Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law, the Budget Act of 2025, appropriates funds to the department to create a comprehensive hospital value strategy to advance access to high-quality inpatient and outpatient hospital services, financially incentivize appropriate care delivery, and improve health outcomes for Medi-Cal beneficiaries. In developing the comprehensive hospital value strategy described above, this bill would require the department to engage with relevant stakeholders with firsthand experience, including, but not limited to, hospitals, cities, counties, cities and counties, organizations representing these groups, and other affected stakeholders as the department deems necessary. The bill would require the department to ensure that the comprehensive hospital value strategy includes a focus on rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, and public hospitals.

(1) Existing property tax law, except as provided, establishes a rebuttable presumption regarding the burden of proof in favor of a taxpayer or assessee who has supplied the required information to the assessor in an administrative hearing involving, among other things, the imposition of a tax on, or an assessment of, an owner-occupied single-family dwelling, as defined. This bill would, instead, establish a rebuttable presumption, as described above, in an administrative hearing involving, among other things, the imposition of a tax on, or assessment of, residential real property. The bill would define residential real property to mean real property improved with one or more units used or intended for human habitation, including single-family residences, condominiums, cooperative units, duplexes, and multifamily residential property with fewer than 4 units, and any land and appurtenant improvements thereon. (2) Existing property tax law prohibits a reduction in an assessment on the local roll from being made unless the party affected or the party's agent makes and files with the county board a verified, written application showing the facts claimed to require the reduction and the applicant's opinion of the full value of the property. This bill would prohibit an assessor, tax collector, or auditor from charging or collecting a fee for that application for homes valued less than $2,500,000. (3) Existing property tax law, subject to certain exceptions, makes the applicant's opinion of value, as reflected on an application for reduction in assessment of property, the value upon which taxes are to be levied for the tax year or tax years covered by the application if the county board fails to hear evidence and fails to make a final determination on the application within 2 years of the timely filing of the application. This bill would reduce that time period to hear evidence and to make a final determination to within 6 months of the timely filing of the application. The bill would also make conforming changes. Existing property tax law prohibits a reduction in assessment reflecting the applicant's opinion of value from being made until 2 years after the close of the filing period during which the timely application was filed. Existing property law, notwithstanding the 2-year time period to hear evidence and make a final determination described above, or any other law, retroactively extends the 2-year deadline by which a county board is required to render a final determination on a qualified application, as defined, until December 31, 2021, as provided. This bill would remove those provisions. (4) By increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) This bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern and, therefore, apply to all counties, including charter counties. (6) 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.

Proposition 117, an initiative measure approved by the voters at the June 5, 1990, statewide primary election, enacted the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990. The act classifies the mountain lion as a specially protected mammal under the laws of this state, and makes it unlawful to take, injure, possess, transport, import, or sell any mountain lion or any part or product thereof. The act authorizes the take of mountain lions under limited circumstances, including by authorizing any mountain lion that is encountered while in the act of pursuing, inflicting injury to, or killing livestock, or domestic animals, to be taken immediately by the owner of the property or the owner's employee or agent. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to that take authorization.

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates February 6, 2026, as "Wear Red Day" in California to raise public awareness about heart health, aligning with the national Heart Disease Awareness initiative. It does not create new laws or requirements but formally recognizes the day for voluntary public observance by California residents. The measure is ceremonial and procedural, solely intended to highlight heart health awareness through state-level acknowledgment.

Existing law creates the Department of Insurance, headed by the Insurance Commissioner, and prescribes the commissioner's qualifications and duties. Existing law requires the commissioner to be a person competent and fully qualified to perform the duties of the office and prohibits the commissioner from being an officer, agent, or employee of an insurer or directly or indirectly interested in an insurer or licensee, except as specified. This bill would additionally require the commissioner, within 10 years before election, to have had at least 5 years of senior, management, or supervisory insurance experience in the private sector or a state or federal agency, as specified.

Existing law requires the State Water Resources Control Board to consider and act upon all applications for permits to appropriate water. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to that provision.

Existing law establishes the California State University and provides for its administration by the Trustees of the California State University. Existing law requires the trustees to provide by rule for the government of their appointees and employees. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that requirement.

Existing law, the Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Law, imposes a tax upon each gallon of motor vehicle fuel removed from a refinery or terminal rack in this state, entered into this state, or sold in this state, at a specified rate per gallon. Existing unfair competition laws establish a statutory cause of action for unfair competition, including any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue, or misleading advertising and acts prohibited by false advertisement laws. This bill would suspend the imposition of the tax on motor vehicle fuels for one year. The bill would require that all savings realized based on the suspension of the motor vehicle fuels tax by a person other than an end consumer, as defined, be passed on to the end consumer, and would make the violation of this requirement an unfair business practice, in violation of unfair competition laws, as provided. The bill would require a seller of motor vehicle fuels to provide a receipt to a purchaser that indicates the amount of tax that would have otherwise applied to the transaction. This bill would also direct the Controller to transfer a specified amount from the General Fund to the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account in the Transportation Tax Fund. By transferring General Fund moneys to a continuously appropriated account, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Maddy summarySCR 92 recognizes October 2025 as National Tomato Month to highlight tomatoes' role in food and agriculture. This non-binding resolution serves as a symbolic gesture without legal effect or new requirements. It aims to raise public awareness about tomatoes as a key agricultural product and cultural symbol. The measure does not impact existing laws, regulations, or specific groups.

Maddy summarySCR 106 designates January 13, 2026, as Korean American Day within the state. This ceremonial resolution officially recognizes the contributions of Korean Americans to the state's cultural and social fabric. It affects state records and calendar designations, adding a specific date for commemoration. The bill became law on February 3, 2026, as Chapter 2 of the Statutes of 2026.