February 20, 2025
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Valerie Evans, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
IN THE NEWS (LOOTING)
AB 271, as introduced, Hoover (R), January 22, 2025. Crimes: looting.
Existing law defines the crime of burglary, which consists of entering specified buildings, places, or vehicles with the intent to commit grand or petty theft or a felony. Existing law defines burglary of the first degree as any burglary of an inhabited building and makes burglary of the first degree punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 4, or 6 years.
Existing law defines all other burglary as burglary of the 2nd degree and makes it punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for one year or as a felony. Existing law makes the theft of money, labor, or property petty theft punishable as a misdemeanor, whenever the value of the property taken does not exceed $950. Under existing law, if the value of the property taken exceeds $950, the theft is grand theft, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony.
Existing law defines any 2nd-degree burglary or grand theft, during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency, as specified, as looting, punishable by either imprisonment in a county jail for one year or as a felony. Existing law makes petty theft committed during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency a misdemeanor and requires a minimum jail term of 90 days.
Existing law prohibits credibly impersonating a peace officer, firefighter, or employee of a state or local government agency, or a search and rescue team, as specified. A violation of these prohibitions is punishable as a misdemeanor.
This bill would make looting by the means of a 2nd-degree burglary or grand theft punishable instead as a felony. The bill would define a petty theft committed during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency as looting and make it punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for one year or as a felony.
The bill would require any person who in the course of committing or attempting to commit the crime of looting impersonated a peace officer, firefighter, or employee of a state or local government agency, or a search and rescue team, subject to a penalty enhancement. By increasing the punishment of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
ALSO
SB 265, as introduced, Valladares (R), February 14, 2025. Crimes: looting.
Existing law defines the crime of burglary, which consists of entering specified buildings, places, or vehicles with the intent to commit grand or petty theft or a felony. Existing law defines burglary of the first degree as any burglary of an inhabited building and makes burglary of the first degree punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 4, or 6 years.
Existing law defines all other burglary as burglary of the 2nd degree and makes it punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for one year or as a felony.
Existing law defines any 2nd degree burglary during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency, as specified, as looting, punishable by either imprisonment in a county jail for one year or as a felony.
This bill would make that crime punishable instead as a felony. By increasing the punishment of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
ENERGY
SB 371, as introduced, Cabaldon. Electrical and gas corporations: new construction: application: analysis of greenhouse gases.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations.
Existing law requires every electrical and every gas corporation submitting an application to the commission for a certificate authorizing the new construction of any electric plant, line, or extension, or gas plant, line, or extension, except as provided, to include specified information in the application in addition to any other required information, including preliminary engineering and design information on the project, an appropriate cost estimate, and a cost analysis comparing the project with any feasible alternative sources of power, as specified.
This bill would require the application to also include an analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the project over the useful life of the plant, line, or extension.
Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
(Do we think that we will ever see new construction of electrical or gas corporations??)
SB 80, as introduced, Caballero, January 29, 2025. The Fusion Research and Development Innovation Hub Program.
Existing law establishes within the Governor’s office the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as “GO-Biz,” to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth.
This bill would create the Fusion Research and Development Innovation Hub Program within GO-Biz to accelerate the development and growth of fusion energy by advancing fusion science and technology with the goal of delivering the world’s first fusion energy pilot plant in the state by 2040.
The bill would require, among other things, GO-Biz to designate fusion research and development innovation hubs considering certain factors for advancing research and development diversity, including a network of hubs in geographically diverse regions that reflects the distribution of California’s diverse workforce and energy needs.
This bill would require GO-Biz to administer the program using moneys in the Fusion Research and Development Fund, which the bill would establish in the State Treasury, to provide grants to hubs designated pursuant to the bill for the purpose of accelerating the deployment of new research and technology capabilities that support the commercialization of fusion energy.
The bill would make its provisions operative only upon an appropriation by the Legislature in a Budget Act to the fund for the purpose of administering the program.
(Finally, some forward thinking!)
WATER
AB 263, as introduced, Rogers (D), January 16, 2025. Scott River: Shasta River: watersheds.
Existing law provides that an emergency regulation adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board following a Governor’s proclamation of a state of emergency based on drought conditions, for which the board makes specified findings, may remain in effect for up to one year, as provided, and may be renewed if the board determines that specified conditions relating to precipitation are still in effect.
This bill would provide that specified emergency regulations adopted by the board for the Scott River and Shasta River watersheds shall remain in effect until permanent rules establishing and implementing long-term instream flow requirements are adopted for those watersheds.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Scott River and Shasta River watersheds.
This bill would suspend the appropriation to the High-Speed Rail Authority for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 fiscal years and would instead require those amounts from moneys collected by the state board to be transferred to the General Fund. The bill would specify that the transferred amounts shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to augment funding for water infrastructure and wildfire prevention.
CLIMATE CHANGE
AB 273, as introduced, Sanchez (R), January 21, 2025. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: high-speed rail: infrastructure improvements.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include in its regulation of those emissions the use of market-based compliance mechanisms.
Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law continuously appropriates 25% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the High-Speed Rail Authority for certain purposes.
This bill would eliminate the continuous appropriation of 25% of the annual proceeds of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to the High-Speed Rail Authority on June 30, 2026. The bill, beginning with the 2026–27 fiscal year, would instead require 25% of the annual proceeds of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to be transferred to the General Fund and for those moneys, upon appropriation, to be used to augment funding provided to local governments to improve infrastructure.
AB 13, as introduced, Jeff Gonzalez (R), January 30, 2025. California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: scoping plan.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030.
The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years.
This bill would require the state board to include greenhouse gas emissions from wildlands and forest fires in the scoping plan.
(Great Republican idea, but Died at the Desk on 02/03/2025, anyone surprised?)
ANOTHER ATTEMPT
AB 513, as introduced, Jeff Gonzalez (R) (02/11/2025). California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: scoping plan.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases.
The state board is required to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030.
The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years.
This bill would require the state board to include greenhouse gas emissions from wildlands and forest fires in the scoping plan.
(Will this one die too? We’ll keep watching!)
Legislative Portal links – Express your support or opposition to a bill or directly to the Legislative committee currently reviewing it (as an individual, not as a member of RW or GSRW) – click here, or the bill’s author – click here, enter your bill # and look for tab at top of the bill page labeled “Comments to Author”.
