxes or assessments to pay the interest and redemption charges on bonded indebtedness incurred by a school district, community college district, or county office of education for the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or replacement of school facilities approved by 55% of the voters if the proposition includes specified accountability requirements. The accountability requirements include a requirement that the governing board of either the school district or community college district or the county office of education conduct annual, independent performance and financial audits. This bill would require the audits for each preceding fiscal year to be submitted by March 31 of each year to the citizens' oversight committee for its review.
Sponsored bills
This measure would continue designation and observance of the month of October as Italian American Heritage Month. This measure would also encourage the Legislature to continue the Italian American Legislator Project and welcome the exhibit "The Italian American Legislator Project of 2011: A Legacy of Service to the California Legislature" to the State Capitol Building in October 2011 and encourage all Californians, through the K–12 curriculum and otherwise, to learn about the history, role, and contributions of Italian Americans to the State of California.
This measure would commemorate the 100-year anniversary of California's initiative process.
(1) The Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 prohibits a person, with exceptions, from conducting surface mining operations unless a permit is obtained from, a reclamation plan is submitted to and approved by, and financial assurances for reclamation have been approved by, the lead agency for the operation. Existing law prohibits a lead agency from approving a reclamation plan for a surface mining operation for gold, silver, copper, or other metallic minerals or financial assurances for the operation if the operation is located on, or within one mile of, a Native American sacred site and is located in an area of special concern, unless certain criteria are met. This bill would also prohibit a lead agency from approving a reclamation plan for an aggregate products operation if the operation is located on or within 2,000 yards of the external boundaries of an Indian reservation and is on or within 5,000 yards of a Native American sacred site, and is on or within 4,000 yards of the Santa Margarita River or an aquifer that is hydrologically connected to the river, unless the tribe whose reservation is nearest the operation consents to the operation. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the Marriage and Family Therapist Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of marriage and family therapists by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law, the Educational Psychologist Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of educational psychologists by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law, the Clinical Social Worker Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of social workers by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law, the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of professional clinical counselors by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law authorizes the board to issue a professional clinical counselor license to any person submitting an application between January 1, 2011, and June 30, 2011, if that applicant meets specified requirements, including the requirement that the applicant have at least 2 years of postdegree counseling experience that includes specified hours of experience in a clinical setting supervised by a marriage and family therapist, clinical social worker, psychologist, physician and surgeon specializing in psychiatry, or master's level counselor or therapist, as specified. Existing law makes these licenses valid for 6 years, specifies that such a license expires one year from the date of issuance, and prescribes a specified renewal procedure. Existing law provides that other professional clinical licenses expire no more than 24 months after the date of issuance and may be renewed within 3 years of expiration. Existing law also governs the regulation of clinical counselor trainees and interns. Existing law allows clinical counselor trainees, interns, and applicants to perform services as an employee or as a volunteer, but not as an independent contractor. This bill would set forth provisions that would provide that a person engages in the practice of marriage and family therapy, educational psychology, clinical social work, or professional clinical counseling when he or she performs or offers to perform or holds himself or herself out as able to perform this service for remuneration in any form, including donations. The bill would authorize the board to issue a professional clinical counselor license to any person submitting an application between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011, if that applicant meets specified requirements, and would add a professional clinical counselor and a person who is licensed out of state to independently practice professional clinical counseling to the list of persons who an applicant may have supervise his or her hours of experience in a clinical setting. The bill would provide that all licenses issued expire no more than 24 months after the issuance date and that all of these licenses would be eligible for renewal within 3 years of expiration. The bill would revise and recast the provision relating to clinical counselor trainees, interns, and applicants, and instead provide that experience shall not be gained by clinical counselor interns or trainees as an independent contractor. The bill would require a clinical counselor intern when applying for licensure as a professional clinical counselor to show proof of his or her employment as an employee or volunteer by providing to the board copies of his or her W-2 tax forms or a letter from an employer verifying employment as a volunteer for each year of experience claimed. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires the California Horse Racing Board to determine the number of usable stalls that each association or fair is required to make available and maintain in order to conduct a racing meeting. Existing law divides the state into 3 geographical zones for purposes of regulating horse racing, including the northern zone, as specified, and, with respect to racing meetings conducted in the northern zone, requires the association or fair conducting the meeting to provide all stabling required by the board without cost to participating horsemen. Existing law requires, with respect to northern zone thoroughbred meetings only, the association conducting the meeting to provide, at the option of the horse owner, vanning of participating racehorses from any board-approved offsite stabling facility in the northern zone. This bill would delete the latter requirement and instead authorize with respect to the northern zone and subject to the availability of the specified funds, at the option of the horse owner, vanning of participating racehorses from any board-approved offsite stabling facility.
Existing law requires insurers to fulfill certain requirements with regard to life insurance policies. This bill, the Life Insurance Proceeds Disclosure Act of 2011, would require insurers to provide written disclosures to life insurance beneficiaries, as specified, at the time a claim is made and before a retained asset account, as defined, is selected or established as the benefit payment. The bill would require an insurer that settles life insurance benefits through a retained asset account to provide the beneficiary with a supplemental contract that clearly discloses the rights of the beneficiary and the obligations of the insurer under the supplemental contract. The bill would also require, if the life insurance benefits are placed in a retained asset account, the insurer to send the beneficiary at least one statement per quarter, and a statement for any month in which there has been any account activity other than the crediting of interest. The bill would provide that an insurer that fails to conform to the requirements of the above provisions would be subject to provisions of existing law that provide for the imposition of a civil penalty against any person who engages in any unfair method of competition or any unfair or deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance, as provided. The bill would become operative only if SB 599 of the 2011–12 Regular Session is enacted and becomes effective.
This measure would declare June 2011 as Scleroderma Awareness Month.
This measure would declare June 26, 2011, a Day in Support of Victims of Torture in California, and would urge the Office of Refugee Resettlement to direct torture treatment funding through the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 so as to reflect California's role as the nation's largest resettlement destination for torture survivors.
This measure would designate the week of April 18 to 24, 2011, as "California Week of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," and would memorialize the Congress and the President of the United States to observe the California Week of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide by participating in the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Project.