Transcript Highlights:

• Hi, Lindsay Nakano on behalf of the FPPC in support. Thank you. Any additional support?
• Is there any additional support?
• Is there any additional support?
• Is there any additional support? Please come forward. Support, please come forward.
• Any additional support? Okay, any additional support? Seeing none, we'll go to opposition.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• less than two minutes in support of this bill.
• We're in support of this bill.
• I am strongly in support of House Bill 271.
• I am supportive of the bill.
• I support this, and Representative Small... I support this.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are in strong support of HB 2599.
• Teladoc Health is generally supportive of HB 2599.
• We are certainly supportive of the legislative intent, We are certainly supportive of the legislative
• and mental health and therapy support from them.
• So I urge your support for this bill.

Bills: HB2564, HB2599, HB1809, HB2242, HB2261, HB2384, HB2505

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, certification, state regulation, health plan, therapy, psychotherapy, mental health, regulation, professional standards, behavioral health, mental health crisis, crisis response, co-response, co-responder, first responder, EMS, emergency medical services, paramedic, EMT

Transcript Highlights:

• We support House Bill 1717.
• We're here in strong support of HB 1717.
• I support the Clark County Council.
• I'm here to support House Bill 1717.
• I'm here in support of House Bill 1859. I'm here in support of House Bill 1859.

Summary: House Finance heard testimony on two affordable housing bills. House Bill 1859 would expand an existing density bonus for housing on religious organization property by lowering the affordability threshold from 100% to at least 50% affordable units, requiring local policies to implement the bonus upon request, and creating a new state and local sales and use tax exemption for qualifying projects with at least 50% affordable units maintained for 10 years. The sponsor and supporters said the bill would help projects on church-owned land pencil out amid high construction and financing costs, while a county association raised concern that the bill would create an unfunded mandate for local planning departments. Several witnesses also asked that homeownership projects be explicitly included, and staff confirmed the exemption would be administered through an exemption certificate. The committee then moved to House Bill 1717, which would authorize cities and counties to create a local sales and use tax remittance program for affordable housing developments. Staff said the remittance would cover 100% of local taxes paid after project completion, with a 50% affordable housing threshold and 40-year affordability requirement, and the sponsor and local government and housing advocates supported it as a flexible tool to reduce development costs. Testifiers generally backed both bills, with some asking for more flexibility on income targeting and clarification on county-city interactions under HB 1717. No votes were taken; both public hearings were closed and the committee adjourned after a separate work session on the Working Families Tax Credit, where advocates urged broader eligibility, higher benefit amounts, and easier access, and a California researcher described data-linking methods used to improve tax credit take-up.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm in support of the age exemption bills.
• I'm speaking in support of this bill.
• A free society supports informed consent.
• A free society supports informed consent.
• So I support bodily autonomy, and I support family integrity, the right for parents to make decisions

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee hearing began with opening remarks from the House and Senate chairs outlining procedures for a large public hearing with more than 100 witnesses on 64 legislative proposals. They explained time limits, rules for in-person and virtual testimony, written testimony procedures, and the committee’s reporting deadline. Testimony then moved through a series of juvenile justice, child protection, and civil liberties bills, with witnesses generally urging favorable reports or, in one case, opposing expanded juvenile court transparency and child advocate access to records. Several witnesses supported bills aimed at juvenile justice reform. Representative Hendricks backed H. 1744 to prevent child labor exploitation and trafficking, citing federal findings of child labor in seafood processing and calling for stronger penalties and a ban on minors working in such facilities. Senator Gomez supported S. 1131 and S. 1121 to reduce juvenile fees, fines, restitution burdens, and bail-related costs, arguing they worsen racial and economic disparities. Senator Crean and other advocates supported S. 1051/H. 1695 to expand juvenile diversion eligibility, while multiple witnesses from juvenile justice and immigrant advocacy groups supported H. 1657/S. 1058 to expand juvenile expungement and to limit sharing juvenile fingerprints with federal authorities, describing recent ICE detentions of Chelsea students and the resulting fear in immigrant communities. Witnesses also supported H. 1918/S. 1240 to narrow the youthful offender statute, raising the minimum age and reducing mandatory adult-style penalties for youth. The committee also heard testimony on child safety and bodily autonomy bills. Middlesex District Attorney Marion Ryan supported H. 1752 to protect children left in extreme temperatures, explaining it would create civil penalties, allow emergency responders to remove children from cars without liability, and add criminal penalties when serious injury results. Representative Thurber and Senator O’Connor testified for H. 2011/S. 1227, a bill prohibiting coercion or mandates for health-related interventions, including vaccinations, and allowing legal remedies for violations. Senator Jalen supported S. 1136/H. 1847 to prevent false confessions by requiring recording of interrogations and banning deceptive tactics, and several innocence-project and legal-services witnesses described wrongful convictions tied to false confessions and coercive interrogations. Another major topic was H. 1626, which would require age verification for pornographic content and launch an education campaign about online sexual exploitation; Representative Cruz and survivor Udoz Wallace testified in support, describing nonconsensual image sharing and deepfake harms. Not all testimony was supportive. The Committee for Public Counsel Services opposed S. 1035, which would increase transparency in juvenile court proceedings, and H. 1689, which would expand the child advocate’s access to confidential juvenile records, arguing both would undermine privacy and trauma-informed protections for children and families. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the portion of the hearing provided; the session consisted of opening remarks and public testimony on the listed bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'm here to support the restoration of the funding for CNIP, which is a program that supports farmers
• We support that. Thank you. We support that. Thank you. Go ahead. Good afternoon, Chair and staff.
• These are not general fund supported positions.
• Please support CUSP and LFPA.
• Thank you. ...I'm here to urge and ask you to please support the LFPA program, as it directly helps support

Summary: The meeting began with a lengthy opening discussion with Secretary Karen Ross of the Department of Food and Agriculture, who reviewed the department’s proposed budget, emphasized California agriculture’s record output, and highlighted major priorities including climate-smart agriculture, groundwater management, local food systems, farm-to-school, food hubs, invasive pest prevention, bird flu response, and food safety. She also warned about federal budget cuts, especially at USDA and FDA, and discussed market access challenges abroad, rising input costs, labor shortages, and the need for automation and workforce training. Members raised questions about the future of Farm to School, the California Nutrition Incentive Program/Market Match, local food procurement, and how to better connect farmers to schools, food banks, and food hubs; Ross said the department had strong evidence the program benefits small farms and Title I schools and noted continued interest in building out local food infrastructure. The committee then took up item one on eliminating vacant positions at the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Parks and Recreation, and Food and Agriculture. The Legislative Analyst’s Office explained that the Governor proposed eliminating 6,000 vacant positions statewide, with the Joint Legislative Budget Committee previously rejecting 650 of them, including 174 in these three departments. LAO and Finance said the vacancies represented a source of budget flexibility, but warned that eliminating them could create program impacts; LAO recommended retaining the special-funded positions at Fish and Wildlife and Food and Agriculture, while weighing the General Fund positions against other priorities. Finance argued the reductions were part of a broader budget-resiliency exercise and that departments could reclassify or shift vacancies to higher priorities. Members focused heavily on the practical impacts of the cuts. Assemblymember Petrie-Norris argued that Fish and Wildlife staffing shortages were already slowing permits needed for housing, clean energy, water, and transportation projects, and questioned the value of saving relatively small amounts of money. Fish and Wildlife officials said the department had prioritized mission-critical work and could still meet permitting obligations, but acknowledged limited-term staffing constraints. State Parks said the proposed ranger and maintenance cuts would not have immediate effects but could slow maintenance and eventually worsen deferred maintenance. Food and Agriculture said some of the eliminated positions supported early pest detection and eradication, but that the department believed it could still meet its mandate and reclassify positions if needed. The chair and several members signaled concern about the Fish and Wildlife and Parks cuts, while also noting the broader need for budget reductions. The committee then moved to item six, hearing an overview from the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. Staff described the office’s role in CEQA implementation and said the budget requests were baseline funding to maintain existing functions, including IT services and administrative/legislative support, rather than new programs. The chair asked the presenters to move quickly through background material so the committee could get to questions, and the item began with no votes taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> in support. Not present. in support. Not present.
• . support. support.
• . support. support.
• I support this I would also support.
• </c> Legislative Task Force in support. Nature Conservancy in support. VI in support.

Bills: HB644, HB1802, HB1569, HB1619, HB1620, HB1730, HB1749

Keywords: PFAS, single-use plastics, environmental health, food ware, pollution reduction, HB1802, conservation banking, conservation bank, mitigation banking, compensatory mitigation, incidental take permit, incidental take license, habitat conservation plan, HCP, DLNR, BLNR, Board of Land and Natural Resources, endangered species recovery committee, threatened species, endangered species

Summary: The committee heard several environmental and energy bills, beginning with HB 644 on single-use plastics. DLNR and DOH supported the measure, and environmental advocates said it would reduce plastic waste in oceans and landfills. Testifiers urged the bill to avoid weakening existing county ordinances, and some supported delaying implementation to use up inventory, while Upstream opposed compostable-plastic exemptions and urged prompt passage. Committee members asked whether reusable and refillable foodware could be added to the PFAS prohibition, and Upstream said that would be consistent with the bill’s goals. The committee then took up HB 1802 on conservation mitigation banks, HB 1569 on microfiber filters for newly manufactured washing machines, and HB 1619 on electric vehicle infrastructure. HB 1802 drew mostly agency testimony from DLNR, with opposition testimony noted from environmental groups, and members discussed whether suggested amendments would address concerns. HB 1569 received limited testimony, with support from the Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition and opposition from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. HB 1619 was supported by the PUC, Hawaiian Electric, the Department of Transportation, and several advocacy groups; Earthjustice said the bill was needed to address a widening EV charging shortfall and described the funding increase as relatively small compared with the benefits. The committee also heard HB 1620, which would increase the barrel tax to fund the EV charging rebate program. The State Energy Office and PUC offered comments, while the Tax Foundation of Hawaii opposed the special-fund approach and said the bill should also address the non-petroleum fossil-fuel portion of the barrel tax. Earthjustice and youth transportation advocates supported the measure, and the chair asked for information on unused hydrogen fueling subaccount funds; PUC said no hydrogen program funds had been deployed and estimated the balance was likely around $2 million, with exact figures to be provided later. Finally, the committee heard HB 1730 on wastewater systems, which would create a wastewater technical advisory group and fund positions at DOH. DLNR, DOH, OPSD, UH, and several environmental groups supported the bill, emphasizing cesspool pollution, affordability, and the need for more staffing and technical assistance. Testifiers suggested amendments to create a separate cesspool conversion implementation working group and debated the size and composition of the advisory group, including whether to include outside engineers and whether SHIP should be on the panel. No votes were taken during the hearing segment provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• . support. support.
• Thank you very much for your support. support. support. Thank<00:25:35.520><c> you.</c> Thank you.
• I support HCR 154. is Kylie Swan. I support HCR 154.
• </c> support. In person. support. In person.
• . support. support.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Transportation Committee met on March 31 and heard a series of resolutions focused on roadway safety, transportation access, and infrastructure coordination. Early measures included HCR 104/HR 96 on advancing coastal trails on O‘ahu’s North Shore and HCR 63/HR 57 on clarifying responsibility for Honouliuli Bridge and addressing safety, wildfire, and emergency access concerns. The Department of Transportation supported both, and a resident testified that the Honouliuli bridge is a single-lane emergency replacement on state land that has limited access for fire protection, heavy vehicles, permits, and repairs. DOT said it was working with DLNR and that jurisdiction may ultimately lie with the County of Maui, with research ongoing. The committee also heard HCR 62/HR 56 on alternative vegetation management along Hana Highway, HCR 43/HR 39 on raised crosswalks near Ala Wai Elementary, and HCR 52/HR 48 on integrating the safe system approach into county road design; these drew support testimony and no opposition. The committee then considered HCR 120/HR 112 on regulating transportation network companies under motor carrier law. DOT and the Public Utilities Commission offered comments, while Lyft opposed, arguing the legislature already created a TNC-specific framework in 2022 and that motor carrier law is not a good fit for app-based ride platforms. In questioning, PUC explained that TNCs would fall under both PUC motor carrier jurisdiction and DOT permitting, and DOT said it would follow up on enforcement questions. Members also discussed HCR 119/HR 111 on an indirect traffic disruption grant program, with the chair asking DOT to clarify how it enforces penalties when contractors or others fail to follow road closure requirements. Other measures discussed included HCR 96/HR 88 on moving to a demerit-point driver licensing system, which DOT supported; HCR 128/HR 120 on coordinating capital improvement planning for Hawaiian Home Lands developments, which DOT and DHHL supported; HCR 127/HR 119 on a state highway police force, which DOT supported; and HCR 125/HR 117 on a statewide plan for derelict utility poles and lines, which drew support from DOT, Hawaiian Electric, and Hawaiian Telcom, with DOT acknowledging it lacks current statutory authority to force immediate removal. The committee also heard HCR 58/HR 54 on school crosswalk safety for Mililani Elementary, HCR 55/HR 51 on using artificial intelligence to mitigate traffic and improve road safety, and HCR 54/HR 146 on expanding the Hele-On Shared Ride program on Hawai‘i Island. Supporters of the Hele-On measure said expanded service would help rural residents, kupuna, and people with disabilities reach medical appointments and daily activities, while noting cost and technology-access concerns; they said missed or delayed appointments are a real issue in remote areas. The final item discussed in the excerpt was HCR 64/HR 58 on minimizing rumble strip dimensions on Kūhiō Highway on Moloka‘i, with DOT saying it had already removed some strips where large emergency vehicles were affected on narrow curves.

Transcript Highlights:

• Federal capacity funding support.
• </c> to support schools with greatest need. to support schools with greatest need.
• Teachers need support, principals need support, district leaders need support.
• </c> of the support that's being provided. of the support that's being provided.
• </c><01:48:59.600><c> Continued</c> support starts to fade. Continued support starts to fade.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call – 0:00:00 Workforce Pell Grant Update – 0:03:30 Extension Office Update – 0:33:25 Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies – 1:07:08 Early Literacy Outcomes – 1:32:20 Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations – 1:58:30 Adjournment 2:13:13, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Jason Hano, Asper, California, in support. Thank you. Good morning.
• I appreciate all the people that came to support.
• I appreciate all the people that came to support.
• Anyone else in support?
• I support this very much.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Local Government met and first adopted a consent calendar covering SB 1005, SB 1080, SB 935, and S.J.R. 11 by a 4-0 vote, with those items remaining on call until later in the hearing. SB 992 was pulled at the author’s request. The committee then heard SB 922, which would clarify that local governments may recover street maintenance and repair costs caused by public service operations, such as waste hauling, through rates, fees, or franchise agreements. Supporters included the League of California Cities, county groups, cities, waste haulers, and legal counsel who argued the bill restores a long-standing practice and reduces litigation risk after a recent court decision; the California Building Industry Association opposed unless amended, warning the bill could affect construction impact fees. The bill passed the committee 7-0 to the Senate floor. The committee also heard SB 1078, which would allow Santa Cruz County voters to consider raising the county’s local tax cap to help fund health care, food assistance, and other safety-net services in response to federal cuts. The County of Santa Cruz and the Central California Alliance for Health supported the measure, emphasizing Medi-Cal enrollment, CalFresh needs, and potential impacts on hospitals and clinics. Senator Choi raised concerns that the bill effectively authorizes a tax increase and questioned the fairness of county-by-county exceptions, while other members supported giving local voters the choice. The bill passed 5-2 and was sent to the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. After those actions, the committee returned to and approved the consent calendar items 7-0. The meeting concluded with thanks to the public and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I support the A10 amendment and would ask for members' support. Good amendment. >> Okay.
• Um, I support the A11 amendment. I would encourage members to support it.
• </c> support this amendment. Thank you, Mr. support this amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Chair.
• </c> So, um, yes, please support. So, um, yes, please support.
• </c> &gt;&gt; Uh we support laying over the A11. &gt;&gt; Uh we support laying over the A11.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I rise in strong support of ACR 149.
• I hope my colleagues on the other side will remain in support of this bill today, as this is a support-support
• , bipartisan support bill.
• a support-support, bipartisan support bill.
• AB 2663 is a support-support sunset extension bill, and I urge an aye vote.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Office waiving in support; and Karen Morello, AARP, waiving in support.
• Artis is waiving in support. Anthony Perduego is waiving in support.
• Support is called! You are in support. Is Seneca waiving in support? Billy Cox followed by...
• Spike Comeau waiving in support. Sonny, did you waive against or in support?
• Nancy Loeffler waiving in support. Amanda Long Worthy waiving in support.

Transcript Highlights:

• On behalf of Intersect Power, also in support.
• Todd David with the Abundance Network in support.
• Farm to School also supports other state priorities.
• State your name, organization, and whether you support.
• American Farmland Trust in support.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They've supported our public libraries in rural communities.
• And we're asking you to meet this moment by supporting art programs.
• So that bipartisan support has been historically strong.
• How they're going to support and sustain themselves.
• is worthy of unequivocal support.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on how recent federal actions are affecting arts, culture, humanities, libraries, museums, and the creative economy in California. Chair Ben Allen and Vice Chair Chris Ward opened by describing the hearing as a response to proposed and ongoing federal cuts to the NEA, NEH, IMLS, and public broadcasting, as well as grant terminations and leadership changes at cultural institutions. Several members emphasized the economic and civic importance of the arts, while one Republican member argued for greater ideological diversity in the arts and noted the loss of music programs in small schools. Testimony from Aaron Harky of Americans for the Arts and Jolie Fisher of SAG-AFTRA described the impact of federal policy on grants, jobs, and production. Harky said executive orders and the FY 2026 budget proposal threaten arts agencies and arts education, and that rescinded grants are causing hiring freezes, shutdowns, and losses for small organizations, especially in rural and underserved communities. Fisher focused on runaway film and television production, outdated tax rules, and the need for federal incentives, intellectual property protections, and action on AI and digital replicas. Members also discussed bipartisan support, the role of business and tourism partners, and the need to include more diverse voices in arts advocacy. The second panel featured Rick Noguchi of California Humanities, Greg Lucas of the State Library, and Danielle Purcell of the California Arts Council. Noguchi said NEH funding was cut immediately, putting California Humanities’ grantmaking and documentary programs at risk and prompting consideration of litigation and possible state support. Lucas reported that IMLS funding for California libraries was briefly canceled but partly restored, though a budget gap remains. Purcell said the California Arts Council is still awaiting federal award language for state partnership funds, but NEA grant terminations and the proposed elimination of federal cultural agencies create major uncertainty; she also said the council is assessing the damage and tracking impacts on grantees. Members asked about measuring outcomes, AI’s threat to creative work, documentary funding losses, and possible state and national strategies to protect cultural institutions and jobs.

Transcript Highlights:

• One thing to seriously note: Public support for the arts inspires private support.
• And again, you know, we have to continue to support this.
• We need support.
• The PR and the community support is very, very important.
• And my role at NEMA is to support the people who do this work.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on the impact of recent federal policy and budget actions on Massachusetts libraries, humanities organizations, arts institutions, and tourism. Testimony from library leaders described the loss or jeopardy of Institute of Museum and Library Services funding, including statewide databases, local grants, staff positions, E-rate/hotspot support, and digital equity programs. Witnesses said the cuts have already forced reductions in services, canceled grants and workshops, and in some cases left schools, students, job seekers, and low-income patrons without access to key resources. Members of the committee asked for lists of affected communities and databases, and several witnesses said they would provide additional written detail. Arts and humanities witnesses said federal terminations from the NEA, NEH, and IMLS have hit organizations across the Commonwealth, including Mass Cultural Council, Mass Humanities, Mass MoCA, and local museums and historical societies. They described canceled or rescinded grants, layoffs, reduced programming, and a chilling effect on future applications and on artistic and scholarly work, especially where federal awards had already been matched with local or private funds. Several speakers also raised concerns about executive-branch DEI conditions attached to funding and about book challenges and book banning, saying these trends threaten intellectual freedom and public access to culture and history. Committee members emphasized the economic importance of the sector and the need to publicize the impacts. Tourism officials from Meet Boston and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism testified that federal cuts and broader geopolitical and tariff issues are hurting international visitation, especially from Canada and Western Europe, and could affect major upcoming events such as the 2026 World Cup and Sail Boston. They said reduced funding for Brand USA and Discover New England will weaken long-term marketing efforts and international partnerships, with downstream effects on hotel tax revenue, jobs, and workforce recruitment. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with members mainly asking questions and requesting follow-up written testimony and data.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a support-support measure that has zero no votes.
• It enjoys bipartisan support and unanimous support from the Senate.
• It enjoys bipartisan support and unanimous support from the Senate.
• Support, support, minimum training for all school board members on budgeting and finance.
• I rise in support of this bill.

Summary: The Assembly convened, initially lacked a quorum, then returned to session with prayer, pledge, and a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk following news of his shooting. Members then handled a series of procedural motions, including suspending rules, moving several bills to the inactive file, re-referring bills to committees, and authorizing committee meetings. The chamber also observed adjournments in memory for several individuals, including Ermilo Don Rodas, John Burton, Nina Chomsky, and Barbara “Bobby” Samperey. On the floor file, members considered and passed a long list of Senate bills, largely on bipartisan or unanimous votes. Topics included consumer protection and transparency for self-storage contracts (SB 709), adoption jurisdiction (SB 450), privacy and name/image protections (SB 683), an audit of the February 2025 bar exam (SB 47), data broker transparency (SB 361), used-car buyer protections (SB 76), state parks land acquisition streamlining (SB 630), cemetery work group deadlines (SB 777), financial enforcement authority (SB 825), utility outage reporting and reliability planning (SB 292), vital records confidentiality (SB 313), health care coverage and hormone therapy access (SB 418), workplace outreach (SB 578), Holocaust and genocide education (SB 472), county jail treatment for misdemeanor incompetency cases (SB 820), and AI companion chatbot safeguards for minors and self-harm risks (SB 243). Most measures passed with little or no opposition, though SB 578 drew sharp debate over the workplace outreach program and its funding. The Assembly also took up concurrence items and approved numerous Assembly bills with Senate amendments. These included transparency in legislative nondisclosure agreements (AB 1370), affordable faculty/staff housing provisions at community colleges (AB 648), tribal youth foster care reforms (AB 1378), EV charger payment regulations (AB 1423), technical Political Reform Act changes (AB 1511), diacritical marks on vital records (AB 64), reproductive health protections with urgency (AB 260), union and collective bargaining protections (AB 288), bench trial statement-of-decision streamlining (AB 515), agricultural land stewardship (AB 524), geothermal exploratory project rules (AB 527), Medi-Cal field medicine changes (AB 543), tobacco-related provisions (AB 573), social media platform rules (AB 656), state parks transaction reporting (AB 679), professional licensing changes (AB 742), and child care staffing and assistant teacher pathways with urgency (AB 753). Votes were generally strong, with several measures passing unanimously or near-unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll turn to general support. Anyone come forward at this time? I want to support the bill.
• General support. Anyone come forward at this time? I want to support the bill. Seeing one. Welcome.
• Nicole Cignon is on behalf of CalChamber in support.
• and also voicing support on behalf of the City of Goleta.
• Mercedes with Sierra Club California in strong support.

Summary: The Senate Emergency Management Committee heard five wildfire- and emergency-related bills. SB 1270 by Senator Richardson would expand the California Wildfire Mitigation Program to more counties based on wildfire risk and social vulnerability, with the author and county representatives saying the program should better target home-hardening assistance where need is greatest. SB 1079 by Senator Stern would create a Fire Innovation Unit within Cal Fire to identify operational needs, test new wildfire technologies, and speed deployment of successful tools; it drew broad support from fire, environmental, local government, and industry groups. SB 1020 by Senator Niello would require annual reporting on open states of emergency, including spending and lessons learned, to increase legislative oversight without limiting the governor’s emergency powers. SB 894 by Senator Allen would establish a wildfire resilience loan program modeled on the state’s Go Green financing platform to help homeowners afford wildfire hardening and defensible-space improvements; supporters included the State Treasurer’s office, counties, fire-safety groups, local governments, and credit unions. There was no opposition testimony on any of the bills. Committee members generally expressed support, with comments emphasizing wildfire risk, the need for home hardening, innovation, and accountability in emergency powers. Senator Rubio asked to be a coauthor on SB 894, and the chair noted the bill’s importance for making mitigation more affordable at scale. All five measures were approved by the committee on motions for “do pass as amended to appropriations,” with roll calls taken over several quorum interruptions. The bills were advanced out of committee, and the hearing was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• a support position with the committee.
• The primary witnesses in support must be those accompanied by the author or who have registered a support
• Leah Griffin with AFSCME in support.
• We ask you to support AB 1818. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any other witnesses in support?
• Leah Griffin with AFSCME in support. Thank you. Sandra Brewer with SEIU California in support.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement heard several labor and retirement bills. AB 1582 by Assembly Member Ortega would make it an unfair labor practice for a higher education employer to disregard or delay arbitration decisions involving contracting out, with make-whole relief including attorney fees and costs. Supporters from AFSCME and other labor groups said UC has repeatedly ignored arbitration outcomes on outsourcing disputes, while UC opposed the bill as an overbroad change that could create systemwide operational and financial risk. The committee passed the bill on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. AB 1818 by Assembly Member Ortega would repeal an outdated HEERA provision that CSU has used to reopen bargaining when it claims state funding is insufficient. Teamsters and other labor supporters argued CSU has used the provision to avoid honoring negotiated raises, while CSU said the bill would limit its ability to manage compensation responsibly when state funding is uncertain. The committee also passed AB 1818 to Appropriations. AB 1564 by Assembly Member Arreguín would make communications between an employee and union representative confidential in public employment matters. Labor supporters said the measure would protect trust in the representational relationship and codify existing PERB case law, while school, local government, county, city, and business groups warned it could hinder workplace investigations, including those involving student safety and harassment. The bill passed 7-0 to Appropriations. AB 1844 by Assembly Member Pacheco, placed on the consent calendar, would update Judges’ Retirement System 2 to allow non-spouse beneficiaries for survivor benefits and to extend access to survivor options for vested judges; it was approved unanimously, 7-0. After all items were taken up, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Proud to sponsor and support.
• I spoke in support.
• You absolutely have my support.
• Tony Chikatilo on behalf of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. support. support Mr.
• Please support.

Keywords: 988, house, all