League of California Cities Inc.

04/02/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/02/2025 17:32

These are the biggest bills for cities this year (so far)

By Cal Cities Staff

State legislators have introduced over 2,300 bills this year, many of which will impact cities. These measures could bolster local revenues, remove dangerous forever chemicals, improve disaster responses, build out critical infrastructure, and change local housing plans.

It's a long list - one made even more complicated by the torrent of federal actions, wildfires, and last year's elections. Cal Cities lobbyists have sorted through the bill buzz to create a list of the most important bills - the ones city leaders need to act on and a few others to watch as the year continues.

Housing, Community, and Economic Development

This year could see some big changes to the state's housing law, including some proposed by Cal Cities. AB 650 (Papan) would refine parts of the Housing Element Law to ensure the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) efficiently certifies local housing plans. The Cal Cities-sponsored bill would allow cities to start drafting their housing elements six months earlier. It would also require HCD to provide more guidance when reviewing draft plans and ensure cities can respond to changes proposed by HCD during the review process.

But one of the most significant housing bills so far is SB 79 (Wiener), which would ignore state-certified housing elements and force cities to automatically approve certain transit-oriented development up to seven stories high and at a density of 120 homes per acre. Transit agencies would have full land use authority on land they own without any requirements to develop housing. Cal Cities strongly opposes the bill.

Cal Cities is also reviewing a 22 permitting reform bill package introduced last week by 16 legislators and the state Attorney General. Lawmakers released the proposal in response to the Assembly Select Committee on Permitting Reform's white paper. The measures cover everything from the development application process to further enforcement mechanisms for local governments that violate state housing laws.

Other notable bills include:

  • AB 736 (Wicks): The Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026
    Cal Cities Position: Support
  • SB 677 (Wiener): Housing Development: Streamlined Approvals
    Cal Cities Position: Oppose

- Brady Guertin, legislative advocate

Environmental Quality

One Cal Cities' sponsored environmental bills, SB 454 (McNerney), raced through on consent in a packed Senate Environmental Quality Committee hearing this week with unanimous support. The bill would help fund local efforts to remove PFAS - also known as forever chemicals - from water and wastewater supplies.

Next Monday, lawmakers will hear AB 262 (Caloza) in the Assembly Emergency Management Committee. The Cal Cities-backed measure would create an assistance program under the Office of Emergency Services to support communities impacted by disasters. This would help ensure California can provide disaster assistance in the event federal aid is unavailable.

The Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee will hear AB 846 (Connolly) next Tuesday. The measure would streamline the California Department of Fish and Wildlife permitting process for vegetation management projects in fire-prone areas. Cal Cities sponsored a similar measure in 2024, which Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed due to its costs. This new version seeks to address those concerns while ensuring that cities can more quickly clear flammable vegetation to prevent future wildfires.

Other notable bills include:

  • AB 372 (Bennett) Office of Emergency Services: state matching funds: water system infrastructure improvements

    Cal Cities Position: Support

  • AB 1153 (Bonta) Solid waste disposal site cleanup: illegal disposal site abatement

    Cal Cities Position: Support

  • AB 452 (Irwin) Coastal recreation: designated state surfing reserves

    Cal Cities Position: Support If Amended

  • AB 436 (Ransom) Composting facilities: zoning

    Cal Cities Position: Support

- Melissa Sparks-Kranz, legislative advocate

Community Services

Cal Cities is co-sponsoring SB 569 (Blakespear) with the city of San Diego. This measure would improve coordination between state agencies and cities when addressing homeless encampments on state properties. The bill has gained support from local leaders throughout the state.

Cal Cities is also sponsoring a package of bills that would address concerns over the state's oversight of alcohol and drug treatment facilities. The Senate Health Committee will hear SB 35 (Umberg) on April 23. The measure would ensure the Department of Health Care Services provides timely and thorough oversight of sober living homes that illegally advertise treatment services.

Other sponsored bills - AB 492 (Valencia), AB 424 (Davies), and SB 329 (Blakespear) - would implement recommendations from a state audit on the state's oversight over recovery homes. Some other notable bills include:

  • SB 456 (Ashby) Contractors: Exemptions: Muralists
    Cal Cities Position: Sponsor

- Caroline Grinder, legislative advocate

Transportation, Communications, and Public Works

Cal Cities is sponsoring a bill that would make it easier for cities to comply with the state's Advanced Clean Fleets rule. SB 496 (Hurtado) would establish an appeals board to review extension request denials and create several much-needed reforms.

Two other sponsored measures would help combat copper theft and fund critical local infrastructure projects. AB 476 (González, Mark) would enhance reporting requirements for recyclers and expand the definition of public infrastructure nonferrous metals to include things like streetlights and manhole covers. SB 74 (Seyarto) would create a "gap fund" grant program that covers up to 20% of the remaining costs for eligible projects.

Other notable bills include:

- Damon Conklin, legislative advocate

Revenue and Taxation

Cal Cities is sponsoring a bill that would help cities better enforce their short-term rental ordinances and collect transient occupancy taxes (TOT). SB 346 (Durazo) would require short-term rental facilitators, at the request of a city, to provide a listing's Assessor Parcel Number to a city. It would also give cities the ability to audit TOT collected and remitted by short-term rental facilitators and require platforms to publish the local license number and TOT Certification on their short-term rental listings.

A measure supported by Cal Cities, AB 330 (Rogers), would extend the sunset date on the Local Prepaid Mobile Telephony Services Collections Act. It authorizes local governments to apply public safety charges and utility user taxes (UUT) to prepaid wireless bills. If lawmakers do not extend the act, over 100 cities will lose their ability to collect UUT for prepaid wireless services at the end of the year.

Other notable bills include:

  • SB 710 (Blakespear) Property taxation: active solar energy systems: extension
    Cal Cities Position: Oppose
  • SB 696 (Alvarado-Gil) Sales and Use Tax Law: exemptions: firefighting equipment

    Cal Cities Position: Support (Pending amendments)

- Ben Triffo, legislative advocate

Public Safety

Cal Cities has taken positions on several bills sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara focused on wildfire mitigation, recovery, and fire insurance availability, including AB 1 (Connolly). The bill would require the Department of Insurance to consider updating its Safer from Wildfires regulations to include home hardening efforts.

The Safer from Wildfires regulations incentivize homeowners to invest in specific wildfire risk reduction measures by requiring admitted insurers to reflect and take into account these measures in their ratings. These efforts could include creating a five-foot ember-resistant zone around homes, Class-A fire-rated roofs, enclosed eaves, and non-combustible construction materials, among many other steps.

The current regulations do not incorporate the benefits of home hardening and community-hardening efforts in relation to rates. This has led some insurers to not write or renew policies. Including home hardening efforts in these regulations would help to address the insurance crisis by improving the availability of insurance coverage.

Other notable bills include:

  • AB 237 (Patel) Crimes: Threats

    Cal Cities Position: Support

  • Ab 400 (Pacheco) Law Enforcement: Police Canines

    Cal Cities Position: Support

  • SB 6 (Ashby) Controlled Substance: Xylazine
    Cal Cities Position: Support
  • SB 19 (Rubio) Threats: Schools and Places of Worship

    Cal Cities Position: Support

  • SB 759 (Archuleta) Crimes: Supervised Release

    Cal Cities Position: Support

- Zack Cefalu, legislative affairs analyst

Governance, Transparency, and Labor Relations

Legislators are again weighing changes to California's open meetings and labor laws. A bill co-sponsored by Cal Cities, SB 239 (Arreguín), would modernize the Brown Act by removing the in-person requirement for some local advisory bodies. The narrowly tailored bill includes several notable limitations and is backed by disability rights organizations.

Another measure, AB 339 (Ortega), would require public agencies to provide written notice to unions no less than 120 days before issuing a request to change existing contracts that are within the scope of the jobs represented by the organization. Cal Cities and a host of other organizations oppose the measure, as its impractical nature would undermine vital public services - especially during natural disasters and other emergencies.

Cal Cities also opposes two bills that would restrict employer-employee communications. AB 340 (Ahrens) would prohibit cities from questioning employees or their union representatives about communications concerning workplace matters. AB 1109 (Kalra) would effectively create an attorney-client privilege between a union agent and a represented employee for certain confidential communications.

Both bills would restrict cities' ability to conduct workplace investigations while adding new costs and liability. Other notable bills include:

  • SB 707 (Durazo) Open meetings: meeting and teleconference requirements
    Cal Cities Position: Concerns
  • AB 465 (Zbur) Local public employees: memoranda of understanding
    Cal Cities Position: Oppose

- Brian Hendershot, Cal Cities Advocate managing editor, and Johnnie Pina, legislative advocate

What can my city do?

Lawmakers will break on April 10 for Spring Recess and return to the Capitol on April 21 - two days before Cal Cities' marque advocacy event in Sacramento. Legislators have until May 16 to get their bills through the first round of policy committee meetings, so expect a flurry of action alerts and updates in the coming weeks.

Keep your eyes open for a new and improved State Bills in Brief - delivered a few days early to Cal Cities members via Cal Cities' public affairs managers. To learn how you can make your voice heard, contact your regional public affairs manager.