1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 1 City of Glendale: Priority Legislation as of February 20, 2026 Emergency Response and Disaster Preparedness SB 894 (Allen) Wildfires: home hardening. (Introduced 01/15/2026) Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to enter into a joint powers agreement, as specified, with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop and administer a comprehensive wildfire mitigation program, that, among other things, encourages cost-effective structure hardening and retrofitting that creates fire-resistant homes, businesses, and public buildings. This bill would provide that it is the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation that would establish the California Wildfire Resilience Program, developed and administered by the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority, that would consist of a loan loss reserve and interest rate buy-down program designed to increase access to, and affordability of, defensible space and home hardening modifications, as provided. (Based on 01/15/2026 text) Location: 01/15/2026 - Senate Rules Energy and Utilities SB 222 (Wiener) Residential heat pump systems: water heaters and HVAC: installations. (Amended 01/15/2026) Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and prescribes the authorities, duties, and responsibilities of the commission pertaining to energy matters. Existing law requires the commission, on or before January 1, 2019, in consultation with the Contractors State License Board, local building officials, and other stakeholders, to approve a plan that promotes compliance with specified regulations relating to building energy efficiency standards in the installation of central air-conditioning and heat pumps, as specified. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt regulations to increase compliance with permitting and inspection requirements for central air-conditioning and heat pumps, and associated sales and installations, consistent with the above-described plan. The bill would require a city, county, or city and county, beginning July 1, 2027, to adopt and offer asynchronous inspections for installations of residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC systems, as defined, that do not require a licensed contractor and building inspector to
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 2 be simultaneously present during the inspection. The bill would authorize a building inspector to contact the licensed contractor who performed the installation by telephone call or real-time video conferencing during their inspection, and, if the building inspector determines during an asynchronous inspection that there is an issue with an installation of the heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC system and that the licensed contractor who performed the installation must be present to perform tests or cure the installation, to require the licensed contractor who performed the installation to schedule an additional inspection in which the building inspector and the licensed contractor who performed the installation are required to be simultaneously present during the additional inspection. The bill would specify that these provisions do not require a local entity described above to discontinue offering inspections for the installation of a residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC system where in a building inspector and licensed contractor who performed the installation are simultaneously present. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/15/2026 text) Location: 01/26/2026 - Assembly Desk SB 924 (Hurtado) Low-income energy assistance. (Introduced 01/28/2026) Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. Existing law requires the commission to require electrical corporations and gas corporations to perform home weatherization services, as described, for low-income customers if the commission determines that a significant need for those services exists in the corporation’s service territory, taking into consideration both the cost-effectiveness of the services and the policy of reducing the hardships facing low-income households, as specified. This bill would require the commission to require electrical corporations and gas corporations, in performing home weatherization services, to prioritize household affordability, integration of electrification and health and safety measures, and coordinated delivery across fuel types and housing conditions, while preserving flexibility in program design. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/28/2026 text) Location: 02/11/2026 - Senate Energy, Utilities And Communications Environment and Climate AB 35 (Alvarez) Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024: Administrative Procedure Act: exemption: program guidelines and selection criteria. (Amended 01/14/2026) Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, sets forth the requirements for the adoption, publication, review, and implementation of regulations by state agencies. The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 (act), approved by the voters as Proposition 4 at the November 5, 2024, statewide general election, authorized the issuance of bonds in the amount of $10,000,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance projects for safe drinking water, drought, flood, and water resilience, wildfire and forest resilience, coastal resilience, extreme heat mitigation,
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 3 biodiversity and nature-based climate solutions, climate-smart, sustainable, and resilient farms, ranches, and working lands, park creation and outdoor access, and clean air programs. Existing law authorizes certain regulations needed to effectuate or implement programs of the act to be adopted as emergency regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, as provided. Existing law requires the emergency regulations to be filed with the Office of Administrative Law and requires the emergency regulations to remain in effect until repealed or amended by the adopting state agency. This bill, notwithstanding the above, would exempt the adoption of regulations needed to effectuate or implement programs of the act from the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, as provided. The bill would require a state entity that receives funding to administer a competitive grant program established using the Administrative Procedure Act exemption to do certain things, including develop draft project solicitation and evaluation guidelines and to submit those guidelines to the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, except as provided. The bill would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to post an electronic form of the guidelines submitted by a state entity and the subsequent verifications on the Natural Resources Agency’s internet website. The bill would authorize the use of certain previously developed program guidelines and selection criteria for these purposes, as provided. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/14/2026 text) Location: 01/27/2026 - Senate Rules Governmental Operations AB 1383 (McKinnor) Public employees’ retirement benefits: safety members. (Amended 01/22/2026) The Public Employees’ Retirement Law (PERL) establishes the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) to provide a defined benefit to members of the system based on final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations. Existing law creates the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund, which is continuously appropriated for purposes of PERS, including depositing employer and employee contributions. Under the California Constitution, assets of a public pension or retirement system are trust funds. The California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) establishes a variety of requirements and restrictions on public employers offering defined benefit pension plans. In this regard, PEPRA restricts the amount of compensation that may be applied for purposes of calculating a defined pension benefit for a new member, as defined, by restricting it to specified percentages of the contribution and benefit base under a specified federal law with respect to old age, survivors, and disability insurance benefits. Existing law, the Teachers’ Retirement Law, establishes the State Teachers’ Retirement System (STRS) and creates the Defined Benefit Program of the State Teachers’ Retirement Plan, which provides a defined benefit to members of the program, based on final compensation, creditable service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations. This bill, on and after January 1, 2027, would require a retirement system subject to PEPRA to adjust pensionable compensation limits to be consistent with specified percentages of the contribution and benefit base under the specified federal law with respect to old age, survivors, and disability insurance benefits. The bill would require a new member of STRS to be subject to specified limits of the Teachers’ Retirement Law. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/22/2026 text)
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 4 Location: 01/29/2026 - Senate Rules AB 1439 (Garcia) Public retirement systems: development projects: labor standards. (Amended 01/22/2026) The California Constitution grants the retirement board of a public employee retirement system plenary authority and fiduciary responsibility for investment of moneys and administration of the retirement fund and system. These provisions qualify this grant of powers by reserving to the Legislature the authority to prohibit investments if it is in the public interest and the prohibition satisfies standards of fiduciary care and loyalty required of a retirement board. Existing law prohibits the boards of the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) and the State Teachers’ Retirement System (STRS) from making certain new investments or renewing existing investments of public employee retirement funds, including in a thermal coal company, as defined. Existing law provides that a board is not required to take any action regarding those investments unless the board determines in good faith that the action is consistent with the board’s fiduciary responsibilities established in the California Constitution. This bill would state that its purpose is to require the boards of PERS and STRS to contract with the University of California Labor Centers to conduct an independent study to determine the impacts on public employee retirement funds of prohibiting the board of a public pension or retirement system, as defined, from investing in development projects in California that do not provide labor standards protections for workers. The bill would require the study and a report of its findings to be completed and provided to the Legislature and the Department of Finance by January 1, 2028, as specified. The bill would provide that a board is not required to take action pursuant to this provision unless it determines in good faith that the action is consistent with the board’s fiduciary responsibilities established in the California Constitution. This bill contains other existing laws. (Based on 01/22/2026 text) Location: 01/29/2026 - Senate Rules AB 1577 (Bauer-Kahan) Data centers: monthly reporting. (Introduced 01/12/2026) Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and vests the commission with various responsibilities with respect to developing and implementing the state’s energy policies. Existing law requires the commission to biennially adopt an integrated energy policy report, as specified, and to make the reports accessible to state, local, and federal entities and to the general public. This bill would require the commission to establish a process for the owner of a data center, as defined, to submit specified information to the commission on a monthly basis, including, among other information, the data center’s power usage effectiveness, as defined, water usage effectiveness, as defined, and total water consumption and the quantity of fuel consumed by onsite generators or other fuel-based energy systems, as specified. The bill would require the owner of a data center to submit the required information in the manner and timeframe specified by the commission. The bill would require the commission, as part of the 2029 edition of the integrated energy policy report, to include an assessment of electrical load trends for data centers, as provided. The bill would require the commission to annually publish the information submitted in an anonymized and aggregated format on its internet website. The bill would require the owner or developer of a data center, upon applying for a discretionary permit, entitlement, or land use authorization required for the construction or operation of the data center, to submit to the applicable local agency, as defined, the information described above, as
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 5 provided. By imposing a new duty on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the local agency to use this information for various purposes, including, but not limited to, land use planning, infrastructure planning, energy and water supply assessment, and environmental review. The bill would further authorize a lead local agency to use this information in the preparation of environmental documentation pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/12/2026 text) Location: 01/12/2026 - Assembly Print AB 1680 (Calderon) California FAIR Plan Association. (Introduced 02/02/2026) The California FAIR Plan Association is a joint reinsurance association in which all insurers licensed to write basic property insurance participate to administer a program for the equitable apportionment of basic property insurance for persons who are unable to obtain that coverage through normal channels. Existing law requires the Insurance Commissioner to approve the association’s plan of operation and authorizes the commissioner to examine the association’s books, records, files, papers, and documents that relate to its operation. Existing law authorizes the commissioner to impose civil penalties for various violations of the Insurance Code. This bill would require the association to comply with the recommendations of a report of examination or other operational report and would subject the association to civil penalties for violating statutes relative to the association, including if it fails to adopt the recommendations within a timeframe agreed upon by the commissioner or a person designated by the commissioner. The bill would set the civil penalty amounts for violations of provisions relative to the association as not to exceed $10,000 for each act in violation or not to exceed $20,000 if the act was willful, and would require the commissioner to impose those penalties, as specified. The bill would also authorize the commissioner to require the association to both adjust the policy limits available under programs underwritten by the association and make additional coverage offerings available under programs underwritten by the association. (Based on 02/02/2026 text) Location: 02/02/2026 - Assembly Print AB 2033 (Papan) Local Agency Public Construction Act: job order contracting. (Introduced 02/17/2026) Existing law, the Local Agency Public Construction Act, sets forth procedures that a local agency is required to follow when procuring certain services or work. Existing law authorizes certain local agencies to engage in job order contracting, as prescribed. This bill would authorize the city council to award individual annual job order contracts, not to exceed $500,000, as specified, for repair, remodeling, or other repetitive work to be done according to unit prices. The bill would prohibit, among other things, annual contracts from being awarded for any new construction. The bill would require the contracts to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder and be based on plans and specifications for typical work. (Based on 02/17/2026 text) Location: 02/17/2026 - Assembly Print SB 1005 (Caballero) Local agency: payment: rounding amount. (Introduced 02/09/2026)
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 6 Existing law requires a public agency to accept specified methods of payment for designated obligations. This bill would authorize a local agency to round the amount of any payment made wholly or partly in cash to the local agency, or any refund or other amount tendered wholly or partly in cash by the local agency, to the nearest $0.05. The bill would apply to a local agency only if the governing body of the local agency adopts, by majority vote, a resolution to make its provisions applicable to the local agency. The bill would define terms for its purposes. (Based on 02/09/2026 text) Location: 02/18/2026 - Senate Local Government Health and Human Services SB 490 (Umberg) Alcohol and drug programs. (Amended 01/05/2026) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of adult alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facilities by the State Department of Public Health and prohibits the operation of one of those facilities without a current valid license. Existing law requires the department, if a facility is alleged to be in violation of that prohibition, to conduct a site visit to investigate the allegation. Existing law requires, if the department’s employee or agent finds evidence that the facility is providing services without a license, the employee or agent to take specified actions, including, among others, submitting the findings of the investigation to the department and issuing a written notice to the facility that includes the date by which the facility is required to cease providing services. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, through fee-for-service or managed care delivery systems. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes the Drug Medi-Cal Treatment Program (Drug Medi-Cal) and authorizes the department to enter into a Drug Medi-Cal contract with each county for the provision of alcohol and drug use services within the county service area. This bill would require the department, if it determines it has jurisdiction over the allegation, to initiate that investigation within 10 days of receiving the allegation and, except as specified, complete the investigation within 60 days of initiating the investigation. The bill would require the department, if it receives a complaint that does not fall under its jurisdiction, to notify the complainant that it does not investigate that type of complaint. The bill would require the employee or agent to provide the notice described above within 10 days of the employee or agency submitting their findings to the department and to conduct a followup site visit to determine whether the facility has ceased providing services as required. The bill would authorize, in counties that elect to administer the Drug Medi-Cal organized delivery system and that provide optional recovery housing services, the county behavioral health agency to request approval from the department to conduct a site visit of a recovery residence that is alleged to be operating without a license. The bill would permit the department to approve that request in certain circumstances, including that the department has sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegation. (Based on 01/05/2026 text) Location: 01/26/2026 - Assembly Desk Notes1:
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 7 Cal Cities sponsored. Homelessness AB 1708 (Solache) Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program: round 7. (Introduced 02/04/2026) Existing law establishes the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program for the purpose of providing jurisdictions with grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address their immediate homelessness challenges, as specified. Existing law provides for the allocation of funding under the program among continuums of care, cities, counties, and tribes in 6 rounds, with rounds 1 to 5, inclusive, administered by the Interagency Council on Homelessness and round 6 administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, as provided. Existing law establishes round 7 of the program and states the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that specifies the parameters, as specified. Existing law, effective July 1, 2026, appropriates $500,000,000, as specified, provided that these funds be disbursed in accordance with specified requirements, including that funds from this appropriation be disbursed to a city, county, tribe, or continuum of care for round 7 of the program after a declaration by the director of the department, in consultation with the Director of Finance, that the department has substantially completed its initial disbursement of round 6 funds to the city, county, tribe, or continuum of care and that the city, county, tribe, or continuum of care has obligated at least 50% of its total round 6 award. Existing law requires the department, during the 2025–26 fiscal year, to prepare to administer round 7 of the program with the goal that initial round 7 disbursements will be available to grantees meeting the statutory provisions for disbursement beginning September 1, 2026, as specified. This bill would require a continuum of care receiving funding pursuant to round 7, as described above, to allocate funds to a smaller jurisdiction, defined as a city with a population under 300,000. The bill would require a smaller jurisdiction, in order to be eligible for funding, to, among other things, adopt a resolution, as specified, have a compliant housing element, and have adopted a local encampment policy, as described. The bill would require a continuum of care to accept applications for funding in accordance with specified procedures. (Based on 02/04/2026 text) Location: 02/04/2026 - Assembly Print Notes1: Cal Cities sponsored. Housing and Land Use AB 748 (Harabedian) Single-family and multifamily housing units: preapproved plans. (Amended 01/05/2026)
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 8 Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, provides for the adoption and administration of zoning laws, ordinances, rules and regulations by counties and cities and the implementation of those general plans as may be in effect in those counties or cities. In that regard, existing law requires each local agency, by January 1, 2025, to develop a program for the preapproval of accessory dwelling unit plans. This bill would require each local agency, as defined, to develop a program for the preapproval of single-family and multifamily residential housing plans, whereby the local agency accepts single-family and multifamily plan submissions for preapproval and approves or denies the preapproval applications, as specified. The bill would require a large jurisdiction, as defined, to develop this program by July 1, 2027, and a small jurisdiction, as defined, to develop a program by January 1, 2029. The bill would require the local agency to post preapproved single-family or multifamily residential housing plans and the contact information of the applicant on the local agency’s internet website. This bill would require a local agency to either approve or deny ministerially an application for a single-family or multifamily residential housing unit within 30 days if the lot meets certain conditions and the application utilizes specified plans that have been preapproved by the local agency or that are identical to a plan used in an application approved by the local agency. The bill would prohibit the preapproval program from applying to single-family or multifamily residential housing plans intended for use in certain communities and developments, as specified. This bill contains other existing laws. (Based on 01/05/2026 text) Location: 01/27/2026 - Senate Rules AB 939 (Schultz) Housing development: density bonuses: affordability of for-sale units. (Amended 01/15/2026) Existing law, commonly referred to as the Density Bonus Law, requires a city or county to provide a developer that proposes a housing development, as defined, within the city or county with a density bonus, other incentives or concessions, and waivers or reductions of development standards, as specified, if the developer agrees to construct specified units and meets other requirements. Existing law, among other things, requires compliance with certain affordability requirements, including requiring that the applicant agree to ensure, and that the city, county, or city and county ensure, that a for-sale unit that qualified the applicant for the award of the density bonus is either (1) initially sold to and occupied by a person or family of very low, low, or moderate income, as specified, or (2) if the unit is not purchased by an income-qualified person or family within 180 days after the issuance of the certificate of occupancy, the unit is purchased by a qualified nonprofit housing corporation, as provided. This bill would additionally allow the applicant and the city, county, or city and county to comply with the above-described affordability requirements with respect to a for-sale unit by ensuring that the unit is purchased by a nonprofit corporation, as specified, for properties to be sold to and occupied by extremely low, very low, or lower income families who participate in a below-market interest rate loan program, as described. By adding to the duties of local agencies to implement the Density Bonus Law, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/15/2026 text) Location: 01/29/2026 - Senate Rules AB 1406 (Ward) Attached residential condominium sales: liquidated damages. (Amended 01/22/2026)
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 9 Existing law establishes that for the initial sale of a newly constructed condominium unit, as specified, the amount actually paid to the seller in the event of a buyer’s default pursuant to a liquidated damages provision that exceeds 3% of the purchase price of the residential unit is subject to specified requirements, including an accounting of the seller’s costs and revenues, as specified. This bill would delete the above-specified percentage and, instead, increase that percentage to 6%. (Based on 01/22/2026 text) Location: 01/29/2026 - Senate Rules AB 1895 (Hadwick) Surplus Land Act: exemptions: land unsuitable for housing. (Introduced 02/12/2026) Existing law requires land to be declared either surplus land or exempt surplus land, as supported by written findings, before a local agency may take any action to dispose of it consistent with an agency’s policies or procedures. Existing law establishes procedures for the disposal of surplus land, including requiring certain information to be provided to the Department of Housing and Community Development. These procedures do not apply to the disposal of exempt surplus land. Existing law establishes various categories of exempt surplus land, including surplus land that is a former street, right-of-way, or easement, and is conveyed to an owner of an adjacent property. This bill would broaden the definition of exempt surplus land to include land that is unsuitable for housing development due to the presence of one or more specified characteristics, including land with slope instability that increases risk of mudslides, landslides, subsidence, liquefaction, and other seismic hazards. (Based on 02/12/2026 text) Location: 02/12/2026 - Assembly Print SB 677 (Wiener) Housing development: transit-oriented development. (Amended 01/08/2026) Existing law requires that a housing development project, as defined, within a specified distance of a transit-oriented development (TOD) stop, as defined, be an allowed use as a transit-oriented housing development on any site zoned for residential, mixed, or commercial development, if the development complies with certain applicable requirements, as provided. Among these requirements, existing law establishes requirements concerning height limits, density, and residential floor area ratio in accordance with a development’s proximity to specified tiers of TOD stops, as provided, and requires a development to meet specified labor standards that require that a specified affidavit be signed under penalty of perjury, under specified circumstances. Existing law specifies that a development proposed pursuant to these provisions is eligible for streamlined, ministerial approval, as provided. Existing law defines, among other terms, the term “high-frequency commuter rail” for purposes of these provisions to mean a commuter rail service operating a total of at least 48 trains per day across both directions, not including temporary service changes of less than one month or unplanned disruptions, and not meeting the standard for very high frequency commuter rail, at any point in the past three years. Existing law also defines the term “Tier 2 transit-oriented development stop” for these purposes to mean a TOD stop within an urban transit county, as defined, excluding a Tier 1 transit-oriented development stop, as defined, served by light rail transit, by high-frequency commuter rail, or by bus service meeting specified standards. This bill would revise the definition of “high-frequency commuter rail” to instead mean a public commuter or intercity rail station with a total of at least 48 passenger trains on average per weekday across all directions, not including temporary service changes of less than one month or unplanned
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 10 disruptions, and not meeting the standard for very high frequency commuter rail, at any point in the past three years. By increasing the duties of local officials, and by expanding the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill contains other existing laws. (Based on 01/08/2026 text) Location: 01/26/2026 - Assembly Desk Position: Oppose SB 722 (Wahab) Transit-oriented housing development: excluded parcels and sites. (Amended 01/15/2026) Existing law requires that a housing development project, as defined, within a specified distance of a transit-oriented development stop, as defined, be an allowed use as a transit-oriented housing development on any site zoned for residential, mixed, or commercial development, if the development complies with certain, applicable requirements, as provided. Among these requirements, existing law prohibits a proposed development under these provisions from being located on sites where the development would require demolition of housing, or that was previously used for housing, that is subject to rent or price controls, as provided. This bill would additionally prohibit the development from being located on an existing parcel of land or site governed under the Mobilehome Residency Law, the Recreational Vehicle Park Occupancy Law, the Mobilehome Parks Act, or the Special Occupancy Parks Act. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. (Based on 01/15/2026 text) Location: 01/26/2026 - Assembly Desk SB 887 (Padilla) California Environmental Quality Act: environmental leadership development projects: data centers. (Introduced 01/13/2026) The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA exempts ministerial projects from its requirements. CEQA also exempts from its requirements a project that consists exclusively of a facility for advanced manufacturing, as specified. This bill would specify that projects proposed to be carried out or approved by a public agency for the development and operation of a data center, as defined, are not ministerial projects exempt from CEQA. Because the bill would require the public agency to comply with CEQA for those data center projects that would otherwise be exempt from CEQA as ministerial projects, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would specify that the CEQA exemption for an advanced manufacturing facility does not apply to a data center, as defined. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/13/2026 text) Location: 02/11/2026 - Senate Environmental Quality
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 11 SB 908 (Wiener) Housing development: transit-oriented development. (Introduced 01/22/2026) Existing law generally regulates the development of transit-oriented housing developments near transit-oriented development stops. Existing law defines various terms for these purposes. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to oversee compliance with those provisions, authorizes a local government to enact an ordinance to make its zoning code consistent with those provisions, as specified, and requires each metropolitan planning organization to create a map of transit-oriented development stops and zones within its region by tier, as specified. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation that would make technical and clarifying changes to those laws governing transit-oriented development, and to add a select set of San Francisco Bay area ferry terminals to the scope of those provisions. (Based on 01/22/2026 text) Location: 01/22/2026 - Senate Rules Immigration SB 747 (Wiener) Civil rights: deprivation of federal constitutional rights, privileges, and immunities. (Amended 01/22/2026) Under existing law, the Tom Bane Civil Rights Act (act), if a person or persons, whether or not acting under color of law, interferes or attempts to interfere, by threats, intimidation, or coercion, with the exercise or enjoyment by any individual or individuals of rights secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or of the rights secured by the Constitution or laws of this state, the Attorney General, or any district attorney or city attorney, is authorized to bring a civil action for injunctive and other appropriate equitable relief in the name of the people of the State of California, in order to protect the exercise or enjoyment of the right or rights secured. Under that act, an individual may also institute and prosecute in their own name and on their own behalf a civil action for damages, as described, for any resulting interference or attempt at interference of the individual’s exercise or enjoyment of rights secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States or this state. That act requires the aforementioned actions to be filed in either the superior court for the county in which the conduct complained of occurred or in the superior court for the county in which a person whose conduct complained of resides or has their place of business (venue requirement). The act authorizes the court to award the petitioner or plaintiff reasonable attorney’s fees in addition to any damages, injunction, or other equitable relief awarded in these civil actions (attorney’s fees authorization). This bill would also provide that every person who, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, as defined, subjects or causes to be subjected any citizen of this state or any person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the United States Constitution, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except as specified. The bill would apply the aforementioned venue requirement and attorney’s fees authorization, except as specified, to any action brought under these provisions. The bill would authorize a court, in its discretion, to also award costs, except as specified, and expert fees to the prevailing plaintiff in any action brought under these provisions. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/22/2026 text)
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 12 Location: 01/27/2026 - Assembly Desk Open Meetings and Transparency AB 1942 (Bauer-Kahan) Electric bicycles: registration and special license plates. (Introduced 02/13/2026) Existing law prohibits a person from driving, moving, or leaving standing upon a highway, or in an offstreet public parking facility, any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole or pipe dolly, or logging dolly, unless it is registered and the appropriate fees have been paid, except as specified. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon registering a vehicle, to issue to the owner license plates that identify the vehicles for which they are issued for the period of their validity, as specified. Existing law also requires a motorized bicycle to display a special license plate issued by the department. Existing law authorizes a city or county to adopt a bicycle licensing ordinance or resolution, authorizes the licensing agency, by ordinance or resolution, to adopt rules and regulations for the collection of license fees, as specified, and sets the fee for each new bicycle license and registration certificate at a sum of no more than $4 per year. Existing law defines an electric bicycle as a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, and classifies electric bicycles into 3 classes with different restrictions. This bill would require class 2 electric bicycles and class 3 electric bicycles to be registered with the department and to display a special license plate issued by the department. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations to implement these requirements, and would make a person operating a class 2 or class 3 electric bicycle in violation of these requirements guilty of an infraction punishable by specified fines. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would create the Electric Bicycle Registration Fund in the State Treasury, require all moneys received by the department pursuant to these provisions to be deposited in the fund, and require all moneys in the fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the administration of these provisions. The bill would also appropriate an unspecified sum of moneys from the General Fund to the Electric Bicycle Registration Fund as a loan for purposes of administering these provisions, as specified. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 02/13/2026 text) Location: 02/13/2026 - Assembly Print Public Safety and EMS AB 1537 (Bryan) Peace officers: secondary employment. (Introduced 01/05/2026) Existing law provides that every executive or ministerial officer, employee, or appointee of the State of California, or any county or city therein, or any political subdivision thereof, who knowingly asks, receives, or agrees to receive any emolument, gratuity, or reward, or any promise thereof excepting such as may be authorized by law for doing an official act, is guilty of
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 13 a misdemeanor. Existing law exempts from that offense certain employment by a peace officer while off duty, as specified. Existing law also provides that a peace officer shall not be prohibited from engaging in other employment while off duty, as specified. This bill would, notwithstanding those provisions, prohibit a peace officer from being employed by, or being an independent contractor of or volunteer for, the United States Department of Homeland Security or its contractors or any other entity that assists with or engages in immigration enforcement. The bill would provide that failure to comply with this provision constitutes, for certain purposes, an act of dishonesty and that it is grounds for decertification as a peace officer. The bill would require a peace officer to report to their employing law enforcement agency any secondary employment relating to immigration enforcement. By imposing additional duties on local law enforcement agencies to accept these reports, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also explicitly state that records related to secondary employment of peace officers are public records for the purposes of the California Public Records Act. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/05/2026 text) Calendar: 03/03/26 A-PUBLIC SAFETY 9 a.m. - State Capitol, Room 126 SCHULTZ, NICK, Chair Location: 02/02/2026 - Assembly Public Safety Revenue and Taxation AB 1768 (Bryan) Transactions and use taxes: County of Los Angeles. (Introduced 02/09/2026) Existing law authorizes various local governmental entities, subject to certain limitations and approval requirements, to levy a transactions and use tax for general or specific purposes, in accordance with the procedures and requirements set forth in the Transactions and Use Tax Law, including a requirement that the combined rate of all taxes that may be imposed in accordance with that law in any county not exceed 2%. This bill would authorize, until December 31, 2031, the County of Los Angeles, by an ordinance adopted by the county, to levy a tax pursuant to the Transactions and Use Tax Law at a rate not to exceed 0.5% for general and special purposes, subject to voter approval, as specified. The bill would authorize those taxes to exceed the 2% limit described above. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Los Angeles. (Based on 02/09/2026 text) Location: 02/09/2026 - Assembly Print Notes1: 2/10 Sent to PAS, BUR, GLN Transportation and Public Works
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 14 AB 1421 (Wilson) Vehicles: Road Usage Charge Technical Advisory Committee. (Amended 01/05/2026) Existing law requires the Chair of the California Transportation Commission to create a Road Usage Charge Technical Advisory Committee in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation to guide the development and evaluation of a pilot program assessing the potential for mileage-based revenue collection as an alternative to the gas tax system. Existing law additionally requires the Transportation Agency, in consultation with the commission, to implement the pilot program, as specified. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2027. This bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Transportation Agency, to consolidate and prepare research and recommendations related to a road user charge or a mileage-based fee system. The bill would require the commission to submit a report, as specified, on the research and recommendations described above to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by no later than January 1, 2027. The bill would require the commission to consult with appropriate state agencies and other stakeholders, as specified, in preparing the research and recommendations and report described above. (Based on 01/05/2026 text) Location: 01/29/2026 - Senate Rules AB 1557 (Papan) Vehicles: electric bicycles. (Introduced 01/08/2026) Existing law defines an electric bicycle as a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor that does not exceed 750 watts of power. A violation of the Vehicle Code is a crime. This bill would clarify that an electric bicycle is a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor that is not capable of exceeding 750 watts of peak power. (Based on 01/08/2026 text) Location: 02/02/2026 - Assembly Transportation AB 1569 (Davies) Pupil safety: electric bicycle parking: safety program. (Introduced 01/12/2026) Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district having jurisdiction over elementary, intermediate, junior high, or high school to provide time and facilities to local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the school of the district for bicycle, scooter, electric bicycle, motorized bicycle, or motorized scooter safety instruction. Existing law prohibits a person from driving or parking a vehicle or animal upon the driveways, paths, parking facilities, or grounds of specific public entities, including a public school or an educational institution exempted, in whole or in part, from taxation, except with the permission of, and subject to any condition or regulation that may be imposed by, the governing body of the specified public entity. Existing law authorizes a public agency to adopt rules or regulations to restrict, or specify the conditions for, the use of bicycles, motorized bicycles, electric bicycles, skateboards, electrically motorized boards, and roller skates on public property under the jurisdiction of that agency. This bill would require each school that allows pupils in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to park a class 1, 2, or 3 electric bicycle, as defined, on campus during regular school hours to require pupils to complete the electric bicycle safety and training program developed by the Department of the California Highway Patrol, as provided, or a related safety course, as specified, as a condition for parking on campus. The bill would also
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 15 require a pupil to submit proof of completion of the above-described course to their school before parking their class 1, 2, or 3 electric bicycle on the school campus during school hours. The bill would exempt schools that adopted a policy related to electric bicycle safety, on or before January 1, 2027, from the above-described requirements. (Based on 01/12/2026 text) Location: 02/09/2026 - Assembly Education AB 1608 (Wilson) Office of the Inspector General, High-Speed Rail. (Introduced 01/20/2026) Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state. Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority Office of the Inspector General and authorizes the High-Speed Rail Authority Inspector General to initiate an audit or review regarding oversight related to delivery of the high-speed rail project undertaken by the authority and the selection and oversight of contractors related to that project. Existing law authorizes the Inspector General to select, appoint, and employ officers and employees necessary to carry out the functions of the office, as specified. This bill would rename the office as the Office of the Inspector General, High-Speed Rail and revise the title of the Inspector General as the Inspector General of the High-Speed Rail. This bill would authorize the Inspector General to adopt and make use of the classifications, associated salary ranges, and other forms of compensation established or otherwise used by other state agencies identified by the Inspector General as performing comparable oversight work, as specified. This bill would authorize the Inspector General to contract for goods and services that the Inspector General deems necessary for the furtherance of the purposes of the office. For a contract up to $1,000,000 in value, the bill would exempt the Inspector General from all contract requirements of the Public Contract Code that require oversight, review, or approval by the Department of General Services or any other state agency.. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/20/2026 text) Location: 02/17/2026 - Assembly Transportation Notes1: This bill would rename the office as the Office of the Inspector General, High-Speed Rail and revise the title of the Inspector General as the Inspector General of the High-Speed Rail. This bill would authorize the Inspector General to adopt and make use of the classifications, associated salary ranges, and other forms of compensation established or otherwise used by other state agencies identified by the Inspector General as performing comparable oversight work, as specified. This bill would authorize the Inspector General to contract for goods and services that the Inspector General deems necessary for the furtherance of the purposes of the office. For a contract up to $1,000,000 in value, the bill would exempt the Inspector General from all contract requirements of the Public Contract Code that require oversight, review, or approval by the Department of General Services or any other state agency.. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/20/2026 text) AB 1614 (Dixon) Vehicles: bicycles. (Introduced 01/21/2026) Existing law, the California Bicycle Transportation Act, establishes 4 classifications of facilities, referred to as bikeways, that provide primarily for, and promote, bicycle travel. Existing law requires a person operating a bicycle, which includes an electric bicycle, upon a highway to ride
1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 16 the bicycle upon or astride a permanent and regular seat unless the bicycle was designed by the manufacturer to be ridden without a seat. Existing law requires a person riding as a passenger on a bicycle upon a highway to be upon or astride a seat attached to the bicycle, as specified. A violation of these provisions in punishable as an infraction. This bill would make those provisions applicable to the operation of a bicycle upon a Class I bikeway. By expanding an existing infraction, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. (Based on 01/21/2026 text) Location: 02/02/2026 - Assembly Transportation SB 922 (Laird) Vehicles: local agency charges: use of streets or highways. (Introduced 01/28/2026) Existing law prohibits a local agency from imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highways, other than a permit fee for an extralegal load unless the local agency had imposed the fee prior to June 1, 1989. This bill would expressly limit this prohibition to charges based on weight. The bill would also explicitly state that a fee, charge, or surcharge imposed by or for a local agency to recover the cost of street maintenance and repair and other costs associated with the use of its streets, roads, or highways to provide public services or public works is not a tax, permit fee, or other charge that is prohibited by the provision above. The bill would provide that nothing in the Vehicle Code prohibits a local agency from imposing or collecting this fee, charge, or surcharge. The bill would delete obsolete references and make other technical changes. (Based on 01/28/2026 text) Location: 02/11/2026 - Senate Local Government Notes1: Cal Cities sponsored bill. Wildfire AB 1642 (Harabedian) Wildfires: contamination standards. (Introduced 01/27/2026) Existing law establishes the Office of the State Fire Marshal in the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and establishes the Deputy Director of Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation within the office. Existing law makes the deputy director responsible for fire preparedness and mitigation missions of the department, as provided. The Department of Toxic Substances Control regulates the handling and management of hazardous waste and hazardous materials. This bill would require the Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt, no later than July 1, 2027, emergency regulations specifying the standards for investigation, environmental testing, and removal of contaminants inside and outside of homes, schools, and workplaces in residential areas after a wildfire. The bill would require the adopted standards to include health-based clearance standards, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. (Based on 01/27/2026 text) Location: 02/09/2026 - Assembly Environmental Safety And Toxic Materials
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