Information related to the current status of legislation impacting California’s rural counties.
AB 6 (Friedman) Transportation planning: regional transportation plans: Solutions for Congested Corridors Program: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Amends reporting and transportation project review requirements, under SB 375 (2008), for the state’s 18 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), for project information pertaining to climate and greenhouse gas emissions impacts. Requires MPOs to send technical methodologies to CA Air Resources Board for review before project selection and approval can commence. Additionally, the bill requires any project nominated by local or regional transportation agencies for Solutions for Congested Corridors funding to demonstrate how the project would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with state targets. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/25/2023-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 2.) (April 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 7 (Friedman) Transportation: project selection processes. Requires all transportation projects funded, at least in part, through major state or federal funding programs to incorporate several, specified principles that include improving road safety, conformity with federal streamlined project principles, ADA compliance, water and air quality impacts, climate impacts, and access to disadvantaged communities, among others. Also requires State Transportation Agency to submit a report to the legislature on how all funded projects conform to the requirements of this legislation. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 5/3/2023-In committee: Hearing postponed by committee. Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 50 (Wood) Public utilities: timely service: customer energization. Seeks to establish clear expectations for how quickly utilities are expected to deliver service to new customers and fulfill requests for increased load from existing customers. Invests the CPUC with authority to determine what constitutes the timely provision of electrical service and fulfillment of requests to provide additional capacity. Requires utilities to refine their distribution planning processes to work more collaboratively with local governments and ensure that the projected demand for a given planning cycle more closely matches the actual demand for service. Requires utilities to share information with local governments about where distribution capacity exists or could be easily added to help meet local housing and economic development objectives. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 5/2/2023-Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
AB 54 (Aguiar-Curry) Department of Food and Agriculture: research funding: winegrapes: smoke exposure. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/19/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Support Staff: Mary-Ann (1), Staci (1)
AB 62 (Mathis) Statewide water storage: expansion. Establishes a statewide goal to increase above- and below-ground water storage capacity by a total of 3,700,000 acre-feet by the year 2030 and a total of 4,000,000 acre-feet by the year 2040. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/24/2023-Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 66 (Mathis) Natural Resources Agency: water storage projects: permit approval. Requires CA Natural Resources Agency to approve the necessary permits for specified storage projects within 180 days from receiving a permit application, and would deem those permits approved if approval does not occur within this time period. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/19/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 68 (Ward) Land use: streamlined housing approvals: density, subdivision, and utility approvals. Location: Assembly 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was H. & C.D. on 3/16/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Pending Staff: Tracy (1)
AB 78 (Ward) Grand juries. AB 78 makes changes in Section 890 of the Penal Code, which would increase the per diem rate paid to civil and criminal grand juries from the current statutorily required $15 per day to an amount “equal to seventy percent of the county median daily income.” SB 78 lacks a mechanism to cover the additional cost this bill imposes on counties. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 3/22/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. Position: Oppose Unless Amended Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 297 (Fong, Vince) Wildfires: local assistance grant program: advance payments. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/19/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Support Staff: Staci (1)
AB 338 (Aguiar-Curry) Public works: definition. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/19/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Oppose Staff: Staci (1)
AB 356 (Mathis) California Environmental Quality Act: aesthetic impacts. Extends the sunset date of a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provision specifying that a lead agency is not required to evaluate the aesthetic effects of a project and aesthetic effects are not considered significant effects on the environment if the project involves the refurbishment, conversion, repurposing, or replacement of an existing building that meets certain requirements. Location: Senate Rules Status: 5/4/2023-Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0.) In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
AB 422 (Alanis) Natural Resources Agency: statewide water storage: tracking. Location: Assembly 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was W.,P. & W. on 2/9/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Watch Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 429 (Bennett) Groundwater wells: permits. If 1% of domestic wells go dry in a critically overdrafted basin, this bill prohibit a county, city, or any other water well permitting agency from approving a permit for a new groundwater well or for an alteration to an existing well in a basin subject to the act and classified as a critically overdrafted basin unless the city county or well permitting agency obtains written verification from a groundwater sustainability agency that the proposed well would not be inconsistent with any sustainable groundwater management program AND the proposed well would not decrease the likelihood of achieving a sustainability goal for the basin covered by the plan. Location: Assembly 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was W.,P. & W. on 3/2/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Oppose Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 460 (Bauer-Kahan) State Water Resources Control Board: water rights and usage: interim relief: procedures. Authorizes State Water Board to issue, on its own motion or upon the petition of an interested party, an interim relief order in appropriate circumstances to implement or enforce these and related provisions of law. The bill would provide that a person or entity that violates any interim relief order issued by the board would be liable to the board for a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed the sum of $10,000 for each day in which a violation occurs and $5,000 for each acre-foot of water diverted in violation of the interim relief order. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/27/2023-Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Watch Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 504 (Reyes) State and local public employees: labor relations: disputes. AB 504 would declare the acts of sympathy striking and honoring a picket line a human right. AB 504 would also void provisions in public employer policies or collective bargaining agreements limiting or preventing an employee's right to sympathy strike. AB 504 would grant sympathy strikers greater rights than the employees engaged in a primary strike and override safeguards for essential employees during a sympathy strike to ensure public health and safety services continue. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 5/3/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Oppose Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 557 (Hart) Open meetings: local agencies: teleconferences. Absent any legislative intervention, the processes established by AB 361 to provide remote meeting flexibility to local agencies in emergency circumstances will expire at the end of this year. To remain best-equipped to address future emergencies and allow local agencies to effectively react and respond, AB 557 would eliminate the sunset on the emergency remote meeting procedures added to California Government Code section 54953. Additionally, AB 557 would adjust the timeframe for the resolutions passed to renew an agency’s temporary transition to emergency remote meetings to 45 days, up from the previous number of 30 days. Location: Assembly Third Reading Status: 5/1/2023-Read second time. Ordered to third reading. Position: Support Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 592 (Wilson) Vehicles: nonfranchise solid waste haulers. Allows Contra Costa County, or any other county, to create a program to regulate nonfranchise waste hauling operations within the county. Location: Assembly Third Reading Status: 5/4/2023-Read second time. Ordered to third reading. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
AB 606 (Mathis) California Endangered Species Act: accidental take: farms or ranches. Location: Senate Rules Status: 4/27/2023-Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. Position: Support Staff: Staci (1)
AB 625 (Aguiar-Curry) Forest biomass: management: emissions: energy. Establishes the Forest Waste Biomass Utilization Program to be administered by the state board’s Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation to develop an implementation plan to meet the goals and recommendations of the state’s wood utilization policies and priorities, and to develop a workforce training program to complement the workforce needs associated with the implementation plan. Requires annual reports on implementing the plan. Requires the Energy Commission to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature evaluating innovative bioenergy technologies that use forest biomass waste. Requires the Energy Commission to include in its integrated policy report an assessment of the potential for forest biomass waste energy to provide firm renewable power. Requires ARB to develop a methodology to quantify the greenhouse gas and short-lived climate pollutant emissions from wildfire, pile burning, and forest management activities. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 5/3/2023-In committee: Hearing postponed by committee. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
AB 692 (Patterson, Jim) California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: egress route projects: fire safety. Exempts from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) egress route projects undertaken by a public agency to improve emergency access to and evacuation from a subdivision without a secondary egress route if the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has recommended the creation of a secondary access to the subdivision. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/26/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
AB 704 (Patterson, Jim) Energy: building standards: photovoltaic requirements. Exempts homes meeting certain requirements and rebuilt after being destroyed by a wildfire from state laws requiring installation of solar panels, until January 1, 2027. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/19/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
AB 764 (Bryan) Local redistricting. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/27/2023-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (April 26). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Oppose Unless Amended Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 772 (Jackson) State Foster Care Ombudsperson. Requires the Energy Commission to require that each single-family residence constructed on and after January 1, 2025 include a rapid compact electric vehicle charger and that each multifamily residence constructed on and after January 1, 2025 include sufficient rapid compact electric vehicle chargers to serve at least 10% of its residential capacity at any given time. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/26/2023-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Pending Staff: John (1)
AB 817 (Pacheco) Open meetings: teleconferencing: subsidiary body. AB 817 would provide a narrow exemption under the Ralph M.Brown Act for non-decision-making legislative bodies currently governed by Act, such as advisory bodies and commissions, to participate in two-way virtual teleconferencing without posting physical location of members. In addition, AB 817 would remove barriers to entry for appointed and elected office by allowing non-decision-making legislative bodies to participate virtually as long as they do not have the ability to take final action on legislation, regulations, contracts, licenses, permits, or other entitlements. Location: Assembly Local Government Status: 4/25/2023-In committee: Hearing postponed by committee. Position: Sponsor Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 909 (Hoover) Solid Waste Disposal and Codisposal Site Cleanup Program. Makes illegally disposed hazardous wastes eligible for funding under the CalRecycle’s illegal dumping grant program. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/19/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Sponsor Staff: John (1)
AB 944 (Irwin) Fire stations: alternative power generation. Declares Legislative intent to require fire stations to have an alternative method of power generation during power outages. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/26/2023-Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
AB 998 (Connolly) Biomass energy facilities: State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission: report. Requires the Energy Commission to issue a report on the utility-scale biomass combustion facilities still in operation as of January 1, 2024. The report must include an assessment of operational factors of each facility, a comparison of direct combustion compared to other biomass energy technologies, and a recommended strategy, if appropriate, to repower biomass combustion facilities to noncombustion conversion technologies. The report must include recommendations and strategies related to areas where combustion biomass facilities may be shut down or repowered, including strategies related to baseload power generation, processing waste, and job training. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 5/3/2023-In committee: Hearing postponed by committee. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
AB 1000 (Reyes) Qualifying logistics use projects. Prohibits local governments from approving warehouse development projects located within 1,000 feet of a large variety of sensitive receptors. Imposes new conditions on local approval of warehouse projects between 750-1000 feet of those sensitive receptors, in addition to mitigation measures required under CEQA. Location: Assembly 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was L. GOV. on 4/17/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Oppose Staff: John (1)
AB 1168 (Bennett) Emergency medical services (EMS): prehospital EMS. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 5/2/2023-Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Oppose Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 1248 (Bryan) Local redistricting: independent redistricting commissions. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/27/2023-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (April 26). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Oppose Unless Amended Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 1272 (Wood) State Water Resources Control Board: drought planning. – Requires State Water Board to establish a program, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, to adopt principles and guidelines for diversion and use of water in coastal watersheds, as specified, during times of water shortage for drought preparedness and climate resiliency. The bill would require that the principles and guidelines provide for the development of watershed-level plans to support public trust uses, public health and safety, and the human right to water in times of water shortage, among other things. Authorizes State Board to issue a cease and desist order when a diversion or use violates or threatens to violate an applicable limitation or requirement adopted by the state board for the diversion and use of water in specified coastal watersheds during times of water shortage. The bill would authorize a person who violates a principle, guideline, or requirement adopted by the state board for the diversion and use of water in specified coastal watersheds during times of water shortage to be held liable in an amount not to exceed the sum of $500 for each day that the violation occurs. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 5/3/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Watch Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 1337 (Wicks) State Water Resources Control Board: water diversion curtailment. Authorizes State Water Board to adopt regulations for various water conservation purposes, including, but not limited to, to prevent the waste, unreasonable use, unreasonable method of use, or unreasonable method of diversion of water, and to implement these regulations through orders curtailing the diversion or use of water under any claim of right. The bill would require the board to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard before issuing an order. The bill would provide that a person or entity may be civilly liable for a violation pursuant to these provisions in an amount not to exceed $1,000 for each day in which the violation has occurred and $2,500 for each acre-foot of water diverted or used in violation of the applicable requirement. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/24/2023-Re-referred to Com. on JUD. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96. Position: Watch Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 1448 (Wallis) Cannabis: enforcement by local jurisdictions. AB 1448 would enhance local enforcement mechanisms for unlicensed cannabis activities by creating a streamlined local administrative penalty process, allow local jurisdictions to utilize statutory penalties and create more collection options. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 5/4/2023-Read second time. Ordered to third reading. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. pursuant to Joint Rule 10.5. Position: Sponsor Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 1484 (Zbur) Temporary public employees. While AB 1484 is ostensibly intended to benefit temporary employees of local public agencies, in reality, it will directly harm these employees by severely limiting their future opportunities for temporary employment. This bill would: inflexibly mandate that temporary employees must be included within the same bargaining unit as permanent employees; and that the wages, hours, plus terms and conditions of employment for both temporary and permanent employees must be bargained together in a single memorandum of understanding. This result is already possible under current law, but only if the temporary and permanent employees have a "community of interest" making such combined treatment appropriate – an important component of fair representation and bargaining that this bill eschews. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 5/3/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Oppose Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 1534 (Irwin) Methane emissions: municipal solid waste landfills: remote sensing data. Requires ARB to incorporate the use of remote sensing data into its landfill methane emissions regulations. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/26/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Watch Staff: Staci (1)
AB 1548 (Hart) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: grant program: recycling infrastructure projects. Expands CalRecycle’s existing solid and organic waste recycling grant program to help local governments get recycled material into the marketplace, find new homes for useful consumer goods, and expand local edible food recovery programs. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/24/2023-Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Sponsor Staff: John (1)
AB 1554 (Patterson, Joe) California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: wildfire fuels reduction projects. Exempts from CEQA fuels reduction projects in areas within moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones. Location: Assembly 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was NAT. RES. on 3/9/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Pending Staff: John (1)
AB 1563 (Bennett) Groundwater sustainability agency: groundwater extraction permit: verification. Requires a county, city, or any other water well permitting agency to obtain a written verification from the groundwater sustainability agency that manages the basin or area of the basin where the well is proposed to be located determining that, among other things, the extraction by the proposed well is consistent with any sustainable groundwater management program. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/19/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Staff: Sidd (1)
AB 1597 (Alvarez) Water quality: California-Mexico cross-border rivers. Makes $50 million available, upon appropriation from the General Fund, to the North American Development Bank for loans, grants, and direct expenditures to address water quality problems arising in the California-Mexico cross-border rivers. Requires funding to be available for water quality projects for the Tijuana River and for projects consistent with the New River Water Quality, Public Health, and River Parkway Development Plan. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/25/2023-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
AB 1616 (Lackey) California Cannabis Tax Fund: Board of State and Community Corrections grants. AB 1616 would require the Board of State and Community Corrections to prioritize local governments whose programs seek to address the unlawful cultivation and sale of cannabis when disbursing grants from California Cannabis Tax Fund. The bill would also authorize the board to make grants to local governments that ban both indoor and outdoor commercial cannabis cultivation or ban retail sale of cannabis or cannabis products. Location: Assembly Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/26/2023-In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. Position: Support Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 1637 (Irwin) Local government: internet websites and email addresses. AB 1637 would require local agencies to secure and utilize their website through a new .gov or .ca.gov domain no later than January 1, 2026. It would also require all employee email addresses to reflect the updated domain within the same time frame. There are no financial resources connected to this bill resulting in an unfunded mandate to counties. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Oppose Unless Amended Staff: Sarah (1)
AB 1700 (Hoover) California Environmental Quality Act: population growth and noise impacts: housing projects. Provides that population growth, in and of itself, resulting from a housing project and noise impacts of a housing project are not an effect on the environment for purposes of CEQA. Location: Assembly 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was NAT. RES. on 3/9/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Pending Staff: John (1)
AB 1713 (Gipson) State and local agencies: federal funds: reports. AB 1713 would require state agencies that receive federal funds subject to an expiration date to submit a written report to the Legislature no later than one year before the funding expiration date with a summary of how funds have been expended, and to provide a plan for the remaining funds to be expended. The bill would also require local agencies to include a similar report on an agenda of a public meeting of their legislative body. Local governments rely on federal funding to provide numerous local services on behalf of the state, much of which is associated with our role as the provider of federal entitlement programs, like Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, etc. Accordingly, local governments seek to maximize federal funding opportunities to provide these necessary services to the residents we serve. Unfortunately, AB 1713 would require local governments to be in a state of perpetual reporting or – in most instances – require duplicative reporting. Location: Assembly Appropriations Status: 4/26/2023-Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Oppose Staff: Sarah (1)
SB 23 (Caballero) Water supply and flood risk reduction projects: expedited permitting. Authorizes a state agency, defined to mean any agency, board, or commission, including the state board or the regional boards, with the power to issue a permit that would authorize a water supply project or authorize a flood risk reduction project, to take specified actions in order to complete permit review and approval in an expeditious manner. The bill would make findings and declarations related to the need to expedite water supply projects and flood risk reduction projects to better address climate change impacts while protecting the environment. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Staff: Sidd (1)
SB 35 (Umberg) Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program. Location: Assembly Desk Status: 5/4/2023-Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0.) Ordered to the Assembly. In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. Position: Pending Staff: Sarah (1)
SB 38 (Laird) Battery energy storage facilities: emergency response and evacuation plans. States Legislature intent to enact future legislation to address the need for better safety systems at battery storage facilities. Location: Senate Appropriations Suspense File Status: 5/1/2023-May 1 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
SB 43 (Eggman) Behavioral health. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/2/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Pending Staff: Sarah (1)
SB 69 (Cortese) California Environmental Quality Act: judicial and administrative proceedings: limitations. Location: Senate Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/24/2023-April 24 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. Position: Pending Staff: John (1)
SB 75 (Roth) Courts: judgeships. SB 75 would authorize 26 new superior court judgeships, subject to appropriation. If funded in the budget, any new judgeships would be allocated to counties in the state in accordance with the Judicial Council's Judicial Needs Assessment. Location: Senate Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/10/2023-April 10 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. Position: Support Staff: Sarah (1)
SB 91 (Umberg) California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: supportive and transitional housing: motel conversion. Repeals the sunset date of a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption for conversion a motel, hotel, residential hotel, or hostel to supportive or transitional housing. Location: Assembly Desk Status: 5/4/2023-Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0.) Ordered to the Assembly. In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
SB 367 (Seyarto) Farm, ranch, and public lands cleanup and abatement: grant program. Creates a grant program to facilitate the proper disposal of illegally dumped waste on state and federal lands. Location: Senate Appropriations Suspense File Status: 4/10/2023-April 10 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
SB 378 (Gonzalez) State parks: state beaches: expanded polystyrene food container and cooler ban. Bans people from bringing an expanded polystyrene food container or cooler onto a state beach or in a unit of the state park system and for improper disposal of those products. Location: Senate 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was N.R. & W. on 2/22/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
SB 389 (Allen) State Water Resources Control Board: determination of water right. Authorize State Water Board to investigate the diversion and use of water from a stream system to determine whether the diversion and use are based upon appropriation, riparian right, or other basis of right. Allows State Board to issue an information order to a water right claimant, diverter, or user to provide technical reports or other information related to a diversion and use of water, including, but not limited to, all of the following: the basis of the water right claimed, the patent date claimed for the place of use, the notice date of the appropriation, and information related to the diversions and use of transferred water. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/2/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Watch Staff: Sidd (1)
SB 393 (Glazer) California Environmental Quality Act: judicial challenge: identification of contributors: housing development projects. Requires a CEQA plaintiff or petitioner to disclose the identity of persons and entities that contribute more than $5,000 towards litigation costs for housing projects. Requires a plaintiff or petitioner to identify any pecuniary or economic interest related to any person who contributes more than $5,000 to the costs of the action. Location: Senate Third Reading Status: 5/4/2023-Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. Position: Pending Staff: John (1)
SB 406 (Cortese) California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: financial assistance: housing. Exempts from the California Environmental Quality Act actions of a local agency to provide financial assistance or insurance for the development and construction of low- or moderate-income residential housing. Location: Senate Consent Calendar Status: 5/3/2023-Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
SB 410 (Becker) Powering Up Californians Act. Seeks to improve electrical distribution planning, reduce interconnection delays, and ensure that California residents and businesses can timely access new and increased service for general economic growth, housing production, and meeting the state’s decarbonization goals. Charges the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) with establishing reasonable average and maximum interconnection time periods. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/2/2023-Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Support Staff: John (1)
SB 507 (Gonzalez) Electric vehicle charging station infrastructure: assessments. Requires the Energy Commission to assess the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure needed to meet zero-emission vehicle goals and ensure equitable deployment of EV charging infrastructure, including whether EV charging stations are disproportionately distributed, and whether homes have equal access to electrical panel upgrades to support at-home charging in single-family and multi-family housing. SB 507 requires the Energy Commission to quantify EV charging needs of rural, low-income, as well as disadvantaged communities and provide recommendations to remove barriers to achieve equity of EV charging infrastructure. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Support Staff: Leigh (1)
SB 525 (Durazo) Minimum wage: health care workers. SB 525 proposes to raise the health care minimum wage broadly across the health sector to $25 per hour, including for employees working in county agencies – specifically, county health departments, county mental health departments, county correctional health settings, county hospitals, and county owned and operated clinics. Additionally, SB 525 requires salaried employees to be paid twice the proposed $25/hour minimum wage – creating a new salary base of $104,000 per year. Location: Senate Appropriations Suspense File Status: 5/1/2023-May 1 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. Position: Oppose Staff: Sarah (1)
SB 551 (Portantino) Mental health boards. SB 551 would divert 20% of the prevention and early intervention funds from the Mental Health Services Fund (MHSA), to provide direct services on school campuses. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/2/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Oppose Staff: Sarah (1)
SB 560 (Laird) Solid waste: gas cylinders: stewardship program. States legislative intent to establish a framework for expended producer responsibility for the end-of-life management of covered gas cylinders. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Support In Concept Staff: John (1)
SB 613 (Seyarto) Organic waste: reduction goals: local jurisdictions: low-population exemption. Exempts from SB 1383 regulations local jurisdictions that dispose less than 5,000 tons of solid waste per year and that have fewer than 7,500 people. Location: Senate Appropriations Suspense File Status: 5/1/2023-May 1 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
SB 615 (Allen) Vehicle traction batteries. Requires all electric vehicle traction batteries to be recovered, reused, repurposed, remanufactured, or recycled at the end of their useful life in a motor vehicle or other application. Requires vehicle manufacturers, dismantlers, and secondary users to be responsible for end-of-life management of the battery. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
SB 620 (McGuire) Low-impact camping areas. Location: Senate Appropriations Suspense File Status: 5/1/2023-May 1 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. Position: Support Staff: Staci (1)
SB 642 (Cortese) Hazardous materials: enforcement: county counsel. Allows county counsels to enforce provisions of state law related to aboveground storage tanks, underground storage tanks, medical waste, and hazardous materials business plans. Location: Senate Third Reading Status: 4/13/2023-Read second time. Ordered to third reading. Position: Sponsor Staff: John (1)
SB 651 (Grove) Water storage and recharge: California Environmental Quality Act. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/2/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Staff:
SB 672 (McGuire) State highways: parklets. Requires CA Department of Transportation to establish a standard fee structure for the application and placement of a parklet on a state highway, as specified. Prohibits the department from charging an encroachment permit fee for the application and placement of a parklet on a state highway. The bill would require the department to consider an encroachment permit application for commercial use. Requires the department to comply with applicable state and federal law in establishing the standard fee structure, authorize the department to adjust the fee schedule to comply with applicable state and federal law, and require the department to report to the Legislature if it adjusts the fee schedule to comply with applicable state or federal law. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Watch Staff: Sidd (1)
SB 675 (Limón) Prescribed grazing: local assistance grant program: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force. Location: Senate Appropriations Suspense File Status: 5/1/2023-May 1 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file. Position: Support Staff: Staci (1)
SB 707 (Newman) Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2023. Creates a Responsible Textile Recovery Act to require producers to establish a stewardship program for collection and recycling of apparel and textiles that are unsuitable for reuse by a consumer. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
SB 751 (Padilla) Franchise agreements: labor dispute. Prohibits a local government from entering into an exclusive franchise agreement for waste services, or an amended agreement, that contains a force majeure provision that can be triggered by a labor impasse. Location: Senate Third Reading Status: 5/4/2023-Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
SB 752 (Padilla) Solid waste: collection service: disruptions. Location: Senate 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was JUD. on 3/29/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
SB 753 (Caballero) Cannabis: water resources. SB 753 amends Section 11358 of the Health and Safety Code to include groundwater as a public resource, and establishes that the theft of groundwater, unauthorized tapping into a water conveyance or storage infrastructure, or digging an unpermitted, illegal well may also be punished by imprisonment. This is an RCRC Sponsored Bill. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Set for hearing May 8. Position: Sponsor Staff: Sarah (1)
SB 768 (Caballero) California Environmental Quality Act: vehicle miles traveled: statement of overriding consideration. States legislative intent to create a new transportation impact analysis for rural areas for purposes of the California Enivronmental Quality Act. Location: Senate 2 year Status: 4/28/2023-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(a)(2). (Last location was E.Q. on 3/29/2023)(May be acted upon Jan 2024) Position: Watch Staff: John (1)
SB 820 (Alvarado-Gil) Cannabis: enforcement: seizure of property. SB 820 adapts the same seizure of property provisions currently applicable to unlicensed manufacturing of alcoholic beverages (i.e., moonshining), to cover unlicensed commercial cannabis activities. In addition, SB 820 would invest enforcement proceeds in the Cannabis Control Fund to support equity business. Location: Senate Appropriations Status: 5/1/2023-Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. Position: Sponsor Staff: Sarah (1)