2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Background for State Legislation Committee
April 13, 2004
AB 547 (Berg) - Support
This bill authorizes local governments to enact a clean needle and syringe exchange programs. Current law authorizes cities and counties to establish and operate needle exchange programs only after the declaration of a local emergency. The declaration must then be renewed every two weeks by the Board of Supervisors or the City Council.
SB 167 (Speier) - Support
This bill would exempt hospitals from the 2008 deadline and the 2013 optional deadline extension on earthquake standards if they commit to comply 10 years sooner with safer standards now required under the law by 2030. The bill author argues that moving up the 2030 deadline by 10 years will make hospitals safer sooner for the public and will save hospitals money, allowing them to combine efforts for meeting the current 2008 and 2030 requirements at the same time. Many hospitals cannot get enough money loaned to them to comply with current deadlines.
SB 38 (Alquist) - Support
This bill expands the State Healthy Families Program coverage to children in families with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty level rather than the current 250% of the federal poverty level. Currently San Francisco children with family incomes between 250 and 300% of the federal poverty level are covered through San Francisco's Healthy Kids & Young Adults program. SB 38 would relieve the City of the cost of providing coverage to about 12,000 children presently enrolled as Healthy Kids. The resulting savings of approximately $1.4 million could be reallocated to provide coverage to others in the City who remain uninsured.
AB 363 (Chu) - Support
This is a CWDA (County Welfare Director's Assn) sponsored bill that would help counties as we implement the Child Welfare System Improvement and Accountability Act (better known as Child Welfare Re-design). AB 363 would:
- Create the Child Welfare Services Outcomes and Accountability Incentive
Fund so that counties will have a means to receive funding to implement their
System Improvement Plans;
- Create a feedback mechanism between the Legislature and the California
Department of Social Services (CDSS) to provide information regarding the
counties' recommendations in their self-assessments and system improvement
plans.
SB 1018 (Simitian) and AB 1605 (Wolk) - the Elder and Dependent Financial
Abuse Reporting Act of 2005 - Support
These are identical bills, sponsored by CWDA that would add employees of
certain financial institutions - banks, credit unions, and savings and loans
- as mandated reporters of financial abuse perpetrated against elder and dependent
adults. These bills also apply penalties for failure to report and extend
immunity from civil liability for making such reports, consistent with other
mandated reporters in current law. Eighteen other states have passed similar
laws, often over the objections of their state bank associations. Reporting
by banks has been shown to be very effective in increasing reports of financial
abuse and preventing additional losses to victims.
Timely intervention is critical to preventing financial loss for seniors
and dependent adults who often live on fixed, limited incomes, and financial
institutions often are in the best position to witness this kind of abuse
when it occurs. Only 1 in 100 cases of financial abuse are reported in California.
Many seniors and dependent adults are too embarrassed, unaware or unwilling
to disclose financial abuse to authorities. In SF, 9% of all Adult Protective
Service allegations are related to financial abuse and neglect, a statistic
that may not reflect the true extent of the problem. Seniors are the fastest
growing age group in SF and will comprise an increasingly larger share of
SF's population. Many of them are also homeowners, living in isolation and
vulnerable to potential fraudulent activities, so passage of one of these
bills would protect SF seniors, and allow them to keep their assets, avoiding
premature institutionalization into nursing homes.
AB 824 (Chu) - Support
This bill would extend the current age limit of 21 to 24 for the Transitional
Housing Placement Program for Emancipated Foster/Probation Youth (also known
as THP+). THP+ is the only state-funded program to provide essential housing
and support services for emancipated and probation youth. The goal of the
program is to help youth achieve independence and have the opportunity to
move towards a stable adulthood. In California, an estimated 60% of emancipating
youth become homeless, and in San Francisco, an estimated 45% of our youth
have no stable housing when they leave foster care. San Francisco is one of
three counties in California to have a THP+ program providing 31 units of
housing for emancipated youth. The biggest challenge in stabilizing the THP+
participants has been the age limit - THP+ is a twenty-four month housing
program with wrap-around services. Several of our youth did not enter the
program until they were 19 1/2 or 20, and thus could not benefit from the
full 24 months of housing/services.
AB 1282 (Mullin) - Oppose
This bill would eliminate the 50/50 split between San Francisco and San Mateo
counties on the sale of jet fuel at SFO, and allow San Mateo to keep all revenues.
AB 236 (Bermudez) - Oppose
This bill would cap the sales tax on sale of jet fuel at 63 cents per gallon
until 2010. The bill is sponsored by the Air Transport Association. The Board
of Equalization estimates an $86 mil revenue loss to the state, a $33 mil
revenue loss to local jurisdictions and another $11 mil loss to special districts.
AB 769 (Horton) - Support
This bill would authorize an enforcement agency to require an owner of residential
rental property to complete 15 hours of educational courses if he or she fails
to repair a building condition that is in violation of the housing or building
standard.
SB 894(Dunn) - Support
This bill would allow the court to issue an injunction where a property owner
has abated a nuisance to prevent a recurrence or future occurence of that
activity. This amendment fills a statutory gap and serves as a particularly
useful tool in the cases involving properties that are vacant or owner occupied.
Compliance by the property owner is motivated by the lawsuit filed by the
City and can be short-lived. Prospective injunctions ensure that the property
owners will maintain those properties as required by law for a discrete period
of time. An injunction usually is in place for three to five years. The ability
of the City Attorney's Office to seek prospective injunctions reduces the
necessity to file multiple lawsuits to address the same or similar nuisances
and encourages property owners to act responsibly or face very immediate contempt
penalties.
SB 6 (Ducheny) - Support
This bill would allow Enterprize Zones created after 1990 to apply for a
5-year extension. San Francisco currently has one enterprise zone, located
in the Mission District.
