I am pleased to announce that nine bills from my 2026 legislative package have passed out of the State Senate and are now advancing to the Assembly.
These bills address a wide variety of issues, including Veteran benefits, wildfire recovery, consumer protection, property tax relief, small business regulations, education, and support for families.
The bills include:
• SB 288 - Clarifies Proposition 19 to ensure families inheriting a home through probate are not unfairly subjected to higher property taxes due to court delays outside their control.
• SB 308 - Streamlines fiscal oversight requirements for California Community Colleges by consolidating duplicative reporting into a single comprehensive annual report, reducing administrative burdens, improving efficiency, and maintaining transparency and accountability.
• SB 888 - Excludes disabled Veterans’ disability compensation from the income calculation for the Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Low-Income Exclusion, helping more low-income Veteran families qualify for property tax relief.
• SB 904 - Strengthens California’s wildfire recovery efforts by creating a consistent statewide protocol to expedite permitting, improve agency coordination, and help communities rebuild more quickly following major wildfires.
• SB 918 - Modernizes California’s drive-through restaurant regulations by allowing approved service openings that improve worker safety, increase efficiency, and maintain existing food safety standards.
• SB 946 - Permanently extends protections that help ensure fairness, accuracy, and privacy in escrow industry rating systems while preserving lenders’ ability to evaluate service providers.
• SB 974 - Clarifies Proposition 19 to protect severely disabled individuals whose inherited homes are held in Special Needs Trusts, helping families retain their Proposition 13 property tax protections.
• SB 1029 - Strengthens consumer protections by requiring the DMV to proactively notify vehicle owners when money may be owed to them from a vehicle lien sale and explain how to claim it.
• SB 1186 - Requires the Department of Public Health to process amended birth certificate requests for adoptive families within two weeks, helping them obtain essential documents more quickly.
Unfortunately, not all of our bills made it. Some notable bills killed in committee include:
• SB 893 - Would have provided eligible Gold Star Family members with free day-use access to California State Parks in recognition of the sacrifice made by their loved ones.
• SB 986 - Would have required legislative approval before major state regulations could take effect, increasing oversight of significant rules issued by state agencies such as CARB, CPUC, and the California Energy Commission that affect energy, transportation, housing, utility rates, and other major public policy issues.
Despite these setbacks, I am proud to see so many common-sense, solutions-oriented bills continue advancing through the legislative process. I am grateful to my dedicated staff, stakeholders, and Senate colleagues for their support and partnership throughout the first half of the legislative year.
I look forward to continuing to work with the Assembly to advance these proposals and deliver meaningful results for the people of the 32nd Senate District and all Californians.
Thank you for this opportunity to be of service.