Public works, industrial & commercial construction

(1)Existing law establishes the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (commission), to provide to specified entities, upon appropriation by the Legislature, grants, loans, loan guarantees, revolving loans, or other appropriate measures, for the development and deployment of innovative technologies that would transform California’s fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state’s climate change goals. Existing law specifies that only certain projects or programs are eligible for funding, including block grants administered by public entities or not-for-profit technology entities for multiple projects, education and program promotion within California, and development of alternative and renewable fuel and vehicle technology centers. Existing law requires the commission to develop and adopt an investment plan to determine priorities and opportunities for the program. This bill would provide that the State Air Resources Board (state board), until January 1, 2024, has no authority to enforce any element of its existing clean fuels outlet regulation or other regulation that requires or has the effect of requiring any person to construct, operate, or provide funding for the construction or operation of any publicly available hydrogen fueling station. The bill would require the state board to aggregate and make available to the public, no later than January 1, 2014, and every two years thereafter, the number of vehicles that automobile manufacturers project to be sold or leased, as reported to the state board. The bill would require the commission to allocate $20 million each fiscal year, as specified, and up to $20 million each fiscal year thereafter, as specified, for purposes of achieving a hydrogen fueling network sufficient to provide convenient fueling to vehicle owners, and expand that network as necessary to support a growing market for vehicles requiring hydrogen fuel, until there are at least 100 publicly available hydrogen fueling stations. The bill, on or before December 31, 2015, and annually thereafter, would require the commission and the state board to jointly review and report on the progress toward establishing a hydrogen fueling network that provides the coverage and capacity to fuel vehicles requiring hydrogen fuel that are being placed into operation in the state, as specified. The bill would authorize the commission to design grants, loan incentive programs, revolving loan programs, and other forms of financial assistance, as specified, for purposes of assisting in the implementation of these provisions. The bill, no later than July 1, 2013, would require the state board and air districts to jointly convene working groups to evaluate the specified policies and goals of specified programs. The bill would add intelligent transportation systems as a category of projects eligible for funding under the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. (2)Existing law requires the commission, in partnership with the state board, to develop and adopt a state plan to increase the use of alternative transportation fuels. This bill would require the commission and the state board, among other things, to coordinate efforts to measure the progress of alternative fuels use. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the state board, on or before November 1, 2014, to update a specified economic analysis. The bill would require the commission and the state board, to evaluate how the use of new and existing investment programs could be used to increase the state alternative transportation fuels use, and evaluate how the impact of federal fuel policies and existing state policies will help increase the use of alternative transportation fuels in the state. The bill would require the commission and the state board, on or before November 1, 2015, and every 2 years thereafter, to report in the integrated energy policy report, as specified, the status of the state alternative transportation fuels use, as specified, and make specified evaluations. The bill would require the state board to include a finding on the effect of proposed regulations on state alternative transportation fuels use. (3)Existing law, until January 1, 2016, increases vehicle registration fees, vessel registration fees, and specified service fees for identification plates by a specified amount. Existing law requires the revenue generated by the increase in those fees to be deposited in the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund, and either the Air Quality Improvement Fund or the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount, as provided. Existing law, until January 1, 2016, imposes on certain vehicles a smog abatement fee of $20, and requires a specified amount of this fee to be deposited in the Air Quality Improvement Fund and in the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund. This bill would extend those fees in the amounts required to make these deposits into the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund, the Air Quality Improvement Fund, and the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount until January 1, 2024, at which time the fees would be reduced by those amounts. (4)Existing law establishes the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program (Carl Moyer program), which is administered by the state board, to provide grants to offset the incremental cost of eligible projects that reduce emissions of air pollutants from sources in the state and for funding a fueling infrastructure demonstration program and technology development efforts. Existing law, beginning January 1, 2015, limits the Carl Moyer program to funding projects that reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). This bill would extend the current authorization for the Carl Moyer program to fund a broader range of projects that reduce emissions until January 1, 2024, and would make other conforming changes in that regard. (5)Existing law authorizes the district board of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District to adopt a surcharge on motor vehicle registration fees applicable to all motor vehicles registered in the counties within that district. Existing law, until January 1, 2015, raises the limit on the amount of that surcharge from $4 to $6 for a motor vehicle whose registration expires on or after December 31, 1990, and requires that $2 of the surcharge be used to implement the Carl Moyer program, as specified. Beginning January 1, 2015, existing law returns the surcharge limit to its previous amount of $4. This bill would extend the $6 limitation on the surcharge until January 1, 2024, with the limit returning to $4 beginning on that date. (6)Existing law authorizes each air pollution control and air quality management district (district) that has been designated a state nonattainment area by the state board for any motor vehicle air pollutant, except the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, to levy a surcharge on the registration fees for every motor vehicle registered in that district, as specified by the governing body of the district. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to collect that surcharge if requested by a district, and requires the department, after deducting its administrative costs, to distribute the revenues to the districts. Existing law, until January 1, 2015, raises the limit on the amount of that surcharge from $4 to $6 and requires that $2 of the surcharge be used to implement the Carl Moyer program, as specified. Beginning January 1, 2015, existing law returns the surcharge limit to its previous amount of $4. This bill would extend the $6 limitation on the surcharge until January 1, 2024, with the limit returning to $4 beginning on that date. (7)Existing law imposes, until January 1, 2015, a California tire fee of $1.75 per tire on every person who purchases a new tire, with the revenues generated to be allocated for prescribed purposes related to disposal and use of used tires. Existing law requires that $0.75 per tire on which the fee is imposed, be deposited in the Air Pollution Control Fund, these moneys to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature for use by the state board and districts for specified purposes. Existing law reduces the tire fee to $0.75 per tire on and after January 1, 2015. This bill would, on January 1, 2015, instead increase the tire fee to $1.50 per tire until January 1, 2024, and reduce the tire fee to $0.75 per tire on and after January 1, 2024. (8)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. Hide

Existing law authorizes employers to provide their employees paid sick leave. This bill would provide that an employee who works in California for 7 or more days in a calendar year is entitled to paid sick days, as defined, which shall be accrued at a rate of no less than one hour for every 30 hours worked. An employee would be entitled to use accrued sick days beginning on the 90th calendar day of employment. The bill would require employers to provide paid sick days, upon the request of the employee, for diagnosis, care, or treatment of health conditions of the employee or an employee’s family member, or for leave related to domestic violence or sexual assault. An employer would be prohibited from discriminating or retaliating against an employee who requests paid sick days. The bill would require employers to satisfy specified posting and notice and recordkeeping requirements. The bill would also make conforming changes. This bill would require the Labor Commissioner to administer and enforce these requirements, including the promulgation of regulations, investigation, mitigation, and relief of violations of these requirements. This bill would authorize the Labor Commissioner to impose specified administrative fines for violations and would authorize an aggrieved person, the commissioner, the Attorney General, or an entity a member of which is aggrieved to bring an action to recover specified civil penalties against an offender, as well as attorney’s fees, costs, and interest. The bill would specify that it does not apply to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement that provides for paid sick days, nor does it lessen any other obligations of the employer to employees. This bill would further specify that it does not apply to employees in the construction industry covered by a collective bargaining agreement if the agreement expressly waives the requirements of this article in clear and unambiguous terms. However, the bill would specify that it applies to certain public authorities, established to deliver in-home supportive services, except where a collective bargaining agreement provides for an incremental wage increase sufficient to satisfy the bill’s requirements for accrual of sick days. Hide

Existing law grants to the State Air Resources Board the primary authority for the control of air pollution from vehicular sources. The state board tests and certifies new motor vehicle models for compliance with air pollution emissions standards developed by the state board. This bill would require the state board, within 30 working days after receipt of an application for certification of a new, a carryover, or a partial carryover on-road or off-road vehicle, engine, or equipment family, as defined, to inform the applicant, in writing, either that the application is complete and accepted for filing, or that the application is deficient, identifying the specific information required to make the application complete. Hide

(1)The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 regulates the management of solid waste. Existing law prohibits the operation of a solid waste facility without a solid waste facilities permit and prohibits a person from disposing of solid waste, causing solid waste to be disposed of, arranging for the disposal of solid waste, transporting solid waste, or accepting solid waste for disposal, except at a permitted solid waste disposal facility. A violation of the provisions prohibiting the disposal of solid waste is a crime. This bill would prohibit a person from constructing or operating a solid waste landfill disposal facility located in the County of San Diego if that disposal facility is located within 1,000 feet of the San Luis Rey River or an aquifer that is hydrologically connected to that river and is within 1,000 feet of a site that is considered sacred or of spiritual or cultural importance to a tribe and is listed in the California Native American Heritage Commission Sacred Lands Inventory. The bill would require the enforcement agency to enforce a violation of this prohibition by the immediate issuance of a cease and desist order, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program by imposing a new duty upon local agencies. The bill would make a declaration of legislative findings regarding why a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution. Because a violation of this bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2)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 specified reasons. Hide

Existing law prohibits an employer from issuing in payment of wages due certain instruments, including an order, check, draft, note, memorandum, scrip, coupon, card, or other acknowledgment of indebtedness or redeemable instrument, unless specified requirements are satisfied. This bill would authorize an employer to pay an employee’s wages by means of a payroll card, as defined, provided that specified requirements are satisfied. In addition, the bill would make a violation of its provisions a misdemeanor and would subject a violator to specified civil penalties. By creating new crimes, this 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. Hide

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the state Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act define and regulate consumer credit reports and authorize the use of consumer credit reports for employment purposes, pursuant to specified requirements. The FCRA provides that it does not preempt state law, except as specifically provided or to the extent that state laws are inconsistent with its provisions. Existing federal and state law specify the procedures that an employer is required to follow before requesting a report and if adverse action is taken based on the report. Under existing law, an employer may request a credit report for employment purposes so long as he or she provides written notice of the request to the person for whom the report is sought. Existing law requires that the written notice inform the person for whom the consumer credit report was sought of the source of the report and contain space for the person to request a copy of the report. Existing law further requires an employer, whenever he or she bases an adverse employment decision on information contained in a consumer credit report, to advise the person for whom the report was sought that an adverse action was taken based upon information contained in the report and provide the person with the name and address of the consumer credit agency making the report. This bill would prohibit an employer, with the exception of certain financial institutions, from obtaining a consumer credit report for employment purposes unless the information is (1) substantially job-related, meaning that the position of the person for whom the report is sought has access to money, other assets, or trade secrets or other confidential information, and (2) the position of the person for whom the report is sought is a position in the state Department of Justice, a managerial position, that of a sworn peace officer or other law enforcement position, or a position for which the information contained in the report is required to be disclosed by law or to be obtained by the employer. Hide

Existing law prohibits, subject to certain exceptions, an employer from requiring an employee to work more than 5 hours per day without providing a meal period and, notwithstanding that provision, authorizes the Industrial Welfare Commission to adopt a working condition order permitting a meal period to commence after 6 hours of work if the order is consistent with the health and welfare of affected employees. This bill would exempt from these provisions employees in a construction occupation, commercial drivers, employees in the security services industry employed as security officers, and employees of electrical and gas corporations or local publicly owned electric utilities, as defined, if those employees are covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement containing specified terms, including meal period provisions. It would specify that its provisions do not affect the requirements for meal periods for certain other employees or employers. Hide

Existing law prohibits employers from engaging in unfair labor practices, including interfering in the election by agricultural employees of labor representatives to engage in collective bargaining for the designated bargaining units. Existing law provides for a secret ballot election for employees in agricultural bargaining units, as defined, to select labor organizations to represent them for collective bargaining purposes. This bill would authorize the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, under specified circumstances, to set aside an election where there has been misconduct by the employer affecting the outcome of the election and to certify a labor organization as the exclusive bargaining representative for a bargaining unit if the organization had previously presented the board with authorization cards signed by more than 50% of the employees in that bargaining unit. Hide

(1)Under existing law, various measures have been approved by the voters to provide funds for water supply and protection facilities and programs. This bill would enact the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. The bill would provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 2, 2010, statewide general election. (2)This bill would take effect only if SB 1 of the 2009–10 7th Extraordinary Session is enacted and becomes effective. (3)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. Hide