Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil

Existing law requires the official canvass of all ballots received in an election to commence no later than the Thursday following the election and to continue daily, except on weekends and holidays, for not less than 6 hours each day until completed. Existing law requires elections officials to prepare a certified statement of the results of the election within 30 days of the election and to send the Secretary of State a complete copy of all election results within 31 days of the election. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to prepare, certify, and file a statement of the vote no later than the 38th day after the election. This bill would reduce those deadlines to 10 days for counting all ballots and preparing the certified statement of the results of the election, and 11 days for sending the Secretary of State a complete copy of all election results. The bill would require the Secretary of State to prepare, certify, and file a statement of the vote no later than 2 days after receiving election results from all county elections officials. By increasing the duties of county elections officials, 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, 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.

Existing law defines the crime of burglary, which consists of entering specified buildings, places, or vehicles with the intent to commit grand or petty theft or a felony. Existing law defines burglary of the first degree as any burglary of an inhabited building and makes burglary of the first degree punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 4, or 6 years. Existing law defines all other burglary as burglary of the 2nd degree and makes it punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for one year or as a felony. Existing law defines any 2nd degree burglary during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency, as specified, as looting, punishable by either imprisonment in a county jail for one year or as a felony. This bill would make that crime punishable instead as a felony. By increasing the punishment of a crime, 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, the California Emergency Services Act, authorizes the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency, as defined, under specified circumstances. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to impersonate a peace officer or an officer or member of a fire department or the Office of the State Fire Marshal. This bill would make impersonating a peace officer or an officer or member of a fire department or the Office of the State Fire Marshal during a state of emergency or local emergency punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony, as specified. By increasing the punishment of a crime, 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 generally regulates classes of insurance, including residential property insurance. Existing law prohibits an insurer from canceling or refusing to renew a policy of residential property insurance for a property located in a ZIP Code within or adjacent to a fire perimeter for one year after the declaration of a state of emergency, if the cancellation or nonrenewal is based solely on the fact that the insured structure is located in an area in which a wildfire has occurred. This bill would require the Department of Insurance, on or before January 1, 2027, and on or before each January 1 thereafter, to report specified information to the Legislature on the effect the above-described one-year prohibition against cancellation or nonrenewal has had in ZIP Codes subject to the prohibition.

Existing law establishes the Department of Motor Vehicles, tasked with issuance and renewal of licenses to drivers. Existing law requires the department to prescribe and provide suitable forms of applications, certificates of ownership, registration cards, driver's licenses, and all other forms that are deemed necessary. This bill would, by January 1, 2027, require the department, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to develop a Blue Envelope Program. Under the program, the bill would require the blue envelope to contain specified information for requesters with a condition or disability, as specified. The bill would also authorize others, including a parent or legal guardian of a passenger with a disability, to request a blue envelope.

Existing law, as established in the case of Dynamex Operations W. v. Superior Court (2018) 4 Cal.5th 903 (Dynamex) , creates a presumption that a worker who performs services for a hirer is an employee for purposes of claims for wages and benefits arising under wage orders issued by the Industrial Welfare Commission. Existing law requires a 3-part test, commonly known as the "ABC" test, to determine if workers are employees or independent contractors for those purposes. Existing law establishes that, for purposes of the Labor Code, the Unemployment Insurance Code, and the wage orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission, a person providing labor or services for remuneration is considered an employee rather than an independent contractor unless the hiring entity demonstrates that the person is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, the person performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity's business, and the person is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business. This test is known as the "ABC" test, as described above. Existing law charges the Labor Commissioner with the enforcement of labor laws, including worker classification. Existing law exempts specified occupations and business relationships from the application of the ABC test described above. Existing law, instead, provides that these exempt relationships are governed by the multifactor test previously adopted in the case of S. G. Borello & Sons, Inc. v. Department of Industrial Relations (1989) 48 Cal.3d. This bill would extend the above-specified exemption to a sports coach for an elementary or secondary private school or local educational agency, as prescribed, and would define terms, including "sports coach," for these purposes.

Existing law allows the court to issue a protective order restraining a defendant from any contact with the victim if the defendant has been convicted of a crime of domestic violence, human trafficking, a crime in furtherance of a criminal street gang, or a registerable sex offense. Under existing law, the protective order may be valid for up to 10 years, as determined by the court. This bill would additionally allow the court to issue a permanent protective order restraining a defendant from any contact with the victim if the defendant has been convicted of any serious or violent felony, as defined, or any felony requiring registration as a sex offender. The bill would also authorize the court to permanently extend certain previously issued orders under certain circumstances. The bill would require the Judicial Council to develop forms, instructions, and rules relating to these orders. The bill would make other conforming changes. By authorizing the issuance of protective orders in certain circumstances and the extension of certain protective orders, a violation of which is punishable as a crime, 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 establishes the California State University and the University of California as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires the California State University, and requests the University of California, to publicly provide labor market outcome information relating to the graduates of their undergraduate programs. This bill would require the California State University, and would request the University of California, to include in admission notifications (1) a hyperlink to the university's internet website that contains the labor market outcome information described above, and (2) information on student loans, as specified.

Existing law requires small water suppliers, defined for purposes of these provisions to mean a community water system serving 15 to 2,999 service connections, inclusive, and that provides less than 3,000 acre-feet of water annually, and nontransient noncommunity water systems that are schools to implement specified drought resiliency measures, including, among other things, no later than January 1, 2032, metering each service connection and monitoring for water loss due to leakages. This bill would exempt a small water supplier or nontransient noncommunity water system from these metering and monitoring requirements if it (1) is in the process of applying for state funding, has been determined to be ineligible for state funding, or is not able to obtain state funding because there is no funding available in applicable state programs, and (2) has made a finding that increasing its rates to raise revenue locally is not a feasible option.

Proposition 117, an initiative measure approved by the voters at the June 5, 1990, statewide primary election, enacted the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990. The act establishes that the mountain lion is a specially protected mammal under the laws of this state, and makes it unlawful to take, injure, possess, transport, import, or sell any mountain lion or any part or product thereof. The act authorizes the take of mountain lions under limited circumstances, including by authorizing the Department of Fish and Wildlife, or a specified appropriate local agency authorized by the department, to remove or take any mountain lion that is perceived to be an imminent threat to public health or safety. Existing law permits the department, as the department determines is necessary to protect mountain lions or the public, to authorize qualified individuals, educational institutions, governmental agencies, or nongovernmental organizations to implement nonlethal procedures, which are defined as procedures that may include, among other things, capturing, pursuing, or hazing. Existing law permits the department to authorize qualified individuals, educational institutions, governmental agencies, or nongovernmental organizations to conduct scientific research involving mountain lions pursuant to a scientific collecting permit, as specified. This bill would require the department to maintain, enhance, and expand its human-mountain lion conflicts program in the County of El Dorado in order to protect public health and safety, including by exercising its authority to authorize nonlethal procedures. The bill would require the department to develop and implement a grant program to assist eligible applicants to obtain, install, and maintain equipment and other measures in the County of El Dorado to protect livestock and domestic animals and minimize activities that attract mountain lions into communities. The bill would require the department to continue and expand its scientific research effort in the County of El Dorado to develop and evaluate methods to deter mountain lions from communities and to prevent habituation. In implementing these programs, the bill would require the department to engage in specified public outreach activities. The bill would authorize the department to expand these programs into regional programs, as specified. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2032. The bill would require the department to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on or before October 1, 2030, describing these programs, the results of the programs, the number of department personnel involved in the programs, and recommendations to further improve the programs to protect human health and safety. The bill would require the Director of Fish and Wildlife, until the 2033 calendar year, to appear on an annual basis at a hearing before one of specified committees of the Legislature to provide a status update on the programs. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for County of El Dorado. The California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 prohibits the Legislature from changing the act, with specified exceptions, except by a 45 vote of the membership of both houses of the Legislature and then only if consistent with, and in furtherance of, the purposes of the act. This bill would declare that it is consistent with, and furthers the purposes of, that act.