AB 1 (Connolly) Residential property insurance: wildfire risk. Current Department of Insurance regulations prohibit an insurer from using a rating plan that does not take into account and reflect specified wildfire risk mitigation, including property-level building hardening measures. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2030, and every 5 years thereafter, to consider whether or not to update its regulations to include additional building hardening measures for property-level mitigation efforts and communitywide wildfire mitigation programs. As part of this consideration, the bill would require the department to consult with specified agencies to identify additional building hardening measures to consider, as well as to develop and implement a public participation process during the evaluation. (Based on 12/02/2024 text) Location: Assembly Insurance Status: 02/03/2025 – Referred to Com. on INS. Position: Support Lobbyist: Staci (1), Tracy (2)
AB 240 (Alanis) Community colleges: study: Counties of Amador, Alpine, Mariposa, Modoc, and Sierra. Current law establishes the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy (Little Hoover Commission) for purposes of securing assistance for the Governor and the Legislature in promoting economy, efficiency, and improved service in the transaction of the public business in the various departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the executive branch of the state government, and in making the operation of all state departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, and all expenditures of public funds, more directly responsive to the wishes of the people as expressed by their elected representatives, as provided. Current law declares as legislative policy that all of the territory of the state shall be included within a community college district, except that territory located within a county where the county residents accounted for fewer than 350 units of average daily attendance in the state’s community colleges during the preceding fiscal year, and that territory located within such a county may be included within a community college district pursuant to prescribed procedures. This bill instead would declare as legislative policy that all of the territory of the state shall be included within a community college district or otherwise provided with equivalent opportunities for residents to participate in both in-person and online postsecondary education programs and courses. (Based on 01/14/2025 text) Location: Assembly Higher Education Status: 02/10/2025 – Referred to Com. on Higher ED. Position: Sponsor Lobbyist: Eric (2), Tracy (1)
AB 259 (Rubio, Blanca) Open meetings: local agencies: teleconferences. The Ralph M. Brown Act authorizes the legislative body of a local agency to use teleconferencing, as specified, and requires a legislative body of a local agency that elects to use teleconferencing to comply with specified requirements, including that the local agency post agendas at all teleconference locations, identify each teleconference location in the notice and agenda of the meeting or proceeding, and have each teleconference location be accessible to the public. Current law, until January 1, 2026, authorizes the legislative body of a local agency to use alternative teleconferencing if, during the teleconference meeting, at least a quorum of the members of the legislative body participates in person from a singular physical location clearly identified on the agenda that is open to the public and situated within the boundaries of the territory over which the local agency exercises jurisdiction, and the legislative body complies with prescribed requirements. Current law requires a member to satisfy specified requirements to participate in a meeting remotely pursuant to these alternative teleconferencing provisions, including that specified circumstances apply. Current law establishes limits on the number of meetings a member may participate in solely by teleconference from a remote location pursuant to these alternative teleconferencing provisions, including prohibiting such participation for more than 2 meetings per year if the legislative body regularly meets once per month or less. This bill would remove the January 1, 2026, date from those provisions, thereby extending the alternative teleconferencing procedures indefinitely. (Based on 01/16/2025 text) Location: Assembly Local Government Status: 02/10/2025 – Referred to Com. on L. GOV. Position: Support Lobbyist: Sarah (1)
AB 339 (Ortega) Local public employee organizations: notice requirements. The Meyers-Milias-Brown Act contains various provisions that govern collective bargaining of local represented employees and delegates jurisdiction to the Public Employment Relations Board to resolve disputes and enforce the statutory duties and rights of local public agency employers and employees. Current law requires the governing body of a public agency to meet and confer in good faith regarding wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment with representatives of recognized employee organizations. Current law requires the governing body of a public agency, and boards and commissions designated by law or by the governing body, to give reasonable written notice, except in cases of emergency, as specified, to each recognized employee organization affected of any ordinance, rule, resolution, or regulation directly relating to matters within the scope of representation proposed to be adopted by the governing body or the designated boards and commissions. This bill would require the governing body of a public agency, and boards and commissions designated by law or by the governing body of a public agency, to give the recognized employee organization no less than 120 days’ written notice before issuing a request for proposals, request for quotes, or renewing or extending an existing contract to perform services that are within the scope of work of the job classifications represented by the recognized employee organization. The bill would require the notice to include specified information, including the anticipated duration of the contract. (Based on 01/28/2025 text) Location: Assembly PRINT Status: 01/29/2025 – From printer. May be heard in committee February 28. Position: Oppose Lobbyist: Sarah (1)
AB 340 (Ahrens) Employer-employee relations: confidential communications. Current law that governs the labor relations of public employees and employers, including the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, the Ralph C. Dills Act, provisions relating to public schools, provisions relating to higher education, and provisions relating to the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, prohibits employers from taking certain actions relating to employee organization, including imposing or threatening to impose reprisals on employees, discriminating or threatening to discriminate against employees, or otherwise interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees because of their exercise of their guaranteed rights. Those provisions of existing law further prohibit denying to employee organizations the rights guaranteed to them by current law. This bill would also prohibit a local public agency employer, a state employer, a public school employer, a higher education employer, or the district from questioning any employee or employee representative regarding communications made in confidence between an employee and an employee representative in connection with representation relating to any matter within the scope of the recognized employee organization’s representation. (Based on 01/28/2025 text) Location: Assembly PRINT Status: 01/29/2025 – From printer. May be heard in committee February 28. Position: Oppose Lobbyist: Sarah (1)
AB 370 (Carrillo) California Public Records Act: cyberattacks. The California Public Records Act requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection, except as specified. Current law requires each agency, within 10 days of a request for a copy of records, to determine whether the request seeks copies of disclosable public records in possession of the agency and to promptly notify the person of the determination and the reasons therefor. Current law authorizes that time limit to be extended by no more than 14 days under unusual circumstances, and defines “unusual circumstances” to include, among other things, the need to search for, collect, and appropriately examine records during a state of emergency when the state of emergency currently affects the agency’s ability to timely respond to requests due to staffing shortages or closure of facilities, as provided. This bill would revise the definition of unusual circumstances as it applies to a state of emergency to require the state of emergency, in addition to currently affecting the agency’s ability to timely respond to requests as described above, to also require the state of emergency to directly affect the agency’s ability to timely respond to requests as described above. By restricting the time period in which a local agency may respond to requests, thus increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. (Based on 02/03/2025 text) Location: Assembly PRINT Status: 02/04/2025 – From printer. May be heard in committee March 6. Position: Pending Lobbyist: Sarah (1), Tracy (2)
AB 418 (Wilson) Property taxation: tax-defaulted property. Current law generally authorizes a taxing agency to sell tax-defaulted property 5 or more years after the real property has become tax defaulted. Current law authorizes the board of supervisors of the county in which the property is situated, or the state, county, any revenue district the taxes of which on the property are collected by county officers, or a redevelopment agency, to purchase the property, as specified, if certain conditions are met. Current law also authorizes a nonprofit organization to purchase residential or vacant property, with the approval of the board of supervisors of the county in which it is located, if the property is used for low-income housing or public use, as specified. Current law requires any sale under these provisions to be approved by the board of supervisors and to meet specified requirements, including notice requirements of an agreement under these provisions. This bill would prohibit a board of supervisors from approving the sale of tax-defaulted property, as described above, unless it conducts a hearing, with notice, and makes a specified finding that either the sale price is greater than or equal to the tax sale value, as defined, of the property or the tax sale value of the property is less than the amount necessary to redeem the property, as specified. The bill would require the notice of the hearing to be mailed at least 30 days prior to the hearing to the last assessee of each portion of the property and to parties of interest, and to contain, among other things, a description of the property, the proposed sale price, and the date, time, and location of the hearing. (Based on 02/05/2025 text) Location: Assembly PRINT Status: 02/06/2025 – From printer. May be heard in committee March 8. Position: Support Lobbyist: Sarah (1)
AB 632 (Hart) Local ordinances: administrative fines or penalties. Current law authorizes the legislative body of a local agency, as defined, to, by ordinance, make any violation of an ordinance subject to an administrative fine or penalty. Current law requires a local agency to set forth, by ordinance, the administrative procedures that govern the imposition, enforcement, collection, and administrative review of those administrative fines or penalties, as specified. This bill would, for specified administrative fines or penalties, authorize a local agency to file a certified copy of a final administrative order or decision that directs payment of the administrative fine or penalty with the clerk of the superior court of any county, as specified, and require the clerk to enter judgment immediately in conformity with the decision or order. (Based on 02/13/2025 text) Location: Assembly PRINT Status: 02/13/2025 – Read first time. To print. Position: Sponsor Lobbyist: Sarah (1)
SB 357 (Menjivar) Juveniles: delinquency. Current law subjects a minor between 12 and 17 years of age, who violates any federal, state, or local law or ordinance, and a minor under 12 years of age who is alleged to have committed specified serious offenses, to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge the minor to be a ward of the court. Current law assigns various responsibilities relating to these minors to the probation officer, including, among others, the responsibility to supervise minors placed on probation and manage juvenile halls and other juvenile detention facilities. This bill would authorize the board of supervisors of any county to delegate to another county department all or part of the duties and authorities concerning those minors, or concerning the oversight or operation of juvenile detention facilities, that are granted to the probation department or a probation officer. (Based on 02/12/2025 text) Location: Senate Rules Status: 02/13/2025 – From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 15. Position: Pending Lobbyist: Sarah (1)
