SB 1318 (Wolk) – Request for Comments
Drinking Water

Would prohibit LAFCO’s from allowing new water/wastewater facilities until disadvantaged communities in the area have that service. (Read more.)
 

SB 1317 (Wolk) – Request for Comments
Groundwater

Would require conditional use permits for new wells in some areas. (Read more.)

AB 898 (Gonzalez) – Support
Parole Suitability: Notice            

AB 898 would require the Board of Parole Hearings, in the case of an inmate who was convicted of the murder of a firefighter, to provide notice of the parole suitability hearing to the fire department that employed the fire fighter. AB 898 is waiting to be heard in the Senate Public Safety Committee.   

AB 1276 (Santiago) – Watch
Child Witnesses: Human Trafficking

AB 1276 adds human trafficking to the list of offenses which permits a child witness to testify at trial without the presence of the defendant or jury by way of closed-circuit television.  It increases the permissible age of the child witness from 13-years-old and under to 17-years-old and under. AB 1276 is waiting to be heard in the Senate Public Safety Committee.

AB 1595 (Campos) – Request for Comment
Employment: Human Trafficking Training: Mass Transportation Employers

AB 1595 would require a private or public employer that provides mass transportation services in the state to train its new and existing employees in recognizing the signs of human trafficking and how to report those signs to the appropriate law enforcement agency by January 1, 2018. AB 1595 is waiting to be heard in the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee

AB 1597 (Stone) – Support
County Jails: Performance Milestone Credits

AB 1597 would reduce recidivism and jail overcrowding by providing milestone credits for eligible prisoners to participate in education and life skills programs as they earn modest time reductions off their sentences. AB 1597 passed out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee with a vote of 5-0.

AB 1703 (Santiago) – Support
Inmates: Medical Treatment

AB 1703 would expedite the transport process for inmates who require critical medical procedures by extending the definition of immediate medical care to include critical specialty medical procedures or treatment such as dialysis reducing the burden on the courts and law enforcement for repetitive court orders.  AB 1703 passed out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee with a vote of 7-0. AB 1703 has been referred to the Assembly Health Committee.

AB 1705 (Rodriguez) – Support
Jails: Searches

AB 1705 would authorize law enforcement to use body scanners to search a person who has been arrested and taken into custody for weapons or contraband eliminating reliance on invasive pat down or full clothing searches. AB 1705 is set to be heard March 15, 2016 in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

AB 1730 (Atkins) – Request for Comment by March 18
Human Trafficking: Minors

AB 1730 would authorize county probation departments to create pilot programs that provide temporary housing and comprehensive wraparound mental-health, educational, and other services to children who have been commercially sexually exploited. AB 1730 passed out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee with a vote of 7-0.  AB 1730 has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1731 (Atkins) – Request for Comment by March 18
Human Trafficking: Statewide Interagency Human Trafficking Task Force

AB 1731 creates the California Statewide Interagency Human Trafficking Taskforce responsible for gathering statewide data about human trafficking, recommending interagency protocols and best practices for training and outreach, and evaluating and implementing approaches to increase public awareness about human trafficking. AB 1731 passed out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee with a vote of 7-0. AB 1731 has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee

AB 1854 (Bloom) – Co-Sponsor
Bail: Attorney Fees: Forfeited Bail

AB 1854 would amend Penal Code section 1305.3 to restore funding for prosecutorial agencies and county counsel offices for the costs that are incurred in successfully opposing a motion to vacate the forfeiture of bail. AB 1854 is set to be heard March 15, 2016 in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

AB 2012 (Bigelow) – Support
Jail Industry Program

AB 2012 would allow the Board of Supervisors in Los Angeles, Tuolumne, Ventura and San Joaquin counties to authorize the sheriff to create a jail industry program. Contra Costa and Sonoma counties currently have Jail Industry Programs. A Jail Industry Program is a program that uses inmate labor to create a product or provide a service that has value for a public or private client and that compensates inmates with pay, privileges, or other benefits. AB 2012 is waiting to be heard in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

AB 2263 (Baker) – Request for Comment by March 18.
Protection of Victims: Address Confidentiality

AB 2263 would close a loophole in the Safe At Home Program to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking by prohibiting Assessor’s Offices from posting the residential addresses or telephone numbers of those enrolled in the California Safe at Home Program without prior written permission from the domestic violence victim.

AB 1569 (Steinorth) – Support
CEQA

AB 1569 would exempt projects, or the issuance of a permit for a project, for the inspection, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, replacement, or removal of existing transportation infrastructure within the existing right-of-way, provided that any area surrounding the right-of-way that would be altered as a result of construction activities necessary for the completion of the project will be restored to its condition before the project.

AB 1569 balances the public’s interest in repairing and maintaining existing transportation infrastructure against the need to protect California’s natural resources. The bill would require that any project eligible for the exemption would still have to comply with regulatory requirements that protect water quality and endangered species, as well as permits required by any other state or federal law. While this CEQA exemption would help to expedite projects to maintain existing transportation infrastructure within the existing right-of-way that do not require regulatory permits, the overwhelming funding shortfall that local governments face will require both project streamlining and new resources.

SB 1000 (Leyva) – Request for Comments
General Plans

SB 1000 will require the development of an Environmental Justice element when a General Plan is adopted or revised. Specifically, the new element would identify and appraise the burdens of undesirable land uses within disadvantaged communities, as identified by CalEnviroScreen, or that disproportionately impact a particular population on the basis of race, national origin, ethnic group identification, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, color, or disability in order to reduce pollution exposure, improve air quality and promote food access, healthier homes, and physical activity.

In 2003, the updated edition of the General Plan Guidelines from OPR recommended that local governments integrate environmental justice into their General Plans. CSAC is interested to know how counties have incorporated that guidance into their plans since that time, or any other actions you have taken to incorporate environmental justice into your planning processes. We are also interested in any other general comments or concerns you may have with this legislation.