Bill Talk: Wow! That’s a lot of bills
A weekly update from Cal Cities, sorting through the state bill buzz
By Cal Cities Staff
The weather is starting to heat up, and so is the Legislature. This week, the Assembly Housing Committee will review two measures sponsored by Cal Cities, along with a bill that would require cities without direct access to state homelessness funding to report on programs outside their control.
Also on the docket are three sponsored measures in Cal Cities’ Environmental Quality portfolio, as well as a measure seeking to crack down on dangerous sideshows and a bill targeting electric vehicle charging station permitting. And Cal Cities is urging cities to support a $400 million funding request for Proposition 36 implementation.
But wait, there’s more: Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a jet fuel tax credit that he says would cut emissions — at the expense of local streets and roads. Cal Cities is also pushing back on a set of proposed changes to the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation that would introduce new administrative burdens for cities.
-Brian Hendershot, Cal Cities Advocate managing editor
Sponsored housing bill to face first committee hearing
The Assembly Housing Committee on April 15 made a change to a housing element bill sponsored by Cal Cities. As drafted, AB 2296 (Papan) would give cities an extra six months to begin the housing element review process and require the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide more detailed feedback to local agencies.
Assembly Housing amended the bill to remove a section that would have delayed the effective date of new housing element laws or amendments to housing element law for local agencies, despite a recommendation by the California State Auditor’s office to provide a transition period for local governments to comply with new state laws due to opposition from some housing advocates. With the committee amendments, the committee voted to pass the bill to the Assembly Local Government Committee with bipartisan support, 11-0.
Cal Cities is proud to sponsor the measure and encourages cities to submit letters in support once these changes are in print.
- Brady Guertin, legislative advocate
Sponsored HHAP funding bill passes out of committee
Assembly Housing on April 15 unanimously approved another measure sponsored by Cal Cities, AB 1708 (Solache). The bill seeks to increase access to Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) funding for cities with populations under 300,000. Specifically, the bill requires regions to work directly with smaller cities to identify programs and interventions that serve unhoused residents and identify funding to help sustain and address the financial needs of those programs.
AB 1708 would also require regions to establish a clear process for smaller cities interested in applying for HHAP funding and consider dedicating a portion of that funding for smaller jurisdictions.
Cities should write and call their lawmakers, urging them to support this bill.
- Caroline Grinder, legislative advocate
Letters needed for homelessness reporting measure
The Senate Housing Committee passed SB 866 (Blakespear) on April 15. Cal Cities has an oppose unless amended position on the bill and is urging cities to submit letters to voice their concerns. The bill would require all but 14 cities to add extensive homelessness reporting requirements to their housing elements.
Only a handful of the state’s largest cities get direct state funding to address homelessness. To receive HHAP funding, recipients must submit regional plans that include performance metrics. SB 866 would require cities that do not receive HHAP funding to add these same metrics to their housing elements.
Cal Cities is urging the author to amend SB 866 to include all cities in the existing regional planning processes already used by California’s largest cities. This would protect smaller cities from unnecessary costs and red tape, while upholding transparency.
- Caroline Grinder, legislative advocate
Cal Cities will continue to fight for Prop. 36 funding at Senate budget hearing
On Thursday morning, a Senate subcommittee will convene to discuss Proposition 36. Overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2024, the ballot measure created a new Treatment-Mandated Felony to address the surge in retail theft and shoplifting. Since then, some jurisdictions have implemented the initiative, but full implementation has been delayed due to inadequate funding.
Last year, the Legislature provided approximately $100 million for implementation to trial courts, behavioral health, and public defenders. Lawmakers did not provide funding for probation, which is essential to the success of Prop. 36.
With the help of Sen. Catherine Blakespear and Asm. Stephanie Nguyen, Cal Cities has requested $400 million to expand service capacity, secure in-custody treatment, and allow for individualized planning and monitoring to fully implement Prop. 36.
Jolena Voorhis, Cal Cities’ public safety legislative advocate, will discuss this critical budget ask during the subcommittee’s hearing. Cal Cities will circulate an action alert asking cities to contact their legislators and Senate Subcommittee #5 and request their support for this budget ask. A city sample letter is available online.
- Serena Scott, legislative affairs analyst
Cities encouraged to join coastal planning bill coalition letter
Asm. Diane Dixon has introduced AB 2373, a measure that would let coastal cities use a neighborhood-scale adaptation approach when updating their Local Coastal Programs. Updating these plans can be a costly, complex process. AB 2373 would allow for more tailored and manageable climate resilience planning solutions while following the Coastal Act. The Assembly Natural Resources Committee will hear the bill on April 20; coastal cities can sign on to Cal Cities’ coalition letter by filling out a short form.
- Melissa Sparks-Kranz, legislative advocate
Fire hazard map improvement bill sails to next committee hearing with unanimous support
AB 2517 (Calderon) is set for a hearing in the Assembly Emergency Management Committee the week of April 20th. Sponsored by Cal Cities, the bill would require the Office of the State Fire Marshal to provide consistent, timely public updates when developing local responsibility area fire hazard severity zone maps. The current process often leaves cities without the scientific data they need to fully understand which areas are at greatest risk for fires.
The Assembly Natural Resources Committee supported AB 2517 with unanimous, bipartisan support. Cities can continue to submit their support letters using Cal Cities’ action alert.
- Melissa Sparks-Kranz, legislative advocate
Insurance transparency and accountability priority bill heads to hearing this week
This morning, the Assembly Insurance Committee approved AB 1559, a measure authored by Committee Chair Lisa Calderon. This bill focuses on addressing the ongoing residential insurance crisis. Since 2021, insurance companies have canceled 400,000 insurance policies in California alone, many in low-risk areas.
AB 1559 would increase transparency in insurance companies’ decisions regarding coverage renewals based on aerial imagery. In the face of limited coverage, high premiums, and wildfire devastation, residents need a clear understanding of the steps they can take to safeguard their insurance coverage. Cal Cities supports the measure.
A sample city letter is available online.
- Serena Scott, legislative affairs analyst
Cal Cities-sponsored PFAS bill advances to Senate Environmental Quality Committee
The Senate Environmental Quality Committee will review a bill taking aim at forever chemicals on April 22. Sponsored by Cal Cities, SB 1313 (McNerney) would clarify that PFAS treatment and infrastructure projects that remove forever chemicals from local water supplies are eligible for funding under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program. Forever chemicals are a major concern for cities and water agencies up and down California, especially with a new federal drinking water standard that requires public water systems of all sizes to address these contaminants. A sample support letter is available for cities.
- Melissa Sparks-Kranz, legislative advocate
Townhome bill bucks the trend for major streamlining proposals
The Assembly Housing Committee will hear AB 1751 (Quirk-Silva) on April 15. The measure would require cities to automatically approve a parcel map or tentative final map for townhome development projects in multifamily residential zones and underutilized single-family zones — regardless of local rules and state-certified housing elements.
Cal Cities has an oppose unless amended position. It is requesting that the author limit the bill to multifamily residential zones that comply with local objective development standards, as has been the case historically for major streamlining proposals by the Legislature.
- Brady Guertin, legislative advocate
Cal Cities to testify in support of sideshow crackdown bill
On Tuesday, the Assembly Public Safety Committee gave the green light to AB 1588 (Stefani), which would toughen penalties for sideshows. This measure targets repeat offenders and people who cause serious injuries during a sideshow. Cal Cities testified in support of the bill, alongside a representative from the San Francisco Police Department. In recent years, local police departments throughout the state have reported an increase in dangerous, illegal sideshows and street takeovers, which have resulted in injuries, deaths, and property damage.
A sample city letter is available online.
- Serena Scott, legislative affairs analyst
Bill targets local permitting of electric vehicle charging stations
The Assembly Committee on Local Government will hear AB 1820 (Schiavo) on April 15, a measure that seeks to arbitrarily cap what cities can charge for residential and commercial electric vehicle charging station permits. Cal Cities is opposing the bill, arguing that there is no evidence that local permitting fees are a primary barrier to new charging stations. Rather, the real bottlenecks are private investments, grid capacity, and infrastructure readiness: Cities stand ready to partner with the state to further meet zero-emission vehicle goals.
-Damon Conklin, 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 on Monday morning, contact your regional public affairs manager. To access old Bill Talks, visit the archive page. To see all tracked bills by issue area or priority, visit the Bill Search page.