Existing law establishes various state water policies, including that the protection of the public interest in the development of the water resources of the state is of vital concern to the people of the state and that the state shall determine in what way the water of the state, both surface and underground, should be developed for the greatest public benefit. This bill would require the Department of Water Resources to develop a state water policy that gives priority to the formation of joint powers authorities that are formed to address critical surface water storage needs and to funding of the joint powers authorities' surface water projects. The bill would make findings and declarations of the Legislature, including, but not limited to, that, of the water storage projects available, the Temperance Flat Dam and Sites Reservoir will meet statewide goals and provide specified public benefits to the greatest extent.
Sponsored bills
The Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act generally regulates aboveground storage tanks that contain petroleum and that meet certain requirements. The act requires the owner or operator of an aboveground storage tank that meets certain specifications to prepare a spill prevention control and countermeasure plan and to implement the plan in compliance with specified federal law. The act defines an "aboveground storage tank" as a tank that has the capacity to store 55 gallons or more of petroleum and that is substantially or totally above the surface of the ground or a tank in an underground area, as defined, except for certain types of tanks and vessels. This bill would prohibit a city, county, or city and county from enforcing standards for aboveground storage tanks that are more stringent than state or federal standards for aboveground storage tanks unless the city, county, or city and county first adopts an ordinance establishing those standards.
The California Finance Lenders Law generally provides for the licensure and regulation of finance lenders and brokers by the Commissioner of Business Oversight, and makes a willful violation of its provisions a crime. The law authorizes a licensee to offer credit disability insurance under specified conditions and requires premiums to be made available on a monthly or annual premium basis. This bill would instead authorize credit disability insurance to be offered on a monthly, annual, or single premium basis. The bill would require, when a monthly premium is offered, the premium rate charged per month to not exceed a pro rata relationship to the annual or single premium.
Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to make specified findings before commencing the acquisition of real property for a new schoolsite in an area designated in a city, county, or city and county general plan for agricultural use and zoned for agricultural production, including a finding that the school district has notified and consulted with the city, county, or city and county within which the prospective schoolsite is to be located and that the school district will attempt to minimize any public health and safety issues resulting from the neighboring agricultural uses that may affect the pupils and employees at the schoolsite. This bill would require the school district to include within its findings that it has notified and consulted with the city, county, or city and county, including, but not limited to, the county agricultural commissioner. The bill would additionally require the school district to make a finding that the school district will attempt to minimize any land use incompatibilities that may arise when using a portion of land in an area zoned for agricultural production for a purpose other than agricultural use. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district, by a 23 vote of its members, to render a city or county zoning ordinance inapplicable to a proposed use of school district property, except if the proposed use is for nonclassroom facilities. This bill would additionally condition this authorization upon compliance with a notice requirement regarding a schoolsite on agricultural land, and would require the governing board to notify the city or county, in writing, of the reason the governing board intends to take that vote at least 30 days prior to the vote. The bill would also require that vote to be based upon written findings that a zoning ordinance fails to accommodate the need to renovate and expand an existing public school or locate a new public school within the city or county.
This measure would recognize May 2016 as Better Hearing and Speech Month.
This measure would proclaim the month of February 2016 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and would encourage all Californians to observe Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month with programs and activities that raise awareness about teen dating violence.
Existing law requires all voting to be by ballot and requires each polling place to provide, at each election at which public officers are to be voted for, but one form of ballot for all candidates for public office, except for partisan primary elections, as specified. Existing law specifies the order of precedence of offices on the ballot and authorizes a county elections official to vary the order for certain offices and measures submitted to the voters, in order to allow for the most efficient use of space on the ballot in counties that use a voting system, as defined. Existing law requires state measures to always precede local measures. This bill, for the November 8, 2016, statewide general election only, would authorize a county board of supervisors to direct the county elections official to place a local measure related to local transportation finance above state measures. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, prohibits a health care provider, a contractor, or a health care service plan from disclosing medical information, as defined, regarding a patient of the provider or an enrollee or subscriber of the health care service plan without first obtaining an authorization, except as specified. Existing law authorizes a provider of health care or a health care service plan to disclose medical information when, among other things, the information is disclosed to an insurer, employer, health care service plan, hospital service plan, employee benefit plan, governmental authority, contractor, or other person or entity responsible for paying for health care services rendered to the patient, to the extent necessary to allow responsibility for payment to be determined and payment to be made. This bill would additionally authorize the disclosure of information between a county correctional facility, a county medical facility, a state correctional facility, or a state hospital to ensure the continuity of health care of an inmate being transferred between those facilities. (2) Existing law provides for certain civil rights that are retained by prisoners, including, among others, to correspond, confidentially, with any member of the State Bar or holder of public office, provided that the prison authorities may open and inspect incoming mail to search for contraband. This bill would expressly state that those rights include, subject to the bill's provisions relating to the disclosure of medical information described above, all privacy rights legally applicable to inmates. (3) Existing law generally requires that an inmate released on parole or postrelease community supervision be returned to the county of last legal residence. Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to electronically transmit to specified county agencies an inmate's tuberculosis status, specific medical, mental health, and outpatient clinic needs, and any medical concerns or disabilities for the county to consider as the offender transitions onto postrelease community supervision for the purpose of identifying the medical and mental health needs of the individual. Existing law requires those transmissions to the county agencies to be in compliance with applicable provisions of federal law. This bill would delete the electronic transmission requirement described above and instead would require, when jurisdiction of an inmate is transferred from or between the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the State Department of State Hospitals, and county agencies caring for inmates, those agencies to disclose, by electronic transmission when possible, medical, dental, and mental health information regarding each transferred or released inmate, as provided by the bill's provisions. By imposing additional duties on county agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the sharing of an inmate's health information, as necessary for continuity of care, when an inmate is transferred between a state prison, a state hospital, a county correctional facility, or a facility providing mental health services to offenders. The bill would require all transmissions made pursuant to these provisions to comply with specified provisions of state and federal law, including, among others, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act. (4) 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.
Existing law establishes a system of state prisons. Existing law, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, sets forth the methods and procedures for a person to become a donor of an anatomical gift. This bill would authorize a prisoner in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to elect to make an anatomical gift on a form developed by the department, as specified. The bill would authorize the prisoner to make that election at the time of admittance into the state prison system, or at a later time at the prisoner's request. The bill would establish a procedure by which a prisoner may revoke that election.
(1) The existing Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, enacted as an initiative statute by Proposition 47, as approved by the electors at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, makes the theft of property that does not exceed $950 in value petty theft, and makes that crime punishable as a misdemeanor, with certain exceptions. The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to amend an initiative statute by another statute that becomes effective only when approved by the electors. This bill would amend that initiative statute by making the theft of a firearm grand theft in all cases and punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years. (2) Under existing law, a person who buys or receives property that has been stolen, knowing the property to be stolen, or who conceals, sells, withholds, or aids in concealing, selling, or withholding property from the owner, knowing the property to be stolen, is guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony, except that if the value of the property does not exceed $950, Proposition 47 makes the offense punishable as a misdemeanor if the defendant has not previously been convicted of one or more specified serious or violent felonies or of an offense requiring registration as a sex offender. This bill would amend that initiative statute by making the buying or receiving of a stolen firearm, with knowledge that the property was stolen, or the concealing, selling, withholding, or aiding in concealing, selling, or withholding of a firearm, with knowledge that the property was stolen, a misdemeanor or a felony. (3) This bill would call a special election to be consolidated with the November 8, 2016, statewide general election. This bill would require the Secretary of State to submit the provisions of the bill that amend the initiative statute to the electors for their approval at the November 8, 2016, consolidated election. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an act calling an election.