Asm. Gail Pellerin

Maddy summaryThis bill recognizes August 2026 as Chicano Heritage Month to honor the contributions of Mexican Americans to California and the United States. It highlights the history of the Chicano Movement, which sought community empowerment and cultural pride, and notes that over half of California's public school students are of Chicano or Latino origin. The resolution encourages Californians to celebrate this diversity and directs the Chief Clerk to send copies of the document to the sponsoring assembly member for distribution.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a House Resolution that formally recognizes the value of "food as medicine" in improving public health and reducing healthcare costs in California. It highlights how providing medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, and other nutrition services helps prevent and manage diet-related conditions, particularly for communities of color. The text cites evidence that these programs lower emergency room visits and hospitalizations while noting that they are currently optional under existing state healthcare initiatives. By documenting these successes and the role of local providers, the resolution aims to encourage broader adoption of these services to support patient health and economic stability.

Existing law provides for the establishment of the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, with specified powers and duties related to the operation of public transit services serving the County of Santa Cruz. Existing law, among other things, authorizes the board of directors of the district to impose transactions and use taxes in accordance with the Transactions and Use Tax Law by an ordinance approved by the electors voting on the measure at a special election called by the board of directors for that purpose. This bill would also authorize those special taxes to be imposed by a qualified voter initiative. The bill would require the special election for a tax measure proposed by the board of directors or a qualified voter initiative to be consolidated with a statewide general election by the board of supervisors of the County of Santa Cruz and would require the tax measure to be submitted to the voters in accordance with specified elections provisions. The bill would also require the county elections official for the County of Santa Cruz to serve as the elections official of the district for purposes of administering the ballot measure process and any election for purposes of specified provisions of law. To the extent that the bill would impose additional duties on a county elections official, the 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, 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 bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution from the California Legislature calls for a federal review of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. The bill argues that the current law, which protects online platforms from liability for third-party content, has become outdated and allows major technology companies to avoid responsibility for harmful user-generated material. It highlights that courts have used this provision to shield platforms from legal action in cases involving harassment, illegal sales, and other serious harms. The resolution contends that the law should be reformed to hold companies accountable for their design choices and content moderation practices while still encouraging them to remove objectionable material.

Existing law establishes procedures for the formation of regional park, park and open-space, and open-space districts and prescribes the powers, functions, and duties of those districts. Existing law requires the board of directors of these districts to appoint a general manager as chief administrative officer of the district, as provided. Existing law generally authorizes the general manager of a regional park, park and open space, and open-space district, with district board approval, to bind the district, in accordance with board policy, and without advertising, for the payment for supplies, materials, labor, or other valuable consideration for any purpose in amounts not exceeding $50,000. Existing law authorizes the district, by action of the board in an open meeting, to increase the amount by which the general manager of the district may bind the district above that limit. Existing law authorizes a general manager of a district with a population of 200,000 or more, with the approval of the board, to bind the district, in accordance with board policy that has been adopted in an open meeting, for the payment for equipment, supplies, and materials for any purpose, including new construction of a building, structure, or improvement, excluding labor and services, when the annual aggregate cost does not exceed $150,000. This bill would authorize, until January 1, 2032, the general manager of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, with the approval of the board, to bind the district, in accordance with board policy that has been adopted in an open meeting, for the payment of equipment, supplies, materials, labor, or other valuable consideration for any purpose, including new construction of a building, structure, or improvement, in amounts not exceeding $72,000, as provided. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates July 23 to July 30, 2026, as Boat People Awareness Week and September 2026 as Boat People Awareness Month to honor Vietnamese refugees who fled Vietnam by boat after the Vietnam War. The measure does not change laws or allocate funding; instead, it establishes a period for public recognition and education about the historical plight of these refugees. It highlights the dangers faced by boat people, including piracy and storms, and acknowledges the significant Vietnamese communities that settled in California and other states. The resolution directs the Assembly Clerk to distribute copies of the document for public distribution.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a specific month in 2026 as Filipino American History Month to honor the contributions of Filipinos to California and the United States. It recognizes their historical presence dating back to the late 1500s and highlights their roles in agriculture, labor, military service, and community building throughout the state. The resolution serves as a commemorative acknowledgment rather than a law that changes government operations or funding.

Maddy summaryThis House resolution honors California veterans and urges the federal government to speed up the processing of disability claims. It highlights that long wait times for these benefits can cause financial hardship and delay access to necessary medical care. The bill calls on Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs to reduce backlogs by improving staffing, increasing administrative efficiency, and modernizing their claims systems. Ultimately, it is a formal request for federal action rather than a law that changes state rules or allocates new funds.

Existing law states that it is the public policy of this state that foster family agencies or noncustodial adoption agencies, also known as FFAs, provide necessary services to vulnerable youth and are integral to the foster care system. Existing law provides that an FFA, which contracts with a public entity for the provision of foster youth services, may be held liable for injury or damage caused by the FFA's negligence but not for the injury or damage caused by the public entity. Existing law requires the FFA and the public entity to each bear the cost of insuring against their respective acts and omissions and defending against claims arising from those risks. Existing law prohibits the above provisions from being waived or suspended by a court, and specifies that certain indemnification provisions in contracts between FFAs and public entities are void as against public policy and unenforceable. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2027. This bill would instead repeal those provisions on January 1, 2028.

Existing law requires the State Department of Education to identify an evidence-based online training program that a county office of education, school district, state special school, or charter school that serves pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, can use to train school staff and pupils as part of their policy on pupil suicide prevention. Existing law requires the department, subject to an appropriation for these purposes, to provide a grant to a county office of education to acquire a training program identified by the department and disseminate that training program at no cost to specified educational entities, as specified. This bill would revise and recast these provisions by (1) deleting the requirement to provide the above-described grant, (2) deleting the requirement of the department to identify the above-described evidence-based online training program, (3) instead requiring the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to develop an online training program to train school staff, pupils who are 13 years of age or older, and parents, guardians, or caregivers of pupils as part of the policy on pupil suicide prevention adopted by county offices of education, school districts, state special schools, and charter schools that serve pupils in kindergarten or in any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, as specified. The bill would require those educational entities that elect to conduct suicide risk screenings to report, on or before June 30, 2027, and June 30 annually thereafter, the number of pupils screened, and which screening instruments were used, for the reporting year, to the department, as provided, and would require the department to compile and post statewide aggregate data on these screenings on its internet website, as provided. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.