MEETING DATE:
October 28, 2025
SUBJECT:
Title
LEGISLATIVE REPORT ON STATE LEGISLATION WITH CITY COUNCIL POSITIONS
Body
Recommendation
Recommendation
Note and File
Body
Introduction
The City Council adopted the 2025 Legislative Platform to guide the consideration of state and federal bills that affect City operations. Over 2,300 bills were introduced. The legislature recessed for the year on September 13th, after adding a day to the legislative session. Staff and lobbyist consultants have tracked all the bills on which council has taken a position for the 2025 legislative year.
Discussion
This report provides updates on legislation that made it to the Governor’s desk during the 2025 legislative session. Staff monitored these bills, and others as Governor made his final signing, or veto decisions. They also collaborated with Cal Cities and our lobbyist teams to submit letters requesting signatures, or vetoes for bills on which the council took a position. The deadline for the Governor to sign or veto bills was October 13th.
The Legislature will reconvene from its fall recess in January of 2026. During the remainder of the year, our state legislators will be working from their district offices, meeting with the community, and beginning to plan for next year’s bills.
The following table is a report of the bills on which the council has taken a position in the 2025 legislative year, and the outcome.
Unless a bill has an urgency clause, it will go into effect on January 1st of the following calendar year.
|
Bill Number |
Bill Title |
Author |
Position |
Status |
|
AB 262 |
California Individual Assistance Act. |
Caloza |
Support |
2-Year Bill |
|
AB 290 |
California FAIR Plan Association: automatic payments. |
Bauer-Kahan |
Support |
Signed, Ch. 475, Statutes of 2025 |
|
AB 300 |
Fire hazard severity zones: State Fire Marshal. |
Lackey |
Support |
2-Year Bill |
|
AB 424 |
Alcohol and other drug programs: complaints. |
Davies |
Support |
Signed, Ch. 261, Statutes of 2025 |
|
AB 492 |
Alcohol and drug programs: licensing. |
Valencia |
Support |
Signed, Ch. 368, Statutes of 2025 |
|
AB 650 |
Planning and zoning: housing element: regional housing needs allocation. |
Papan |
Support |
Vetoed |
|
AB 841 |
State Fire Marshal: personal protective equipment: battery fires. |
Patel |
Support |
Signed, Ch. 382, Statutes of 2025 |
|
AB 846 |
Endangered species: incidental take: wildfire preparedness activities. |
Connolly |
Support |
2-Year Bill |
|
AB 893 |
Housing development projects: objective standards: campus development zone. |
Fong |
Oppose |
Signed, Ch. 500, Statutes of 2025 |
|
AB 956 |
Accessory dwelling units: ministerial approval: single-family dwellings. |
Quirk-Silva |
Oppose |
2-Year Bill |
|
AB 1207 |
Climate change: market-based compliance mechanism: price ceiling. |
Irwin |
Support |
Signed, Ch. 117, Statutes of 2025 |
|
SB 74 |
Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation: Infrastructure Gap-Fund Program. |
Seyarto |
Support |
2-Year Bill |
|
SB 79 |
Housing development: transit-oriented development. |
Wiener |
Oppose |
Signed, Ch. 512, Statutes of 2025 |
|
SB 358 |
Mitigation Fee Act: mitigating vehicular traffic impacts. |
Becker |
Oppose |
Signed, Ch. 515, Statutes of 2025 |
|
SB 525 |
California FAIR Plan: manufactured homes. |
Jones |
Support |
Signed, Ch. 476, Statutes of 2025 |
|
SB 569 |
Department of Transportation: homeless encampments. |
Blakespear |
Support |
2-Year Bill |
|
SB 707 |
Open meetings: meeting and teleconference requirements. |
Durazo |
Oppose |
Signed, Ch. 327, Statutes of 2025 |
|
SB 827 |
Local agency officials: training. |
Gonzalez |
Oppose |
Signed, Ch. 661, Statutes of 2025 |
|
SB 840 |
Greenhouse gases: report. |
Limon |
Support |
Signed, Ch. 121, Statutes of 2025 |
Of special concern to City Council has been Senate Bill 79(Wiener) - Transit Oriented Development. SB 79 was introduced by Senator Scott Wiener and was signed by Governor Newsom on October 10, 2025. This bill was amended 13 times, before reaching the version presented to the Governor in September 2025.
• This bill requires that a housing development project, as defined, within a specified distance of a transit oriented development (TOD) stop, as defined, be an allowed use as a transit-oriented housing development on any site zoned for residential, mixed, or commercial development, if the development complies with applicable requirements, as specified.
• Projects to include at least 5 dwelling units and establish requirements concerning height limits, density, and residential floor area ratio in accordance with a development’s proximity to specified tiers of TOD stops.
• For the purposes of the Housing Accountability Act, a proposed development consistent with the applicable standards of these provisions as well as applicable local objective general plan and zoning standards shall be deemed consistent, compliant, and in conformity with prescribed requirements, as specified.
• The bill provides that a local government that denies a project meeting the requirements of these provisions located in a high-resource area, as defined, would be presumed in violation of the Housing Accountability Act, as specified, and immediately liable for penalties, beginning on January 1, 2027, as provided. These provisions do not apply to a local agency until July 1, 2026, or within unincorporated areas of counties until the 7th regional housing needs allocation cycle.
• A development proposed pursuant to these provisions is eligible for streamlined, ministerial approval pursuant to specified law, except that the bill exempts a project under these provisions from specified requirements and would specify that the project is required to comply with certain affordability requirements, under that law.
Environmental Review
The proposed action does not constitute a “project” as defined under Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, Sections 15000 - 15387), and is therefore not subject to environmental review pursuant to Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3).
Prepared by: Michael Lieberman, Legislative Analyst
Reviewed by: Phil Scollick, City Clerk/Director of Legislative Affairs
Approved by: Michelle Bender, City Manager