UPDATE ON POSITIONED LEGISLATION

RPPG is closely monitoring and providing updates for bills on which the Association has adopted a position.

• AB 637 (Jackson) Zero-emission vehicles: fleet owners: rental vehicles
  • Status: Senate awaiting assignment
  • Association Position: Watch
• AB 1274 (Connolly) California Youth Empowerment Commission: civil service workforce
  • Status: Senate awaiting assignment
  • Association Position: Watch
• AB 1567 (Garcia) Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood Protection, Extreme Heat Mitigation, Clean Energy, and Workforce Development Bond Act of 2024
  • Status: Senate Natural Resources and Water
  • Association Position: Support
• AB 1820 (Schiavo, D) Housing development projects: applications: fees and exactions
  • Status: N/A
  • Association Position: Oppose Unless Amended
• AB 2091 (Grayson) California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: public access: nonmotorized recreation
  • Status: Assembly Natural Resources
  • Association Position: Support
• AB 2124 (Davies) Department of Parks and Recreation: swimming lessons
  • Status: Assembly awaiting assignment
  • Association Position: Support
• SB 908 (Cortese) Public records: legislative records: electronic messages
  • Status: Senate awaiting assignment
  • Association Position: Watch
• SB 937 (Wiener) Development projects: permits and other entitlements: fees and charges
  • Status: Senate Local Government
  • Association Position: Oppose Unless Amended
• SB 1116 (Portantino) Unemployment insurance: trade disputes: eligibility for benefits
  • Status: Senate Labor
  • Association Position: Oppose

PRIORITY BILLS

RPPG has tagged 64 bills for the Association as “priority,” which may be of potential interest, or may impact operations or priority issues, per the legislative platform. We will continue to bring bills of potential interest to staff for the Association’s review in the coming weeks.

BILL INTRODUCTIONS

In a year dominated by budget constraints, legislators are focused on policy changes and careful with proposed appropriations, with some exceptions. As reported in RPPG’s February 27 Bill Introduction Report memo, February 16 was the deadline to introduce bills in 2024. 2,266 pieces of legislation have been introduced so far this year, a drop from last year’s 3,030. It has been common over the past 10 years for second year introductions to be lower than first year introductions. Approximately 30% of bills introduced remain spot bills but must be amended with more substantive language by March 22. Many have passed the 30-day period where they must remain unchanged and are being amended and scheduled for policy committee hearings. However, the bulk of bills introduced this year will be ready to be acted upon the week of March 18. After this point the legislative process will begin to heat up and will move quickly.

SENATE LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE CHANGES

Mike McGuire (D, Geyserville) was officially sworn in as President pro Tempore of the Senate on February 5th in a ceremony attended by all members of the Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom. That same week, Senator McGuire made changes to Senate leadership and committee membership, several of which are detailed below:

• Senator Lena Gonzalez (D, Long Beach), Majority Leader
• Senator Angelique V. Ashby (D, Sacramento), Assistant Majority Leader
• Senator Aisha Wahab (D, Hayward), Assistant Majority Leader and Chair of Public Safety Committee
• Senator Monique Limón (D, Santa Barbara), Democratic Caucus Chair
• Senator Dave Cortese (D, San Jose), Majority Whip
• Senator María Elena Durazo (D, Los Angeles), Assistant Majority Whip
• Senator Steve Padilla (D, San Diego), Assistant Majority Whip
• Governance & Finance Committee has been disbanded and divided into two new committees:
  • Local Government Committee, chaired by Senator Maria Durazo (D, Los Angeles)
  • Revenue & Taxation Committee, chaired by Senator Steve Glazer (D, Contra Costa)
• Budget & Fiscal Review Committee is now chaired by Senator Scott Wiener (D, San Francisco)
• Appropriations Committee is now chaired by former Chair of Senate Governance and Finance committee, Senator Anna Caballero (D, Merced)
• Elections and Constitutional Amendments is now chaired by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D, Encinitas)

2024-2025 BUDGET UPDATE

The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), the bipartisan research and advisory division of the Legislature, released an update to their previous Budget forecasts on February 20. The report contained revenue data and estimated a $15 billion increase to the General Fund deficit to be addressed by Governor Gavin Newsom and lawmakers during the 2024 state budget process. The LAO had previously estimated that Governor Newsom addressed a $58 billion deficit in his 2024 budget proposal. However, a $15 billion increase to the 2024 budget deficit takes that $58 billion deficit for 2024 and increases it to $73 billion.

The LAO wrote that “as the Legislature considers how to address this increased budget problem, we have put together a set of tables identifying one-time and temporary spending that could be pulled back or reduced in order to achieve budgetary savings.” The LAO also noted that “the more the Legislature reduces one-time and temporary spending this year, the more other tools it can preserve for future budget problems.” RPPG will keep you updated on any significant Budget updates.

LEGISLATIVE TIMING AND KEY DATES

• MARCH 22-MARCH 29: Spring Recess
• MAY 24: House of origin deadline
• JUNE 15: Legislature must pass the main budget bill
• JUNE 30: Governor must sign the main budget bill
• JULY 5-AUGUST 4: Summer Recess
• AUGUST 31: Last day for the Legislature to pass bills; end of the 2023-2024 legislative session
• SEPTEMBER 30: Last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills

By Alyssa Silhi

Renne Public Policy Group