AB 1831 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

California State University: executive compensation: restrictions.

Summary

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the trustees to establish and adjust the salaries and classifications of all academic, nonacademic, and administrative positions. This bill would require the trustees, on or before July 1, 2027, to repeal a policy on executive compensation adopted at the November 2025 meeting of the trustees and adopt a new policy on executive compensation, as provided. The bill would prohibit the trustees, for any fiscal year in which the trustees authorize an increase in student tuition, from increasing the compensation of a chancellor, vice chancellor, or executive president. The bill would also prohibit the trustees, for any fiscal year in which the trustees do not authorize salary increases for represented staff, from increasing the compensation of a chancellor, vice chancellor, executive president, or member of the management personnel plan staff.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Aug 2026

Assembly Passage

May 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 11, 2026 Last action Aug 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

02/11/26 - Introduced → 05/18/26 - Amended Assembly · 4 edits · May 18, 2026

MODERATE

AB 1831 was substantially amended to add specific executive compensation policy requirements for California State University campus presidents, expand compensation restrictions to explicitly cover chancellors, vice chancellors, and executive presidents, and introduce a new provision linking executive pay increases to whether represented staff received salary increases. The bill now requires the CSU Board of Trustees to repeal its November 2025 executive compensation policy and adopt a replacement by July 1, 2027 that ties initial salaries to market comparability and conditions annual raises on meeting institutional performance goals.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a general 125% cap on non-represented employee compensation to specifically target executive-level positions (chancellors, vice chancellors, executive presidents) with both policy-mandate requirements and new pay-linkage restrictions tied to represented staff salary decisions.

REQUIREMENT

New requirement for the CSU Board of Trustees to repeal the executive compensation policy adopted at the November 2025 meeting and adopt a new policy by July 1, 2027. The new policy must align initial campus president salaries with candidate experience and comparable institutions, and condition annual salary increases on meeting or exceeding goals including enrollment, employee evaluations, fundraising, retention and graduation rates, student engagement, reducing graduate disparities, and career readiness through internships.

New subsection (c): In any fiscal year where the trustees do not authorize salary increases for represented staff, they are prohibited from increasing the compensation of a chancellor, vice chancellor, executive president, or member of the management personnel plan staff. This creates a direct link between union-represented worker pay and executive/management pay.

SCOPE

The tuition-increase compensation restriction (subsection b) was expanded to explicitly name chancellors, vice chancellors, and executive presidents in addition to the existing category of non-represented administrators, managers, contractors, and employees.

TECHNICAL

Assembly Member Addis was added as a co-author of the bill.

Floor votes · Assembly May 27, 2026

How they voted

71–0

Passed · 8 other

Total votes 79

May 27, 2026

D Democratic59

54 Yea 5

91% Yea

R Republican20

17 Yea 3

85% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

In committee: Held under submission.

upper

Aug 3, 2026

Committee

In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

upper

Jun 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 1.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Jun 4, 2026

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on ED.

upper

Jun 3, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on ED.

upper

May 27, 2026

Assembly · Passed

Assembly Vote: pass (71-0-8)

assembly

May 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0.)

lower

May 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

lower

May 14, 2026

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (May 14).

lower

Apr 15, 2026

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 1.) (March 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Feb 23, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on HIGHER ED.

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.

lower

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors