Existing law authorizes the boards of supervisors of specified counties to provide, by ordinance, that the public administrator be appointed by the board. Existing law also authorizes the boards of supervisors of specified counties, by ordinance, to appoint the same person to the offices of public administrator and public guardian, and to, at any time, separate the consolidated offices of district attorney and public administrator, as specified. This bill would authorize Contra Costa County to, by ordinance, appoint the public administrator to the board, appoint the same person to the offices of public administrator and public guardian, and separate the consolidated offices of district attorney and public administrator. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for Contra Costa County.
Sponsored bills
Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacts various health care coverage market reforms that take effect with respect to plan years on or after January 1, 2014. Among other things, PPACA requires each health insurance issuer that offers health insurance coverage in the individual or group market in a state to accept every employer and individual in the state that applies for that coverage and to renew that coverage at the option of the plan sponsor or the individual. PPACA prohibits a group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage from imposing any preexisting condition exclusion with respect to that plan or coverage. PPACA allows the premium rate charged by a health insurance issuer offering small group or individual coverage to vary only by rating area, age, tobacco use, and whether the coverage is for an individual or family and prohibits discrimination against individuals based on health status. PPACA requires a health insurance issuer that offers coverage in the small group or individual market to ensure that the coverage includes the essential health benefits package, as defined. However, guidance issued under PPACA grants transitional relief to health insurance coverage in the individual or small group market for policies in effect on October 1, 2013, that are renewed for a policy year starting between January 1, 2014, and October 1, 2016, and exempts that coverage from certain PPACA reforms, as specified. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox-Keene Act) , provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law implements the PPACA reforms described above under the Knox-Keene Act and the laws governing health insurance. This bill would allow a small employer health care service plan contract or a small employer health insurance policy that was in effect on December 31, 2013, that is still in effect as of the effective date of this act, and that does not qualify as a grandfathered health plan under PPACA, to be renewed until January 1, 2015, and to continue to be in force until December 31, 2015. The bill would exempt those health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies from various provisions of state law that implement the PPACA reforms described above and would require that the contracts and policies be amended to comply with those provisions by January 1, 2016, in order to remain in force on and after that date. The bill would require that these provisions be implemented only to the extent permitted by PPACA. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to stabilize the federal Highway Trust Fund by developing a long-term plan to promote adequate federal Highway Trust Fund revenues, as specified.
This measure would recognize the month of May 2014, as Geothermal Awareness Month and May 5, 2014, as Geothermal Awareness Day.
Under existing law, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, stimulation, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. The State Oil and Gas Supervisor, or supervisor, supervises the drilling, operation, maintenance, stimulation, and abandonment of wells and the operation, maintenance, and removal or abandonment of tanks and facilities related to oil and gas production within an oil and gas field regarding safety and environmental damage. Existing law requires an operator, prior to performing a well stimulating treatment, as defined, on a well, to obtain approval from the supervisor or district deputy. Under existing law, a person who violates any prohibition specific to the regulation of oil or gas operations is guilty of a misdemeanor. Existing law requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, on or before January 1, 2015, to cause to be conducted, and completed, an independent scientific study on well stimulation treatments, including acid well stimulation and hydraulic fracturing treatments. Existing law requires the division to finalize and implement regulations regulating well stimulation treatments by January 1, 2015. This bill would revise the definition of "well stimulation treatment." The bill would require the scientific study to be conducted and completed no later than June 30, 2016, and to consider additional elements, including, among other things, evaluating various potential direct, indirect, and cumulative health and environmental effects of onshore and offshore well stimulation and well stimulation treatment-related activities, as specified. The bill would also prohibit all well stimulation treatments until (1) the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency convenes a committee to review the scientific study, as specified, (2) the Governor issues a determination that specific measures are in place to ensure that well stimulation treatments do not create adverse impacts to public and environmental health or, if the well stimulation treatments result in adverse impacts to public and environmental health, the impacts are identified and sufficiently mitigated to avoid significant adverse impacts to public and environmental health at the local, regional, or statewide level, and (3) the division prepares an environmental impact report, as provided. Because a violation of the bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the division to finalize the regulations regulating well stimulation treatments by June 30, 2015. 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, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, makes it unlawful to manufacture, sell, deliver, hold, or offer for sale, any food that is misbranded. Food is misbranded if its labeling does not conform to specified state and federal labeling requirements regarding nutrition, nutrient content or health claims, and food allergens. Violation of this law is a misdemeanor. This bill, beginning January 1, 2016, would require that any food, except as provided, offered for retail sale in the state be considered misbranded if it is entirely or partially genetically engineered, as defined, and that fact is not disclosed in a specified manner. The bill would prescribe labeling requirements for a raw agricultural commodity that is genetically engineered and packaged foods, as defined, containing some products of genetic engineering. The bill would impose these labeling requirements on manufacturers and retailers, as defined, of the commodities and foods. Because this bill would create new crimes by expanding the number of foods that could potentially be misbranded, it 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 proclaim the Legislature's support for the extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program and would memorialize the United States Congress to promptly renew the extension of unemployment benefits.
This measure would recognize the week of March 23, 2014, to March 29, 2014, inclusive, as National Agriculture Week, and would designate March 19, 2014, as California Agriculture Day.
Existing law identifies the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a "toll bridge" and provides that the bridge and the approaches to it are a primary state highway. Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to permanently maintain and operate the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a primary state highway in such a manner that the physical condition and operating efficiency thereof are of the highest character. Existing law establishes the Bay Area Toll Authority and assigns to it responsibility for the administration of all toll revenues from state-owned toll bridges. Existing law provides that the power or duty of the authority to fix the rates of toll for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge or the power and duty of the department to collect the tolls so fixed by the authority for the use of the bridge are not affected by any law providing that state highways are to be free highways. This bill would establish the East Span, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Safety Review Task Force in state government and require the Legislative Analyst to provide administrative support for the task force as necessary for the completion of its duties. The task force would consist of 7 members designated by the Legislative Analyst. The members of the task force would be deemed officers of the state, serve a term of one year, and receive compensation, as specified, and reimbursement for reasonable expenses. The bill would appropriate $149,000 from the State Highway Account in the State Transportation Fund to the Legislative Analyst for purposes of paying for the compensation and expense reimbursement of the task force members. The bill would require the Bay Area Toll Authority to reimburse the State Highway Account for all funds expended for purposes of the task force. The task force would be required to assess the anticipated seismic structural performance of the East Span, as defined, of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge by conducting a series of specified reviews. The task force would be required to submit a final written report to the Legislature and the Governor that includes the results of its assessment, as specified. This bill would provide that the task force is subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. This bill would provide that the records of the task force are subject to disclosure in accordance with the California Public Records Act. This bill would make these provisions, except for the provisions regarding the defense and indemnity of task force members described below, inoperative on July 1, 2014, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2015. This bill would require the Department of Transportation to defend and indemnify a member of the task force pursuant to specified provisions of the Government Claims Act in the event that the member invokes the protections provided in those provisions. The bill would require the Bay Area Toll Authority to reimburse the department for costs and judgments incurred pursuant to this requirement. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.