2026 Q3 Legislative Action Summary
Below is a summary of the actions that were taken during 2026 Q3 in alignment with the City of Santa Clara’s 2026 Legislative Advocacy Positions (LAPs), guiding principles for legislative advocacy, approved City policies (e.g., City Council Goals and Priorities), and/or Council action.
Regional Issues and Collaboration LAP
• September 25, 2026 Letter of support for the City of San Jose’s Highway 237 Trail Rail Improvement Project Grant Application to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Safe Routes to Bay Trail & Transit Program Multiple Legislative Priorities
• August 13, 2026 Cities Association of Santa Clara County Legislative Action Committee Discussion Bills (Public Safety, Sustainability and Environmental Protection, Water Supply and Conservation, Housing LAPs; and Guiding Principles:
Support the League of California Cities and National League of Cities positions on priority bills that benefit Santa Clara
1 August 13, 2026, Cities Association
Legislative Action Committee Meeting
Item 3. Early Bill Review (Discussion and Potential Action) SB 936 (Blakespeare and Umberg) – Nitrous oxide: sales
Summary: Specifically, this bill makes it unlawful to sell, offer to sell, or distribute a nitrous oxide container that is capable of holding more than eight grams of nitrous oxide; a nitrous oxide container which an individual may directly inhale nitrous oxide; nitrous oxide that has, or is marketed as having, the taste or smell of any food, including, but not limited to, any fruit, candy, dessert, alcoholic beverage, herb, or spice, that is distinguishable by an ordinary consumer either prior to or during consumption or use of the product; or, a device that allows an individual to inhale nitrous oxide from the nitrous oxide container or to hold nitrous oxide released from the nitrous oxide container for purposes of inhalation.
Enforcement: This bill creates four new infractions related to the sale or distribution of nitrous oxide. A first violation carries a fine of not more than $500, a second violation carries a fine of not more than $1000, and a third or subsequent offense carries a fine of not more than $2,000. A court would also be authorized to suspend business licenses for any business that knowingly violates the infractions that this bill creates.
Status: In Assembly Appropriations Committee on the Suspense File Legislative Advocacy Policy (LAP) Alignment Public Safety LAP – Support legislation that addresses crime trends and attempts to curb illegal
activity, including but not limited to, illegal street
racing and sideshow activity, thefts from
automobile burglaries, organized retail thefts,
drug trafficking, and human trafficking, all of
which are growing trends in our region.
City Position Support
SB 758 (Umberg) – Public health: nitrous oxide
Summary: This bill makes it a misdemeanor for a licensed cigarette and tobacco products retailer, including a convenience store, to sell nitrous oxide at a retail location, unless that retailer is a grocery store or a general retail merchandise store with a grocery department. The bill also authorizes a local government to adopt an ordinance with greater restrictions on the retail sale of nitrous oxide than those imposed above, provided the ordinance does not restrict legitimate uses of nitrous oxide.
Enforcement: Misdemeanor for sales of nitrous oxide at a retail location, unless the retailer is a grocery store or a general retail merchandise store
Status: In Assembly Appropriations Committee on the Suspense File Legislative Advocacy Policy (LAP) Alignment Public Safety LAP – Support legislation that addresses crime trends and attempts to curb illegal
activity, including but not limited to, illegal street
racing and sideshow activity, thefts from
Legislative Action Committee – Bill Summary and Positions August 13, 2026
automobile burglaries, organized retail thefts, drug
trafficking, and human trafficking, all of which are
growing trends in our region.
City Position Support
SB 1370 (Stern) – Covered wildfire mitigation projects
Summary: This bill establishes a streamlined authorization process at the California Natural Resources Agency, in coordination with the California Environmental Protection Agency, referred to as “consolidated review agencies,” for covered wildfire mitigation projects. This bill would require any state-level environmental and resource permits, approvals, consultations, and reviews required for a covered wildfire mitigation project to be consolidated into a single coordinated review administered jointly by the consolidated review agencies.
Status: In Assembly Appropriations Committee on the Suspense File Legislative Advocacy Policy (LAP) Alignment Sustainability and Environmental Protection LAP – Support legislation, regulations, and funding to
strengthen forest management and fire prevention
activities and improve emergency preparedness
and response. These include, but are not limited to,
the modernization of vegetation and forest
management practices for wildfire prevention and
carbon sequestration and biomass production for
energy, forest thinning, and other activities to
improve the health of forests damaged by
infestation of bark beetles, plant pathogens,
drought, or other hazards that exponentially
increase wildfire dangers
City Position Support
SB 1125 (Menjivar) – Water Rate Assistance Program
Summary: This bill establishes a statewide program to provide water rate assistance (WRAP) to lowincome residential ratepayers and requires the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to implement and administer the WRAP upon appropriation of funding by the Legislature. Among other things, this bill requires the State Water Board to adopt guidelines for implementation of the WRAP within 365 days of the bill’s effective date and specifies numerous requirements for these guidelines, including enrollment processes and procedures, minimum requirements for eligible systems, a process for the State Water Board to provide funding for eligible systems for application to ratepayer accounts, guidance to eligible systems regarding payment of reasonable costs for administration of the program, a process for eligible systems to provide a flat bill credit to low-income residential ratepayers of no less than $20 per month and 20% of total water charges if the bill credit is higher than $20, a provision to audit eligible systems receiving funds, a process for exemption of eligible systems from providing rate assistance, a process for determining how funding and implementation will be prioritized if full funding for the WRAP is not immediately available, and notice and public workshop requirements.
Status: In Assembly Appropriations Committee on the Suspense File Legislative Action Committee – Bill Summary and Positions August 13, 2026
Legislative Advocacy Policy (LAP) Alignment Water Supply and Conservation LAP – Support legislation that provides flexibility to utilize
revenue for the implementation of low-income rate
assistance programs, or similar assistance
programs
City Position No Action – The bill includes multiple components that cannot be captured in its entirety by a single
City LAP, and if adopted, SB 1125 would
potentially create an unfunded mandate, which
goes against LAP Guiding Principle: "Protect local
revenue sources and prevent unfunded mandates.
Per legislative consultant, Townsend, hile the
City’s Water Supply and Conservation LAP does
contain some alignment, this bill does not contain
an identified funding source. Additionally, voter
approved changes to Proposition 218 would likely
be needed to address the larger issue of utilizing
local revenue funding for program
implementation. This bill does not address the
funding component that is the subject of the City’s
LAP position.
AB 387 (Alanis) – Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act
Summary: This bill revises the requirement that a youth sports organization ensure its athletes have access to an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) during any official practice or match, starting January 1, 2028, by allowing a public or private local facility with a permanent sports infrastructure to procure and maintain an AED, in which case the public or private local facility would be responsible for ensuring access to the AED.
Status: On the Assembly Floor awaiting consideration
Legislative Advocacy Policy (LAP) Alignment None
City Position No Action – The topic of this measure falls outside of any specific item within the City’s LAPs. (Per
legislative consultant, Townsend Existing law
already requires youth sports organizations to
ensure their athletes have access to an AED at
every practice and match by January 1, 2028, and
this bill would transfer that obligation to facility
owners (including public agencies). This shift
could result in additional cost, liability, and risk to the City associated with coming into, and
maintaining compliance with the bill’s provisions).
Legislative Action Committee – Bill Summary and Positions August 13, 2026
SB 1117 (Cervantes) – Accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units Summary: This bill provides that impact fees charged for certain accessory dwelling units (ADUS) that exceed 750 square feet in size may only be charged on the total square footage that exceeds 750 square feet of interior livable space, instead of the entirety of the ADU.
Status: On the Assembly Floor awaiting consideration
Legislative Advocacy Policy (LAP) Alignment Housing LAP – Oppose efforts to reduce local, state, and/or federal funding for affordable
housing, rehabilitation of substandard housing,
new park facilities, neighborhood improvements,
and public services, such as public safety and
emergency response.
City Position Oppose – (Per Legislative consultant, Townsend, depending on the number, and size, of
ADUs/JADUs approved by the City, this bill could
result in loss of significant impact fee revenue
associated with these housing developments, as
there would be no impact fees assessed for any
ADU/JADU that is 750 square feet or less. This
would put pressure on the City (and city utilities) to
cover costs for infrastructure that would otherwise
be funded using impact fee revenue).
Item 4. Proposed Bills for Discussion at Next LAC Meeting The next Cities Association Legislative Action Committee meeting will take place in September after the current CA legislative session has concluded on August 31, 2026, so any new bills considered at the September meeting would just be to request Governor Newson to sign/veto bills that were passed by the Legislature. Currently, there are no measures/bills that the City has taken any positions on that are still active this legislative session and may be sent to the Governor to sign/veto.