Immigration

Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which, through a combination of federal, state, and county funds, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Existing law sets forth provisions for the calculation of the amount of CalWORKs aid eligible to a household based in part on the size of the assistance unit. Under existing law and CalWORKs rules, aid is not affected for a member of the assistance unit who is temporarily absent from the home, and a child who is a patient in a public or private hospital for medical or surgical care is considered temporarily absent from the home for the duration of the hospital stay. Under this bill, beginning July 1, 2027, or when the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System can perform the necessary automations, whichever is later, a child or other member of the assistance unit who is detained in a federal immigration detention facility would be considered temporarily absent from the home for the duration of the detention. Under the bill, the assistance unit would remain eligible to continue receive assistance and services if specified conditions are met, including that the remaining members of the assistance unit continue to meet eligibility requirements. The bill would authorize any written sworn statement by the applicant or recipient to be sufficient to establish that a member of the assistance unit has been detained in an immigration detention facility. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions through all-county letters or similar written instructions until regulations are adopted. The bill would make related legislative findings. By creating new duties for counties relating to expanded eligibility under CalWORKS, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would instead provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of the bill. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

This measure would proclaim October 25, 2026, as Larry Itliong Day in California and encourage all public schools and educational institutions to conduct exercises remembering his life, recognizing his accomplishments, and familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made to California.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law establishes various programs for the recruitment of teachers. Existing law establishes the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program, administered by the State Department of Education in consultation with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, for teachers seeking to provide instruction in bilingual and multilingual settings. This bill, which would be operative upon appropriation by the Legislature, would establish the Pathways to Bilingual Teaching Program and would require the commission to develop and implement a program to award, on a competitive basis, grants of up to $600,000 to local educational agencies to form consortia with 4-year institutions of higher education, or 4-year institutions of higher education and community colleges, to establish or expand pathways to bilingual teaching to enable bilingual pupils to earn a multiple subject, single subject, PK-3 early childhood education specialist, or education specialist teaching credential, with a bilingual authorization, as provided. The bill would require the commission to annually report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on any grants funded until funds are fully expended, as specified.

This California state resolution urges federal immigration agencies to prioritize and expedite the processing of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewals, work authorization documents, and H-1B visas. It cites significant delays in application processing that have caused income instability and job losses for over 140,000 Californians participating in the DACA program. The resolution specifically highlights the impact on essential workers in education and health care, arguing that timely processing is necessary to protect community economic stability and workforce availability.

Existing law, the Corporation Tax Law, imposes taxes based upon gross income, and defines "gross income" as all income from whatever source derived, unless specifically excluded. Existing law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. The Corporation Tax Law conforms to federal law in its treatment of certain exclusions and credits. Existing law provides for certain programs for free legal services for indigent persons. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, and before January 1, 2032, enact the No Tax Breaks for ICE Contractors Act of 2026, which would deny all tax credits otherwise available under the Corporation Tax Law to any taxpayer that contracts with United States Department of Homeland Security, except as provided. The bill would establish the California Immigrant Resilience Fund in the State Treasury. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board, in consultation with the Department of Finance, to estimate the amount of additional revenue resulting from the provisions of the bill, notify the Controller of that amount, and require the Controller to transfer that amount to the fund. The bill would make moneys in the fund available to provide immigration-related services, including removal defense, as provided, upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

This resolution would state, among other things, that the Legislature supports the establishment of a Mexican Consulate in the County of Kern to strengthen the state's relationship with Mexico and empower immigrant communities.

This measure would proclaim the month of March 2026 as Afghan American Heritage Month and recognize Afghan Americans as an essential part of cultural and civic life of this state.

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes the Office of Emergency Services and vests the office with responsibility for the state's emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies, as specified. Existing law establishes the California Specialized Training Institute within the Office of Emergency Services. This bill would require, on or before January 1, 2027, the Office of Emergency Services, through the California Specialized Training Institute, to develop a transnational repression recognition and response training, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Adult Education Program under the administration ​of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the Superintendent of ​Public Instruction. Existing law requires the chancellor and the Superintendent, with the advice of the executive director of the State Board of Education, to divide the state into adult education regions and approve one adult education consortium in each of those regions. Existing law requires, on or before February 1 of each fiscal year for which funds are appropriated for the program, the chancellor and the Superintendent to report to the Director of Finance, the Statewide Director of Immigrant Integration, the state board, and the Legislature about the use of specified funds and outcomes for adults statewide and in each adult education region, including, among other things, any recommendations related to delivery of education, immigrant integration, and workforce services for adults. Existing law requires, consistent with that reporting requirement, the chancellor and the Superintendent, with input from the Statewide Director of Immigrant Integration and adult education program providers, to identify common measures for meeting the needs of immigrant and refugee adults seeking integration, as specified. This bill would define immigrant integration for purposes of the program.

Existing law establishes the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, headed by the Labor Commissioner, within the Department of Industrial Relations, for the purpose of enforcing labor laws. Existing law prescribes the duties and rights of employers and employees relating to specified labor laws, including, among other things, workers' compensation and notice requirements related to inspections conducted by an immigration agency. This bill would establish the Workplace Know Your Rights Act. The bill would require an employer, on or before February 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, to provide a stand-alone written notice to each current employee of specified workers' rights, including, among other things, the categories described above, as well as constitutional rights of an employee when interacting with law enforcement at the workplace, as specified. The bill would also require the employer to provide the written notice to each new employee upon hire and to provide the written notice annually to an employee's authorized representative, if any. This bill would require the Labor Commissioner to develop a template notice that an employer may use to comply with the notice requirement described above. The bill would require the Labor Commissioner to post the template notice on its internet website on or before January 1, 2026, and to post an updated template notice annually thereafter. The bill would also require the Labor Commissioner, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop a video for employees advising them of their rights under the areas described above and to develop a video for employers advising them of their rights and requirements under those areas, as provided. The bill would require the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, the Public Employment Relations Board, and the Attorney General's office to provide specified input for the template notice and the videos. This bill would require an employer, if an employee has designated an emergency contact for this purpose, to notify the designated emergency contact if the employee is arrested or detained on their worksite. If the arrest or detention occurs during work hours, or during the performance of the employee's job duties, but not on the worksite, the bill would require the employer to notify the employee's designated emergency contact only if the employer has actual knowledge of the arrest or detention of the employee. The bill would require an employer to provide an employee the opportunity to name an emergency contact on or before March 30, 2026, for an existing employee, and at the time of hiring for a new employee hired after March 30, 2026. This bill would prohibit an employer from discharging, threatening to discharge, demoting, suspending, or in any manner discriminating or retaliating against an employee for exercising or attempting to exercise their rights under the bill, as provided. This bill would require the Labor Commissioner to enforce the bill, as specified, and would also alternatively authorize enforcement by a public prosecutor. The bill would provide that an employer who violates the bill may be subject to a penalty of up to $500 per employee for each violation, except that the penalty for a violation of the provisions relating to emergency contacts would be an amount up to $500 per employee for each day the violation occurs, up to a maximum of $10,000 per employee.