State Capitol Updates – Invitation to Pasadena Swearing-in
Dear Neighbor,
Just a quick reminder to RSVP and join me for our District Swearing-in ceremony in Pasadena this Saturday, August 23rd. More details below!
The Legislature returns to Sacramento today for the final four weeks of this year’s session. During this time, our legislation must pass both the Senate and the Assembly and reach the Governor’s desk by the September 12th deadline.
We have a number of important bills advancing. Here are a few highlights:
Housing and Tenant Protections
SB 52 (End AI Rent Hikes Act), prohibits the use of pricing algorithms to collude and artificially inflate rental prices in California, and establishes clear mechanisms for accountability and enforcement targeting both the creators of such algorithms and the landlords who misuse them.
SB 610 (Disaster Protections for Homeowners and Renters), as part of the Senate's Golden State Commitment, this bill provides clarity to existing law and establishes key protections for tenants and homeowners following a disaster. It establishes a presumption that the presence of debris from a disaster renders a unit uninhabitable; clarifies that landlords are responsible for repairing damage, including smoke and ash, to the unit after a disaster; clarifies tenants are not obligated to pay rent during a mandatory evacuation order; and requires the state to coordinate with mortgage lenders and servicers upon an emergency declaration for a wildfire to facilitate mortgage forbearance for those financially impacted.
SB 634 (Unhoused Service Providers Protection Act), protects the ability of charities and organizations to provide supportive services, including legal and medical services, as well as other basic survival resources like food, to unhoused individuals. This commonsense bill ensures these groups can continue their vital work without the threat of local governments outlawing their services, as happened temporarily in the City of Fremont in the Bay Area.
Wildfire Response & Recovery
SB 256 (Enhancing Infrastructure for Wildfire Mitigation Act), requires investor-owned utilities, like SoCal Edison, to identify and make a plan to permanently remove abandoned or decommissioned power lines. The Los Angeles Times has reported that “[i]nvestigators are looking at whether a line that hadn’t carried electricity for years may have sparked the Eaton fire.” The bill also strengthens California's electrical infrastructure and wildfire resilience by improving wildfire mitigation planning, enhancing emergency response efforts, undergrounding power lines, and requiring closer collaboration between utilities, emergency services and local communities to prevent wildfires and manage power shutoffs safely and transparently.
SB 293 (Generational Homeownership Protection Act), establishes a pathway for homeowners affected by the 2025 Southern California wildfires, who lost or sustained damage to their homes during a declared emergency, to update their property transfer records without financial penalty and being at greater risk of losing their homes altogether. This ensures continuity for families who have inherited their homes and reduces the immediate tax burden from property value reassessments, helping homeowners avoid unexpected financial hardships.
SB 547 (Commercial Insurance Protection Act), part of the Senate's Golden State Commitment wildfire package, this legislation responds directly to the January wildfires. It would help small businesses recover from future disasters by prohibiting commercial insurance cancellations or non-renewals for one year following a declared emergency, protections that homeowners already receive. My bill ensures condominiums, affordable housing communities, small businesses and nonprofit organizations can recover without losing coverage.
SB 581 (Fight for Firefighters Act), would transition all 3,000 seasonal Cal Fire firefighters to full-time, permanent status. The measure would also fully staff all 356 Cal Fire engines and all helicopter bases year round. We know all too well that California no longer has “fire seasons.” Fire is a year round threat.
SB 782 (Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District), creates a streamlined option for cities and counties to form a disaster recovery financing district following a Governor-declared state of emergency. The formation and implementation of the district requires public engagement and transparency, including multiple public hearings and public access to the infrastructure financing plan before approval. All district revenues are strictly dedicated to projects that repair, rehabilitate, or replace disaster-damaged infrastructure, and initiatives that mitigate future disaster risks. This includes economic recovery projects, resiliency enhancements, small business recovery, and workforce development programs.
Supporting Immigrant Communities
SB 98 (Sending Alerts to Families in Education (SAFE) Act), requires K-12 schools and higher education institutions to notify campus community members if immigration enforcement authorities show up on campus.
SB 805 (No Vigilantes Act), expands the scope of existing police impersonation laws by making it illegal to impersonate peace officers, including federal agents, and require all law enforcement operating in California to clearly display identification that includes their agency and either a name or badge number or both. This bill also authorizes law enforcement to request identification from anyone claiming to be law enforcement, and bans bounty hunters from engaging in any form of immigration enforcement in California.
SB 323 (California Financial Aid Assurance Act), responds to the concerns from vulnerable families about sharing sensitive personal data in federal financial aid forms by requiring the California Student Aid Commission to offer the California Dream Act Application to all California students.
SB 281 (Immigration Plea Agreements), ensures consistency across California’s courts in delivering the mandatory advisement of potential immigration consequences whenever a person enters into a plea agreement.
Supporting and Protecting Students
SB 848 (Safe Learning Environments Act), strengthens student safety in California schools by requiring updates to Comprehensive School Safety Plans with clear procedures for preventing, detecting, and addressing employee sexual misconduct. It also broadens mandated reporting requirements, enhances employee training, and revises relevant provisions in law to ensure stronger protections.
SB 411 (Stop Child Hunger Act), tackles student food insecurity and improves access to school meals through multiple fronts. It requires the California Department of Education to create a single statewide and user-friendly application for families to apply for SUN Buck, helping ensure all eligible students receive summer food assistance. Additionally, the bill strengthens child privacy protections by prohibiting the sale of data collected through school meal applications to outside parties.
Worker’s Rights
SB 355 (Wage Theft), helps protect California workers who have experienced wage theft by authorizing the Labor Commissioner's Office to report unpaid claims to the Employment Development Department (EDD) as potential tax fraud.
Reminder: Community Swearing-in Saturday, August 23rd
I invite you to join me for our District Swearing-in ceremony in Pasadena. Click here to RSVP to attend this free community event!
When:
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 23
Where:
Pasadena City College
1570 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91106
Sexson Auditorium
Parking Available in PCC Student Parking Lot 5
Enter on S Bonnie Ave. between E Del Mar Blvd. and E Colorado Blvd.
It’s an honor to represent you in the State Senate.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you need assistance by calling (626) 304-1086 or (916) 651-4025.