Sen. María Elena Durazo

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development and requires it to administer various programs intended to promote the development of housing, including the Multifamily Housing Program, pursuant to which the department provides assistance in the form of deferred payment loans to pay for the eligible costs of development of specified types of housing projects, as provided. This bill would establish the Affordable Housing Risk Reduction Program, administered by the department, to provide technical assistance and supportive resources to affordable housing providers to help them mitigate risk in their portfolio and secure more affordable insurance options. The bill would require the department to develop technical assistance to support affordable housing providers, and would authorize the department and third-party consultants to provide both individual technical assistance to affordable housing providers and develop technical assistance tools that can be made broadly accessible to those providers.

Existing law requires a farm labor contractor to be licensed by the Labor Commissioner and to comply with specified employment laws applicable to farm labor contractors. Existing law provides that a person who violates the above-described provision is subject to a civil penalty, including, for any initial citation, $100 for each farmworker employed by the unlicensed person, plus $100 for each calendar day that a violation occurs, for a total penalty not to exceed $10,000. This bill would instead provide that a person who violates employment laws applicable to farm labor contractors, unless otherwise specified, is subject to a civil penalty, including, for any initial citation, $100 for each farmworker employed by the unlicensed person or licensed farm labor contractor, plus $100 for each calendar day that a violation occurs, for a total penalty not to exceed $10,000. Existing law prohibits the Labor Commissioner from issuing or renewing a license to act as a farm labor contractor unless specified requirements are met. Existing law requires an applicant for the issuance or renewal of a farm labor contractor license to have deposited with the Labor Commissioner a surety bond to be payable for, among other things, interest on wages and for any damages arising from violation of orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission and for any other monetary relief awarded to an agricultural worker as a result of a violation of specified employment laws. Existing law requires the amount of the surety bond to be based on the size of the person's annual payroll for all employees, and requires, for payrolls up to $500,000, a $25,000 bond, for payrolls of $500,000 to $2,000,000, a $50,000 bond, and for payrolls greater than $2,000,000, a $75,000 bond. Existing law requires the Labor Commissioner to require documentation of the size of the person's annual payroll for purposes of these provisions, as provided. This bill would instead require, for payrolls up to $500,000, a $50,000 bond, for payrolls of $500,000 to $2,000,000, a $100,000 bond, and for payrolls greater than $2,000,000, a $150,000 bond. The bill would require the bond amounts to be deposited when a farm labor contractor first registers or files the application for their first annual renewal. The bill would require the Labor Commissioner to, among other things, include bond information on the public farm labor contractor license database, as described.

Existing law governs the obligations of tenants and landlords. Existing law prohibits a landlord who allows an animal on the premises from advertising or establishing rental policies in a manner that requires a tenant or a potential tenant with an animal to have that animal declawed or devocalized as a condition of occupancy, as provided. This bill would require a landlord or their agent to have a pet policy or pet addendum in writing and to provide access to the property's pet policy or addendum on the property's internet website, in digital advertisements, and in information provided to a residential rental search engine, as prescribed. The bill would require a landlord or their agent to provide a written copy of the property's established pet policy or pet addendum with any rental application form. The bill would require a pet policy or pet addendum to include specified information, including a description of the rights, responsibilities, and requirements for tenant pet owners at the property. The bill would establish conditions for a landlord or their agent to substantially comply with these provisions and would specify that a nonmaterial error or omission that is corrected upon notice does not constitute a violation of these provisions. The bill would specify that it does not affect obligations or rights under state or federal law relating to service and support animals. The bill would require any landlord or their agent who charges an application fee but fails to disclose the established pet policy or pet addendum before charging the fee, and due to the landlord's or their agent's failure to disclose that information, the applicant is no longer eligible to rent the unit or declines to proceed with the application, to refund the application fee to the applicant upon request, as specified. The bill would make its provisions operative on April 1, 2027.

Existing law, including, but not limited to, property tax law, the Sales and Use Tax Law, the Personal Income Tax Law, the Corporation Tax Law, the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law, the law governing the taxation of insurers, the Use Fuel Tax Law, and the Diesel Fuel Tax Law, provides for tax expenditures, including exemptions, deductions, exclusions, and credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) to comprehensively assess the major tax expenditures, as defined, of the state, write and publish a report on each major tax expenditure, and make a recommendation to the Legislature based on each report. In this regard, the bill would require LAO, as part of the comprehensive assessments, to identify any savings that the Legislature can realize by reducing or limiting the major tax expenditures, and require them to consider certain criteria when finalizing each report, including the extent to which the major tax expenditure is a cost-effective use of resources compared to other options to address the same purpose, intent, or goal. The bill would require LAO to complete and publish on its internet website its first report on a major tax expenditure by January 1, 2028, and to complete and publish on its internet website each subsequent report on a major tax expenditure annually in a sequence determined by the office thereafter until the fifth and final report is submitted on January 1, 2032. The bill would require the Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation and the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation, to hold a joint public hearing on these reports by each August 15 of the second year of the legislative session, as specified. To the extent that LAO needs access to taxpayer data and information, the bill would require the Franchise Tax Board, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, and the Employment Development Department to ensure that relevant anonymized taxpayer data is made available and ensure that appropriate levels of data security and privacy protections are in place for transferred or sensitive data. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2033. The bill would make findings and declarations relating to these provisions.

Existing law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) , also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Existing law requires the Exchange to enroll an individual in the lowest cost silver plan or another plan, as specified, upon receiving the individual's electronic account from an insurance affordability program. Existing law requires enrollment to occur before coverage through the insurance affordability program is terminated and prohibits the premium due date from being sooner than the last day of the first month of enrollment. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, additionally authorize the Exchange to enroll an individual in the plan in which other members of the individual's household are enrolled, as specified, or the lowest cost plan available to an Indian who is eligible for specified reduced cost sharing, as determined by the Exchange, and would require the Exchange to enroll an individual in any of the plans described above upon receipt of a complete application for an insurance affordability program submitted through the Statewide Automated Welfare System. The bill would require the Exchange to enroll the individual either before coverage through the insurance affordability program is terminated as described above or upon the receipt of a complete application for an insurance affordability program through the Statewide Automated Welfare System as described above. Existing law requires the Exchange to provide an individual who is enrolled in a plan described above with a notice that includes specified information, including a statement that services received during the first month of enrollment will only be covered by the plan if the premium is paid by the due date. This bill would require the Exchange to provide the notice described above prior to the individual's effective date of coverage, and to provide, instead of the statement described above, instructions on how to effectuate coverage in the selected plan, including by paying the premium on or before the due date, or, if there is no premium due, instructions on how to opt into the selected plan. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer to provide an annual enrollment period for individual health benefit plans offered through the Exchange from November 1 of the preceding calendar year to January 31 of the benefit year, inclusive. Existing law specifies that the effective date of coverage for individual health benefit plans offered outside and through the Exchange be no later than January 1 of the benefit year for plan selection made from November 1 to December 31 of the preceding calendar year, inclusive, and be no later than February 1 of the benefit year for plan selection made from January 1 to January 31 of the benefit year, inclusive. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to provide the annual enrollment period and effective dates of coverage described above, except to the extent that those provisions are inconsistent with federal law, as specified. If inconsistent, the bill would require the plan or insurer to provide the annual enrollment period and effective dates of coverage required by federal law. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Existing law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, requires, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of a legislative body, as defined, of a local agency be open and public and that all persons be permitted to attend and participate. Existing law, beginning July 1, 2026, requires eligible legislative bodies, as defined, to have in place a system for electronically accepting and fulfilling requests for meeting agendas and documents. Existing law additionally requires these legislative bodies to translate the agenda for each meeting of that body and to reasonably assist members of the public who wish to translate a public meeting or receive interpretation, as specified. This bill would instead delete the above-described requirements on eligible legislative bodies. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law prohibits a person from being subject to civil arrest in a courthouse while attending a court proceeding or having legal business in a courthouse, except pursuant to a valid judicial warrant. Existing law confers specified powers to judicial officers, including to preserve and enforce order in the officer's immediate presence and in proceedings before the officer, to compel obedience to the officer's lawful orders, and to prohibit activities that threaten access to courthouses and court proceedings, including protecting the privilege from civil arrest at courthouses and court proceedings. This bill would prohibit a person from being subject to civil arrest while traveling to, while present at, or while traveling from a courthouse for any lawful activity, as defined. The bill would authorize a court to issue appropriate judicial orders to protect the privilege from civil arrest. Under the bill, a civil arrest in violation of these provisions or the common law privilege against civil arrest would constitute false imprisonment or false arrest if the person was going to, remaining at, or returning from court for any lawful activity, and each person in violation of these provisions or who assists in the violation of these provisions would be liable for civil damages for the tort of false imprisonment or false arrest, including actual damages and statutory damages of $10,000. The bill would authorize a party in a successful action to recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. The bill would exempt a court, judicial officer, or court personnel acting lawfully pursuant to their duty to maintain safety and order in the courts from any action or proceeding pursuant to these provisions. This bill would require, when court security personnel are aware that any representative of a law enforcement agency, while acting in an official capacity, enters a courthouse, that court security personnel request the law enforcement representative or representatives identify themselves and state their specific law enforcement purposes and intended enforcement action to be taken, and request from the law enforcement representative or representatives a copy of a valid judicial warrant concerning the intended enforcement action to be taken. The bill would require, if court security personnel are aware there is an attorney representing a person named in the judicial warrant in any capacity, that court security personnel request the law enforcement representative to afford the attorney the right to review the warrant. This bill would require the Judicial Council to annually prepare a report compiling statistics, aggregated by county, of information related to civil arrests, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council to publicly post the report on its public internet website. This bill would also make related findings and declarations and specify that the provisions of this act are severable.

The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth the missions and functions of the public institutions of higher education, including the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. The provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable. This bill would prohibit the University of California, California State University, or California Community Colleges from disqualifying a student from being hired for an employment position due to the student's failure to provide proof of federal work authorization, except where that proof is required by federal law or where that proof is required as a condition of a grant that funds the particular employment position for which the student has applied. This bill would require the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges to treat a specified prohibition in federal law on hiring undocumented noncitizens as inapplicable because that provision does not apply to any branch of state government. The bill would further provide that, to the extent student employment is considered a "benefit" for purposes of federal law, the bill constitutes authorization to provide that benefit for purposes of specified federal law. This bill would require the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges to implement the bill by January 6, 2027. The bill's provisions would apply to the University of California, unless it is found inapplicable to the University of California and then only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable. By imposing new 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 Housing Finance Agency for the primary purpose of meeting the housing needs of persons and families of low or moderate income, and sets forth various programs administered by the agency to fulfill that purpose. This bill would require the agency to conduct a comprehensive assessment of potential credit enhancement mechanisms designed to reduce borrowing costs for housing projects receiving state financial assistance that includes specified evaluations. The bill would require the agency to submit an interim report by January 1, 2028, and a final report by July 1, 2028, as specified.

Existing law, the Permit Streamlining Act, establishes requirements for the review and approval of applications for development projects, as defined, by public agencies, including requiring that a public agency that is the lead agency for the development project approve or disapprove the project within certain time periods, as specified. This bill would prohibit a city, county, or city and county from approving a building permit for cold storage facilities, as defined, unless the owner of the cold storage facility, or the lessee or operator of the cold storage facility, as specified, establishes a contingency fund, as defined, to be used upon declared national, state, or local emergencies in certain circumstances. Until July 1, 2028, the bill would limit the definition of cold storage facilities for purposes of these provisions to facilities located within the geographic boundaries of the Boyle Heights Community Plan. The bill would require an owner of a cold storage facility to provide evidence of the contingency fund at the discretion of the city, county, or city and county, as specified, and authorize an owner to require the lessee or operator of the cold storage facility to establish and maintain the contingency fund. The bill would require a cold storage facility to use the contingency fund for, among other things, providing support during the declared state of emergency or local emergency for affected communities, as specified. By imposing additional requirements on cities and counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax law, generally define "gross income" for purposes of the taxes imposed by those laws as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provide various exclusions from gross income. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, and before January 1, 2032, exclude from gross income any amount received by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, in settlement for claims relating to the 2026 Boyle Heights fire incident, as defined. Existing law requires that any bill introduced on or after January 1, 2020, that would authorize certain tax expenditures, as defined, contain, among other things, specific goals that the tax expenditure or exemption will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. The bill would include findings that specified 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. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Boyle Heights community. 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.