Six things to watch in the final weeks of the legislative cycle

Lawmakers are back at the Capitol with a laundry list of priorities. By far the most prominent issues are bonds, changes to the state’s mental health laws, and California's hot labor summer. But legislators also have a litany of other measures to work through in a small window of time. Here are the six things that cities need to know about the last five weeks of the session.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s big bond battle 

Thanks to a rather economically turbulent year, the state needs to find money to meet its lofty housing, homelessness, and climate goals. The most important bond measure — at least for Gov. Gavin Newsom — is AB 531 (Irwin). The bill would provide $4.68 billion in bonds for housing and community-based treatment settings. It’s a companion measure to SB 326 (Eggman), a sweeping overhaul of the state’s mental health laws. The League of California Cities supports both measures in concept. 

That’s just one of the nearly a dozen bond measures lawmakers are considering — and the only one the Governor has put his full weight behind. Passing multiple bonds on the same ballot is doable, but generally inadvisable. It remains to be seen whether other measures, like a Cal Cities-supported housing bond by Asm. Buffy Wicks, can make it to the finish line. 

To further complicate matters: Budget allocations for climate resilience programs are contingent on the passage of a climate bond and federal climate funding. Newsom told CalMatters he doesn’t expect budget clawbacks, but he “might veto spending proposals.”

Housing and homelessness remain top priorities 

The statewide affordable housing and homelessness crisis remains at the top of everyone’s agenda. Sen. Susan Eggman is shepherding two longstanding Cal Cities priorities: SB 43 and SB 363. Both bills would modernize California’s behavioral health care system. SB 43 would update the definition of “gravely disabled.” SB 363 would create a real-time dashboard of available beds in psychiatric and substance use facilities.

Legislators also considering an expansion of SB 35 (Chapter 366, Statutes of 2017). The proposal, SB 423 (Wiener), would require cities to ministerially approve certain multifamily housing projects without public input or environmental review, even on land under the California Coastal Commission’s jurisdiction. Cal Cities opposes SB 423.

Fentanyl enforcement measures face uphill fight

Several fentanyl-related bills are still moving through the Legislature, thanks to heavy pressure from Cal Cities and others. AB 474 (Rodriguez), AB 33 (Bains), and SB 19 (Seyarto) would increase statewide efforts to combat fentanyl tracking. AB 701 (Villapudua) would add fentanyl to the list of controlled substances for large-scale dealers. Cal Cities supports all four measures.

The bills face an uphill fight. Legislators killed other enforcement bills earlier this year, with opponents drawing comparisons to the failed war on drugs. Cal Cities is advocating for a multipronged approach — prevention, intervention, education, and life-saving care — and has supported over a dozen such measures this session.  

Hot labor summer shows no sign of cooling

If there’s one issue that’s captured the public’s attention, it’s labor strikes. Screenwriters, actors, hotel employees, city staffers, and others are all on strike. Other sectors have threatened to strike, narrowly averted a strike, or recently finished striking.

It’s not surprising then that legislators are considering a suite of changes to the state’s labor laws, including AB 504 (Reyes), AB 1484 (Zbur), and SB 399 (Wahab). Cal Cities opposes all three measures due to their overly broad language. 

AB 504 would undermine the ability of cities to provide critical services during a strike — with no clear standards for employees that work in multiple jurisdictions. AB 1484 would limit the ability of cities to staff up for temporary or seasonal needs. SB 399 is so vague that it is fundamentally incompatible with everyday government functions.

A soon-to-be-introduced bill by Sen. Anthony Portantino would allow striking workers to draw unemployment benefits after a few weeks of striking. A similar measure was put forward in 2019 but failed to get the votes needed to pass out of the Senate. Cal Cities and a broad coalition of public and private sector partners opposed the 2019 bill.

Cal Cities-sponsored measure would make it easier to meet climate goals

Parts of the state’s winding, complicated grant process could get easier thanks to a Cal Cities-sponsored measure. AB 972 (Maienschein) would create a statewide, cross-agency workgroup to coordinate, align, and streamline certain local government assistance resources.

Cities often lack the resources, staff capacity, implementation experience, and technical expertise to apply for and secure competitive statewide targeted grant funding. And like other sectors, California cities are facing staffing shortages. A uniform and streamlined application process would allow cities to access funding opportunities effectively and equitably.

The bill is one of eight Cal Cities-sponsored measures this year, most of which are still in play.

Three infrastructure bills to oppose

A trio of bad infrastructure measures for cities are winding their way through the legislative process. AB 825 (Bryan) would prohibit cities from fining cyclists for biking on a sidewalk and AB 1082 (Kalra) would curb the ability of cities to enforce repeated parking violations. Although Cal Cities remains opposed to both measures, it was able to secure amendments to the bills before summer recess started.

AB 1637 (Irwin) would require all local agencies to transition their web services to a .gov domain. This would come at a significant and unnecessary cost to local governments. The bill has received some pushback during the legislative process, including in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee’s analysis of the bill.

Next steps for city leaders

Lawmakers have until Sept. 1 to get their bills through a second suspense file and until Sept. 14 to get their bills onto Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. He then has until Oct. 14 to act on any bills. There’s still time for legislators to introduce “new” bills through a process known as “gut-and-amend,” when amendments fundamentally change the bill’s language. 

To learn more about which measures to consider advocating for or against, subscribe to Cal Cities Advocate or contact your regional public affairs manager. Action alerts can happen quickly and often, so make sure to stay informed.