Asm. Marc Berman

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution (HR 58) declares October 2025 as "California Promotoras Month" to formally recognize the work of promotoras - community health workers who serve as cultural brokers and connect underserved communities (particularly Latino populations) to essential services like health, housing, and disaster response. It acknowledges their role in improving community resilience and access to resources, while highlighting the need for better support, training, and equitable compensation for this workforce. The resolution is symbolic and does not create new laws, funding, or programs; it solely aims to raise awareness and honor promotoras' contributions through a designated month of recognition.

Maddy summaryThis is a symbolic resolution, not a substantive bill. It designates September 7-13, 2025, as "Direct Support Professional Recognition Week" in California. The resolution acknowledges direct support professionals who assist Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through the state's Lanterman Act system, which serves over 450,000 residents. It formally recognizes their role in enabling community inclusion and independence but does not create new policies, funding, or legal obligations.

Maddy summaryThis symbolic resolution recognizes September 20, 2025, as National Fried Rice Day in California, highlighting the dish's cultural significance to Asian American communities and its connection to California's rice-growing economy (noting the state's status as the second-largest rice producer). It has no legal effect or policy changes - it serves solely to celebrate culinary traditions and community diversity. The resolution was adopted by the California Assembly with no opposing votes.

Existing law, the Contractors State License Law, defines and regulates the activities of contractors and provides for their licensure, regulation, and discipline by the Contractors State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs (department) . That law requires a home improvement contract, as defined, to be in writing and include the contract amount, as specified, and prohibits any downpayment for that contract from exceeding the lesser of $1,000 or 10% of the contract amount. Except for a downpayment, existing law prohibits the contractor from requesting or accepting payment that exceeds the value of the work performed or material delivered. Existing law makes the violation of these provisions a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $5,000, by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. This bill would include in the definition of "home improvement" construction, erection, installation, replacement, or improvement of accessory dwelling units on residentially zoned property. The bill would also make a licensee, or an unlicensed person, who violates the above-described downpayment and payment prohibitions subject to revocation of their license and a civil penalty of at least $10,000 in the case of a licensee, or, if the person is unlicensed, subject to a citation and assessment of a civil penalty of at least $10,000.

Existing law requires that any payment required to be remitted to the Franchise Tax Board by an individual pursuant to specified law be remitted electronically in the form and manner prescribed by the Franchise Tax Board if specified conditions are met. Existing law, where payment is required to be made electronically but is made by some other means instead, imposes a penalty equal to 1% of the amount paid, except as provided. This bill would, for payments made on or after January 1, 2026, change the penalty for the above-described violation to instead be waived for the first violation.

Existing law creates the California Computer Science Coordinator as a position within the State Department of Education to provide statewide coordination in, among other things, implementing the computer science content standards and leading the implementation of the Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan, as provided. This bill would establish the California Computer Science Demonstration Grant Program for specified purposes, including increasing the number of public high schools offering a computer science course to increase pupil access to computer science education and increasing the computer science course access of pupils eligible for free or reduced-priced meals and pupils that are underrepresented in the field of computer science. The bill would also establish the California Computer Science Demonstration Grant Program Working Group that includes the coordinator and nonprofit organizations and private industry stakeholders with relevant expertise and experience in computer science education. The bill would authorize only public high schools that do not offer computer science courses to be eligible to voluntarily participate in the grant program. The bill would require the funding entity or funding entities, as defined, to administer the grant program. If there are multiple funding entities, the bill, among other things, would require each funding entity to determine how the funds that it contributes to the grant program will be spent, provided that expenditure aligns with the grant program's purposes, and require the funding entities to coordinate implementation of the grant program. The bill would require the funding entities, in coordination with the working group, to select the public high schools to participate in the grant program, as provided. The bill would require the grant program to be funded through contributions, gifts, grants, in-kind donations, and donations from the funding entity or funding entities, and would specify the allowable uses of those funds. The bill would require the funding entity or funding entities, in coordination with the working group, to evaluate the effectiveness of the grant program and submit an interim report to certain legislative committees on or before August 1, 2027, and a final report on or before July 1, 2028, as specified. The bill would repeal the grant program's provisions as of January 1, 2029. The bill would separately require the department, on or before June 30, 2028, and annually thereafter, to publicly post specified computer science course-related data on its internet website, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, under the direction of the Labor Commissioner, within the Department of Industrial Relations to enforce various labor laws. Existing law requires certain employers to disclose certain salary information in job postings. This bill would require a private employer who publicly advertises a job posting to include in the posting a statement disclosing whether the posting is for a vacancy for the advertised position or not, as specified.

This measure would call on members of the United States Congress to oppose reductions to funding that negatively impact educational services for students with disabilities and would call on the President of the United States and Congress to ensure that services and funding for students with disabilities are uninterrupted.

This measure would recognize February 2025 as Black History Month, urge all citizens to join in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans during Black History Month, and encourage the people of California to recognize the many talents of African Americans and the achievements and contributions they make to their communities to create equity and equality for education, economics, and social justice. The measure would also recognize the significance in protecting citizens' right to vote and remedying racial discrimination in voting.

Maddy summaryThis is a commemorative resolution, not a bill with policy changes. It recognizes key historical milestones of transgender people in California, including Indigenous gender diversity documented in 1775, 19th-century transgender figures in San Francisco's Tenderloin, early activism like the 1959 Cooper Do-nuts Riot, and legal precedents such as Sir Lady Java's 1967 employment discrimination case. The resolution has no binding effect and does not create new laws or directly affect any individuals or groups. It serves solely to honor these historical contributions.