The California Constitution establishes the Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is required to adjust the boundary lines of congressional, Senate, Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts in the year following the year in which the national census is taken at the beginning of each decade. This measure, which would include a legislative finding that it is in response to redistricting in Texas in 2025, would, notwithstanding the authority of the Citizens Redistricting Commission, require the state to temporarily use the congressional districts reflected in AB 604 of the 2025–26 Regular Session for every congressional election until the new congressional boundary lines are drawn by the commission in 2031.
(1) Existing law authorizes a candidate for elective office to submit a petition containing a specified number of signatures in lieu of all or part of the fee for filing nomination papers. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to make forms for securing signatures available to each candidate commencing 60 days before the first day for circulating nomination papers, except as specified, and requires candidates to file in-lieu-filing-fee petitions at least 30 days before the close of the nomination period. This bill, for the June 2, 2026, statewide direct primary election, would require the Secretary of State to make those forms available beginning December 19, 2025. This bill would require the Secretary of State to prepare a calendar of key election dates and deadlines and requirements for the nomination of candidates by the date that the in-lieu-filing-fee petition forms are made available. (2) Existing law requires each county elections official to provide the Secretary of State with specified information regarding the number of voters and their party preferences in the county and each supervisorial, Congressional, Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization district in the county on the 135th day before each direct primary election, with respect to all voters who are registered voters on the 154th day before the primary election. Existing law requires the Secretary of State to compile a statewide list of this information within 30 days after receiving it from each county elections official. This bill would require the Secretary of State to determine, by December 19, 2025, whether it is feasible to include in the statewide list described above the number of voters by party preference in each congressional district with respect to all voters who are registered voters on the 154th day before the June 2, 2026, statewide direct primary election. If the Secretary of State determines it is not feasible, the bill would not require that information to be included in the information provided by the counties and the compiled statewide list. The bill would require the Secretary of State to prepare a supplemental statewide list showing that information on a date specified by the Secretary of State, but not later than the 88th day before the June 2, 2026, statewide direct primary election. (3) Existing law authorizes a candidate for elective office to designate that certain specified words appear below the candidate's name on the ballot, including, among others, the word "incumbent." This bill, for the June 2, 2026, statewide direct primary election, would prohibit a candidate for the office of Representative in Congress from choosing the word "incumbent" as a designation to appear on the ballot. The bill would make conforming changes relating to the deadline for a person to file nomination documents for an office if a current holder of the office does not file nomination documents. These provisions would become operative only if ACA 8 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is approved by the voters and another state adopts a new congressional district map that takes effect after August 1, 2025. (4) The bill would repeal the provisions described in paragraphs (1) to (3) above on January 1, 2027. (5) Existing law requires a constitutional amendment submitted to the people by the Legislature to appear on the ballot of the first statewide election occurring at least 131 days after the adoption of the proposal. This bill would call a special election to be held throughout the state on November 4, 2025, and, notwithstanding the 131-day requirement, would require the submission of ACA 8 of the 2025–26 Regular Session to the voters at that special election. The bill would authorize a local election called on or before August 8, 2025, and scheduled to be held on November 4, 2025, to be consolidated with the statewide special election. The bill would require that the impartial analysis prepared by the Legislative Analyst for the state voter information guide for the special election include specified content regarding 2021 and 2025 congressional district maps. The bill would specify the procedures under which the special election would be conducted. Counties that conduct all-mailed ballot elections using vote centers would be required to maintain at least one vote center for every 30,000 registered voters from November 1, 2025, to November 4, 2025, and at least one vote center for every 60,000 registered voters from October 25, 2025, through October 31, 2025. Other counties would be authorized to consolidate polling places at a maximum ratio of one for every 10,000 registered voters. The bill would appropriate an amount from the General Fund to the Controller for the actual and reasonably necessary costs for counties to conduct the special election, as determined by the Director of Finance. The bill would also appropriate an amount from the General Fund to the Secretary of State for the actual and reasonably necessary costs for the Secretary of State to administer the special election, as determined by the Director of Finance. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law requires the holder of a single subject teaching credential or a standard secondary credential or a special secondary teaching credential who either (A) has completed specified coursework approved by the commission at a regionally accredited institution of higher education in any subject commonly taught in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, other than the subject for which the credentialholder is already certificated to teach, or (B) has been verified as having subject matter competence, as specified, for any subject commonly taught in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, other than the subject for which the credentialholder is already certificated to teach, to be eligible to have that subject appear on their credential as an authorization to teach that subject. This bill would revise the above-described eligibility requirements for a credentialholder to have a subject appear on their credential as an authorized subject for the credentialholder teach by removing the qualification that the subject be one that the credentialholder is not already credentialed to teach. (2) Existing law requires both the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, to include physical education for a total period of time of not less of than 200 minutes each 10 schooldays, as specified, and the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to require all pupils to attend upon the courses of physical education for a total period of time of not less than 400 minutes each 10 schooldays, unless an alternate term schedule described below has been adopted or the pupil has been excused or exempted, as provided. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district maintaining any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, to adopt a policy providing for an alternate term schedule for physical education courses if certain conditions are met, including, among others, that pupils in grade 6 receive no less than 400 minutes of instruction every 10 days for a semester of not fewer than 18 weeks during the regular school year, for a total of 3,600 instructional minutes for the school year, and that pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive no less than 800 minutes of instruction every 10 days for a semester of not fewer than 18 weeks during the regular school year, for a total of 7,200 instructional minutes for the school year. This bill would clarify that the alternative term schedule minimum minute requirements are required to be calculated instead by schooldays. (3) This bill would correct cross references and references to entities.
Existing law, the Private Security Services Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of private patrol operators by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, and makes violations of its provisions a crime. Existing law prohibits a licensee from allowing an employee to perform the functions of a security guard without confirming that the person holds a current and valid security guard registration. Existing law requires an applicant for a security guard registration to complete a course in the exercise of the power to arrest and the appropriate use of force as a condition for the issuance of the registration, as provided. Existing law authorizes a licensee, among others, to administer, test, and certify those trainings. Existing law requires the application to be verified and include specified information, including a statement that the applicant has completed the training course in the exercise of the power to arrest and the appropriate use of force. This bill would require the training to be administered and certified by a single course provider, as provided, and to be completed within 6 months preceding the date the application is submitted to the bureau. The bill would also authorize a licensee to administer, test, and certify those trainings, provided that the licensee is required to provide the training only to their applicants for employment and direct employees. The bill would also require the above-described statement on completion of the training course to include that it was completed within 6 months preceding the date the application is submitted to the bureau. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law disqualifies a public employee, as defined, from any public employment for 5 years if the employee is convicted of any felony involving accepting or giving, or offering to give, a bribe, the embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes arising directly out of their official duties. This bill would expand that provision to include any felony involving a conflict of interest. The bill would also disqualify a city manager or city attorney, as defined, including an individual acting under contract with the city for those services, who is convicted of any of the above-described felonies, from any future public employment in an equivalent role. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.
Under existing law, if sufficient appropriations are not available for the payment of certain claims, settlements, or judgments, the Attorney General is required to report the claims, settlements, and judgments to the chairperson of either the Senate Committee on Appropriations or the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, who is then required to cause introduction of legislation appropriating the funds necessary for payment. This bill would appropriate $1,221,491.30 from the General Fund to the Attorney General for the payment of claims, settlements, or judgments against the state arising from 3 specified actions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law generally prohibits an employer from employing an employee for a work period of more than 5 hours per day without providing the employee with a meal period of not less than 30 minutes. Existing law creates exceptions from this prohibition for employees in specified occupations, including employees of an electrical corporation, a gas corporation, or a local publicly owned electric utility covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement meeting certain conditions. Existing law charges the Labor Commissioner with enforcement of these provisions. This bill would also create an exception from the above-described prohibition for employees of a water corporation, as defined.
Existing law creates the Department of Industrial Relations, and establishes within the department the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) , which is headed by the Labor Commissioner. The DLSE is generally charged with enforcing employment statutes and regulations, either in administrative actions or through litigation. Existing law imposes various administrative sanctions, civil fines and penalties, and criminal penalties for violations of employment statutes or regulations. Existing law prohibits an employer or agent from collecting, taking, or receiving any gratuity or a part thereof that is paid, given to, or left for an employee by a patron, or deducting any amount from wages due an employee on account of a gratuity, or requiring an employee to credit the amount, or any part thereof, of a gratuity against and as a part of the wages due the employee from the employer, and requires the Department of Industrial Relations to enforce these provisions. This bill would authorize the Labor Commissioner to investigate and issue a citation or file a civil action for gratuities taken or withheld in violation of the above-described provisions, as prescribed.
Existing law requires the permanent office of the California State Auditor to be in Sacramento. This bill would additionally authorize the permanent office to be within a 2-mile radius of the State Capitol Building, thereby allowing the permanent office to be located in the City of West Sacramento. Existing law establishes within the State Treasury the State Audit Fund, which is a continuously appropriated fund for the expenses of the State Auditor. By authorizing the expenditure of moneys in that fund for additional purposes, this bill would create an appropriation.
(1) Existing law requires facilities that generate, treat, or store hazardous waste to obtain a permit or other authorization from the Department of Toxic Substances Control or a unified program agency. Existing law specifies that a hazardous waste facilities permit or other grant of authorization is not required for the treatment of laboratory hazardous waste generated onsite if, among other things, the laboratory hazardous waste is treated in containers using specified procedures and quantities for treatment of laboratory waste, as provided. This bill would specify the priority of those specified procedures. If those specified procedures do not exist, the bill would authorize the use of the manufacturer's written procedures if they are not in conflict with applicable rules or regulations. Existing law requires generators of hazardous waste to provide various notifications and certifications regarding compliance to the department, and to other specified entities, in person, or by certified mail, as provided. This bill would additionally authorize those notifications and certifications to be made into the statewide information management system. (2) Existing law provides for the regulation of underground storage tanks by the State Water Resources Control Board and defines "underground storage tank" for those purposes. Existing law excludes certain tanks from the definition of "underground storage tank," including, but not limited to, a tank holding hydraulic fluid for a closed loop mechanical system that uses compressed air or hydraulic fluid to operate lifts, elevators, and other similar devices. This bill would instead exclude from that definition a tank holding hydraulic fluid or dielectric fluid for a closed loop mechanical system that uses compressed air, hydraulic fluid, or dielectric fluid to operate lifts, to operate elevators, to act as an electric cooling or insulation system, and other similar devices.
The Political Reform Act of 1974 requires public officials to periodically file a statement of economic interest disclosing the person's investments, interests in real property, and income. The act defines "investment" to mean any financial interest in or security issued by a business entity, including, among other things, stocks and any partnership or other ownership interest owned by the public official or that person's immediate family, as specified. The act specifies that an asset is an investment only if its fair market value equals or exceeds $2,000. The act requires each public agency to adopt a conflict of interest code for designated employees of the agency. Existing law defines digital financial asset to mean a digital representation of value that is used as a medium of exchange, unit of account, or store of value, and that is not legal tender, whether or not denominated in legal tender, subject to specified exceptions. This bill, beginning January 1, 2027, would expand the definition of "investment" for purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 to include a digital financial asset, and would specifically require public officials to disclose interests in their digital financial assets, as specified. The bill would also require an agency's conflict of interest code to require designated employees to disclose interests in digital financial assets, as specified. Existing law makes a knowing or willful violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 a misdemeanor and subjects offenders to criminal penalties. By including additional assets that must be disclosed by public officials on statements of economic interest, the bill would expand the scope of a crime and impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
The California High-Speed Rail Act creates the High-Speed Rail Authority to develop and implement a high-speed rail system in the state, with specified powers and duties. The act requires the authority to prepare, publish, adopt, and submit to the Legislature a business plan containing specified elements on a biennial basis and to also provide on a biennial basis a project update report, approved by the Secretary of Transportation as consistent with specified criteria, to the budget committees and the appropriate policy committees of both houses of the Legislature, on the development and implementation of intercity high-speed train service, as provided. The act requires the authority to develop schedules for the delivery of specified tasks relating to the Merced to Bakersfield segment of the high-speed rail project for inclusion in the project update report and the business plan and also requires the authority to include certain other information in the project update report and the business plan relating to the Merced to Bakersfield segment, as provided. This bill would require the authority, as part of the business plan that is due on or before May 1, 2026, to provide a detailed funding plan for the Merced to Bakersfield segment that includes certain information, including an updated estimate of the funding gap for completing the segment and a strategy for addressing the funding gap.
