Sen. Juan Vargas

Existing law permits the county central committee of each qualified political party to supply county elections officials with party contribution envelopes or letters, as specified, to be included with the mailing of the sample ballot to each of the registered voters who disclosed preference for that same political party on the voter's affidavit of registration. This bill would repeal these provisions.

Existing law requires the California State University and each community college district, and requests the University of California, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, to grant priority for registration for enrollment to any member or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States, as defined, for any academic term attended at one of these institutions within 2 years of leaving active duty. This bill, until January 1, 2017, would require the California State University and each community college district, and requests the University of California, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, to grant priority for registration for enrollment to foster youth or former foster youth, as defined. By revising requirements relating to student eligibility for priority registration at community college districts, 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, 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 these statutory provisions.

(1) 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 (EIR) 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 exempt from the requirements of CEQA the installation of a solar energy system, including associated equipment, on the roof of an existing building or an existing parking lot meeting specified conditions. Because a lead agency would be required to determine whether a project would be exempt under this provision, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) CEQA requires a lead agency to call a scoping meeting for a project of statewide, regional, or areawide significance, and requires the lead agency to provide notice of at least one of those scoping meetings to specified entities, including a county or city that borders on a county or city within which the project is located, unless otherwise designated annually by agreement between the lead agency and county or city. Existing law requires, prior to action by a legislative body to adopt or substantially amend a general plan, the planning agency to refer the proposed action to a city or county within or abutting the area covered by the proposal. This bill would authorize this referral of a proposed action to adopt or substantially amend a general plan of a city or county to be conducted concurrently with the scoping meeting. The city or county would be authorized to submit specified comments at the scoping meeting. (3) CEQA authorizes the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt guidelines to include a list of classes of projects that have been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment and are exempted from the requirements of CEQA (categorical exemption) . This bill would provide that a project's greenhouse gas emissions are not, in and of themselves, deemed to cause the exemption to be inapplicable under specified conditions. This bill would require the Office of Planning and Research, on or before July 1, 2012, to prepare, develop, and transmit to the Natural Resources Agency, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, on or before January 1, 2013, to certify and adopt guidelines for statewide standards for infill projects that would promote specified goals and priorities. (4) CEQA limits its application, in the case of the approval of a subdivision map or a project that is consistent with the zoning or community plan for which an EIR was certified, to effects upon the environment that are peculiar to the parcel on which the project is located and were not addressed as significant effects in the EIR or if new information shows the effects upon the environment will be more significant than described in the prior EIR. This bill would similarly limit the application of CEQA in the case of the approval of an infill project, as defined, that satisfies all applicable statewide standards established in the guidelines under (3) above if an EIR was certified for a planning level decision, as defined. Because this bill would require a lead agency to determine whether a project qualifies under this provision, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) Existing law authorizes a county and a city to agree upon a procedure for referral to, and comment by, the city or county concerning the other entity's proposals to adopt or amend all or part of a general or specific plan or zoning ordinance, as specified. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this authorization. (6) Existing law vests the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission with the exclusive power to certify thermal powerplants. Under CEQA, the thermal powerplants certification process is a certified regulatory program and is therefore exempt from certain requirements under CEQA. The bill would provide that the thermal powerplants certification process would be applicable to owners of specified proposed solar thermal powerplants who are proposing to convert the facility from solar thermal technology to photovoltaic technology. (7) 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.

(1) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of mortgage loan originators, as defined, by the Commissioner of Corporations under the California Finance Lenders Law and the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. Existing law requires a real estate license endorsement by the Real Estate Commissioner under the Real Estate Law for a real estate licensee to engage in the business of a mortgage loan originator. Existing law prohibits the issuance of a mortgage loan originator license or a license endorsement to act as a mortgage loan originator if the applicant for a license or license endorsement has been convicted of, or pled guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony during the 7-year period preceding the date of the application for licensing or at any time preceding the date of application if the felony involved an act of fraud, dishonesty, a breach of trust, or money laundering. This bill would provide that an expunged or pardoned felony conviction does not require denial of a license or license endorsement but would authorize the consideration of the underlying crime, facts, or circumstances of the expunged or pardoned felony conviction when determining whether to issue a license or license endorsement, as specified. (2) Existing law exempts from the provisions of the California Finance Lenders Law specified persons and entities, including any person doing business under any law of any state or of the United States relating to banks, trust companies, savings and loan associations, and insurance premium finance agencies. A willful violation of the California Finance Lenders Law is a crime. This bill would authorize a person exempt from the provisions of the California Finance Lenders Law to apply to the Commissioner of Corporations for an exempt company registration for the purpose of sponsoring one or more individuals required to be licensed as mortgage loan originators under the federal Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (SAFE Act) if specified requirements are met, including that the mortgage loan originator is covered under an exclusive written contract with, and originates mortgage loans solely on behalf of, the exempt person. The bill would require an exempt person to comply with all rules and orders that the commissioner deems necessary to ensure compliance with the federal SAFE Act and would require an exempt person to pay an annual registration fee established by the commissioner. The bill would authorize a licensed mortgage loan originator who is an insurance producer to originate loans on behalf of an exempt person or on behalf of a licensed finance lender that originates loans for an exempt person, as specified. Because a willful violation of these requirements under the California Finance Lenders Law would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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 requires specified people, known as mandated reporters, to report cases of elder or dependent adult abuse, as defined. Existing law requires mandated reporters, after reporting the abuse by telephone, to send written reports to specified entities containing prescribed information. This bill would authorize the required reports to be submitted through a confidential Internet reporting tool, if the county or long-term care ombudsman implements such a system, and would require a county or long-term care ombudsman program that chooses to implement this system to report specified information to specified policy committees of the Legislature one year after full implementation. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 15630.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, proposed by SB 33, to be operative only if SB 33 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2012, and this bill is chaptered last.

This measure would urge the United States government to consider the California jobs and economic stimulus provided by the California floriculture industry when advancing free trade agreements, specifically with Colombia.

Existing law regulates the sale and redemption of pledged property by pawnbrokers. Existing law authorizes a pawnbroker to charge or receive compensation at a rate not exceeding specified amounts based upon the unpaid principal balance of the loan, but at least $3 per month. Existing law also sets forth a schedule of charges applicable to these loans and authorizes a pawnbroker to impose a charge of $1 on any loan for not more than 30 days which does not exceed $14.99. Existing law requires loans made by pawnbrokers to be evidenced by a written contract. Existing law requires a loan to which an original loan debt is applied to be processed as a new loan. A knowing violation of the provisions regulating pawnbrokers is a crime. This bill would define the term "month" for purposes of these provisions to mean a period of time consisting of 30 consecutive calendar days and would make various conforming changes. The bill would prohibit a pawnbroker from charging or receiving compensation at a rate exceeding 2.5% per month on the unpaid principal balance of any loan and would specify that a pawnbroker may charge or receive compensation in an amount of $3 per month if those other charges or compensation based upon the unpaid principal balance of a loan would be less. The bill would authorize a pawnbroker to impose a charge of $1 on any loan for not more than 3 months which does not exceed $14.99. The bill would make other clarifying changes to these provisions. Because a knowing violation of these provisions by a pawnbroker would be 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.

This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 8 in Imperial County as the Deputy Probation Officer Irene Rios Memorial Highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing the designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

This measure would call upon the Secretary of the United States Department of Energy to reject Sempra Energy's application to construct the Energía Sierra Juárez cross-border transmission line between Mexico and California in order to preserve jobs in California, promote energy independence, and uphold California's labor and environmental laws.

This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 8 in the City of El Centro as the Caltrans Highway Maintenance Leadworker Jaime Obeso Memorial Highway and would designate the Sunbeam Rest Area in Jaime Obeso's honor. The bill would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 99, north of the City of Chico, as the Caltrans Leadworker Gary Wayne Smith Memorial Highway, and would designate a specified interchange between State Highway Route 5 and State Highway Route 905 in the County of San Diego as the Caltrans Equipment Operator II Richard Gonzalez Memorial Interchange. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of each of the appropriate signs showing these special designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering the cost of a sign designation, to erect a sign.