This measure would recognize and affirm the important role of artists, arts organizations, creative arts therapists, and arts for health initiatives in supporting behavioral health, promoting recovery, strengthening community resilience, and contributing to public safety. The measure would encourage and recognize exploration, support, and integration of arts and behavioral health within California's health care, behavioral health, and community-based systems.
Existing law authorizes the presiding judge, or a judge designated as an alternative to judicial arbitration, of the courts of the County of Los Angeles to submit to mediation any civil case in which arbitration is otherwise required, as specified. Beginning on January 1, 2027, existing law will prohibit the court from ordering a case into mediation unless, among other required conditions, the amount in controversy does not exceed $75,000. This bill would authorize the Superior Court of the County of Los Angeles to issue an order permitting any case into mediation, notwithstanding the $75,000 limitation on the amount in controversy described above. The bill would require any case submitted to mediation pursuant to such order to meet all mandatory conditions to qualify for mediation, other than the limitation on the amount in controversy. The bill would require all cases ordered to mediation to be entitled up to 3 hours of no-cost mediation services provided by a court-sanctioned mediation program. The bill would authorize the parties to appear remotely. The bill would also prohibit a mediation ordered pursuant to these provisions from delaying or serving as grounds to continue the trial date or otherwise to delay or continue any expedited procedures. If the presiding judge issues the order described above, the bill would require the court to transmit a report to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Judiciary on or before January 31, 2028, and annually thereafter, containing specified information about the cases submitted to mediation. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2032. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Los Angeles.
The California Financing Law (CFL) provides for the licensure and regulation of finance lenders and brokers by the Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation, including by regulating the provision of commercial loans, as defined. A willful violation of the CFL is a crime, except as specified. This bill would, beginning January 1, 2028, generally provide for the regulation under the CFL of commercial financing, which the bill would define to mean an accounts receivable purchase transaction, including factoring, asset-based lending transaction, commercial loan, commercial open-end credit plan, or lease financing, intended by the recipient for use primarily for a purpose other than a personal, family, or household purpose, as specified. Beginning July 1, 2028, the bill would prohibit a person from engaging in the business of a commercial financing provider, as defined, or a commercial financing broker, as defined, without obtaining a license from the commissioner, except as specified. The bill would impose various duties on commercial financing providers and commercial financing brokers, including, among other things, prohibiting the taking of a confession of judgment or power of attorney at any time before a default, as specified. The bill would make various conforming changes to the CFL. Existing law requires a provider of commercial financing to disclose certain information, as specified. Existing law deems certain violations of these provisions to be a violation of the CFL, as specified. The CFL authorizes the commissioner to require that rates of charge, if stated by a licensee, be stated fully and clearly in the manner that the commissioner deems necessary to prevent misunderstanding by prospective borrowers or property owners. This bill would authorize the commissioner to require that rates of charge be stated fully and clearly in the manner that the commissioner deems necessary to prevent misunderstanding by prospective borrowers or recipients. 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 prohibits a person from driving a motor vehicle upon a highway unless that person holds a valid driver's license to operate the type of vehicle that the person is driving. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to require an examination for issuance of a driver's license. The examination is required to be appropriate to the type of motor vehicle or combination of vehicles the applicant desires a license to drive or tow, in accordance with certain license classifications. A class C driver's license includes the operation of, among other vehicles, firefighting equipment, provided that the equipment is operated by a person who holds a firefighter endorsement, as specified. This bill would include the operation of specified emergency equipment under a class C driver's license, provided the equipment is owned by a law enforcement agency and is operated by a person who has completed the emergency equipment training described below. Existing law establishes the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to set minimum standards for the recruitment and training of peace officers and to develop training courses and curriculum. This bill would require specified peace officers and volunteers registered with specified law enforcement agencies be permitted to operate emergency equipment, as specified. The bill would require the training to include both classroom and driver training components, as specified, and a written examination. The bill would impose certification, experience, and licensure requirements on instructors for the training program, including, among other things, a requirement that an instructor be certified as a qualified training instructor by the State of California, the federal government, or a county training officers' association. The bill would define "emergency equipment" as a motor vehicle or combination of vehicles that meets the definition of a class A or class B vehicle and is subject to certain requirements, including, but not limited to, that they are used to travel to and from the scene of an emergency situation, to and from a place where the emergency equipment is repaired or positioned, or to transport equipment used in the control of an emergency situation and that is owned, leased, rented by, or under the exclusive control of specified law enforcement agencies.
This measure would recognize that sudden cardiac arrest is a critical issue facing student athletes and provide that the Legislature supports the important work nonprofit organizations are doing to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, increase preventative screenings, and reduce the number of cases.
The Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) creates the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) for the purpose of providing pension benefits to specified public employees and prescribes the rights and duties of members and annuitants of the system. PERL vests management and control of PERS in the Board of Administration. PERL authorizes the board, during the course of an audit, to require each state employer, school employer, including each school district represented by a school employer, and contracting agency to provide information as deemed necessary by the board to determine eligibility for, and the correctness of, retirement benefits, reportable compensation, enrollment in, and reinstatement to this system. PERL requires the board, before initiating an audit, to notify the subject of the audit of the estimated time required to completion. This bill would require the board, before initiating an audit, to list specific information about the audit on its internet website and provide written notice to the affected state employer, school employer, including each school district represented by a school employer, or contracting agency. The bill would specify the distribution of the notice, the final audit report, and a list of members affected by the final audit report, between the board, a state employer, school employer, or contracting agency, and any exclusive representative.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2028, and before January 1, 2033, would exclude from gross income any reparations benefit or payment, as defined, received by a taxpayer during the taxable year. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law establishes uniform residency requirements for purposes of ascertaining the amount of tuition and fees to be paid by students of public postsecondary educational institutions. Existing law requires a student classified as a nonresident to pay nonresident tuition, in addition to other fees required by the institution, except as provided. Existing law exempts a student enrolled at a campus of the California Community Colleges or the California State University from paying nonresident tuition or any other fee that exclusively applies to nonresident students if the student resides in California, meets the definition of "covered individual" under federal law, and is eligible for education benefits under 4 specified federal GI Bill programs, as the federal law read on January 5, 2022. This bill would add, for purposes of that exemption, the Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve program to the list of federal GI Bill programs and specify that federal law as it read on January 5, 2026, applies. To the extent that the bill would impose new duties on community college districts to determine eligibility for an exemption from paying nonresident tuition or fees, 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, 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.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA exempts certain projects from its requirements and authorizes a lead agency, if it determines a certain project is exempt from CEQA, to file a notice of exemption, as provided. This bill would exempt from CEQA the closure of a railroad grade crossing by order of the Public Utilities Commission if the commission finds the crossing to present a threat to public safety. The bill would provide that the exemption is inapplicable to any crossing for high-speed rail or any crossing for a project carried out by the High-Speed Rail Authority. The bill would require the lead agency to file the notice of exemption with specified public entities, as provided. Because the bill would impose additional duties on a lead agency with regard to the filing of the notice of exemption, 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, governs the formation and operation of common interest developments, and requires a common interest development to be managed by an association, as specified. Existing law includes provisions that limit the authority of an association or the governing documents, as defined, to regulate the use of a member's separate interest, as defined. Existing law, the Mobilehome Residency Law, governs tenancies in mobilehome parks and includes provisions that are applicable to those who have an ownership interest in a subdivision, cooperative, or condominium for mobilehomes, or a resident-owned mobilehome park, as specified. Existing law makes any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in any rental agreement or other instrument affecting the tenancy of a homeowner or resident that effectively prohibits or restricts the installation, upgrade, replacement, or use of a cooling system in a mobilehome void and unenforceable. Existing law provides that a "cooling system" includes a portable air-conditioning unit, a window air-conditioning unit, a swamp cooler or any evaporative cooler, a cooling fan system, a heat pump, or any other technology that reasonably creates an internal temperature cooling benefit, and meets applicable health and safety standards and requirements imposed by law. This bill would, under the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, make any provision of the governing documents or architectural guidelines void and unenforceable if the provision prohibits or restricts the installation, upgrade, replacement, or use of a cooling system that complies with all applicable state and local building codes. The bill would also make any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in any, among other specified agreements, deed that effectively prohibits or restricts the installation, upgrade, replacement, or use of a cooling system, void and unenforceable. The bill would make it unlawful for an association to prohibit or restrict a member from installing, upgrading, replacing, or using a cooling system in the member's separate interest, or to take other specified actions in connection with the installation, upgrade, replacement, or use of a cooling system, subject to specified exceptions. This bill would make an association that willfully violates these provisions liable to the member for actual damages occasioned thereby, for a civil penalty paid to the member in an amount not to exceed $2,000, and reasonable attorney's fees and court costs, as provided.
Under the Political Reform Act of 1974, a person who files an original statement or report related to campaign financing, or a copy of the statement or report, after a deadline imposed by the act is liable in the amount of $10 per day after the deadline until the statement or report is filed, up to the cumulative amount stated in the late statement or report or $100, whichever is greater. For original statements or reports, existing law authorizes a filing officer to not impose this liability if the officer determines that the late filing was not willful and that enforcement of the liability will not further the purposes of the act, except in specified cases, including if a statement of economic interest, other than the statement of a candidate for specified state and local offices, is not filed within 30 days after the filing officer has sent specific written notice of the filing requirement. This bill would establish a limit on liability of $100 for the late filing of an original statement of economic interest. For any other original statement or report, the bill would limit liability for a late filing at an amount equal to the aggregate amount of any contributions, expenditures, and other amounts reported on the statement or report, or $100, whichever is greater. The bill would remove the provision imposing liability in the amount of $10 for the filing of a late copy of a statement or report. The bill would also remove the exception to liability if the statement of a candidate for specified state and local offices is not filed within 30 days after the filing officer has sent specific written notice of the filing requirement, thereby penalizing such a late filing in the same manner as the late filing of other statements of economic interest. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards prescribe waste discharge requirements for the discharge of stormwater by municipalities and industries in accordance with the federal national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit program, established by the federal Clean Water Act and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. Under existing law, the state board and the 9 regional water quality control boards issue permits for the discharge of stormwater from municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) . For purposes of issuing permits for the discharge of stormwater from MS4s, this bill define "commercial, industrial, or institutional site" or "CII site" as a privately owned parcel or contiguous parcels of land that are commercial, industrial, or institutional based on the appropriate county tax assessor land use codes, as specified.
