2025 Legislative Priorities Update

The California Legislature reconvenes today after a month-long recess, setting the stage for a mad dash to close the 2025-26 legislative session on Sept. 12. There are thousands of bills competing to get to Governor Newsom's desk.

Below is a status update of where our priorities are in the legislative process, listed by legislative bill number, author in parenthesis, title, and brief description.

Educational Equity

AB 49 (Muratsuchi):  School sites: immigration enforcement.

This bill would prohibit school officials and employees of a local educational agency from allowing an immigration authority to enter a nonpublic area of a school site for any purpose without being presented with a valid judicial warrant or a order.

“All children have a constitutional right to attend public schools, regardless of immigration status,” Asm. Al Muratsuchi said. “Unfortunately, the threat of federal immigration officials coming onto school grounds to detain undocumented students or family members casts a shadow of fear over all California students. Students cannot learn if they are living in fear of being deported or separated from their loved ones. Assembly Bill 49, the California Safe Haven Schools Act, is necessary to keep ICE out of California’s public schools, because children should never be afraid to come to school and parents should never be afraid to send them.”

The bill would mandate school officials and employees of a local educational agency, to the extent practicable, to request valid identification of any immigration authority seeking to enter a nonpublic area of a school site. As the federal administration continues to target the immigrant community, these protections become more necessary. This bill ensures students have equal access to safe, inclusive, and supportive classrooms where they can learn and thrive.

“AB 49 affirms our commitment to ensuring our schools are safe places to learn for all children in California, no matter their immigration status,” Sen. Lena Gonzalez said. “As co-author of this legislation, and as Chair of the California Latino Caucus, I will continue to fight for every child’s right to access their education safely, and to support our students and families against the cruel attacks by this federal administration.”

Status: 7/17/25—In the Committee on Senate Appropriations.

AB 495 (Rodriguez): Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025.

This bill protects children in immigrant and mixed-status families if their parents/caregivers are deported. It ensures updated emergency contact information and family safety plans that can lessen the stress on children when families suffer such a traumatic separation. It also ensures the legal recognition of caregiving arrangements (i.e. Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavits, Guardianship Nominations, and Short-Term Guardianships) to provide a supportive and stable environment.

Legally recognized options ensure children have continuity of support in these situations, including access to health care and supportive schools and child care settings.

“AB 495 keeps families together and children safe," Asm. Celeste Rodriguez said. "California must continue to build a line of defense against the cruel family separation occurring across our state and country. The Family Preparedness Plan Act empowers families to make caregiving plans for their children in the devastating event they are separated. I am grateful to the advocates and legal experts for their dedication and unwavering support, and I am committed to continuing our work to protect families and passing this legislation.”

Status: 7/8/25— In the Committee on Senate Appropriations.

AB 865 (Gonzalez): Dual language immersion programs: instructional materials and grants.

This bill establishes the Dual Language Immersion Education Instructional Materials Grant Program and appropriates $5 million to provide Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with one-time grants of $100,000 so they can provide instructional materials in a diversity of languages for quality dual language immersion programs.

The bill enables more schools to respond to parent demand for multilingual programs that foster biliteracy and overall academic achievement, as well as affirm children’s home languages and cultures. AB 865 is critical to state efforts to foster welcoming and safe spaces that support California’s diverse student population to thrive.

Status: 5/23/2025 — Failed to pass deadline in Assembly Appropriations. No further action can be taken on the bill until January 2026.

SB 48 (Gonzalez, L) Immigration enforcement: school sites: prohibitions on access, sharing information, and law enforcement collaboration.

This bill strengthens California’s ability to provide all students with safe and supportive learning environments, regardless of their immigration status, by preventing unlawful access by immigration authorities to enter or search schools and question students while at school. It provides clear steps in the face of unprecedented deportation threats for LEAs and school administrators to engage with immigration authorities and requires the Department of Justice to release more comprehensive model policies for schools.

Status: 7/14/2025—This bill will not move forward this legislative session.

Political Voice

AB 868 (Carillo) Primary elections: county officers: top two candidates.

This bill requires that all county elections proceed to the general election, even if one of the candidates receives a majority of the votes in the primary. Primary elections typically have significantly lower and less diverse voter turnouts compared to general elections. The primary electorate traditionally includes fewer young people and communities of color, so candidates work to appeal to a smaller electorate of older, predominantly white voters.

Mandatory general elections for all candidates will ensure that the highest and most representative turnout of California's full electorate elects every candidate for public office.

Status: 5/1/2025—Failed to pass deadline in Assembly Elections. No further action can be taken on the bill until Jan 2026.

SB 42 (Umberg) Political Reform Act of 1974: public campaign financing: California Fair Elections Act of 2026.

This bill aims to revise the Political Reform Act of 1974 to allow public funding of campaigns, which is currently prohibited in all jurisdictions except charter cities. Passage would refer the issue to voters through a ballot measure in the November 2026 general election. Currently, wealthy people, corporations, and special interests use their financial resources to finance electoral campaigns, allowing well-funded candidates a significant competitive advantage in elections.

Because wealth is concentrated in Whiter and older communities, this system shuts out candidates from communities of color and low-income communities, denying them a similar voice in elections, policy creation, and decision-making. SB 42 will not create public financing of campaigns or require any government to offer public financing, but it will repeal the ban. Repealing this ban will allow all jurisdictions in California the ability to adopt campaign public finance models like those in Oakland and Los Angeles that can help balance the political influence between low-income BIPOC Californians and traditional wealthy donors.

Status: 7/16/2025—In the Assembly Committee on Appropriations

Reimagining Safety and Justice 

AB 247 (Bryan): Fair pay for incarcerated firefighters. Fair pay for incarcerated firefighters.

This bill increases hourly pay for incarcerated firefighters to $7.25 while assigned to an active fire incident and requires annual rate updates. During emergencies, incarcerated firefighters currently earn $5 to $10 daily while often working grueling 24-hour shifts.

Non-incarcerated firefighters doing the same or similar work with CalFIRE receive a monthly base pay of $3,672 to $4,643 (or $121 to $152 daily). AB 247 is a modest step toward ensuring that incarcerated people saving lives on the front line of emergencies are valued.

Status: 7/8/2025—In the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

AB 1036 (Shultz): Ensuring greater access to evidence for incarcerated people.

This bill modernizes California’s post-conviction discovery laws by improving incarcerated people’s access to evidence. Currently, a person convicted of a serious or violent felony resulting in a sentence of 15 years or more, may petition the court for access to evidence to support their post-conviction motion for release (i.e., habeas corpus).

However, the person must demonstrate that they already attempted to obtain the evidence from trial counsel and were unsuccessful. This process is often so burdensome and inequitable that many incarcerated people are unable to obtain evidence to prove their innocence. AB 1036 will help reduce those barriers and prevent innocent people from remaining imprisoned.

Status: 7/3/2025—In the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

AB 1231 (Elhawary): Expanding access to pretrial diversion to improve community safety and end mass incarceration.

This bill, the Safer Communities Through Opportunities Act, gives judges discretion to divert people charged with non-violent, low-level felonies to programs that advance community safety. People who participate in diversion programs instead of incarceration cut their rate of reoffending in half, and improve their rates of employment. Diversion addresses needs through behavioral and healthcare services, substance use treatment, and vocational training.

Status: 7/15/2025— In the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Office of Strategic Initiatives/Research & Data Analysis

AB 91 (Harabedian): AB-91 State and local agencies: demographic data.

Starting January 1, 2027, this bill would require the appropriate state and local agencies to collect, categorize, and tabulate demographic data for Californians of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent, also known as Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA), as specified, and, with certain exceptions, to include that data in every demographic report published on or after January 1, 2028, and to make the aggregated data available to the public.

Historically, this group is categorized as White, even though they largely experience the world as people of color. The nuanced experiences of these communities are invisible without proper data collection. MENA communities can better access and advocate for resources to address their specific needs when they are accounted for in state data.

“Accurate demographic data is the foundation for equity," Asm. John Harabedian said. "AB 91, the MENA Inclusion Act, will make sure Californians of Middle Eastern and North African descent are counted, recognized, and better served by their government. I’m proud to have authored this bill so that all communities are visible in our data and decision-making."

Status: 7/9/2025—In the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

AB 1157 (Kalra) Tenancy: just cause termination: rent increases.

This bill aims to address California's escalating housing crisis by further limiting allowable annual rent increases, providing some relief to millions of renters struggling with exorbitant rent hikes and the looming threat of homelessness. Many low-income Californians of color spend a significant portion of their income on rent. By increasing limits on rent increases, this bill will make it easier for these renters to afford their rent and cover their other basic needs.

Status: 5/1/2025—Failed to pass deadline in Assembly Judiciary Committee. No further action can be taken on this bill until Jan 2026.

AB 1186 (Patel): Data collection: race and ethnicity: minimum categories.

This bill enables state agencies such as the Department of Finance’s Demographic Research Unit to disaggregate data in alignment with new federal standards for collecting race and ethnicity data. It provides California with an important benchmark for the 2030 Census to help verify critical data so communities can receive fair representation and resources. Disaggregation across state agencies is key to gathering truly representative data that leads to understanding inequities and creating solutions for greater equity.

Status: 5/23/2025—Failed to pass deadline in Assembly Appropriations Committee. No further action can be taken on this bill until Jan 2026.