Bill Talk: What to advocate on after Spring Recess
A weekly update from Cal Cities that sorts through the state bill buzz
By Cal Cities Staff
Welcome to the new State Bills in Brief — which longtime readers may remember became anything but brief. Now known as Bill Talk, join us each week as Cal Cities lobbyists break down the biggest ten(ish) bills that city leaders need to know about and act on. (To get the list early, contact your regional public affairs manager.)
This week, lawmakers are on Spring Recess. But not for long. Both the weather — and the Legislature — are heating up. Lawmakers introduced over 2,000 bills this session and they need to get them through their first round of policy committee hearings by May 16. These are crucial make-or-break moments for bills. If they are going to "die," they almost always do so in committee or the dreaded suspense file.
When legislators return on April 21, they will take a hard look at the state’s housing laws, homelessness funding, home hardening, and more. It’s critical that lawmakers hear from cities on each of these measures.
In the future, you can access old Bill Talks by visiting the archive page. Cal Cities also maintains a live list of all sponsored/hot measures. Lists of all tracked bills are available on individual policy pages.
- Brian Hendershot, Cal Cities Advocate managing editor
Key housing bills set for hearings, starting April 22
Three big housing bills are scheduled for committee hearings this week — including a measure sponsored by Cal Cities.
On April 22, the Senate Housing Committee will review SB 79 (Wiener), a measure that would force cities to approve housing up to 7 stories near public transit stops, regardless of zoning laws. It would give transit agencies full land-use authority over residential and commercial development on property they own, without any requirement to build housing. (This is the fourth such bill in seven years.) Cal Cities opposes the measure. Letters are due by noon on April 16.
Then on April 24, the Assembly Housing Committee will look at AB 650 (Papan). The Cal-Cities sponsored bill would let cities begin updating their housing elements process six months early, provide greater certainty in the review process, and ensure cities have enough time to respond to the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s review letters. Letters are due by April 17 at 5 PM.
The committee will also hear AB 647 (González, Mark) that same day. This bill would completely disregard state-mandated housing plans and force cities to allow up to eight housing units on nearly any lot with a single-family home without environmental review or public input. This would give developers practically free rein to bulldoze a home and replace it with eight new units — only one of which must be affordable — while ignoring things like parking standards. Cal Cities opposes the measure. Letters are due by April 17 at 5 PM.
- Brady Guertin, legislative advocate
A big week for addressing homelessness
State policymakers have long vowed to create more accountability around state housing and homelessness funding. One of these measures — a gut-and-amend by Sen. Catherine Blakespear — would create a separate, unequal reporting process targeting cities that do not receive state homelessness funding.
SB 16 would require all but 14 cities to provide detailed reports on available homelessness resources, actions taken to connect people to those resources, and other data points in their housing elements. Nearly all those cities lack the resources needed to collect this data. Cal Cities is urging Sen. Blakespear to align the proposal with the process that is already in place for California’s largest cities. The Senate Housing Committee will hear the measure on April 22. Cities are encouraged to submit letters before the hearing.
Cal Cities is working with Sen. Blakespear on another measure, SB 569, which will be heard in Senate Transportation on April 22. Sponsored by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Cal Cities, the bill would improve coordination between state agencies and cities when addressing homeless encampments on state properties.
Cities should call or send opposition letters on SB 634 (Perez) before the Senate Local Government Committee hears it on April 23. The bill would prohibit cities from adopting any regulation, policy, or guidance that imposes civil or criminal penalties on a person experiencing homelessness. This would leave cities without any enforcement tools, severely limiting their ability to respond to the growing homelessness crisis across California.
Another Cal Cities-sponsored bill, SB 35 (Umberg), is set for a hearing on April 23 in the Senate Health Committee. A recent state audit found that the Department of Health Care Services did not consistently investigate allegations of unlicensed facilities providing or advertising treatment services. The measure would implement several recommendations, including a required timeline for investigating allegations and follow-up site visits to ensure unlawful activity has stopped. Cities could seek approval to enforce licensure laws if the department fails to meet these deadlines.
- Caroline Grinder, legislative advocate
Fast-track wildfire preparedness bill moves ahead
Cal Cities-sponsored bill, AB 846 (Connolly), advanced through the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee last week with unanimous support. Legislators will review it again on April 21 in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.
The bill would streamline the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s permitting process for vegetation management projects in fire-prone areas. The state has already streamlined permitting for vegetation projects in areas it manages. However, local agencies do not have this option and have experienced long delays spanning multiple fire seasons when trying to speed up similar projects in their efforts to reduce fire risk.
Cal Cities sponsored a similar measure in 2024, which Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed due to its costs. This new version seeks to address those concerns while ensuring that cities can more quickly clear flammable vegetation to prevent future wildfires.
- Melissa Sparks-Kranz, legislative advocate
Home hardening bill heads to Assembly Natural Resources
The January wildfires put a newfound urgency behind many wildfire proposals this year. AB 1143 (Bennett) would require the Office of the State Fire Marshal to develop a home hardening certification program by 2027. This could include proven techniques and products like defensible space and fire-safe construction materials. The office would convene a group of stakeholders — including a city from a high or very high fire severity zone — to create the program. Cal Cities supports the bill, which will be heard on April 21 in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. Cities can send a letter of support using Cal Cities’ sample letter.
- Zack Cefalu, legislative affairs and policy analyst
Bill seeks to ease clean fleet woes
With clean air and climate goals a key priority for California, cities are working hard to ensure their fleets comply with the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation. But with high costs, low inventory, and a competitive market, cities are struggling to acquire the necessary zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). One of Cal Cities’ sponsored bills, SB 496 (Hurtado) would help ease these challenges by making three important changes:
- It would create a transparent and accountable appeals process for cities that have been denied an extension by the California Air Resources Board.
- It would remove the current “pay for consideration” provision that ties purchasing ZEVs to requests to delay new utility infrastructure, such as charging stations.
- It would expand the definition of emergency vehicles to include vehicles that support critical operations related to emergencies and disasters, often under severe and difficult conditions not suitable for ZEVs.
The Senate Transportation will review the measure on April 22. Cities should submit a letter in support.