Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires electrical corporations to submit information to the commission for various purposes, as provided. This bill would require the commission, on or before December 31, 2026, to produce a report identifying opportunities and needs to provide for local and system reliability with firm zero-carbon resources over the short term, midterm, and long term, as provided. The bill would require the report to include, among other things, characterization of the resource attributes vital for local and system reliability and identification of barriers, including market barriers, to deploying firm zero-carbon resources to enhance local and system reliability. 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 and because a violation of a commission action implementing those provisions would be 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.
(1) The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, which is administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, establishes an integrated waste management program. The act requires each state agency to divert at least 50% of all solid waste through source reduction, recycling, and composting activities. "State agency" is defined, for purposes of these requirements, to include the California Community Colleges. The act requires each state agency to develop and adopt an integrated waste management plan to reduce solid waste, reuse materials whenever possible, recycle recyclable materials, and procure products with recycled content in all state agency offices and facilities, including any leased locations, as provided. The act requires each state agency to submit an annual report to the department summarizing its progress in reducing solid waste by at least 50%, as provided. This bill would require a state agency to include in its integrated waste management plan descriptions of actions to be taken to source reduce certain materials, as specified. The bill would require, on or before July 15, 2027, each state agency to submit an adopted integrated waste management plan to the department for review and approval, and would, on or before January 1, 2028, require the department to complete its review of the plans, as specified. The bill would require a state agency's annual report to include summaries of the state agency's compliance with the requirement to reduce solid waste by 50% and the requirements relating to the adoption of an integrated waste management plan. By imposing new duties on community colleges, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the department to provide advice to help state agencies and facilities reduce solid waste by at least 50%. The bill would, on or before January 1, 2027, require the department to publish on its internet website a list of products available for purchase by state agencies that would reduce the overall amount of plastic or paper waste generated. (2) Existing law requires plastic beverage containers sold by a beverage manufacturer, as specified, to contain a specified average percentage of postconsumer recycled plastic. Between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2029, inclusive, existing law requires that percentage to be no less than 25% postconsumer recycled plastic per year, and on and after January 1, 2030, no less than 50% postconsumer recycled plastic per year. This bill would require, on and after January 1, 2026, reportable purchases by state agencies of plastic beverage containers to be of plastic beverage containers with no less than those above-referenced percentages of postconsumer recycled plastic per year. (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 the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law establishes a motor vehicle inspection and maintenance (smog check) program that is administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs. The smog check program requires inspection of motor vehicles upon initial registration, biennially upon renewal of registration, upon transfer of ownership, and in certain other circumstances. Existing law exempts specified vehicles from being inspected biennially upon renewal of registration, including, among others, all motor vehicles manufactured prior to the 1976 model year. Existing law also exempts from specified portions of the smog test, both biennially and at transfer, a collector motor vehicle that is insured as a collector motor vehicle, is at least 35 model years old, complies with the exhaust emissions standards for that motor vehicle's class and model year as prescribed by the department, and that passes a functional inspection of the fuel cap and a visual inspection for liquid fuel leaks. This bill would, commencing on January 1, 2027, additionally fully exempt from the smog check requirements, both biennially and at transfer, a motor vehicle that was manufactured prior to the 1981 model year, has been assigned a special identification plate indicating that it is a historical vehicle, and is insured as a collector motor vehicle, as specified. The bill, beginning January 1, 2028, would expand this exemption by one model year, every year, for 5 years. The bill would be known, and may be cited as, Leno's Law.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to biennially adopt an integrated energy policy report, as specified, and to make the reports accessible to state, local, and federal entities and to the general public. This bill would require the Energy Commission to establish a process for the owner of a data center, as defined, to submit the power usage effectiveness ratio, as defined, for the data center to the Energy Commission on a biannual basis, and require the owner of a data center to submit this information for the data center in the manner and timeframe specified by the Energy Commission. The bill would require the Energy Commission, as part of the 2027 edition of the integrated energy policy report, to include an assessment of electrical load trends for data centers, as provided. Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law authorizes the PUC to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. This bill would require the PUC to assess the extent to which electrical corporation costs associated with new loads from data centers result in cost shifts to other electrical corporation customers, as provided, and require the PUC, on or before January 1, 2027, to submit the assessment to the relevant policy committees of the Legislature and to publicly post a copy of the assessment on the PUC's internet website. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
(1) Existing law requires facilities that generate, treat, or store hazardous waste to obtain a permit or other authorization from the Department of Toxic Substances Control or a unified program agency. Existing law specifies that a hazardous waste facilities permit or other grant of authorization is not required for the treatment of laboratory hazardous waste generated onsite if, among other things, the laboratory hazardous waste is treated in containers using specified procedures and quantities for treatment of laboratory waste, as provided. This bill would specify the priority of those specified procedures. If those specified procedures do not exist, the bill would authorize the use of the manufacturer's written procedures if they are not in conflict with applicable rules or regulations. Existing law requires generators of hazardous waste to provide various notifications and certifications regarding compliance to the department, and to other specified entities, in person, or by certified mail, as provided. This bill would additionally authorize those notifications and certifications to be made into the statewide information management system. (2) Existing law provides for the regulation of underground storage tanks by the State Water Resources Control Board and defines "underground storage tank" for those purposes. Existing law excludes certain tanks from the definition of "underground storage tank," including, but not limited to, a tank holding hydraulic fluid for a closed loop mechanical system that uses compressed air or hydraulic fluid to operate lifts, elevators, and other similar devices. This bill would instead exclude from that definition a tank holding hydraulic fluid or dielectric fluid for a closed loop mechanical system that uses compressed air, hydraulic fluid, or dielectric fluid to operate lifts, to operate elevators, to act as an electric cooling or insulation system, and other similar devices.
Senate Resolution 36 is a symbolic resolution affirming California's commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change. It does not create new laws or funding but formally expresses the state's dedication to achieving net-zero carbon emissions and upholding the Paris Accords' goals. The resolution highlights California's existing climate policies, including emission reduction targets (50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030) and clean energy initiatives, and directs the resolution to be sent to state and federal climate officials. It has no direct impact on residents or businesses, as it serves only to reaffirm existing policy priorities.
