Rep. Jeff Gonzalez

The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law establishes uniform residency requirements for purposes of ascertaining the amount of tuition and fees to be paid by students of public postsecondary education institutions. Existing law, until July 1, 2032, entitles a Team USA student athlete, as defined, who trains in the state in an elite level program approved by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to resident classification for the purpose of determining tuition and fees. After July 1, 2032, existing law entitles an amateur student athlete in training at the United States Olympic Training Center in the City of Chula Vista to resident classification for that same purpose. These provisions apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable. This bill would remove the July 1, 2032, sunset provision, and make conforming changes, thereby extending the provisions that entitle a Team USA student athlete who trains in the state in an elite level program approved by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to resident classification indefinitely. To the extent the bill would require community college districts to exempt more students from nonresident tuition, 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 measure would proclaim the month of October 2026 as California Firefighter Appreciation Month and October 3, 2026, as California Firefighters Memorial Day.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California as the 3 segments of public institutions of higher education in the state. Existing law requires the California State University and each community college district, and requests the University of California, to grant priority registration for enrollment to a member or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is a resident of California and who has received an honorable discharge, a general discharge, or an other than honorable discharge, and to any member or former member of the State Guard, as specified, for any academic term attended at one of these institutions for 4 academic years after leaving state or federal active duty for use within 15 years of leaving state or federal active duty. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, remove the above-described provision limiting priority registration to 4 academic years after leaving state or federal active duty for use within 15 years of leaving state or federal active duty. To the extent the bill would add additional duties on community college districts, 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.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions as the segments of postsecondary education in the state. The missions and functions of these segments are set forth in the Donahoe Higher Education Act. This bill would provide that public higher education additionally consists of tribal colleges and universities geographically located in California that are operated by an Indian tribal government, as defined.

Existing law prohibits Members of the Legislature from entering into, or requesting that another party enter into, a nondisclosure agreement relating to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of proposed legislation, and makes any nondisclosure agreement relating to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of proposed legislation void and unenforceable. Existing law provides an exception for nondisclosure agreements, or portions thereof, that prevent only the disclosure of trade secrets, financial information, or proprietary information, as specified. This bill would prohibit an elective or appointive officer of a state agency acting in their official capacity from entering into, or requesting that another party enter into, a nondisclosure agreement relating to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of a proposed regulation or legislation. The bill would also make any nondisclosure agreement relating to the drafting, negotiation, or discussion of a proposed regulation or legislation entered into by an elective or appointive officer of a state agency acting in their official capacity after the effective date of this bill void and unenforceable. The bill would provide an exception for nondisclosure agreements, or portions thereof, that prevent only the disclosure of trade secrets, private financial information, or proprietary information, as specified.

Maddy summaryCalifornia Assembly Resolution 141 expresses concern that the state's new energy efficiency standards for replacement tires may impose significant financial burdens on consumers and businesses. The resolution cites industry data suggesting tire costs could rise by up to $365 per set, contradicting official estimates of a smaller increase, and argues that the program's environmental benefits have not fully accounted for the impacts of manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of additional tires. It urges the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to reassess the program by conducting a comprehensive evaluation of affordability, tire safety, and full life-cycle environmental effects.

Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to require the purchase of an entry permit for nonconsumptive uses of department-managed lands if the department finds that it is practical and would be cost effective for the state to collect entry permit fees, and imposes specified requirements if the department does so, including requiring the department to use the Automated License Data System to sell that entry permit. Existing law authorizes the department to lease department-managed lands for agricultural activities if certain conditions are met and requires money collected from the lease of these lands to be deposited by the department into the Wildlife Restoration Fund or the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, and authorizes the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to use the funds to support the management, maintenance, restoration, and operations of department-managed lands. This bill would require the department to use the Automated License Data System to sell an entry permit for consumptive use and would authorize the department to use the Automated License Data System to sell an entry permit for nonconsumptive use if the department requires the purchase of an entry permit for nonconsumptive uses of department-managed lands, as described above. The bill would require, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the above-described agricultural lease funds to be used by the department to support the management, maintenance, restoration, and operations of department-managed lands. Existing law requires the department to annually provide an opportunity for licensed hunters to comment and make recommendations on public hunting programs, including anticipated habitat conditions in hunting areas on Type A and Type B Wildlife Areas, as provided. This bill would add wetland floodup to the topics that the department is required to provide an opportunity for comment and recommendation on as described above. This bill would create the Waterfowl Management Areas Operations and Maintenance Fund in the State Treasury and would require all revenues generated from the sale of waterfowl hunting reservation applications and daily and season long entry passes from Type A and Type B Wildlife Areas to be deposited into the fund. The bill would require the department to, upon appropriation by the Legislature, expend those revenues for the operation and maintenance of, and the reasonable administrative costs directly related to, the public hunting programs for Type A and Type B Wildlife Areas. The bill would require the department to, on or before October 1, 2033, prepare and submit a report to the appropriate policy and budget committees of the Legislature, as specified.

Existing law prohibits an employer or any other person from engaging in, or directing another person to engage in, an unfair immigration-related practice against a person for the purpose of, or with the intent of, retaliating against any person for exercising a right protected under state labor and employment laws or under a local ordinance applicable to employees, as specified. Existing law authorizes a civil action for equitable relief and damages or penalties, as specified, by an employee or other person who is the subject of an unfair immigration-related practice. This bill would expand the above-described prohibition to include retaliating against any person for exercising any right under any local, state, or federal statute or regulation applicable to employees, as defined, and would prohibit preventing a person from exercising such a right. The bill would also prohibit an employer or any other person from engaging in any other conduct, related to any person's perceived immigration status, that would reasonably tend to dissuade a person from engaging in conduct that the person has a legal right to engage in under any local, state, or federal statute or regulation applicable to employees, or to induce a person to engage in conduct that the person has a legal right to abstain from under any local, state, or federal statute or regulation applicable to employees. The bill would make an employer or other person who violates these provisions liable for a civil penalty not exceeding $10,000 per employee or person for each violation, as specified. The bill would also make related and conforming changes to these provisions.

Existing unemployment compensation disability law requires workers to pay contribution rates based on, among other things, wages received in employment and benefit disbursement, for payment into the Unemployment Compensation Disability Fund, a special fund in the State Treasury. That fund is continuously appropriated for the purpose of providing disability benefits and making payment of expenses in administering those provisions. Existing law, the family temporary disability insurance program, provides up to 8 weeks of wage replacement benefits to workers who take time off work to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or domestic partner, or to bond with a minor child within one year of birth or placement in connection with foster care or adoption, or to participate in a qualifying exigency related to the covered active duty or call to covered active duty of the individual's spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent in the Armed Forces of the United States. Existing law defines "covered active duty" to mean, with respect to a member of the regular Armed Forces of the United States, duty during the deployment of the member with the regular armed forces to a foreign country and, with respect to a member of the reserve components of the Armed Forces of the United States, duty during the deployment of the member of those reserve components to a foreign country under a federal call or order to active duty. This bill would, starting upon specified changes to the Employment Development Department's integrated claims management system or on July 1, 2028, whichever occurs sooner, expand the definition of "covered active duty" to additionally include duty during training, deployment other than deployment to a foreign country, and, with respect to a member of the reserve components of the Armed Forces of the United States, a call or order to state active duty. By authorizing expenditures from the continuously appropriated fund for these expanded purposes, this bill would make an appropriation.

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as 2 of the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. This bill, commencing with the 2027–28 academic year, would require the California State University, and would request the University of California, to adopt a plan to increase the number of students participating in exchange programs with Mexican public universities, as provided. The bill would require these provisions to become operative only upon an appropriation of funds for its purposes.