Legislative Positions

AB 436 (Alvarez) – Vehicles (David Alvarez)

Summary: AB 436 This bill would remove the authorization for a local authority to adopt rules and regulations by
ordinance or regulation regarding cruising. Current law prohibits a local authority from enacting or enforcing an ordinance on matters
covered by the Vehicle Code unless expressly authorized by the Vehicle Code. Current law
authorizes local authorities to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution regarding
specified matters, including, among others, crossing guards, the operation of bicycles, the
removal of illegally parked vehicles, and cruising.

AB 742 (Jackson) - Law Enforcement: Police Canines (Corey Jackson)

Summary: Existing law authorizes a peace officer to use reasonable force to effect the arrest, to prevent escape, or to overcome resistance of an individual. Existing law requires law enforcement agencies to maintain a policy on the use of force. This bill would prohibit the use of an unleashed police canine by law enforcement to apprehend
a person, and any use of a police canine for crowd control. The bill would prohibit law enforcement agencies from authorizing any use or training of a police canine that is inconsistent
with this bill.

SB 602 (Archuleta) Letter of Agency: Graffiti and Public Nuisance (Bob Archuleta)

Summary: Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to commit the crime of trespass upon being requested to leave by a peace officer at the request of the owner, the owner’s agent, or the person in lawful possession and upon being informed by the peace officer that they are acting at the request of the owner, the owner’s agent, or the person in lawful possession. Existing law requires a separate request to the peace officer on each occasion when the peace officer’s assistance in dealing with a trespass is requested, except that a single request for peace officer assistance may be made for a period not to exceed 12 months. Existing law requires the requester to inform the law enforcement agency to which the request was made when the assistance is no longer desired before the 12-month period expires. Existing law also authorizes a single request for a peace officer’s assistance to be made for a period of time not to exceed 30 days and identified by specific dates when there is a fire hazard or the owner, the owner’s agent, or the person in lawful possession is absent from the property. Under existing law, a request for assistance expires when ownership of the property changes or upon a change in the person in lawful possession.

Senate Bill 602 would extend the timeframe for Letters of Agency from 30 days to 12 months for the purpose of removing graffiti and mitigating other public nuisances on private property visible from public rights of way. Currently, in order for cities to complete such abatement, cities and their respective law enforcement agencies are required to obtain an updated letter every 30 days from absentee property owners in order to remove graffiti and abate other public nuisances. As such, this bill would authorize a single request for assistance to be made and submitted electronically, in a notarized writing on a form provided by the law enforcement agency, to a peace officer for a time period determined by local ordinance or 12 months, whichever is shorter, and identified by specific dates, during which there is a fire hazard or the owner, owner’s agent, or person in lawful possession is absent from the premises or property.

This bill would also authorize a single request for assistance to be made and submitted electronically, in a notarized writing on a form provided by the law enforcement agency, to a peace officer for a period of not more than 3 years when the premises or property is closed to the public and posted as being closed and would require the notice ending assistance before the 3 years has passed to be in writing. The bill would allow a request for peace officer assistance to continue after a change in ownership or transfer of lawful possession if the transferee notifies the relevant law enforcement or the city of the change. The bill would authorize local governments to accept electronic submissions of requests for peace officer
assistance.

SB 4 (Wiener) - Planning and zoning: Higher Education Institutions and Religious Institutions (Scott Wiener)

Summary: Would require that a housing development project be a use by right upon the request of an applicant who submits an application for streamlined approval, on any land owned by an independent institution of higher education or religious institution on or before January 1, 2024, if the development satisfies specified criteria, including that the development is not adjoined to any site where more than one-third of the square footage on the site is dedicated to industrial use. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. Among other things, the bill would require that 100% of the units, exclusive of manager units, in a housing development project eligible for approval as a use by right under these provisions be affordable to lower income households, except that 20% of the units may be for moderate-income households, provided that all of the units are provided at affordable rent, as set in an amount consistent with the rent limits established by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, or affordable housing cost. The bill would authorize the development to include ancillary uses on the ground floor of the development.

SB 55 (Umberg) - Vehicles: Catalytic Converters (Thomas Umberg)

Summary: Existing law licenses and regulates motor vehicle dealers and retailers. Existing law prohibits a motor vehicle dealer or retailer from selling any motor vehicle that is not in compliance with the requirements enumerated in the Vehicle Code. This bill would prohibit a dealer or retailer from selling a new motor vehicle equipped with a catalytic converter unless the catalytic converter has been engraved or etched with the vehicle identification number of the vehicle to which it is attached. A violation of this provision would be punishable as an infraction.

AB 74 (Muratsuchi) - Vehicles: street takeovers, sideshows, and racing

Summary: Existing law makes it a crime for a person to engage in a motor vehicle speed contest on a highway or an exhibition of speed on a highway, or to aid or abet therein. Commencing July 1, 2025, a court may suspend a person’s driver’s license for 90 days to 6 months for an exhibition of speed, or aiding and abetting an exhibition of speed, if the violation occurred as part of a sideshow. Existing law defines “sideshow” as 2 or more persons blocking or impeding traffic on a highway for the purpose of performing motor vehicle stunts, motor vehicle speed contests, motor vehicle exhibitions of speed, or reckless driving for spectators.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to street takeovers, sideshows, and racing.

SB 20 - (Rubio) - Joint Powers Agreements: Regional Housing Trusts

Summary: The Joint Exercise of Powers Act authorizes 2 or more public agencies, by agreement, to form a joint powers authority to exercise any power common to the contracting parties, as specified. Existing law authorizes the agreement to set forth the manner by which the joint powers authority will be governed. That act specifically authorizes the creation of the Orange County Housing Finance Trust and the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust, both joint powers authorities, for the purposes of funding housing to assist the homeless population and persons and families of extremely low, very low, and low income within their respective regions, as specified. This bill would authorize 2 or more cities, by entering into a joint powers agreement pursuant to the Joint Exercise of Powers Act, to create a regional housing trust for the purposes of funding housing to assist the homeless population and persons and families of extremely low, very low, and low income within their jurisdictions. The bill would require a regional housing trust created pursuant to these provisions to be governed by a board of directors consisting of a minimum of 9 directors. The bill would authorize a regional housing trust to fund the planning and construction of housing, receive public and private financing and funds, and authorize and 6 issue bonds. The bill would require the joint powers agreement establishing the regional housing trust to incorporate specified annual financial reporting and auditing requirements.

SB 58 (Weiner) - Controlled Substances: Decriminalization of Certain Hallucinogenic Substances

Summary: The bill would provide penalties for possession of these substances on school grounds, or possession by, or transferring to, persons under 21 years of age. Current law categorizes certain drugs and other substances as controlled substances and prohibits various actions related to those substances, including their manufacture, transportation, sale, possession, and ingestion. This bill would make lawful the possession, preparation, obtaining, transfer, as specified, or transportation of, specified quantities of psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline, for personal use or facilitated or supported use, as defined, by and with persons 21 years of age or older.

SB 44 (Umberg) - Contolled Substances (Thomas Umberg)

AB 550 - (Schiavo), Pilar - Homelessness: Public Hearings (Pilar Schiavo)