Existing law requires the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority to establish a renewable energy program to provide financial assistance to public power entities, independent generators, utilities, or businesses manufacturing components or systems to generate new and renewable energy sources, develop clean and efficient distributed generation, and demonstrate the economic feasibility of new technologies. Existing law defines "renewable energy" to include specified energy generation technologies. This bill would expand the definition of "renewable energy" to include energy generation based on thermal energy systems such as landfill gas turbines, engines, and microturbines; and digester gas turbines, engines, and microturbines.
Sponsored bills
(1) Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher Education Act, establishes the missions and functions of the state's 3 segments of public postsecondary education, which are the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges. The provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by resolution, make them applicable. Existing provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act require the Regents of the University of California, the Trustees of the California State University, and the governing boards of community college districts to adopt or provide for the adoption of rules and regulations governing student behavior, known as rules of student conduct. This bill would request the Trustees of the California State University, the Regents of the University of California, and the governing board of each community college district to adopt and publish policies on harassment, intimidation, and bullying to be included within the rules of student conduct governing their respective segments of public postsecondary education. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature that rules and regulations governing student conduct be published, at a minimum, on the Internet Web sites of each public postsecondary educational campus and as part of any printed material covering those rules and regulations within the respective public postsecondary education systems. (2) The Equity in Higher Education Act, a part of the Donahoe Higher Education Act, provides that it is the policy of the state to afford all persons, regardless of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or other specified bases, equal rights and opportunities in the postsecondary educational institutions of the state. For these purposes, the act defines "gender" to include gender identity. This bill would revise the definition of gender to include "gender expression" for purposes of the Equity in Higher Education Act. The bill would request the Trustees of the California State University, the Regents of the University of California, and the governing board of each community college district to designate an employee at each of their respective campuses as a point of contact to address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender faculty, staff, and students. The bill would request each segment to collect aggregate demographic information regarding sexual orientation and gender identity of staff and students within other aggregate demographic data collected, and would require annual transmittal of any report to the Legislature, as specified, and posting of the information on the Internet Web site of each respective institution. The bill would encourage the Legislative Analyst to conduct an assessment of the campuses of each of the segments of public postsecondary education to develop recommendations to improve the quality of life on those campuses for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender faculty, staff, and students, and to publish a summary of those recommendations on its Internet Web site. The bill would make various conforming changes to existing nondiscrimination laws affecting postsecondary educational institutions and programs, and requirements related to reporting hate violence, as defined, to additionally include sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression within the scope of those programs and requirements.
Existing law requires local health officers to submit to the State Water Resources Control Board prescribed information regarding beach postings and closures and requires the board to make that information available to the public and to post the information on its Internet Web site. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to adopt regulations to establish minimum standards for the sanitation of public beaches, as defined, and to require the testing of the waters adjacent to beaches for microbiological contaminants and to require posting and closure of beaches that are in violation of the standards. A violation of these regulations is a crime. This bill would require that the department draft regulations relating to testing of waters adjacent to public beaches, as specified. The bill would, commencing January 1, 2012, require the board to be responsible for monitoring protocols, site locations, monitoring frequency, and prescribed testing. The bill, until June 30, 2016, would provide that not more than $1,800,000 of specified funds may be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, as a funding source for this program. The bill would also make related changes.
The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes a state or local public agency, if the agency requires a property owner to transfer to the agency an interest in real property to mitigate an adverse impact upon natural resources caused by permitting the development of a project or facility, to authorize a nonprofit organization to hold title to and manage that interest in real property, provided that the nonprofit organization meets specified requirements. This bill would revise these provisions and would additionally authorize a state or local public agency to authorize a nonprofit organization, a special district, a for-profit entity, a person, or another entity to hold title to and manage an interest in property held for mitigation purposes, subject to certain requirements. This bill would also provide that if a state or local agency, in the development of its own project, is required to protect property to mitigate an adverse impact upon natural resources, the agency is authorized to take any action that it deems necessary to meet its mitigation obligations, including, but not limited to, providing funds to a nonprofit organization to acquire land or easements that satisfy the agency's mitigation obligations, including funds that have been set aside for the long-term management of any lands or easements conveyed to a nonprofit organization, as specified. This bill would, until January 1, 2022, require a special district or nonprofit organization that holds funds on behalf of a local agency, for the long-term management of land, to comply with certain requirements. The bill would also state the findings and declarations of the Legislature with respect to the preservation of natural resources through mitigation, and would state that it is in the best interest of the public to allow state and local public agencies and nonprofit organizations to utilize the tools and strategies they need for improving the effectiveness, cost efficiency, and durability of mitigation for California's natural resources.
Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law imposes various requirements for the development and implementation of transportation projects. This bill would impose additional requirements on the department with respect to specified highway projects on State Highway Route 5 in southern California, known collectively as the north coast corridor project, that are located entirely or partially in the coastal zone, including requiring the department to collaborate with local agencies, the California Coastal Commission, and other affected local, state, and federal agencies to ensure that multimodal transportation options are evaluated and included in the public works plan and, where appropriate, in the project design for the projects. The bill would make these requirements applicable to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and would also require SANDAG, for these projects, to establish a safe routes to transit program that integrates the adopted regional bike plan with transit services and, pursuant to SANDAG's agreement, as specified, to commit to dedicate for regional habitat acquisition, management, and monitoring activities a portion of specified taxes approved by the voters in San Diego County. The bill would, for these projects, require the department to suspend a notice of determination relating to environmental impact, issued between January 1, 2011, and January 1, 2012, until it is determined that environmental documents for the projects satisfy the requirements of the bill. The bill would also make legislative findings and declarations. Existing law authorizes SANDAG to conduct, administer, and operate a value pricing high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane program on 2 corridors included in the high-occupancy vehicle lane system in San Diego County. This bill would also authorize SANDAG to conduct, administer, and operate a value pricing HOT lane on State Highway Route 5. The bill would require SANDAG to carry out the HOT lane program in cooperation with the department and would require revenues from the program to be used for the costs of the program, for improvement of transit services, and for high-occupancy vehicle facilities. By imposing additional requirements on SANDAG, 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.
Existing law provides that life insurance may be made payable, among other things, on the death of the insured, on his or her surviving for a specified period of time, or periodically as long as he or she lives. This bill would require that all life insurance benefits be paid in the form of a lump-sum payment to the beneficiary or by another settlement option that is clearly described in the claim form. If the beneficiary does not choose one of the available settlement options, a retained-asset account would be authorized to be the default option only if the claim form provides a prominent disclosure, as prescribed, that in the absence of a choice by the beneficiary, payment of policy benefits would be made through establishment of a retained-asset account on the beneficiary's behalf. Any life insurance benefits settlement an insurer offers or recommends, other than for a lump-sum payment, would be required to conform to specified conditions. The bill would authorize the Insurance Commissioner to adopt regulations specifying reasonable requirements for the form of agreements entered into and written disclosures provided by these provisions. The bill would only become operative if SB 713 of the 2011–12 Regular Session is enacted and becomes effective.
Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of residential tenancies, and prohibits a landlord from interfering with a tenant's quiet enjoyment of the premises. Existing law also prohibits the governing documents of a common interest development from prohibiting the posting or displaying of noncommercial signs, posters, flags, or banners on or in an owner's separate interest, except as specified. This bill would prohibit a landlord from prohibiting a tenant from posting or displaying political signs relating to an election or legislative vote, the initiative, referendum, or recall process, or issues before a public body for a vote, except under certain circumstances. The bill would require a tenant to comply with the time period established by the local ordinance for the posting and removal of political signs or, in the absence of those provisions, by reasonable time limits, as specified, established by the landlord.
This measure would express the Legislature's apology, on behalf of the people of the state, for violations of the civil liberties and constitutional rights of Filipino Americans caused by antimiscegenation laws that precluded marriage between Filipinos and Caucasians, and its regret, on behalf of the people of the state, for the suffering and hardship endured by Filipino Americans as a result of governmental actions taken because of various policies and laws it enacted.
This measure would recognize the month of November 2011 as Native American Heritage Month, would encourage Californians to participate in appropriate observances that celebrate and commemorate Native Americans, and would applaud and encourage the observance of California Indian nations for their outstanding contributions to this state.
This measure would designate the month of September of every year as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month throughout the State of California, and would encourage and promote efforts to educate the people and the health care practitioners of the state regarding ovarian cancer and its early detection and prevention, the risk factors involved in its development, and the early warning symptoms and signs.