Sen. Christopher Cabaldon

Existing law establishes the Government Operations Agency (GovOps) , and establishes within the agency the Department of Technology. Existing law requires the Department of Technology to conduct, in coordination with other interagency bodies as it deems appropriate, a comprehensive inventory of all high-risk automated decision systems that have been proposed for use, development, or procurement by, or are being used, developed, or procured by, any state agency. Existing law defines, for these purposes, an "automated decision system" as, among other things, a computational process that is used to assist or replace human discretionary decisionmaking and materially impacts natural persons. Existing law establishes various public assistance and social programs administered by state agencies, including the Department of Social Services and the Employment Development Department. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of specified professions and vocations by boards and bureaus within the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would impose certain restrictions on the use of an automated decision system by a state agency to confer services, defined as, among other things, the issuance of professional licenses and provision of public benefits. Among the restrictions, the bill would include a prohibition on using an output from the system as the sole basis for an adverse service determination affecting a natural person, except as specified. The bill would require the state agency to verify the accuracy of the system's outputs and to promote nondiscrimination in its use, as specified. The bill would require the director or designee of a state agency to provide for quality control review of the outputs, as specified, to assure acceptable accuracy. This bill would authorize GovOps to develop, adopt, and make publicly available guidance for a state agency's use of automated decision systems. The bill would require GovOps to notify the Joint Legislative Budget Committee before issuing the guidance. The bill would require GovOps to provide technical assistance to state agencies upon request. The bill would define terms for purposes of its provisions and would make related findings and declarations.

Existing law, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) , grants to a consumer various rights with respect to personal information that is collected by a business. Existing law, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA) , an initiative measure approved by the voters as Proposition 24 at the November 3, 2020, statewide general election, amended, added to, and reenacted the CCPA and establishes the California Privacy Protection Agency (agency) and vests the agency with full administrative power, authority, and jurisdiction to enforce the CCPA. Existing law requires a data broker to register with the agency, and defines "data broker" to mean a business that knowingly collects and sells to third parties the personal information of a consumer with whom the business does not have a direct relationship, subject to specified exceptions. This bill would define a "direct relationship" as, among other things, when a consumer has intentionally interacted with a business for the purpose of obtaining information about, accessing, purchasing, using, or requesting the business's products or services. The bill would specify circumstances when a data broker does not have a "direct relationship," including if it sells personal information outside of a "first-party" interaction with the consumer. The bill would define a "first party" as a consumer-facing business with which the consumer intends and expects to interact. Existing law requires a data broker, in registering with the agency, to provide specified information, including, among other things, whether the data broker collects the personal information of minors or a consumer's reproductive health care data. Existing law requires the agency to establish an accessible deletion mechanism that, among other things, allows a consumer to request that a specified data broker delete any personal information related to that consumer held by the data broker or associated service provider or contractor. This bill would require a data broker to provide additional information to the agency regarding whether the data broker sells inferences about the attributes of the consumer based on their analysis of specified data, including the personal information of minors and a consumer's reproductive health care data. Existing law establishes the Office of Data and Innovation (office) within the Government Operations Agency with a mission to deliver better government services to the people of California through technology and service innovation, data, and design. This bill would require the office to establish a privacy preference tool to enable a consumer to define and store a privacy preference profile regarding data broker data collection and use practices, among other things. The bill would require the tool to, among other things, evaluate relevant privacy, data management, and practice and policies against the consumer's preference profile. The bill would require the office to make the online tool available to other state agencies, including the agency. This bill would declare that its provisions further the purposes and intent of the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 97 formally recognizes May 2026 as Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month in California. This measure honors the historical contributions and achievements of Asian and Pacific Islander communities, which include building the Transcontinental Railroad and fighting for civil rights. The resolution acknowledges that California is home to over seven million people from diverse Asian and Pacific Islander backgrounds. It also highlights the state's existing efforts to support these communities through the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates April 2, 2026, as World Autism Awareness Day within the state of California. It directly affects state agencies and the general public by officially recognizing this specific date for awareness activities. The primary mechanism is a simple legislative declaration that adds this observance to the state calendar without creating new laws or funding requirements. Once enacted, the resolution serves as a formal record of the state's acknowledgment of the global observance.

This measure would recognize March 21, 2026, as the beginning of the International Day of Nowroz and extend best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous Nowroz to all Californians.

This measure would acknowledge the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and express the Legislature's deepest respect to Muslims across California and throughout the world on this significant occasion.

Existing law designates specific days as holidays in this state, including Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, and requires the Governor to annually proclaim March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day. This bill would instead designate March 31 as Farmworkers Day and would require the Governor to annually proclaim March 31 as Farmworkers Day. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 82 declares February 2026 as Children's Dental Health Month in California to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. The resolution highlights that tooth decay is a major public health issue affecting many children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and notes that untreated dental problems can lead to missed school days and learning difficulties. While acknowledging recent improvements in access to Medi-Cal dental services, the bill emphasizes the need for continued efforts to prevent cavities through education and preventive care. This measure serves as a symbolic recognition rather than establishing new laws or funding, aiming to encourage policymakers and the public to focus on childhood oral health.

Existing law establishes in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency the Department of Real Estate to license and regulate real estate licensees, and the Department of Consumer Affairs, which is composed of various boards that license and regulate various businesses and professions. This bill would authorize the Department of Real Estate and boards under the jurisdiction of the Department of Consumer Affairs to waive the application of certain provisions of the licensure requirements that the board or department is charged with enforcing for licensees and applicants who reside in or whose primary place of business is in a location damaged by a natural disaster for which a state of emergency is proclaimed by the Governor, as specified, or for which an emergency or major disaster is declared by the President of the United States, including certain examination, fee, and continuing education requirements. The bill would require a board to notify the director of the Department of Consumer Affairs in writing of any waiver approved by that board, and would prohibit the waiver from taking effect for a period of 5 business days after the director receives the notification from the board. The bill would authorize the director to approve or disapprove a waiver within the 5 business days described above, and require the director to notify the board of any decision to approve or disapprove a waiver within those 5 business days. The bill would prohibit a waiver from taking effect if the director disapproves the waiver, and require a waiver that is approved by the director, or that fails to be approved or disapproved by the director within the 5 business days described above, to take effect the following day. The bill would require the Department of Consumer Affairs to, among other things, post each waiver that takes effect on its website. The bill would exempt the above-described licensees of boards from, among other requirements, the payment of duplicate license fees. The bill would require all applicants and licensees of the boards under the Department of Consumer Affairs to provide the board with an email address. The bill would prohibit a contractor licensed pursuant to the Contractors State License Law from engaging in debris removal unless the contractor has one of specified license qualifications or has been authorized by the registrar of contractors during a declared state of emergency or for a declared disaster area due to a natural disaster. The bill would require a licensee authorized to perform debris removal to pass an approved hazardous substance certification examination, and comply with certain occupational safety and health requirements concerning hazardous waste operations and emergency response, as specified. The bill would require the Real Estate Commissioner, immediately upon the declaration of a natural disaster for which a state of emergency, emergency, or major disaster is proclaimed or declared as described above, to determine the nature and scope of any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent practices, as specified, and provide specified notice to the public regarding those practices. The bill would authorize the commissioner to suspend or revoke a real estate license if the licensee, until one year following the declaration of a natural disaster for which a state of emergency, emergency, or major disaster is proclaimed or declared as described above, makes an unsolicited offer to an owner of real property to purchase or acquire an interest in the real property, when that property is located in an area included in a declared federal, state, or local emergency or disaster, for an amount less than the fair market value, as defined, of the property or interest of the property, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, otherwise known as the Williamson Act, authorizes a city or county to enter into contracts with owners of agricultural land to preserve the land for agricultural use, as specified, in return for reduced property tax assessments. The act also authorizes a landowner of specified agricultural land to petition the city or county to cancel the Williamson Act contract in order to designate the land as a farmland security zone, whereby the land is eligible for a specified property tax valuation and taxed at a reduced rate for specified special taxes. Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a city or a county to establish an enhanced infrastructure financing district, with a governing body referred to as the public financing authority, to finance public capital facilities or other specified projects of communitywide significance. Existing law requires the public financing authority to prepare and adopt a proposed infrastructure financing plan, as specified. Existing law authorizes the plan to require a certain portion of specified taxes levied upon property within the district to be allocated to the district each year, as specified. Existing law authorizes certain local agencies to form a Community Revitalization and Investment Authority within a community revitalization and investment area to carry out a community revitalization plan in that area for specified purposes. Existing law authorizes the plan to require a certain portion of specified taxes levied upon property within the area to be allocated to the authority to finance improvements, as specified. This bill would exclude the taxes levied upon a parcel of land enrolled in or subject to a Williamson Act contract or a farmland security zone contract, as specified, from the above-described allocations to the district or authority, as applicable. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 53398.75 of the Government Code proposed by SB 516 to be operative only if this bill and SB 516 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.