Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil

Existing law requires charter schools to locate in accordance with geographic and site limitations, as provided. Existing law provides an exception to this jurisdictional limitation for charter schools that provide instruction exclusively in partnership with one of specified federal or state job training entities. This bill would provide an additional exception to the jurisdictional limitation on charter schools for at-promise charter schools, as defined. Existing law requires a pupil over 19 years of age, in order to be eligible for generating charter school apportionments, to be continuously enrolled in a public school and to make satisfactory progress towards a high school diploma. Existing law provides an exception to those provisions for a charter school that provides instruction exclusively in partnership with one of specified federal or state job training entities. This bill would provide an additional exception to the charter school apportionment provision for at-promise charter schools.

Existing law requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to issue a park pass for free use of all park facilities in the state park system to a veteran of war in which the United States has been, or may be, engaged, who is a resident of this state, who presents to the department proof of a disability, proof of being held captive as a prisoner of war, or proof of being a recipient of a Congressional Medal of Honor, and proof of an honorable discharge from service. This bill would require a pass for free day use of any unit of the state park system that is operated by the state to be issued to Gold Star Family members, as provided.

Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, as provided. Existing law authorizes specified state agencies, including the Department of Water Resources, subject to an appropriation, to make grants and direct expenditures for interim or immediate relief in response to conditions arising from a drought scenario to address immediate impacts on human health and safety or on fish and wildlife resources or to provide water to persons or communities that lose or are threatened with the loss or contamination of water supplies. This bill would establish in the department the Urban Water Community Drought Relief program and the Small Community Drought Relief program to provide grants for similar interim or immediate drought relief. These programs, upon a specified appropriation, would authorize funding for benefits in addition to drought relief, including, among other projects, projects that reduce the risk of wildfire for entire neighborhoods and communities through water delivery system improvements for fire suppression purposes in high fire hazard severity zone communities or very high fire hazard severity zone communities, as designated by the State Fire Marshal or by a local agency.

Existing law, the Bill of Rights for State Excluded Employees, permits, among other things, excluded employee organizations to represent their excluded members in their employment relations, including grievances, with the state. That law defines excluded employees as all managerial employees, confidential employees, supervisory employees, and specified employees of the Department of Personnel Administration, the Department of Finance, the Controller's office, the Legislative Counsel Bureau, the Bureau of State Audits, the Public Employment Relations Board, the Department of Industrial Relations, and the State Athletic Commission. This bill would enact the Excluded Employee Arbitration Act to permit an employee organization that represents an excluded employee who has filed certain grievances with the Department of Human Resources to request binding arbitration of the grievance if specified conditions are met. The bill would require the designation of a standing panel of arbitrators and, under specified circumstances, the provision of arbitrators from the California State Mediation and Conciliation Service within the Public Employment Relations Board. The bill would then require the arbitrator to be chosen in a specified manner and would prescribe the duties of that arbitrator. This bill would grant a party to the arbitration the right to have a certified shorthand reporter transcribe the proceeding and would deem the transcription the official record of the proceeding. The bill would require a nonprevailing party, other than an excluded employee, to bear the costs of arbitration and would prohibit passing the costs of arbitration on to the excluded employee. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2029.

This measure would declare October 2023 as Women's Small Business Month and encourage all citizens to recognize the economic importance of women's small business in California.

Existing law makes it a crime to possess for sale or purchase for purpose of sale, transport, import, sell, furnish, administer, give away, manufacture, compound, convert, produce, derive, process, or prepare various controlled substances, including, among others, fentanyl, peyote, and various other opiates and narcotics. This bill, Alexandra's Law, would require the court to advise a person who is convicted of, or who pleads guilty or no contest to, the above crimes, as specified, of the danger of selling or administering illicit drugs and counterfeit pills and that, if a person dies as a result of that action, the defendant can be charged with homicide. The bill would require the court to read the advisory statement in a case in which the defendant exchanged a controlled substance containing fentanyl or its analogs for anything else of value, as specified. The bill would require the advisory statement to be included in a plea form, if used, and specified on the record. The bill would require that the fact the advisory was given be recorded in the abstract of conviction and would prohibit the advisement from being used as evidence in the prosecution of a minor in juvenile court.

Existing law prohibits a local authority from enacting or enforcing an ordinance on matters covered by the Vehicle Code unless expressly authorized by the Vehicle Code. Existing law authorizes local authorities to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution regarding specified matters, including, among others, crossing guards, the operation of bicycles, the removal of illegally parked vehicles, and cruising, as defined. This bill would remove the authorization for a local authority to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or regulation regarding cruising. Existing law makes it unlawful to operate a passenger vehicle, or commercial vehicle under 6,000 pounds, that has been modified from its original design so that any portion of the vehicle, other than the wheels, has less clearance from the surface of a level roadway than the clearance between the roadway and the lowermost portion of any rim of any wheel in contact with the roadway. This bill would repeal that prohibition. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 21100 of the Vehicle Code proposed by AB 825 and SB 50 to be operative only if this bill and AB 825, this bill and SB 50, or this bill, AB 825, and SB 50 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of health facilities, including, but not limited to, long-term health care facilities, as defined, by the State Department of Health Care Services. A violation of the provisions relating to these facilities is a crime. Existing law requires a contract for admission to a long-term care facility to state that a resident shall not be involuntarily transferred within, or discharged from, a long-term health care facility unless the resident is given reasonable notice in writing, and transfer or discharge planning, as specified. Existing law requires the notice to state the reason for the transfer or discharge. Existing law requires the facility to immediately notify the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman if the discharge is involuntary. When a resident is notified in writing of a facility-initiated transfer or discharge from a long-term health care facility, existing law requires that the local long-term care ombudsman be sent a copy of the notice. This bill would require the facility to provide, within 48 hours of the written notice of a facility-initiated transfer or discharge, a copy of the resident's discharge needs and discharge plan. The bill would require the facility to provide a copy of the resident's discharge summary prior to the proposed transfer or discharge date. The bill would require the facility to provide these documents at no cost to the resident. If the resident requests a transfer or discharge appeal hearing, the bill would require both the resident and the facility to provide all documents and records to be used by the party at the hearing, as specified. Because a violation of these requirements by a long-term health care facility would be 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.