Bill Talk: Two wins and nine bills to act on

A weekly update from Cal Cities, sorting through the state bill buzz

By Cal Cities Staff

Before we get into what’s coming up, let’s talk about what just happened. Last week, in a win for cities, lawmakers pressed pause on two flawed housing proposals, AB 647 (González, Mark) and SB 677 (Wiener). Both measures would have upended the state-mandated housing element process yet again. However, the Legislature operates on a two-year cycle, so both bills could resurface next year.

Up this week are a slew of measures, including those related to homelessness, housing, warehouse siting, fiscal sustainability, and more. Two of the bills are sponsored by Cal Cities.

By the way — it’s almost suspense file time, the magical, twice-annual appropriations process where lawmakers quickly decide the fate of hundreds of bills. This year could be a bit bloodier than usual due to some rather turbulent economic headwinds and federal budget maneuvers. If you want to make your voice heard, be sure to join Cal Cities for a webinar on May 12 about the biggest bills facing this make-or-break moment.  

- By Brian Hendershot, Cal Cities Advocate managing editor

Key homelessness measures move to appropriations

Two notable homelessness bills are headed to Senate Appropriations. On May 5, the committee placed SB 569 (Blakespear) on the suspense file. Co-sponsored by Cal Cities, the measure would increase communication between Caltrans and local governments when addressing encampments on state-owned property. The bill would require Caltrans to establish a dedicated city liaison to coordinate the removal of encampments and enhance communication with cities to address homelessness.

The following Monday, May 12, the committee will review SB 16 (Blakespear), a measure that seeks to create additional reporting mandates for all but 14 cities. SB 16 would require cities that do not receive HHAP funding to provide detailed reports on available homelessness resources, actions taken to connect individuals to those resources, and various data points in their housing elements.

Cal Cities opposes the measure unless amended and is requesting changes that would include smaller cities in an existing regional planning process. This would accomplish the same goal — allowing transparency on the same system metrics that SB 16 includes — but through the same regional process already used by California’s largest cities.

- Betsy Montiel, legislative analyst

Housing bill pushes on past chair’s objections

The Senate Local Government Committee passed SB 79 (Wiener) on April 30, with Sen. Scott Weiner rolling the chair a second time, who recommended a no vote. The bill would force cities to approve housing up to 7 stories near public transit stops, regardless of zoning laws. It would also give transit agencies full land-use authority over residential and commercial development on property they own, without any requirement to build housing.

The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for a May 12 hearing. Cities should submit opposition letters to help prevent the bill from moving forward.

- Brady Guertin, legislative advocate

Warehouse clean-up language introduced  

Legislators officially introduced changes to a problematic warehouse standards bill crafted behind closed doors last year. The Assembly and Senate Local Government Committees heard the twin bills,  AB 735 (Carrillo) and SB 415 (Reyes), last week. Cal Cities, alongside counties, planners, and business property groups, testified that the clean-up language so far is helpful, but more progress needs to be made.

The original law places restrictions on new or expanding warehouses and imposes a sweeping, costly statewide mandate by requiring all cities to update their circulation elements to account for these changes. The new proposal would give cities with 50,000 or fewer residents until 2035 to complete the circulation element update with truck routes for logistic use developments. It would also create a good faith enforcement provision for local governments working to meet the planning requirements, avoiding the $50,000 fines every six months.

Cal Cities will continue to push for further changes that increase flexibility for cities, redefine some hastily crafted definitions, and narrow the bill’s scope to cities with warehouses instead of all cities. The Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees are set to hear AB 735 (Carrillo) and SB 415 (Reyes) in early May.

-Melissa Sparks-Kranz, legislative advocate

Short-term rental bill passes out of Senate Judiciary

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB 346 (Durazo) on Tuesday with near unanimous support. Sponsored by Cal Cities, the measure would help cities more efficiently enforce their short-term rental ordinances and ensure they receive the correct amount of transient occupancy taxes from short-term rentals.

-Ben Triffo, legislative advocate

Clean fleets reform advances

The Senate Appropriations Committee placed a bill co-sponsored by Cal Cities on the suspense file on May 5. SB 496 (Hurtado) would create a formal appeals process for denied extension requests, broaden the definition of emergency vehicles, and remove the “pay to play” requirement for extensions under the Advanced Clean Fleets rule. The bill sailed out of both Senate environmental and transportation committees last month with unanimous support.

Cal Cities also joined a coalition of local government organizations, emergency response organizations, and business organizations in supporting AB 911 (Carrillo). The measure would recognize telecommunications vehicles as critical to community infrastructure and therefore exempt from the regulation. The Assembly Transportation approved the measure with a vote of 14 yes and two abstentions. It now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for consideration on May 7.

-Damon Conklin, legislative advocate

Co-sponsored Brown Act modernization legislation moves forward

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB 239 (Arreguín) on Tuesday. Sponsored by a broad coalition — including Cal Cities — the measure would make some public meetings more accessible by removing the in-person requirement in the Brown Act for some local advisory bodies. These groups frequently weigh in on issues impacting seniors, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and homeless youth. However, many struggle to make a quorum or have trouble recruiting and retaining members.

SB 239 would exclude some groups, such as law enforcement, budget oversight bodies, and elected officials. It would also require an in-person location for each meeting. Both the legislative body that establishes an advisory body and the advisory body itself would need to approve the waiver. During the pandemic, people who could not attend in-person meetings before could meet remotely, increasing their access to leadership opportunities and providing agencies with more diverse feedback.

- Johnnie Pina, legislative advocate- Johnnie Pina, legislative advocate

A quick reminder

Bill Talk is a weekly breakdown of the biggest bills, policy committee hearings, and legislative deadlines that city leaders need to know about. To get this list a few days early, contact your regional public affairs manager. To access old Bill Talks, visit 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.