Final month of session packed with AI, pension, liability, and records request act bills

By Johnnie Piña, legislative advocate (Governance, Transparency, and Labor Relations)

Lawmakers will have just one month to get their bills to the Governor’s desk when they return from summer recess on Aug. 3. Legislators will consider several major pension, public liability, open meetings, artificial intelligence, and public records laws proposals — all of which could have big impacts on cities.

Bill erases key pension reforms

One of Cal Cities’ top priorities is AB 1383 (McKinnor), which expands pension benefits for public safety employees and rolls back key provisions of the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA). Specifically, it increases the pensionable compensation cap, lowers the retirement age from 57 to 55, establishes a new retirement tier, and allows local agencies to negotiate enhanced pension formulas for public safety employees.

Cal Cities opposes the measure, as it would increase long-term pension costs and undermine reforms that have helped cities better manage retirement costs. At a time when cities are facing budget pressures and increasing service demands, higher pension obligations could divert resources from employee compensation, infrastructure, and essential community services.

Coalition continues push for liability reform

Another priority for Cal Cities is finding a solution to California's growing public liability crisis. Public entity liability exposure has tripled over the past seven years and now exceeds $7 billion. These costs, which are expected to increase, can divert funding away from public safety, road maintenance, parks, and other local services.

Cal Cities and a coalition of cities, counties, school districts, and joint powers authorities are urging lawmakers to enact meaningful reforms — including proportional liability standards, damage limits, and stronger evidentiary requirements in cases involving decades-old allegations. These changes would protect survivors’ access to justice while ensuring taxpayer dollars go toward critical public services.  

Brown Act cleanup could into effect immediately

Lawmakers are also advancing changes to SB 707 (Durazo, 2025), which became fully operative on July 1. The new law imposes extensive new remote participation, website accessibility, public outreach, internet disruptions, agenda translations, and language access requirements for public meetings. Many local agencies have raised concerns about the costs and operational challenges associated with these mandates.

SB 1187 (Durazo), supported by Cal Cities, revises several of SB 707's language-access requirements. The bill contains an urgency clause, allowing it to take effect immediately if signed by the Governor.

Public Records Act update moves forward

Cal Cities' co-sponsored Public Records Act measure, AB 1821 (Pacheco), is still advancing through the Legislature. The bill would change California Public Records Act response deadlines from calendar days to business days — a practical update that preserves public access while better aligning compliance timelines with agency operations. Local agencies across California have seen a sharp rise in both the volume and complexity of record requests, reporting a 73% increase over five years.

AI proposals could create new mandates

Cal Cities opposes several artificial intelligence and workplace surveillance measures, including AB 1883 (Bryan), SB 947 (McNerney), and AB 2656 (Petrie-Norris). Cal Cities is also oppose unless amended on SB 951 (Reyes), a bill that responds to AI workforce disruptions.

While Cal Cities supports responsible AI use, these proposals impose significant new compliance requirements, administrative burdens, and liability risks on local agencies. Cal Cities is urging lawmakers to avoid imposing AI mandates that disrupt established public-sector labor and personnel systems or interfere with cities’ ability to provide essential services. Cal Cities is urging legislators to pass targeted exemptions or modifications that recognize the unique legal, operational, and fiscal realities of public-sector employers.

However, Cal Cities does support SB 1159 (Cabaldon), which clarifies that AI systems, autonomous agents, robots, and other nonhuman entities are not persons, participants, or members of the public under state governance and transparency laws. Automated AI tools can crowd out the voices of actual members of the public and undermine California’s transparent governance laws at an alarming scale. This clarification is an important step toward protecting meaningful public participation, open governance, and critical staff resources.

What's next?

The Legislature returns from summer recess on Aug. 3 for the final weeks of the 2026 session. To learn how you can make your city’s voice heard on these critical local government finance, operations, transparency, and workforce management measures, contact your regional public affairs manager.