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.
Under the California Constitution, the Legislature by rollcall vote entered in the journal, two-thirds of the membership of each house concurring, may submit at a general election the question whether to call a convention to revise the Constitution. If the majority vote yes on that question, within 6 months the Legislature is required to provide for the convention. This measure would propose that the people of the State of California vote at the next statewide general election on the question of whether to call a convention to revise the California Constitution.
Existing law requires an operator of a store, as defined, to establish an at-store recycling program that provides to customers the opportunity to return clean plastic carryout bags to that store. Under existing law, the California Integrated Waste Management Board administers laws related to waste management. Existing law requires that the manufacturer of plastic carryout bags develop educational materials to encourage the reducing, reusing, and recycling of plastic bags and make those materials available to stores required to comply with the program. This bill would require that in developing the educational materials for use on and after July 1, 2011, the manufacturer consult with specified entities. The bill would authorize the board to modify and require the board to approve those educational materials by January 1, 2012. The bill would also set minimum requirements for information to be included in the educational materials, including, but not limited to, information regarding the requirements for compliance with the program, an Internet Web site with a training program for store personnel and customers on implementing the program, and materials and resources for stores for education of consumers at point of sale.
This measure would state the Legislature's support for maximizing the creation of American jobs and the restoration of economic growth and opportunity by spending economic recovery funds on goods and services that create American jobs. The measure would also state the Legislature's encouragement of all state entities to purchase goods and services produced in the United States with any economic recovery funds provided to the state.
Existing law provides for the safety of the public, as specified. This bill would require the Legislature and the Governor to develop a Master Plan for California Public Safety that has the objective of making the public safer and that considers actions that may impact positively on public safety. The bill would require the Milton Marks "Little Hoover" Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, by March 31, 2011, to identify and compile relevant public safety reports and make recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor for purposes of developing the master plan.
Existing law, subject to exceptions, provides that any person who reasonably believes that he or she has observed the commission of a murder, rape, or lewd and lascivious act committed by use of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the victim or another person, where the victim of any of these crimes is under 14 years of age, shall notify a peace officer. Violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,500 or incarceration not exceeding 6 months in a county jail, or both the fine and incarceration. This bill would expand those provisions to apply when the victim of the offense observed is under 18 years of age, and would specify that this obligation to report crimes to a peace officer applies to sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration, as specified, where those crimes are accomplished by use of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the victim or another person, and rape in concert. The bill would provide additional exceptions to the reporting requirement for domestic partners, for children under 12 years of age, and for victims of the offenses that are subject to reporting. The bill would provide that a violation of these reporting obligations may also be punished as an infraction by a fine of $250. By expanding the scope of an existing 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 urge the United States Congress and the President of the United States to include career technical education coursework and programs in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
(1) The California Constitution requires each house of the Legislature to pass a bill appropriating moneys from the General Fund, except appropriations for the public schools, by a 23 vote. The California Constitution generally limits the amount of total amount appropriations of the state for a year to the total amount of appropriations for the prior year after adjusted for the change in the cost of living and population. The California Constitution requires that a change in state taxes for purposes of increasing revenue either by increasing the rate of the state tax or a change in the method of computation of the state tax be passed by a 23 vote. This measure would provide that if the total amount of General Fund appropriations in a Budget Bill, as defined, for the fiscal year, when combined with all appropriations from the General Fund for that fiscal year made by statutes enacted as of the date of the Budget Bill's passage, does not exceed the lesser of the appropriation limit for that fiscal year or 105% of General Fund appropriations made by statutes enacted as of that date for the immediately preceding fiscal year, the Budget Bill is exempt from the 23-vote requirement that otherwise applies to General Fund appropriations. This measure would also exempt, from the 23-vote requirement that applies to certain changes in state taxes, a change in a state tax for the purpose of generating General Fund revenue contained in a bill identified in the Budget Bill as necessary to implement the Budget Bill, if the Budget Bill qualifies to be exempted from the 23-vote provisions and the change in state tax, when combined with all other changes in state taxes contained in budget implementation bills for that Budget Bill, does not exceed the difference between the total amount of General Fund appropriations made in the Budget Bill, when combined with all appropriations from the statutes enacted as of the date of the Budget Bill's passage, and the maximum General Fund appropriation amount discussed above. (2) The California Constitution provides that a statute takes effect immediately upon enactment if the statute calls for an election, provides for a tax levy, makes an appropriation for the usual and current expenses of the state, or is an urgency statute. The California Constitution exempts these statutes from the power of referendum, which is the power of the electors to approve or reject statutes or parts of statutes. This measure would add, to those statutes that take effect immediately and are exempt from referendum, statutes enacting the Budget Bill and statutes enacting bills identified in the Budget Bill as necessary to implement the Budget Bill.
