The Planning and Zoning Law requires specified regional transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt a regional transportation plan directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system, and requires the regional transportation plan to include, among other things, a sustainable communities strategy, for the purpose of using local planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This bill, commencing on January 1, 2014, would prohibit a city or county from requiring a minimum number of off-street parking spaces in transit-intensive areas, as defined, greater than 2 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet in nonresidential projects of 20,000 square feet or less on a single property, one parking space per unit in non-income-restricted residential projects, and specified portions, as applicable, of a parking space per unit for certain affordable housing projects, except as specified. The bill would also make a statement of legislative findings regarding the application of its provisions to charter cities.
Sponsored bills
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, as defined. The Public Utilities Act prohibits any electrical corporation from beginning the construction of, among other things, a line, plant, or system, or of any extension thereof, without having first obtained from the CPUC a certificate that the present or future public convenience and necessity require or will require that construction (certificate of public convenience and necessity) . The existing California renewables portfolio standard program (RPS program) establishes requirements for retail sellers, as defined, and local publicly owned electric utilities, as defined, to procure minimum quantities of eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, for various compliance periods. This bill would require the Independent System Operator (ISO) and the CPUC to jointly evaluate all electrical transmission facilities that have been identified in the ISO's most recently approved transmission plan and determine which of those transmission facilities are necessary or useful to interconnect eligible renewable energy resources to facilitate achievement of the procurement requirements established for retail sellers and local publicly owned electric utilities pursuant to the RPS program. The bill would require the CPUC and ISO, by March 31, 2012, to publish a report that includes a time frame for obtaining all governmental approvals for, construction of, and placement into service of, each of the transmission facilities determined to be necessary or useful to interconnect eligible renewable energy resources pursuant to the bill's requirements. The bill would require the CPUC and the ISO to coordinate the ISO's transmission planning process and identification of needed transmission facilities with the CPUC's issuance of certificates of public convenience and necessity for transmission facilities.
(1) Existing law provides that qualified patients, persons with valid identification cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients and persons with identification cards who associate within the State of California in order to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes, collectively or cooperatively, shall not, solely on that basis, be subject to state criminal sanctions for the possession, sale, transport, or other proscribed acts relating to marijuana. This bill instead authorizes qualified patients, persons with valid identification cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients and persons with identification cards, to associate within the State of California as collectives, cooperatives, and other business entities to cultivate, acquire, process, possess, transport, test, sell, and distribute marijuana for medical purposes. The bill would provide that these persons shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or specified sanctions for possessing, selling, transporting, or engaging in other proscribed acts relating to marijuana, unless they are not in compliance with the registration requirements described in this bill. (2) Existing law makes it a misdemeanor offense to, among other things, fraudulently use or obtain a medical marijuana identification card. This bill also would make it a misdemeanor offense to knowingly produce, issue, utilize, or sell a falsified, forged, or fraudulent physician's recommendation for medical marijuana. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, an initiative measure, prohibits prosecution for the possession or cultivation of marijuana of a patient or a patient's primary caregiver who possesses or cultivates marijuana for the personal medical purposes of the patient upon the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physician. Existing law, the Medical Marijuana Program Act, exempts qualified patients who hold an identification card issued pursuant to the program, and the caregivers of those persons, from certain state criminal sanctions related to the possession, cultivation, transportation, processing, or use of limited amounts of marijuana, as specified. This bill would establish the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Control Act for the purposes of regulating and controlling medical marijuana activities. The bill would establish the Board of Medical Marijuana Enforcement in the Department of Consumer Affairs, and require the board to perform specified duties relating to the regulation of medical marijuana facilities, as defined. The governing body of the board would consist of 9 members, appointed by the Governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Speaker of the Assembly. The duties of the board would include, but not be limited to, issuing or denying registration applications, establishing fees for administering these provisions, adopting regulations in connection with these provisions, and issuing fines and penalties for the violation of these provisions. The bill would preempt local laws regarding the regulation and control of medical marijuana and would prohibit a medical marijuana facility, as defined, from operating without state-approved registration, except as specified. The bill would generally require a city or county to permit no fewer than one medical marijuana dispensary, as defined, per 50,000 residents, provided that a city or county would be permitted to opt out of this requirement, pursuant to certain procedures. The bill would exempt from the bill's provisions individual patients and caregivers cultivating marijuana at their residences who do not sell or charge for the cultivation. The bill would require the board to make available mandatory registration application forms no later than July 1, 2013, and to make a thorough investigation to determine whether the applicant meets specified criteria. The bill would require that all registration applications be approved unless the applicant fails to meet the criteria. The bill would require a registration application to be approved or denied no later than 180 days after the application is filed with the board, and, if the board fails to act within this time, would require that the application be deemed approved. The bill would require a person applying for the renewal of an existing registration to apply no less than 60 days prior to the expiration, and would require the board to act upon a timely filed registration renewal application no later than 10 days prior to the expiration of the registration. This bill would create the Medical Marijuana Fund and would require that all moneys collected pursuant to the act be deposited into the Medical Marijuana Fund and would, except for moneys derived from penalties, continuously appropriate moneys in the fund for the purposes of implementing, enforcing, and administering the program. (4) Existing law authorizes the board of supervisors of a county and the governing body of a city to levy, increase, or extend a transactions and use tax at a rate of 0.25%, or a multiple thereof, at a combined rate not to exceed 2% if approved by the required vote of the board or governing body and the required vote of qualified voters. This bill would additionally authorize the board of supervisors of a county and the governing body of a city to levy, increase, or extend a transactions and use tax on the retail sale of or storage, use, or other consumption of, medical marijuana or medical marijuana-infused products for general and specified purposes, as provided, at a combined rate not to exceed 5%. 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 declare May 2012 to be American Stroke Month in California.
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 declare April 22 through April 28, 2012, as West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week.
This measure would recognize the week of March 4, 2012, to March 10, 2012, inclusive, as National Agriculture Week, and would designate March 21, 2012, as California Agriculture Day.
This measure would recognize March 2, 2012, as Read Across America Day.