Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas

Existing law imposes certain requirements on grocery employers, as defined, upon the purchase or change in control of a grocery establishment, including requiring a successor grocery employer to retain eligible grocery workers for a specified period after transfer of the grocery establishment. This bill would prohibit a grocery retail store or a retail drug establishment, as those terms are defined, from providing a self-service checkout option for customers unless specified conditions are satisfied, including having at least one manual checkout station staffed by an employee who is available to any given customer at the time that a self-service checkout option is made available to that customer. This bill would require a grocery retail store or retail drug establishment that offers self-service checkout to include self-service checkout in the employer's illness and prevention program, as required by regulations of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The bill also would require a grocery retail store or retail drug establishment that intends to implement self-checkout to notify workers and their collective bargaining representatives at least 60 days in advance of the implementation, as specified. The bill would not preempt any city, county, or city and county ordinance that provides equal or greater protection to workers. This bill would make an employer who violates the bill's provisions subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 per violation per day, not to exceed an aggregate penalty of $200,000.

Existing law generally prohibits the governing authority of a school or other institution from unconditionally admitting any person as a pupil of any public or private elementary or secondary school, childcare center, day nursery, nursery school, family daycare home, or development center, unless prior to the person's admission to that institution they have been fully immunized against various diseases, including measles, mumps, and pertussis, subject to any specific age criteria. Existing law establishes the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families using federal, state, and county funds. Existing law also requires all applicants for or recipients of CalWORKs to ensure and provide documentation that each child in the assistance unit who is not required to be enrolled in school has received all age-appropriate immunizations, as specified, and prohibits the needs of all parents or caretaker relatives in the assistance unit from being considered in determining the grant to the assistance unit until the required documentation is provided. Existing law requires a notice of that immunization requirement to be given to an applicant or recipient at the time of application and at the next redetermination of eligibility for aid. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2026, or the date when the State Department of Social Services has made a specified determination, whichever is later, repeal the requirement under CalWORKs for children who are not required to be enrolled in school to be immunized and repeal the prohibition on considering the needs of parents or caretaker relatives in determining the grant to the assistance unit until the required documentation is provided. The bill would instead require that notice to advise applicants and recipients of the existing obligation for children admitted to a public or private elementary or secondary school, childcare center, day nursery, nursery school, family daycare home, or development center, to secure the immunizations required for that admission. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for the purposes of implementing the bill.

Existing law establishes the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program, administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections, to award competitive grants for the purpose of violence intervention and prevention. Existing law establishes the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program within the Board of State and Community Corrections to grant funds, upon appropriation, to local jurisdictions and Indian tribes for the purpose of implementing trauma-informed diversion programs for minors, as specified. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district to give diligent care to the health and physical development of pupils and authorizes the governing board of a school district to employ properly certified persons for the work. Existing law requires a school of a school district or county office of education and a charter school to notify pupils and parents or guardians of pupils no less than twice during the school year on how to initiate access to available pupil mental health services on campus or in the community, or both, as provided. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health, in cooperation with the State Department of Education, to establish a Public School Health Center Support Program, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to assist school health centers, which are defined as centers or programs, located at or near local educational agencies, that provide age-appropriate health care services at the program site or through referrals, as specified. This bill would create the Community Violence Interdiction Grant Program to be administered by the California Health and Human Services Agency to provide funding to local community programs for community-driven solutions to decrease violence in neighborhoods and schools. The bill would specify the types of programs the grant funds may be used for, including, but not limited to, programs that create and enhance recreation- and health-based interventions for youth during peak times of violence and the creation and operation of school-based health centers. The bill would require the agency to develop an application process and criteria for funding and would require the agency to administer the grant program, as specified. The bill would require, beginning July 31, 2026, and annually thereafter, the Director of Finance and the Legislative Analyst's Office to calculate the savings to the state from the closure of state prisons, as specified, and would require the Director of Finance to certify the results of the calculation to the Controller no later than August 1 of each fiscal year. The bill would create the Community Violence Interdiction Grant Fund and would require moneys in the fund to be made available, only upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the agency for the purposes of the Community Violence Interdiction Grant Program. The bill would require that the Controller, before August 15, 2026, and annually thereafter, upon appropriation by the Legislature, transfer from the General Fund to the Community Violence Interdiction Grant Fund the total amount of savings from the closure of state prisons so calculated.

Under existing law, upon the proclamation of a state of emergency by the President of the United States or the Governor, or upon the declaration of a local emergency by the executive officer of any county, city, or city and county, and for 30 days or 180 days, as specified, following the proclamation or declaration of emergency, it is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in county jail, a fine of $10,000, or both that imprisonment and fine, for a person, contractor, business, or other entity to sell or offer to sell certain goods or services for a price of more than 10% greater than the price charged by that person immediately prior to the proclamation or declaration of emergency. This bill would instead make that misdemeanor applicable, for those provisions for which the misdemeanor is applicable for a period of 30 days following the proclamation or declaration of emergency, for a period of 60 days. The bill would, for an entity or person other than a natural person, make that misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $25,000. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, as described above, it is unlawful to increase the rental price for housing by more than 10%, or evict any residential tenant of residential housing, upon the proclamation or declaration of emergency. Existing law defines "housing" for purposes of these provisions as any rental housing with an initial lease term of no longer than one year. This bill would expand the definition of "housing" to include any rental housing without regard to the length of the initial lease term. The bill would make the prohibitions on increasing the rental price by more than 10% and eviction generally applicable to commercial real property. By expanding the scope of a crime, this 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.

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 summarySenate Resolution 56 designates September 2025 as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in California. The resolution highlights statistics on ovarian cancer (including 2025 U.S. estimates of 20,890 new diagnoses and 12,730 deaths) and emphasizes the importance of early detection through symptom awareness. It does not create new laws or allocate funding; instead, it serves as a symbolic proclamation to honor those affected by the disease and encourage community awareness efforts. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the California Senate on August 29, 2025.

Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education. Existing law requires the commission, when the history-social science curriculum framework is next revised, on or after January 1, 2025, to consider providing for inclusion, in that curriculum framework, related evaluation criteria, and accompanying instructional materials, of instruction on the treatment and perspectives of Native Americans during the Spanish colonization of California and the Gold Rush Era. This bill would require the commission, when the state board next revises the history-social science curriculum framework or adopts new instructional materials, on or after January 1, 2026, to consider including content on the historical, social, economic, and political contributions of African Americans during the Spanish colonization of California, the Gold Rush Era, and Antebellum, as provided.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 58 is a ceremonial resolution commemorating the 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment (ratified in 1920), which granted women the right to vote in the U.S. It honors the suffrage movement and California's early role in women's voting rights (1911) while acknowledging ongoing voting barriers faced by women of color and people with disabilities. The resolution has no binding policy effect - it simply expresses the Senate's recognition of this historical milestone through formal commemoration. It was unanimously adopted by the California Senate on August 25, 2025.

Existing law creates the Department of Industrial Relations, and establishes within the department the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) , which is headed by the Labor Commissioner. The DLSE is generally charged with enforcing employment statutes and regulations, either in administrative actions or through litigation. Existing law imposes various administrative sanctions, civil fines and penalties, and criminal penalties for violations of employment statutes or regulations. Existing law prohibits an employer or agent from collecting, taking, or receiving any gratuity or a part thereof that is paid, given to, or left for an employee by a patron, or deducting any amount from wages due an employee on account of a gratuity, or requiring an employee to credit the amount, or any part thereof, of a gratuity against and as a part of the wages due the employee from the employer, and requires the Department of Industrial Relations to enforce these provisions. This bill would authorize the Labor Commissioner to investigate and issue a citation or file a civil action for gratuities taken or withheld in violation of the above-described provisions, as prescribed.

This measure would recognize June 19, 2025, as Juneteenth and would urge the people of California to join in celebrating Juneteenth as a day to honor and reflect on the significant role that African Americans have played in the history of the United States and how they have enriched society through their steadfast commitment to promoting unity and equality.