2025 Advocacy Resources

California’s 483 cities are diverse and unique, but we are united with a clear message to the state: Cities are a smart investment for a strong California. City officials are focused on ensuring every resident has access to the local services they need and rely upon. But they cannot do it alone. To keep California strong and resilient, the state must partner with cities to support our unhoused residents, increase the supply of housing, fortify our infrastructure, and strengthen climate change resiliency.

View our advocacy priority pamphlet.

View advocacy opportunities at City Leaders Summit.

    Cal Cities’ Budget Priorities:

    1. Ongoing funding to address homelessness.
    2. Funding to implement the voter-approved public safety measure, Prop. 36.
    3. Ensuring the state stays true to the funding commitments that voters approved in the Prop. 4 climate bond.

    Homelessness and Housing

    New Cal Cities survey on homeless encampments.

    SUPPORT

    AB 650 (Papan): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that allows cities to start drafting their housing elements six months earlier and requires the state to improve its housing element review process.

    AB 736 (Wicks) & SB 417 (Cabaldon): A $10 billion housing bond to finance affordable rental housing and homeownership programs.

    SB 569 (Blakespear): Cal Cities co-sponsored bill that improves coordination between state agencies and cities when addressing homeless encampments on state properties.

    OPPOSE

    SB 79 (Wiener): This bill requires cities to approve dense housing — up to seven stories — near public transit stops, regardless of zoning laws. It allows transit agencies full land-use authority on their residential and commercial property, without requiring them to build ANY housing.

    SB 634 (Perez): This bill prohibits local governments from adopting any regulation, policy, or guidance that imposes civil or criminal penalties on a person experiencing homelessness.

    AB 647 (Gonzalez, Mark): The bill disregards state-mandated local housing plans and forces cities to allow up to eight housing units — only one unit of which must be affordable — on nearly any residential lot with an existing single-family home. AB 647 disregards environmental review and public input, and ignores existing height, density, and parking standards.

    Climate Change

    SUPPORT

    AB 262 (Caloza): Cal Cities-sponsored measure that creates an assistance program under the Office of Emergency Services to support communities impacted by disasters if federal aid is unavailable.

    AB 846 (Connolly): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that streamlines the California Department of Fish and Wildlife permitting process for vegetation management projects in fire-prone areas, ensuring cities can more quickly clear flammable vegetation to prevent future wildfires.

    CONCERNS, SEEKING AMENDMENTS

    AB 735 (Carrillo) & SB 415 (Reyes): Legislation to clean up AB 98 (2024), the warehouse design standards, truck route, and circulation element update bill. These bills must be amended to ensure flexibility for local governments to meet the sweeping circulation element update requirements outlined in AB 98.

    Fiscal Sustainability

    SUPPORT

    SB 346 (Durazo): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that makes it easier for cities to enforce ordinances against unlicensed short-term rentals and helps ensure cities receive the correct amount of transient occupancy taxes.

    AB 476 (Gonzalez, Mark): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that strengthens theft prevention against copper wire and other metal theft, a costly issue that severely impacts the safety and reliability of essential public infrastructure that residents rely on.

    Infrastructure

    SUPPORT

    SB 496 (Hurtado): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that makes it easier for cities to comply with the state’s extensive Advanced Clean Fleets rule.

    SB 74 (Seyarto): Cal Cities-sponsored bill that creates a “gap fund” grant program. Through this program, state funding may cover up to 20% of the cost of certain critical local infrastructure projects.

    SB 454 (McNerney): Cal Cities-sponsored measure that helps fund local water infrastructure efforts to remove PFAS — also known as forever chemicals — from water and wastewater supplies.

     

     

     

    Contact Staff


    Jason Rhine
    Senior Director of Legislative Affairs
    (916) 658-8264
    jrhine@calcities.org