Transcript Highlights:

• We recognize the modest nature of the proposal, proposed benefit, and are hopeful that the legislature
• settlements paid between 2025 and 2029 for California families experiencing hardship after a wildfire disaster
• Included in the state's revenue forecasts due to the unpredictability and volatility of disasters.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Administration to issue its own disaster Administration to issue its own disaster declaration<00
• I am also redirecting funding to the Natural Resources Conservation Service operations. Mr.
• We're going to reward them with the land that they took in this aggressive nature.
• We're going to reward them with the land that they took in this aggressive nature.
• We're going to reward them with the land that they took in this aggressive nature.

Transcript Highlights:

• winds, the specific, you know, But because of the vast nature, the high winds, the specific, you know
• It also depends on the nature of the incident and the specifics.
• In 2015, in response to the 2013 report and the ongoing Exide disaster, the Legislature required DTSC
• It is stuck in a status quo of recurring disasters.
• I'm a senior attorney and senior director for toxics at the Natural Resources Defense Council, NRDC.

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on DTSC’s implementation of SB 158 reforms, including enforcement, community engagement, fiscal stability, the hazardous waste management plan, permitting backlogs, and the Safer Consumer Products Program. Director Katie Butler said DTSC is now more transparent and proactive, citing stronger enforcement actions, an online inspections map, community open houses, the Environmental Justice Advisory Council, wildfire hazardous waste removal in Los Angeles, and progress on cleanup and permit decisions. She said the department is fiscally stable after fee changes, has released a draft hazardous waste management plan, and is revising it in response to public and board comments, including removing a proposal to send certain contaminated soil to municipal landfills. Board Chair Andrew Rakestraw described the board’s oversight role on fees, transparency, appeals, and performance metrics, and said the board is working toward revised metrics, a revised plan, and future fee votes. Members pressed DTSC on several issues. Senator Blakespear raised extended producer responsibility programs and asked how DTSC could reduce the cost and complexity of launching them; Butler said enforcement and partnerships with local authorities are essential, and Rakestraw suggested closer coordination with CalRecycle. Chair Connolly asked about wildfire cleanup, fee stability, Safer Consumer Products progress, and permit lengths; Butler said residential fire cleanup is largely complete, the fee system is now stable, the consumer products program has many technical projects underway and is expected to reach more listings over time, and some permits are set for five years to hold facilities accountable sooner. Senator Menjivar questioned how DTSC balances hazardous waste capacity with community impacts from facilities with violation histories, and Butler said permits are reviewed through engineering controls, health risk assessments, public comment, and, where needed, stricter conditions. Senator Reyes emphasized the need for stronger protections for overburdened communities and asked about landfill leachate and goal-setting in the hazardous waste plan; Butler said DTSC is using its hazardous waste authority where municipal landfill leachate shows hazardous characteristics and is looking at broader statewide responses. Panelists from the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance and Earthjustice offered contrasting views. CCEB’s Don Krepke supported SB 158’s reforms but urged risk-based decision-making, broader use of alternative management standards, alignment with federal and other state hazardous waste classifications, less duplication across agencies, and caution about added costs from permitting and cumulative impacts rules; he also warned that the generation-and-handling fee remains structurally weak and suggested more General Fund support for statewide planning work. Earthjustice’s Angela Johnson-Mazares argued DTSC remains too slow and too cautious, saying communities continue to face delayed permits, weak enforcement, and ongoing harm, and that the agency should prioritize source reduction, strong permit protections, and more decisive action to prevent emissions and protect frontline communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:59:45.520><c> relief</c> conform uh with the disaster relief conform uh with the disaster relief
• We're seeing huge major climate disasters.
• We're seeing huge major climate disasters.
• We're seeing huge major climate disasters.
• We're seeing huge major climate disasters.

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• So basically, by default, the way the process has naturally evolved, that's already a prerequisite and
• disasters.
• disasters.
• This includes United States citizens who were born here as well as became naturalized citizens as well
• Yeah, fully naturalized or American by birth. Okay. Thank you.

Committee: House Judiciary

Summary: The committee took up several bills, beginning with HB 519, which would require special masters appointed in complex consolidated litigation to comply with judicial conduct and federal appointment/disqualification standards, subject to Louisiana law. After a technical amendment clarifying that the provision applies to cases designated under Supreme Court rules, the bill was moved favorably without objection. HB 29, creating the Ascension Parish Retired Employee Insurance Fund, was then heard and also advanced favorably without objection. The committee next considered HB 324 on judicial salaries. The bill would make the 2024 and 2025 judicial supplement stipend permanent and add future cost-of-living adjustments, subject to available funding and approval by the Louisiana Supreme Court and Judicial Budgetary Control Board. Members asked about funding sources and whether the stipend could be made permanent without a constitutional amendment; after discussion, the bill was moved favorably without objection. The longest discussion centered on HB 211, the Homelessness Court Program, later named the Streets to Success Act. Amendments were adopted to limit the bill to licensed group homes and to remove enforcement language that would have created civil actions against local governments for failing to remove encampments, while setting staggered effective dates. Supporters, including the bill author and governor’s office representatives, said the measure would create a coordinated court-and-services response for people experiencing homelessness, especially those with substance use or mental health issues, and would allow designated camping areas and diversion into treatment. Opponents, including housing advocates, legal aid groups, and people with lived experience, argued the bill would criminalize homelessness, increase jail and court involvement, and fail to address root causes such as unaffordable housing, lack of shelter capacity, and inadequate wraparound services. The bill drew extensive testimony but no final vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• South Florida's natural resources are clean water, open spaces, agricultural lands, and proximity to
• It separates the line of the built environment from the natural environment.
• The amendment also makes the following modifications to the fund: for natural emergencies, it requires
• a half billion dollars on an annual basis or for an extraordinary, you know, active, act of God, nature
• And so when there is an actual disaster, legitimate disaster in my district, and these are the funds

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several member introductions, then moved to House messages and special order business. The chamber concurred in amendments and passed Senate Bill 628 on transportation facility designations, CS/CS/HB 1389 on the Live Local affordable housing package, and CS/CS/HB 1451 on utility services. The utility bill’s House amendment shortened the phase-out of certain surcharges tied to bond covenants and advanced reporting deadlines for municipal utilities. The Senate also passed CS/CS/HB 1279, the education bill, after substituting it for SB 7038 and adopting an amendment that combined agreed-upon provisions on student health and safety, early learning, math, virtual instruction, career and technical education, school choice, university accountability, tuition protections, and financial aid. Several other bills were temporarily postponed, including SB 7036, SB 208, SB 1260, and SB 7034. A major portion of the meeting focused on CS/CS/HB 484, the data centers bill. Senators discussed the House amendment’s changes to ratepayer protections, the removal of the Senate’s nondisclosure-agreement prohibition, the 12-month confidentiality period, and a required OPAGA study. Supporters emphasized stronger language preventing data center costs from being shifted to residential and commercial ratepayers, while opponents raised concerns about transparency, local notice, and the possibility that communities could be kept unaware of projects for up to a year. After debate, the Senate concurred in the House amendment and passed the bill. The chamber then took up CS/CS/HB 399 on land use and development regulations, where debate centered on a proposed Fontainebleau Hotel water park project in Miami Beach and a series of amendments. One amendment to remove the project-specific language failed, while other amendments were adopted, including a sunset provision and a change related to compost facility permitting. A broader amendment dealing with Miami-Dade’s urban development boundary was also adopted, preserving the existing supermajority threshold for changes. The most contentious proposal was an amendment by Senator Martin creating a process for property owners to challenge rural boundary designations and seek compensation or removal from the designation without going to court; senators debated property rights, local planning, and the impact on Orange and Seminole counties, and the discussion included sharp exchanges before the transcript ended during debate on that amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• South Florida's natural resources are clean water, open spaces, agricultural lands, and proximity to
• It separates the line of the built environment from the natural environment.
• It separates the line of the built environment from the natural environment.
• The amendment also makes the following modifications to the fund: for natural emergencies, it requires
• And so when there is an actual ...disaster, legitimate disaster in my district, and these are the funds

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several member introductions and recognitions, then moved to messages from the House and special order business. The chamber first took up House amendments to Senate Bill 628 on transportation facility designations, CS for CS for HB 1389 on affordable housing/Live Local, and CS for CS for HB 1451 on utility services. Senators asked about the naming of roadways, the Live Local changes for religious institution property and the removal of accessory dwelling unit language, and utility surcharge phase-out and reporting dates. All three measures were concurred in and passed, with votes of 31-4 on SB 628, 35-0 on HB 1389, and 30-6 on HB 1451. The Senate then considered the education package, substituting CS for CS for HB 1279 for CS for CS for SB 7038. An amendment combining provisions from several education bills was adopted, and the bill passed 36-1. The chamber also took up CS for CS for SB 484 on data centers, where the House amendment removed the Senate’s NDA prohibition, kept a 12-month limit on public-records confidentiality, added a PSC tariff filing deadline, and required an OPAGA study. Senators debated transparency, local notice, and ratepayer protections; supporters emphasized that data center energy and infrastructure costs could not be shifted to other ratepayers. The House amendment was concurred in and the bill passed 31-6. After a recess, the Senate returned to the land use and development regulations bill, substituting CS for CS for CS for HB 399 for SB 208. A proposed amendment to remove language affecting a Miami Beach Fontainebleau Hotel water park project failed, while other amendments were adopted, including a sunset provision and changes related to compost-processing facilities. The chamber then adopted an amendment preserving Miami-Dade’s urban development boundary supermajority requirement and related protections, with support framed around water, flood risk, farmland, and the Everglades. Finally, the Senate began debate on a broader amendment by Senator Martin creating a process for rural boundary property owners to seek removal or compensation without litigation; the discussion focused on property rights, county liability, and whether the proposal would affect Orange and Seminole counties, but the transcript ends before final action on that amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2038 is really a simple bill, and it would extend the moratorium on total losses in a disaster for
• At a minimum, we recommend that the additional year for homes untouched by disaster be used as a carrot
• or an incentive to encourage homeowners to harden their homes and mitigate against future disasters.
• We think that there's value in creating that incentive if there's a disaster that was recently nearby
• wildfires. ...more time for people that have been affected by any disaster, including wildfires, and

Summary: The Senate Committee on Insurance met as a subcommittee due to a lack of quorum and heard AB 1559 by Assemblymember Calderon, which would require insurers to give homeowners notice before collecting aerial images, provide copies of any images used, and ensure images used for nonrenewal or cancellation are current enough to allow an in-person inspection request. The Department of Insurance and United Policyholders supported the bill, saying consumers are often blindsided by decisions based on outdated or inaccurate drone, satellite, or aircraft images. Several local government and consumer groups also supported it, and there was no opposition. The committee later approved AB 1559 on a 6-0 vote and sent it to the Privacy Committee. The committee also heard AB 2038 by Assemblymember Harabedian, which would extend wildfire-related nonrenewal moratoriums for homeowners, including an additional year for homes within fire perimeters and adjacent zip codes. Supporters, including the Consumer Federation of California, United Policyholders, and local government groups, argued that rebuilding after major fires takes much longer than current protections assume and that the bill would help keep survivors insured while they rebuild. Opponents from the insurance industry warned the bill would further constrain insurers, worsen market instability, and shift costs and availability problems to other policyholders, especially because the bill extends protections to adjacent zip codes that may not have been directly damaged. Committee members raised concerns about the zip code approach and possible impacts on the broader market, but the author said the bill simply extends existing SB 824 timelines and that discussions on amendments would continue. The committee passed AB 2038 on a 4-0 vote and sent it to Appropriations. File items 1 and 3 were consent items and were approved without opposition on a 6-0 vote. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2038 is a simple bill, and it would extend the moratorium on total losses in a disaster for homeowners
• At a minimum, we recommend that the additional year for homes untouched by disaster be used as a carrot
• or an incentive to encourage homeowners to harden their homes and mitigate against future disasters.
• We think that there's value in creating that incentive if there's a disaster that was recently nearby
• wildfires. ...more time for people that have been affected by any disaster, including wildfires, and

Committee: Senate Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• disasters and other business interruptions through business resiliency training.
• Our services become even more critical when there is a disaster.
• Over the past decade, California has experienced more than 60 major disasters.
• The tax credit by its very nature is delayed gratification, if you will, delayed monetization.
• I understand the nature of the program.

Transcript Highlights:

• It requires the creation of a disaster recovery plan, doubles penalties during a declared emergency for
• It requires the creation of a disaster recovery plan, doubles penalties during a declared emergency for
• California is experiencing disasters of a scale...
• California is experiencing disasters of a scale. And all stakeholders.
• California is experiencing disasters of a scale and frequency we have never seen before.

Committee: House Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• and non-natural emergencies and disasters.
• </c><00:48:32.960><c> and</c><00:48:33.119><c> non-natural</c> Hawaii against natural and non-natural
• Hawaii against natural and non-natural emergencies<00:48:34.640><c> and</c><00:48:34.960><c> disasters
• </c><00:48:35.920><c> Current</c> emergencies and disasters. Current emergencies and disasters.
• </c> and that's kind of why it's a natural and that's kind of why it's a natural fit. fit. fit.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have disaster-related expenses, including the Maui fires and, of course, the Poiki Bay boat ramp.
• I'm one of the immigration attorneys there, primarily working on naturalization issues and also working
• issues and also working naturalization issues and also working with<01:10:50.280><c> veterans</c><01
• We work on pro bono cases in immigration, whether it's deportation defense, asylum, naturalization, and
• As I noted earlier, we've had a lot of disasters, whether it be the Kīlauea volcano eruption that damaged

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 114, which would create a presidential preference primary for the 2028 election. The Office of Elections said the bill would cost about $4.1 million. Supporters, including the Hawaii Democratic Party and the League of Women Voters, favored moving the process to a state-run primary, while several opponents, including the Hawaiian Islands Republican Women and multiple individual testifiers, argued it would be too expensive, would shift control away from the parties, and would replace volunteer-run caucuses with a mail-in system. Committee members questioned the chief election officer about election timing, certification, and how a primary might be scheduled with other elections. Testimony was recorded as 11 in support, 41 opposed, and 3 comments, and no vote was taken in the excerpt. The committee then took up SB 725, which would require judges to make findings about a defendant’s ability to afford bail. Judiciary and Attorney General witnesses asked that the bill be deferred or amended, saying the Judicial Council is already reviewing pretrial bail reform and that the bill’s language could create practical problems for police, sheriffs, and courts. Supporters, including the Correctional System Oversight Commission, the public defender, the Community Alliance on Prisons, the ACLU of Hawaii, and disability rights advocates, said cash bail disproportionately harms low-income defendants, increases pretrial detention costs, and should require clearer findings and records. Opponents included the Hawaii County prosecuting attorney. Members questioned how bail is initially set, what records exist, and whether the bill would change current practice; Judiciary witnesses said initial bail decisions are often made by police or judges and later reviewed on the record, while supporters argued the bill would strengthen front-end due process. The ACLU said it supported the bill with amendments, including clearer standards for ability to pay and written findings. The committee also began hearing SB 733, a proposed constitutional amendment to establish a continuous legislative session. Early testimony was strongly supportive, with advocates arguing that the current 60-day session limits public participation, makes it hard for working people to testify, and prevents lawmakers from collaborating effectively. Supporters said a year-round model could improve transparency, reduce duplicate bills, and better accommodate neighbor island legislators. The excerpt ends during the opening testimony on SB 733, before any committee action or vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• The groups that we work with, so I interchange agriculture, food, and natural resource education, or
• If they have an agriculture, food, or natural resource type degree, our agriculture teacher preparation
• The groups that we work with, so I interchange agriculture, food, and natural resource education, or
• </c> an intro to agriculture food and natural an intro to agriculture food and natural resource<01:43
• </c> that I can help protect our natural that I can help protect our natural resources<01:46:05.560><

Bills: HF711 , HF653

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• their homes is a crucial step toward mitigating the random, unpredictable, and increasingly common disasters
• diminishing coverage, and inflated construction, labor, and material costs following these widespread disasters
• Instead, this bill extends the time frame in a way that will naturally lead to more delayed claims.
• was just in a hurry to get to that claim and get on to the next, maybe the next state, to the next disaster

Bills: HF4881 , HF4867 , HF4422 , HF4223

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• drives away mid-career leaders, weakening our state's ability to meet homeland defense, wildfire, disaster
• drives away mid-career leaders, weakening our state's ability to meet homeland defense, wildfire, disaster
• least we can do is provide some in-depth examination of these losses and, despite the unbalanced nature
• million due to online sales tax and distribution centers, and we have $80 million in unreimbursed FEMA disaster

Committee: Senate Revenue and Taxation

Summary: The committee heard several tax and revenue-related bills. SB 1277, by Senator Grove, proposed a California Cost of Living Tax Credit modeled on the 2022 middle-class tax refund to provide direct relief to low- and middle-income Californians facing high housing, fuel, and utility costs. Supporters argued it would help families struggling with affordability, while opponents, including the California Tax Reform Association and CTA members, said California’s tax system already provides relief and that the bill would reduce General Fund revenue and harm schools. After extended debate, the bill was put on call and later failed on a 1-4 vote, though reconsideration was granted. SB 1287, by Senator Retado, would create a performance-based tax credit for short-line rail investments; supporters said it would improve freight efficiency, safety, emissions, and rural access, while opponents preferred direct grants. The bill was placed on call and later passed 5-0 to Transportation. SB 1407, by Senator Archuleta, would exempt military retirement pay and survivor benefits from state taxes; the author, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and veterans’ groups said it would help retain veterans and their economic contributions in California, while CTA and CTRA opposed on General Fund grounds. The bill passed 5-0 to Military and Veterans Affairs. SB 1349, by Senator Gonzalez, would direct the LAO to review major tax expenditures for effectiveness and impacts on schools and the budget; CTA and CTRA supported it as a way to increase accountability, and it passed 4-1 to Governmental Organization. SB 1120, by Senator McNerney, would extend the California Competes Tax Credit through 2035 and make credits refundable for certain strategic industries; business and industry witnesses said this would help startups and manufacturers monetize credits and attract investment, and it passed 5-0 to Appropriations. SB 1275, also by Senator McNerney, proposed converting the state sales tax on vehicle purchases into a deductible vehicle license fee to reduce Californians’ federal tax burden; the LAO provided technical testimony, and the bill passed 4-0 to Transportation. The committee also heard SB 1078, by Senator Laird, to let Santa Cruz County voters consider a temporary local tax increase for health and safety-net services, but it was put on call. Later, the committee returned to SB 1314, by Senator Min, addressing youth tobacco and illicit smoke shop sales, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• larger company, or a farmer that has to dispute something in a distribution chain or something of that nature
• We are currently underprepared for a large-scale disaster, We currently are allocated 12,000 guardsmen
• We are currently underprepared for a large-scale disaster, We are currently underprepared for a large-scale
• disaster where we may be unable to receive additional support from neighboring states.

Committee: Senate Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• At the last Water and Natural Resource Committee, the Asecas came and talked, and Secretary, I'm wondering
• been some flood events in the northern part of the state, some of which are attached to a federal disaster
• Typically, the governor would like those funds to be tied to a federal disaster declaration so they could
• flooding that took place on the Santa Cruz Channel on the Rio Arriba side is subject to a federal disaster

Transcript Highlights:

• President, calendar item 54 is Senate Bill 947, a bill to amend the Natural Resources and Environmental
• Our state must strengthen dam safety oversight and invest in preventing future disasters.
• President, I move the Committee on Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of House
• President, I move the Committee on Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of House
• House Bill 4350 is a bill to amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act.

Transcript Highlights:

• First, day cares aren't eligible for the exemption if they're on natural and protected lands.
• Our current framework for hydrogen sulfide does not take into account some of the unique nature and features
• Our current framework for hydrogen sulfide does not take into account some of the unique nature and features
• These disasters leave in their wake burnt automobiles, burnt appliances, all of these are shredded and
• Alex Lumer, on behalf of Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Just Cities Institute,

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Summary: The Senate Committee on Environmental Quality heard four bills. SB 299 by Senator Cabaldon would extend a CEQA exemption for child care facilities to those located in residential zones, with committee amendments adding guardrails excluding sites on protected lands and within 3,200 feet of oil wells or refineries. Support came from child care, local government, planning, county, and rural county groups; one environmental opposition witness raised concerns about broader CEQA issues. Members generally praised the bill as a needed correction to last year’s CEQA changes and noted its importance for child care access and community-serving facilities. SB 58 by Senator Padilla would update the state’s approach to hydrogen sulfide by strengthening monitoring and response standards based on current science and public health impacts, especially in the Tijuana River Valley and Salton Sea areas. Testimony in support emphasized serious undercounting of exposures and health harms in low-income, Latino, Indigenous, and immigrant communities; air district representatives said they would review amendments, while business and industry witnesses expressed concern about late amendments and possible implications for geothermal operations. The committee discussed the bill as a statewide framework rather than a district-specific response, and the author accepted committee amendments. SB 811 by Senator Caballero would create a statutory framework for regulating metal shredding facilities, clarifying DTSC enforcement authority and incorporating prior negotiated environmental justice and fire-safety amendments. Supporters from the recycling industry and labor said the bill would reduce legal uncertainty, protect jobs, and preserve an important circular-economy sector; opponents from community, environmental, school, and local government groups argued it weakened hazardous waste protections and did not adequately address pollution and fire risks, especially in West Oakland. SB 501 by Senator Allen would expand California’s battery extended producer responsibility program to include medium-format batteries such as e-bike and outdoor equipment batteries; local governments and recycling groups supported it as a common-sense response to fire and disposal problems, while one battery recycler sought further discussion on implementation. All four bills were voted out of committee and sent to Appropriations, with SB 58, SB 299, and SB 811 passing unanimously and SB 501 passing on a 5-2 vote after additional members joined the committee.