(1) In counties where the Secretary of State has determined that it is appropriate, existing law requires each precinct board to post, in a conspicuous location in the polling place, at least one facsimile copy of the ballot with the ballot measures and ballot instructions printed in Spanish. Existing law requires that facsimile ballots be printed in other languages and posted in the same manner if a significant and substantial need is found by the Secretary of State. This bill, the California Voting for All Act, would instead require the county elections official to post one facsimile copy of the ballot that is printed in Spanish or other applicable languages, as determined by the Secretary of State, and to provide at least one facsimile copy of the ballot for voters at the polling place to use as a reference when casting a private ballot. If the Secretary of State determines that the number of voting-age residents in a precinct who are members of a single language minority and who lack sufficient skills in English to vote without assistance exceeds 20% of the voting-age residents in that precinct, the bill would require the county elections official to post one facsimile copy of the ballot, as described above, and to provide at least 3 facsimile copies of the ballot for voters at the polling place to use as a reference when casting a private ballot. The bill would require, in polling places where facsimile copies of the ballot are necessary, precinct board members to be trained on the purpose and proper handling of facsimile copies of ballots. The bill would also provide that a county elections official is not required to provide facsimile copies of the ballot in a particular language if the county elections official is required to provide translated ballots in that language under other provisions of law, as specified. The bill would authorize a vote by mail voter to request that a facsimile copy of a ballot be sent by regular mail or electronic mail in the language of his or her preference, as specified. The bill would require a county elections official to prepare the requested facsimile copies no later than 10 days before election day and to process any requests for facsimile copies, as specified. By imposing new duties on county elections officials, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law, the California Voter's Choice Act, authorizes 14 specified counties, on or after January 1, 2018, and on or after January 1, 2020, any county except for the County of Los Angeles, to conduct any election as an all-mailed ballot election if certain conditions are satisfied. On or after January 1, 2020, the act authorizes the County of Los Angeles to conduct any election as a vote center election if certain conditions are satisfied, including conditions related to ballot dropoff locations and vote centers. This bill would apply certain requirements relating to the availability and accessibility of non-English facsimile ballots and the public posting of voter information to the County of Los Angeles if it conducts a vote center election pursuant to the California Voter's Choice Act. For an all-mailed ballot election or vote center election conducted pursuant to the California Voter's Choice Act, the bill would require a county elections official to determine if a voter has previously identified a preferred language other than English, and would also require a county elections official to provide a facsimile copy of the ballot in the voter's language preference, as specified, if the county is providing facsimile copies of the ballot in that language. (3) Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that non-English-speaking citizens, like all other citizens, should be encouraged to vote and that appropriate efforts should be made to minimize obstacles to non-English-speaking citizens voting without assistance. Existing law requires an elections official to make reasonable efforts to recruit election officials who are fluent in a non-English language and in English, if the official finds that non-English-speaking citizens approximate 3% or more of the voting-age residents of a precinct, or if interested citizens or organizations provide information that the elections official believes indicates a need for voting assistance for qualified non-English-speaking citizens. This bill would require county elections officials to report to the Secretary of State within 150 days following each statewide general election the number of individuals recruited to serve as members of precinct boards, including the number of those individuals recruited who are fluent in each language required to be represented at polling places. The bill would require, at each polling place, a precinct board member to identify the non-English languages spoken by him or her, other than English, by wearing a mechanism identifying the non-English languages spoken by that member. The bill would also make conforming changes to other provisions of law. (4) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 14200 of the Elections Code proposed by SB 286 to be operative only if this bill and SB 286 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (5) 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.
Sponsored bills
The Salton Sea Restoration Act requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, in consultation and coordination with the Salton Sea Authority, to lead Salton Sea restoration efforts. The act, to the extent that funding is appropriated to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for Salton Sea restoration activities, authorizes the Department of Water Resources, in coordination and under agreement with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, to undertake certain restoration efforts. This bill would specify that any barrier in the Salton Sea within or below a certain elevation would not be considered a dam and would provide that the construction of facilities to separate fresh water from highly saline water for the purposes of implementing restoration activities pursuant to the act shall not be subject to review, approval, inspection, or fees associated with certain laws relating to dams and reservoirs. The bill would state various legislative findings and declarations relating to the Salton Sea, would name the state's comprehensive management plan for the Salton Sea the "John J. Benoit Salton Sea Restoration Plan," and would recognize the State Water Resources Control Board's role in the restoration of the Salton Sea, as specified.
Under existing law, programs have been established pursuant to bond acts for, among other things, the development and enhancement of state and local parks and recreational facilities. Existing law, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, approved by the voters as Proposition 1 at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $7,545,000,000 to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. Existing law, the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, an initiative measure approved by the voters as Proposition 84 at the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $5,388,000,000 for the purposes of financing safe drinking water, water quality and supply, flood control, natural resource protection, and park improvements. Existing law, the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Act of 2002, approved by the voters as Proposition 40 at the March 5, 2002, statewide primary election, authorizes the issuance of bonds in the amount of $2,600,000,000, for the purpose of financing a program for the acquisition, development, restoration, protection, rehabilitation, stabilization, reconstruction, preservation, and interpretation of park, coastal, agricultural land, air, and historical resources. This bill would enact the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in an amount of $4,000,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a drought, water, parks, climate, coastal protection, and outdoor access for all program. The bill, upon voter approval, would reallocate $100,000,000 of the unissued bonds authorized for the purposes of Propositions 1, 40, and 84 to finance the purposes of a drought, water, parks, climate, coastal protection, and outdoor access for all program. The bill would provide for the submission of these provisions to the voters at the June 5, 2018, statewide primary direct election. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, until January 1, 2018, authorizes a county, city and county, or city to establish a capital investment incentive program, pursuant to which the county, city and county, or city is authorized to pay a capital investment incentive amount to the proponent of a qualified manufacturing facility for up to 15 consecutive years. This bill would extend that authorization to January 1, 2019.
The California Wildlife, Coastal, and Park Land Conservation Act, an initiative bond measure approved by the voters at the June 7, 1988, statewide primary election, provided bond funds for wildlife, coastal, and parkland conservation. The act establishes the California Wildlife, Coastal, and Park Land Conservation Fund of 1988 and requires money in the fund to be available for specified purposes, including for a grant to the County of San Diego to acquire natural lands in the Tijuana River Valley. The act may be amended by a 23 vote of the Legislature if the amendment is consistent with the purposes of the act. This bill would instead authorize the money granted to the County of San Diego to be available for the development, improvement, rehabilitation, protection, and restoration of natural and park lands in the Tijuana River Valley, for specified studies of the land, as provided, and for the development of a campground, as provided. By changing the purposes of an existing appropriation, this bill would create an appropriation. The bill would declare that this provision is an amendment to the act and is consistent with the act. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The existing federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude tribal-state gaming compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature. Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts, and amendments of tribal-state gaming compacts, between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would ratify the tribal-state gaming compact entered into between the State of California and the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, executed on August 31, 2017. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions related to that amended compact are not projects for purposes of CEQA. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission and authorizes the commission to exercise ratemaking and rulemaking authority over all public utilities, as defined, subject to control by the Legislature. Existing law requires the commission to report various information to the Legislature. This bill would move certain of the commission's reporting requirements within the Public Utilities Act to an article pertaining to reports by the commission to the Legislature and make other conforming changes. (2) Existing law requires the commission to submit to the Legislature by January 1, 1993, and on each January 1 thereafter, a detailed budget for expenditure of railroad corporation fees for the ensuing budget year. This bill would move that provision to the article within the Public Utilities Act pertaining to reports by the commission to the Legislature. (3) Existing law requires the commission to report annually on its efforts to identify ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs that are similar to programs administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the State Air Resources Board, and the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority. This bill would instead require the commission to, on or before December 31, 2018, and biennially thereafter, as part of a specified report, identify and report to the Legislature on electrical and gas corporation ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs that are similar to programs administered by those state agencies. (4) The Public Utilities Act requires the commission to determine whether a proceeding requires a hearing and, if so, to determine whether the matter requires a quasi-legislative, adjudication, or ratesetting hearing. Existing law regulates communications in matters before the commission and defines an "ex parte communication" as any oral or written communication between a decisionmaker and an interested person concerning any matter before the commission that the commission has not specified as being a procedural matter and that does not occur in a public hearing, workshop, or other public proceeding, or on the official record of the proceeding on the matter. The act provides that ex parte communications are prohibited in adjudication cases, and that ex parte communications are subject to specified disclosure requirements in ratesetting cases. The act provides that ex parte communications in quasi-legislative cases are permitted and not subject to those specified disclosure requirements, except when the commission determines otherwise. This bill would revise various laws relating to ex parte communications in regard to commission proceedings. (5) Under existing law, when the coordinator for California area code relief determines the need to establish a new area code, he or she is required to provide written notice to the commission regarding the need to establish the new area code. Existing law requires the coordinator and commission staff to conduct at least one meeting for representatives of local jurisdictions, and at least 3 public meetings in the affected geographical area, for specified purposes relating to transitioning phone service to a new area code. This bill would require the coordinator and commission staff to notify representatives of local jurisdictions and the public in affected areas, and instead of requiring them would authorize them, at the discretion of the commission, to conduct one or more meetings both for representatives of local jurisdictions and for members of the public in affected geographic areas for those same purposes. (6) This bill would repeal obsolete auditing, reporting, and other similar requirements on the commission. (7) Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because some of the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by expanding the application of a crime. 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.
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. Existing law 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 Building Homes and Jobs Act. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to the need to establish permanent, ongoing sources of funding dedicated to affordable housing development. The bill would impose a fee, except as provided, of $75 to be paid at the time of the recording of every real estate instrument, paper, or notice required or permitted by law to be recorded, per each single transaction per single parcel of real property, not to exceed $225. By imposing new duties on counties with respect to the imposition of the recording fee, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The bill would require that a county recorder quarterly send revenues from this fee, after deduction of any actual and necessary administrative costs incurred by the county recorder, to the Controller for deposit in the Building Homes and Jobs Fund, which the bill would create within the State Treasury. The bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, except as provided, require (1) for moneys collected on and after January 1, 2018, and until December 31, 2018, that 50% of the moneys deposited in the fund be made available to local governments for specified purposes, and 50% made available to the Department of Housing and Community Development to assist persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and (2) for moneys collected on and after January 1, 2019, that 70% of the moneys deposited in the fund be provided to local governments in accordance with a specified formula and 30% made available to the department for specified purposes, including a continuous appropriation of moneys to the California Housing Finance Agency for the purpose of creating mixed income multifamily residential housing for lower to moderate income households, as provided. The bill would also provide that funds allocated to a local government that does not have a documented plan to expend certain moneys allocated to it within 5 years would revert and be deposited in the Housing Rehabilitation Loan Fund, to be used for specified purposes. By continuously appropriating moneys for use by the California Housing Finance Agency, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require that 20% of all moneys in the fund be expended for affordable owner-occupied workforce housing, and that moneys in the fund allocated to local governments be expended to support affordable housing, home ownership opportunities, and other housing-related programs, as specified. The bill would impose certain auditing and reporting requirements. 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 bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, and can establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements of due process. Existing law requires the commission to designate a baseline quantity of electricity and gas necessary for a significant portion of the reasonable energy needs of the average residential customer, and to establish a higher energy allowance above the baseline for residential customers dependent on life-support equipment. Existing law requires certain notice be given before an electrical or gas corporation may terminate residential service for nonpayment of a delinquent account and prohibits termination of service for nonpayment in certain circumstances. This bill would require the commission to develop policies, rules, or regulations with a goal of reducing, by January 1, 2024, the statewide level of gas and electric service disconnections for nonpayment by residential customers, as specified. The bill would require the commission in each gas and electrical corporation general rate case to, among other things, conduct an assessment of and properly identify the impact of any proposed increase in rates on disconnections for nonpayment. The bill would require the commission to include in an annual report to the Legislature information on residential and household gas and electric service disconnections, disaggregated by certain customer categories. This bill would require the commission to adopt residential utility disconnections for nonpayment as a metric and incorporate the metric into each gas and electrical corporation general rate case. The bill would prohibit a gas or electrical corporation from disconnecting service for nonpayment by a residential customer dependent on life-support equipment who is unable to pay for service, who is willing to enter into an amortization agreement, as provided, and who satisfies certain other conditions. The bill would authorize the commission to identify strategies for reasonable cost recovery by a gas or electrical corporation for costs incurred in providing gas or electric service to customers whom the gas or electrical corporation was unable to disconnect due to compliance with that prohibition. Under existing law, a violation of any provision of the Public Utilities Act or of any of the rules or orders issued under the act is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill are within the act and require action by the commission to implement its requirements, a violation of these provisions would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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 urge Congress to prevail upon the Department of Defense to realign its criteria for the safe harbor provision in order to avoid the requirement of a social security number.