This measure would call on the United States Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011, Senate Bill No. 1925, authored by Senators Leahy and Crapo, and ensure the sustainability of vital programs designed to keep women and families safe from violence and abuse.
This measure would proclaim January 13, 2011, as Korean-American Day.
This measure would request that the Congress and the President of the United States enact the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011 (H.R. 210) .
This measure would declare February 19, 2012, as a Day of Remembrance in order to increase public awareness of the events surrounding the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
This measure would recognize May 2012 as Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month.
(1) The California Whistleblower Protection Act establishes procedures under which a state employee may report improper governmental activities or make a protected disclosure to the State Auditor and prohibits retaliation or reprisal against a state employee for these acts. The act requires the State Auditor to investigate and report on improper governmental activities, as defined. The act requires the State Auditor to keep confidential every investigation, except that the State Auditor may release any findings or evidence supporting any findings resulting from an investigation and issue a public report of an investigation that has substantiated an improper governmental activity. The act requires the report to keep confidential the identity of the employee or employees involved. This bill would instead require the State Auditor to release any findings resulting from an investigation conducted pursuant to this act that have been substantiated, information regarding any action taken by any agency or authority to which the results of the investigation have been reported, and any reports on corrective action from the involved agency, as specified. The bill would require the name and title of the person found responsible for improper governmental activity and any discipline imposed by the involved agency or other authority, as specified, to be disclosed. (2) Existing law authorizes a city, county, or city and county auditor or controller to maintain a whistleblower hotline to receive calls from persons who have information regarding fraud, waste, or abuse by local government employees. Existing law requires any investigation conducted pursuant to this authorization to be kept confidential, except to issue any report of an investigation that has been substantiated or release any findings resulting from a completed investigation, as specified. This bill would instead require any investigative audit to be kept confidential, except to release any findings resulting from an investigative audit conducted pursuant to this authorization that have been substantiated and any corrective actions recommended to prevent the continuation or recurrence of the activity, as specified. The bill would require the name and title of the person found responsible for improper governmental activity, any discipline or any other penalty imposed by the employer agency or other authority, and any corrective action taken to prevent the continuation or recurrence of the activity, as specified, to be disclosed. (3) The California State University Investigation of Reported Improper Governmental Activities Act establishes a procedure for the investigation of written complaints submitted to a designated administrator of the California State University by employees of, or applicants for employment at, the university. The act requires every investigative audit conducted pursuant to it to be kept confidential, except that the California State University may release any findings resulting from the investigation, as specified, and issue a report of an investigation that has substantiated an allegation made by the complainant. The act requires the report to keep confidential the identity of the individual or individuals involved. This bill would instead require the California State University to release any findings resulting from an investigative audit conducted pursuant to this act that have been substantiated and any corrective actions recommended, as specified. The bill would require the name and title of the person found responsible for improper governmental activity and any discipline imposed by the university or other agency, as specified, to be disclosed. (4) The California Constitution requires that a statute, court rule, or other authority adopted after November 4, 2004, that limits the public's right of access be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. The bill would, with respect to this constitutional provision, express findings and declarations of the Legislature regarding the individual privacy interests that are protected under the bill.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by a governing board, throughout the state. This bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to conduct a study to evaluate the compensation, as defined, of the chancellors and presidents of the California Community Colleges' districts and campuses, as specified. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to report the study to specified committees of the Legislature by January 1, 2014.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, as defined. The qualifications and tenure of members of the commission are set forth in the California Constitution. Existing law prohibits a commissioner from holding an official relation to or having a financial interest in a person or corporation subject to regulation by the commission and requires the commission to adopt an updated Conflict of Interest Code and State of Incompatible Activities. Existing law authorizes the commission to appoint an attorney to the commission to hold office during the pleasure of the commission. Existing law provides for the comprehensive regulation of campaign financing, conflicts of interests of public officials, and lobbying. Existing law prohibits a designated employee of a state administrative agency, any officer, employee, or consultant of a state administrative agency holding a position that entails the making, or participation in making, of decisions that may foreseeably have a material effect on any financial interest, and a member of a state administrative agency, for a period of one year after leaving office of employment, to act as agent or attorney for, or otherwise represent, any other person, by making any formal or informal appearance, or by making any oral or written communication, before any state administrative agency, or officer or employee thereof, for which he or she worked or represented during the 12 months before leaving office of employment, if the appearance or communication is made for the purpose of influencing administrative or legislative action, or influencing any action or proceeding involving the issuance, amendment, awarding, or revocation of a permit, license, grant, or contract, or the sale or purchase of goods or property. This bill would prospectively prohibit a commissioner, executive employee of the commission, as defined, or the attorney appointed by the commission, for a period of 2 years after leaving the employment of the commission, from representing, for compensation, any public utility, affiliate of a public utility, or other entity or person regulated by the commission by making any formal or informal appearance, or by making any oral or written communication, before the commission, or officer or employee thereof, if the appearance or communication is made for the purpose of influencing commission action. The bill would prospectively prohibit the commission from hiring, as an executive employee of the commission, or appointing as the attorney for the commission, any person who, in the previous 2 years, was an executive officer, as defined, of a public utility subject to the regulatory authority of the commission pursuant to the Public Utilities Act. The bill would prospectively prohibit any person from holding the office of commissioner who, in the previous 2 years, was an executive officer of a public utility subject to the regulatory authority of the commission pursuant to the Public Utilities Act. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act, the bill's restrictions on actions that may be undertaken upon leaving the commission would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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 establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Under existing law, the board of trustees is composed of a total of 25 members, which includes 5 specified ex officio members, a representative of the alumni associations of the university, 16 members appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by 23 of the membership of the Senate, for 8-year terms, and 2 California State University students and one California State University tenured faculty member appointed by the Governor for 2-year terms. This bill would decrease the 16 members appointed by the Governor to 14, one of which would be required to be a faculty member, and another one of which would be required to be a represented permanent nonacademic employee, at the California State University. The bill would also increase the number of California State University students appointed by the Governor to 4, as specified. The bill also would prohibit faculty and nonacademic employee members appointed for 8-year terms from sitting on a collective bargaining subcommittee of the board, and would require them to be employed by the university for at least 2 years and at the time of employment, but not for the duration of the appointment.
(1) Existing law permits minors who are detained in juvenile hall for habitual disobedience, truancy, or curfew violation to be held in the same facility as minors who are detained for violating any law or ordinance defining a crime, if they do not come or remain in contact with each other. Existing law also permits the detention of minors in jails and other secure facilities for the confinement of adults if the minors do not come, or remain, in contact with confined adults and other specified conditions are met. This bill would provide that a minor or ward who is detained in, or sentenced to, any juvenile facility or other secure state or local facility shall not be subject to solitary confinement, as defined, unless the minor or ward poses an immediate and substantial risk of harm to others or to the security of the facility, and all other less-restrictive options have been exhausted. The bill would permit the minor or ward to be held in solitary confinement only in accordance with specified guidelines, including that the minor or ward be held in solitary confinement only for the minimum time required to address the safety risk, and that does not compromise the mental and physical health of the minor or ward. The bill would require clinical staff to evaluate a minor or ward face to face within one hour after placement, and every 4 hours thereafter, as specified. The bill would require treatment staff to implement an individualized suicide crisis intervention plan, as specified, before subjecting a minor or ward who has exhibited suicidal behavior or committed acts of self-harm to solitary confinement. By increasing the duties of local juvenile facilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law establishes a juvenile justice commission in each county, but authorizes the boards of supervisors of 2 or more adjacent counties to agree to establish a regional juvenile justice commission in lieu of a county juvenile justice commission. Existing law specifies the membership of these commissions, including that 2 or more members shall be persons who are between 14 and 21 years of age, inclusive, and that a regional juvenile justice commission shall consist of not less than 8 citizens. Existing law requires a juvenile justice commission to annually inspect any jail or lockup that, in the preceding calendar year, was used for confinement for more than 24 hours of any minor, and to report the results of the inspection, together with its recommendations based thereon, in writing, to the juvenile court and the Board of State and Community Corrections. Existing law authorizes a commission to recommend to any person charged with the administration of the Juvenile Court Law those changes as it has concluded, after investigation, will be beneficial, and to publicize its recommendations. This bill would provide that 2 or more members of these commissions shall be parents or guardians of previously or currently incarcerated youth, and one member shall be a licensed social worker with expertise in adolescent development. The bill also would increase from 8 to 10 the minimum number of members of a regional juvenile justice commission. The bill would require a juvenile justice commission, as part of its annual inspection of facilities, to review the records of the jail, lockup, or facility as to the use of solitary confinement, and to report the results of the inspection, together with its recommendations based thereon, in writing, to the juvenile court, the county board of supervisors, and the Board of State and Community Corrections. The bill would require the commission to present its report at an annual hearing on the condition of juvenile justice corrections as part of a regularly scheduled public meeting of the county board of supervisors, and to publish the report on the county government Internet Web site. The bill also would require a commission to publicize its recommendations made to any person charged with administration of the Juvenile Court Law on the county government Internet Web site. (3) 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.
