Sen. Angelique Ashby

Existing law authorizes a person who is a firefighter, retired firefighter, or a surviving family member of a firefighter or retired firefighter to apply for special license plates for their vehicle. The special license plates, which contain the words "California Firefighter" and run in a regular numerical series, are issued upon application to the Department of Motor Vehicles, presentation of proof of certain facts, and payment of certain fees, including $35 for a renewal of registration that includes the continued display of the special license plate. This bill would increase the fee to $40 for a renewal of registration that includes the continued display of the special license plate.

Existing law establishes the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge children to be dependents of the court under certain circumstances, including when the child suffered or there is a substantial risk that the child will suffer serious physical harm, or a parent fails to provide the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment. Existing law establishes the grounds for removal of a dependent child from the custody of the child's parents or guardian. Existing law requires the court, at the initial petition hearing, to examine the child's parents, guardians, Indian custodian, or other persons having relevant knowledge and hear the relevant evidence, and order the release of the child from custody unless a prima facie showing has been made that the child comes within the court's jurisdiction, the court finds that continuance in the parent's or guardian's home is contrary to the child's welfare, and any of a number of circumstances exist. Existing law requires the social worker to report to the court on the reasons why the child has been removed from the parent's, guardian's, or Indian custodian's physical custody, the need, if any, for continued detention, and the available services and the referral methods to those services that could facilitate the return of the child to the custody of the child's parents, among other things. This bill would require the social worker's report to also include information regarding the short-term and long-term harms to the child that may result from their removal, including the child's perspective on removal, the existing relationship between the child and members of the household, and the disruption to the child's schooling, social relationships, and physical or emotional health that may result from placement out of the home, and in the case of an Indian child, the child's connection to their tribe, extended family members, and tribal community. The bill would also require the social worker's report to include placement options, including an assessment of the least disruptive alternatives to returning the child to the custody of their parent, guardian, or Indian custodian, and other measures that may be taken to alleviate disruption and minimize the harms of removal. The bill would require the court to determine whether less disruptive alternatives to removal were considered, as specified. The bill would, if the court finds that removal is necessary, require the court to set forth, in a written order or on the record, the child's placement and the basis for its findings, whether the placement complies with specified placement preferences, and would require the court to include any orders necessary to alleviate any disruption or harm to the child resulting from removal. By imposing additional duties on counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 319 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 81 and AB 448 to be operative only if this bill and AB 81, this bill and AB 448, or all 3 bills are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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 authorizes the proponents of a statewide initiative or referendum measure to withdraw the measure after filing the initiative or referendum petition with the appropriate elections official at any time before the Secretary of State certifies that the measure has qualified for the ballot, as provided. Existing law requires, for the withdrawal of an initiative or referendum measure after the petition has been filed with the appropriate elections official, all of the proponents to file a written notice with the Secretary of State to withdraw the measure. This bill would instead require a majority of the proponents to file a written notice with the Secretary of State to withdraw the statewide initiative or referendum measure after the petition has been filed with the appropriate elections official. The bill would also authorize the proponents of a statewide initiative or referendum measure to file a notice of withdrawal with the Secretary of State that is contingent upon the enactment of a particular legislative measure, as specified. The bill would require the Secretary of State to deem a written notice of contingent withdrawal of a statewide initiative or referendum effective if the legislative measure identified in the notice is enacted and given a chapter number by the Secretary of State before the Secretary of State has certified that the statewide initiative or referendum measure has qualified for the ballot, as specified. If the legislative measure is not given a chapter number by the Secretary of State before the Secretary of State has certified that the statewide initiative or referendum measure has qualified for the ballot, as specified, or is amended after the notice of contingent withdrawal is filed, the withdrawal of the initiative or referendum measure would not be given effect.

Existing law governs the determination of child custody and visitation in contested proceedings. Existing law requires the court, for purposes of deciding custody or visitation, to determine the best interests of the child based on certain factors, including the health, safety, and welfare of the child, and the nature and amount of contact with both parents, except as specified. Existing law also requires the court to determine, under designated circumstances, whether to require that visitation to be supervised, suspended, limited, or denied. Under existing law, if the court finds that a party is staying in a domestic violence shelter or other confidential location, the court is required to design a visitation order to prevent disclosure of the location of the shelter or other confidential location. This bill, among other things, would require the court, in determining whether to require the above-described limitations on visitation, to consider virtual visitation, as defined. The bill would require a court, if it finds that a party is staying at one of the above-described locations due to domestic violence or fear of domestic violence from the other parent, to order in-person visitation only if the court finds that in-person visitation is in the best interest of the child and taking into consideration, among other things, the potential for disclosure of the confidential location. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to develop standards for supervised visitation providers in accordance with specified guidelines. When developing standards, existing law requires the Judicial Council to consider, among other things, the provider's qualifications, experience, and education. Under existing law, the term "provider" includes any individual who functions as a visitation monitor, as well as supervised visitation centers. This bill would authorize superior court locations to serve as supervised visitation and exchange locations, and would also authorize the court to designate employees and contractors to provide supervised visitation and exchange services or assistance with those services. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 3011 of the Family Code proposed by AB 957 to be operative only if this bill and AB 957 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to update every 5 years the plan for the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, and use of the water resources of the state, which is known as "The California Water Plan." Existing law requires the department to establish an advisory committee, composed of representatives of agricultural and urban water suppliers, local government, business, production agriculture, and environmental interests, and other interested parties, to assist the department in the updating of the California Water Plan. Existing law requires the department to include a discussion of various strategies in the plan update, including, but not limited to, strategies relating to the development of new water storage facilities, water conservation, water recycling, desalination, conjunctive use, water transfers, and alternative pricing policies that may be pursued in order to meet the future needs of the state. This bill would establish the California Water Supply Solutions Act of 2023 to require the department, as part of the 2028 update, and each subsequent update thereafter to the California Water Plan, to provide actionable recommendations to develop additional groundwater recharge opportunities that increase the recharge of the state's groundwater basins, as provided. The bill would require the department to consult with the State Water Resources Control Board, the 9 regional water quality control boards, and the advisory committee, which may be enlarged as provided, in carrying out these provisions. The bill would require the recommendations to identify immediate opportunities and potential long-term solutions to increase the state's groundwater supply, and include, among other things, best practices to advance all benefits of groundwater recharge, as specified.

Existing law, notwithstanding the requirement that each person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not otherwise exempted is subject to compulsory full-time education, requires a pupil to be excused from school for specified types of absences, including, among others, if the absence is for the purpose of attending the funeral services of a member of the pupil's immediate family, provided that the absence is not more than one day if the service is conducted in the state and not more than 3 days if the service is conducted outside the state. This bill would instead require a pupil to be excused from school for not more than 5 days for the purpose of attending the funeral service or grieving the death of the pupil's immediate family member, as provided. The bill would also include as another type of required excused absence an absence for not more than 3 days that is for the purpose of accessing victim or grief support services, as provided, or participating in safety planning as it relates to the death of the pupil's immediate family member, as specified. To the extent that this bill would impose additional duties on local educational entities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 48205 of the Education Code proposed by AB 1503 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1503 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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 the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law declares that it is in the interest of the people and of the state that there be a general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence through the establishment and operation of public libraries. Existing law authorizes the State Librarian to give advisory, consultive, and technical assistance with respect to public libraries to librarians and library authorities, and assist all other authorities, state and local, in assuming their full responsibility for library services. This bill would establish the Local Public Library Partnership Program, under the administration of the State Librarian, for purposes of ensuring that all pupils have access to a local public library by 3rd grade. The bill would require the State Librarian to offer resources to assist each local public library, as defined, to find student success card dispensing strategies that work best for their communities, coordinate with each local public library to determine the most effective means to ensure each pupil in each local educational agency, as defined, is issued a student success card by 3rd grade, and, ensure, on or before January 1, 2026, that partnerships between local public libraries and local educational agencies have been established to enable each pupil enrolled at a schoolsite of each local educational agency to be issued a student success card by 3rd grade, as provided. To the extent these provisions impose additional duties on public libraries and local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2029, and each year thereafter, the State Librarian to report to the Legislature on the Local Public Library Partnership Program, as provided. 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 the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law classifies controlled substances into 5 schedules and places the greatest restrictions and penalties on the use of those substances placed in Schedule I. Existing law classifies the drug fentanyl in Schedule II. Existing law prohibits a person from possessing for sale or purchasing for purposes of sale specified controlled substances, including fentanyl, and provides for imprisonment in a county jail for 2, 3, or 4 years for a violation of this provision. Existing law also imposes an additional term, and authorizes a trial court to impose a specified fine, upon a person who is convicted of a violation of, or of a conspiracy to violate, specified provisions of law with respect to a substance containing heroin, cocaine base, and cocaine, if the substance exceeds a specified weight. This bill would add fentanyl to the substances for which additional terms or fines can be imposed and would require a defendant who violates those laws with respect to a substance containing heroin, fentanyl, or cocaine, as specified, to know of the substance's nature or character as a controlled substance to be subjected to an additional term and authorized fine. By increasing the penalty for, and by changing the definition of, a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Existing law generally prohibits discrimination in the provision of privileges and services on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, and immigration status. Existing law provides a cause of action against any person who denies, aids or incites a denial, or makes any discrimination or distinction on the bases listed, as specified, and permits the recovery of attorney's fees. Existing law establishes the Civil Rights Department (department) and makes it responsible for, among other things, investigating and prosecuting complaints alleging a violation of these provisions. Existing law establishes the Civil Rights Enforcement and Litigation Fund (fund) , to be administered by the department. This fund consists of attorney's fees and costs awarded by a court to the department when the department is the prevailing party in a civil action brought under specified law. Existing law authorizes moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act, to be used to offset the costs of the department. This bill would, commencing on March 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, require a covered entity, defined as a venture capital company that meets specified criteria, to report to the department specified information about their funding determinations, including, at an aggregate level, specified demographic information for the founding teams of all of the businesses in which the covered entity made a venture capital investment in the prior calendar year to the extent the information was provided pursuant to a survey the bill would require a covered entity to provide to each founding team member of a business that has received funding from a venture capital company to which the covered entity has acted as an investment adviser, as specified. The bill would require this information to be collected and reported in a manner that does not associate the survey response data with an individual founding team member. The bill would require the department to charge and collect fees to administer these provisions, as specified. The bill would require the department to notify the covered entity that the covered entity must submit the report within 60 days of the notification. If the covered entity has not submitted the report after those 60 days have elapsed, the bill would authorize the department to commence prescribed proceedings seeking specified relief, including a penalty, as specified. The bill would require moneys collected pursuant to these provisions to be deposited in the fund, and would express the intent of the Legislature that these moneys be appropriated in the Budget Act to the department for administration of these provisions. The bill would define various terms for these purposes.

The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to permit private, nonprofit organizations to conduct raffles as a funding mechanism to support beneficial and charitable works, if, among other conditions, at least 90% of the gross receipts from the raffle go directly to beneficial or charitable purposes in California. The California Constitution further authorizes the Legislature to amend the percentage of gross receipts required to be dedicated to beneficial or charitable purposes by a statute passed by a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature. Existing statutory law implements those provisions and requires the Department of Justice to administer and enforce those provisions. Existing statutory law, until January 1, 2024, authorizes a major league sports raffle at a home game conducted by an eligible organization, as defined, for the purpose of directly supporting specified beneficial or charitable purposes in California, or financially supporting another private, nonprofit, eligible organization, as defined, that performs those purposes if, among other requirements, 50% of the gross receipts generated from the sale of raffle tickets are used to benefit or provide support for beneficial or charitable purposes, as defined, the other 50% is paid to the winner, and the winners of the prizes are determined by a manual draw, as specified. This bill would permanently extend the operation of those provisions beyond January 1, 2024. By extending the operation of provisions that revise the percentage of gross receipts required to go to beneficial or charitable purposes pursuant to the California Constitution, this bill would require a 23 vote of each house.