February 27, 2025
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Valerie Evans, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
HOUSING
AB11 (Lee) The Social Housing Act – Existing law creates a housing authority in each county or city, which functions upon the adoption of a specified resolution by the relevant governing body. Existing law authorizes these housing authorities, within their jurisdictions, to construct, improve, alter, or repair all or part of any housing project. Existing law establishes various programs that provide housing assistance.
This bill would enact the Social Housing Act and would create the California Housing Authority as an independent state body, the mission of which would be to ensure that social housing developments that are produced and acquired align with the goals of eliminating the gap between housing production and regional housing needs assessment targets and preserving affordable housing.
The bill would prescribe a definition of social housing that would describe, in addition to housing owned by the authority, housing owned by other entities, as specified, provided that all social housing developed or authorized by the authority would be owned by the authority.
The bill would prescribe the composition of the California housing Authority Board, which would govern the authority, and which would be composed of appointed members and members who would be elected by residents of social housing developments, as specified.
This bill would set forth the powers and duties of the authority and the board, including the requirement that the authority and the board annually prepare an submit a business plan and related information to the Governor and Legislature, as specified. The bill would also require the board to provide for regular audits of the authority’s accounts.
This bill would require the authority to seek to achieve revenue neutrality, and would require the authority to seek to recuperate the cost of development and operations over the life of its properties through mechanisms that maximize the number of Californians who can be housed without experiencing tent burden.
Among other things, the bill would establish the Social Housing Revolving Loan Fund within the State Treasury to provide, upon appropriations by the legislature, zero-interest loans for the purposes of constructing housing to accommodate a mix of household incomes.
The bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to provide financing for the activities of the authority through the assurance of general obligation bonds. The bill would authorize the authority to issue revenue bonds.
No voter approval required with the long-term intent of creating government owned housing.
(This is a push for more government housing.)
INMATE FIRE-FIGHTERS
AB 247, as introduced, Bryan. Inmate firefighters: wages.
Under existing law, a prisoner can reduce their term of imprisonment by earning credit for, among other things, continuous incarceration, good behavior, and participation in approved rehabilitative programming.
Existing law makes an inmate of a county jail who has completed training for assignment to a state or county facility as an inmate firefighter, or who is assigned to a state or county facility as an inmate firefighter, and who is eligible to earn one day of credit for every one day of incarceration, instead eligible to earn 2 days of credit for every one day served in that assignment or after completing that training.
This bill would require the above-described inmate firefighters, in addition to receiving credits, to be paid an hourly wage equal to the lowest nonincarcerated firefighter in the state for the time that they are actively fighting a fire.
Hearing: Mar 4 @ 9:00 am in State Capitol, Room 126
FIRES
AB 336, as introduced, Wallis. Criminal penalties: wildfires.
Existing law prohibits unlawfully causing a fire by recklessly setting fire to, burning, or causing to be burned, any structure, forest land, or property. A violation of this prohibition that causes great bodily injury, that causes an inhabited structure or property to burn, or that causes a fire of a structure or forest land is punishable either as a felony or a misdemeanor.
This bill would make the above-described violations punishable only as a felony including a fine not to exceed $10,000.
Hearing: Mar 4 @ 9:00 am in State Capitol, Room 126
AB 300, as amended, Lackey. Endangered species: incidental take: wildfire preparedness activities. Fire hazard severity zones: State Fire Marshal.
Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones, as specified. Existing law also requires the State Fire Marshal to classify lands within state responsibility areas into fire hazard severity zones, and, by regulation, to designate fire hazard severity zones and assign to each zone a rating reflecting the degree of severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in the zone.
Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to periodically review very high fire hazard severity zones that are not state responsibility areas, and designated and rated zones that are state responsibility areas, as provided.
This bill would instead require the State Fire Marshall to do the above-described classification and review of lands within state responsibility areas as fire hazard severity zones, and identification and review of areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones, as specified, every 5 years.
FIREARMS CONCEALED CARRY
AB 1092, as introduced, Castillo. Firearms: concealed carry licenses.
Existing law prohibits a person from carrying a concealed firearm or carrying a loaded firearm in public. Existing law requires a licensing authority to issue or renew a license to carry a firearm capable of being concealed if specified conditions are met, including, among others, that the applicant is not a disqualified person for the license, as specified, and the applicant has completed a specified course of training.
Existing law makes a new or renewal license that is issued to be valid for a period of time not to exceed 2 years from the date of the license, except as otherwise provided.
This bill would extend the duration of those licenses to 4 years from the date of the license.
MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL TAX
AB 1268, as introduced (02-21-2025), Macedo. Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law: adjustment suspension.
(1) The Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law, administered by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, imposes a tax upon each gallon of motor vehicle fuel removed from a refinery or terminal rack in this state, entered into this state, or sold in this state, at a specified rate per gallon.
Existing law requires the department to adjust the tax on July 1 each year by a percentage amount equal to the increase in the California Consumer Price Index, as calculated by the Department of Finance.
Article XIX of the California Constitution restricts the expenditure of revenues from the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law, Diesel Fuel Tax Law, and other taxes imposed by the state on fuels used in motor vehicles upon public streets and highways to street and highway and certain mass transit purposes.
This bill would authorize the Governor to suspend an adjustment to the motor vehicle fuel tax, as described above, scheduled on or after July 1, 2025, upon making a determination that increasing the rate would impose an undue burden on low-income and middle-class families.
The bill would require the Governor to notify the Legislature of an intent to suspend the rate adjustment on or before January 10 of that year, and would require the Department of Finance to submit to the Legislature a proposal by January 10 that would maintain the same level of funding for transportation purposes as would have been generated had the scheduled adjustment not been suspended.
(2) The California Constitution provides for the establishment of the State Board of Equalization, which, before July 1, 2017, had primary responsibility for most of the state’s duties, powers, and responsibilities regarding the administration of taxes and fees. Existing law, on July 1, 2017, transferred to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration various duties, powers, and responsibilities of the State Board of Equalization, including administration of the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law and the Diesel Fuel Tax Law, as specified.
This bill would also change references in these provisions of law from the “State Board of Equalization” to the “California Department of Tax and Fee Administration” or “department,” as applicable, to reflect the transfer of the board’s duties, powers, and responsibilities to the department.
(3) This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
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