Sen. Juan Vargas

This measure would declare June 2011 as Scleroderma Awareness Month.

This measure would declare June 26, 2011, a Day in Support of Victims of Torture in California, and would urge the Office of Refugee Resettlement to direct torture treatment funding through the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 so as to reflect California's role as the nation's largest resettlement destination for torture survivors.

The California Constitution conditions the imposition of a special tax by a city, county, or special district upon the approval of 23 of the voters of the city, county, or special district voting on that tax, and prohibits these entities from imposing an ad valorem tax on real property or a transactions or sales tax on the sale of real property. This measure would alternatively condition the imposition, extension, or increase of a parcel tax, as defined, by a school district, community college district, or county office of education upon the approval of 55% of its voters voting on the proposition, if the proposition meets specified requirements. This measure would also make conforming changes to related provisions.

This measure would recognize that the California Prayer Breakfast is commemorating and celebrating its 50th year of existence at the State Capitol in 2011 with the California Prayer Breakfast being held on May 19, 2011, at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel.

This measure would designate April 2011 as California Autism Awareness Month, would affirm the Legislature's commitment to the important issues related to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) , would emphasize that each and every individual with an ASD is a valued and important member of our society, would recognize and commend the parents and relatives of individuals with ASDs for their sacrifice and dedication in providing for the special needs of individuals with ASDs, would recognize and commend the work of all nonprofit organizations that are contributing to the well-being of individuals with autism and their families, would stress the need to identify children with ASD and begin early intervention services immediately after a childhood diagnosis, and would stress the need for these intervention services, as well as supports, for individuals with ASDs and their families in an integrated, seamless, comprehensive, and competent manner that is delivered across the child's lifespan.

This measure would designate every Sunday as Cooking With Kids Day and would memorialize Congress and the President of the United States to act likewise and adopt a resolution to encourage families across the country to pledge to cook healthy meals with their kids at least once a week and to adopt policies to help improve access to affordable and healthy foods and beverages.

This measure would declare May 2011 and each May thereafter as "Senior Volunteer Month" to honor the contributions of California's senior volunteers.

Existing law requires the county elections official to perform specified duties pertaining to elections. However, in specified counties, the board of supervisors is authorized to appoint a registrar of voters to discharge all duties vested by law in the county elections official which relate to, and are part of, the election procedure. This bill would extend this appointment authority to Imperial County. This bill would make a legislative finding and declaration as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Imperial. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would designate Monday, May 2, 2011, as California Peace Officers' Memorial Day and would urge all Californians to use that day to honor California peace officers.

(1) Existing law establishes the partnership academies program as a school-business partnership program to provide occupational training to educationally disadvantaged high school pupils. Under existing law, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is required to award grants to school districts maintaining high schools to plan, establish, and maintain these partnership academies. Existing law establishes the Renewable Resource Trust Fund as a fund that is continuously appropriated, with certain exceptions for administrative expenses, in the State Treasury, requires that certain moneys collected to support renewable energy resources through the public goods charge, as defined, are deposited into the fund, and authorizes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to expend the moneys pursuant to the renewable energy resources program. This bill would require the Controller annually to allocate $8,000,000 from the Renewable Resource Trust Fund or other related fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for expenditure in the form of grants to school districts to be allocated pursuant to the existing provisions for creating and maintaining partnership academies. If funds from the Renewable Resource Trust Fund are insufficient to fully meet that funding requirement in specified fiscal years, the bill would require the Controller to allocate the balance of funds required to meet the funding requirement from the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund for these purposes. The bill would require the Superintendent to award grants, as specified, to school districts that propose to implement or maintain a partnership academy that focuses on employment in clean technology businesses and renewable energy businesses and provides skilled workforces for the products and services for energy or water conservation, or both, renewable energy, pollution reduction, or other technologies. The bill would require the Energy Commission, no later than 60 days after the effective date of these provisions, in consultation with the Superintendent, to adopt guidelines to ensure that programs receiving grants reflect current state energy policies and priorities as well as provide skills and education linked to the needs of relevant industries. The bill would authorize a school district to apply for planning grants for implementing a partnership academy and would allow the Superintendent to expend up to 5% of the funds transferred to the Superintendent to pay the costs incurred in the administration of this program. The bill would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the Energy Commission, to provide a report to the Legislature that includes a description of the curriculum and substance of the programs funded by grants awarded pursuant to these provisions, and specified data. The bill would provide that the bill's provisions would become inoperative on June 30, 2017, and, as of January 1, 2018, would repeal these provisions. (2) The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. Governor Schwarzenegger issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 6, 2010. Governor Brown issued a proclamation on January 20, 2011, declaring and reaffirming that a fiscal emergency exists and stating that his proclamation supersedes the earlier proclamation for purposes of that constitutional provision. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared and reaffirmed by the Governor by proclamation issued on January 20, 2011, pursuant to the California Constitution.