Legislative Update: Outcomes of the Appropriations Suspense Hearings
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As we reported last month, Friday, August 29 was the deadline for the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Appropriations Committee (collectively referred to as “the fiscal committees”) to hear and report bills with fiscal impacts to the floor of that house (Senate or Assembly) for a vote of the full house.
Due to cost concerns, particularly during deficit years, many bills are held in fiscal committees by being set aside in the “suspense file.” Alternatively, fiscal bills may be significantly amended by a fiscal committee to reduce cost impacts without the consent of the bill’s author.
Last Friday, both fiscal committees convened vote-only “suspense hearings” to hear the bills on the suspense file and pass bills out of the committee and onto the floor. While the “suspense file” hearing process is designed to comprehensively consider the costs of all bills that meet a certain threshold of fiscal impact to the state, it’s also widely viewed as a tool for the Legislature to prioritize its proposals and winnow the long list of bills each house must consider on the floor prior to the end of the legislative session on Friday, September 12.
Collectively, the fiscal committees considered 686 bills referred to the suspense file and held about 187 of those bills. A summary of the results of each suspense hearing is posted on the respective Committee’s website: Senate Appropriations Committee and Assembly Appropriations Committee.
In advance of these hearings, CSAC engaged in conversations with committee staff and members and submitted letters urging the committees to consider every bill through the lens of its unique impacts on California’s local governments.
CSAC’s new website includes a Member Legislative Resources page with links to bill tracking lists by policy area. Members may be prompted to log into the CSAC Member Portal to view the page. In addition to the information included below about the status of key legislation following the Appropriations Committees’ suspense hearings, members can contact the CSAC legislative affairs team with questions about specific policy areas or legislation.
Note: bill statuses accurate as of 12:00 PM on September 4, 2025.
Administration of Justice
AB 690 (Schultz) Criminal procedure: indigent defense compensation.
CSAC Position: OPPOSE
Status: Two-year bill
CSAC is opposed to this measure alongside the Urban Counties of California (UCC) and Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) due to the creation of additional mandates for the provision of indigent defense services, most notably prohibiting the use of flat fee compensation models, which will result in added barriers and significant cost pressures to counties. AB 690 was made a two-year bill at the request of the author, meaning it will not move forward this year. Negotiations on this measure will resume in the second year of the 2025-26 legislative session, beginning in January 2026.
SB 485 (Reyes) County public defender: appointment.
CSAC Position: OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED
Status: Passed
CSAC is opposed to this measure alongside the Urban Counties of California (UCC) and Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) as it would set a new precedent for appointed department leaders by changing the employment status for appointed county public defenders from “at-will” to “good cause” removal by the board of supervisors with a 3/5 vote for neglect of duty, malfeasance or misconduct, or other good cause. Absent further safeguards, this bill could result in a perpetual appointment for public defenders, without an oversight or review process in place. The CSAC, UCC, and RCRC coalition will continue to advocate in opposition to this measure.
Questions? Contact:
Ryan Morimune, Senior Legislative Advocate, at rmorimune@counties.org
Michaela Stone, Legislative Analyst, at mstone@counties.org
Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources
SB 72 (Caballero) The California Water Plan: long-term supply targets.
CSAC Position: CO-SPONSOR & SUPPORT
Status: Passed
Co-sponsored by CSAC, SB 72 would revise contents of the California Water Plan, which is updated every five years by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), and requires DWR to coordinate with other local, state, and federal entities, and the stakeholder advisory committee to develop the Water Plan. The bill would require DWR to develop a long-term water supply planning target for 2050 and establishes an interim target to develop an additional 9 million acre-feet (AF) of water, water conservation, or water storage capacity by 2040. The bill would require the target to consider the identified and future water needs for all beneficial uses, including, but not limited to, urban uses, agricultural uses, tribal uses, and the environment, and ensure safe drinking water for all Californians. The bill would require the Water Plan to include a discussion of the estimated costs, benefits, and impacts of any project type or action that is recommended by DWR within the plan.
SB 254 (Becker) Electricity: wildfire mitigation: rate assistance: Policy-Oriented and Wildfire Electric Reimbursement (POWER) Program.
CSAC Position: OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED
Status: Passed
This bill includes several provisions to address energy affordability and permitting challenges. However, it also extends the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) AB 205 opt-in permitting program sunset from 2029 to 2034, continuing the usurpation of local permitting authority. The bill also creates a rebuttable presumption that construction or operation of a facility will have an overall net positive economic benefit to the host local government if the project is located adjacent to a utility substation or natural gas powerplant.
SB 283 (Laird) Energy Storage Systems.
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed
This bill would require the state to update the California Building Code to adopt provisions at least as protective as the most recently published National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 855 standards regarding battery energy storage systems (BESS). BESS developers would be required to certify that these provisions are met and meet and confer with the local fire department prior to applying for that BESS project.
SB 454 (McNerny) State Water Resources Control Board: PFAS Mitigation Program.
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed
This bill would create the PFAS Mitigation Fund in the State Treasury to be used by the State Water Resources Control Board to cover or reduce the cost of treating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking and wastewater to meet applicable state and federal maximum PFAS contaminant levels.
SB 601 (Allen) Water: waste discharge.
CSAC Position: OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED
Status: Two-year bill
This bill would make the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Water Boards) responsible for regulating and protecting the water quality in “nexus waters”. CSAC is opposed to this bill as it preempts an ongoing State Water Board review of the impacts of Sackett v. EPA (2023), is specifically designed to insulate the state from any federal rollbacks, would create new regulatory hurdles that would delay critical infrastructure projects, without providing environmental benefits, and would grant the Water Boards broad authority to establish permit requirements without considering economic impacts. SB 601 was made a two-year bill, meaning the bill will not move forward this year. Negotiations will continue in 2026, during the second year of the 2025-26 legislative session.
Questions? Contact:
Jordan Wells, Legislative Advocate, at jwells@counties.org.
Caitlin Loventhal, Legislative Analyst, at cloventhal@counties.org
Government Finance and Administration
AB 339 (Ortega) Local public employee organizations: notice requirements
CSAC Position: OPPOSE
Status: Passed out of appropriations, with amendments
This bill would require counties and other local governments to give recognized employee organizations written notice within a prescribed amount of time before issuing a request for proposals, request for quotes, or renewing or extending an existing contract to perform services that are within the scope of work of the job classifications represented by the recognized employee organization. The bill has been amended to shorten the current 60-day required notice period to 45 days. The bill would have required local agencies to meet and confer with unions upon request, however that section will be amended out. Additionally, further amendments will be incorporated to provide an exemption for public works contracts from the new notice period.
AB 1018 (Bauer-Kahan) Automated decision systems.
CSAC Position: OPPOSE
Status: Passed
This bill would regulate the development and deployment, by both the public and private sector, of automated decision systems that are designed or used to make or facilitate consequential decisions, or decisions that materially impact the cost, terms, quality, or accessibility of specified services, opportunities, access, resources, or treatment for natural persons. Examples of consequential decisions include: employment-related decisions; home appraisals and public housing; access to essential utilities or healthcare; child protective services; criminal justice decisions; elections; and any government benefit or service. CSAC and UCC are opposed to this bill because its broad scope and substantial compliance obligations impose significant operational and financial burdens on counties that could hinder the ability to deliver essential services.
AB 1331 (Elhawary) Workplace surveillance
CSAC Position: OPPOSE
Status: Passed with amendments
This bill would limit the use of workplace surveillance tools, as defined, by employers and provide workers the right to leave behind workplace surveillance tools that are on their person or in their possession during off-duty hours or in certain locations, as specified.
SB 7 (McNerney) Employment: automated decision systems.
CSAC POSITION: OPPOSE
Status: Passed with amendments
This bill would establish requirements governing the use of automated decision systems (ADS) to make employment-related decisions in the workplace. This bill would broadly define ADS to apply to many technologies beyond just those that use artificial intelligence, and require employers to provide pre-use and post-use written notices to employees that ADS are used to make employment-related decisions.
Although recent amendments aim to narrow the scope of the bill, CSAC, UCC, RCRC, the California Special Districts Association, and the Association of California Healthcare Districts remain opposed due to its impact on local governments. The bill’s broad definitions could apply to many technologies currently used, including those assisting with scheduling and employee training. This complicates routine operations and results in increased compliance costs and other unintended consequences.
SB 86 (McNerney) California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority Act: sales and use tax exclusion.
CSAC Position: DROPPED OPPOSITION/NEUTRAL
Status: Passed with amendments
The California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority Act authorizes sales and use tax exclusions for qualifying clean energy and advanced transportation projects not exceeding $100 million annually until January 1, 2026. This bill would extend the sunset to January 1, 2028, and add electrical generation facilities using nuclear fusion technology to the types of projects qualifying for this sales and use tax exclusion.
SB 707 (Durazo) Open meetings: meeting and teleconference requirements.
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed with amendments
This measure would extend and adjust several existing Brown Act laws set to sunset in 2026 and provide new meeting flexibility for advisory bodies and multi-jurisdictional bodies. CSAC continues to negotiate on provisions that would impose new requirements on counties and other local agencies. Additional amendments are in progress and will be published in the coming days.
Questions? Contact:
Eric Lawyer, Senior Legislative Advocate, at elawyer@counties.org
Emma Jungwirth, Senior Legislative Advocate, at ejungwirth@counties.org
Julissa Ceja Cardenas, Legislative Analyst, at jcejacardenas@counties.org
Health and Human Services
AB 283 (Haney) In-Home Supportive Services Employer-Employee Relations Act
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed with Amendments
This measure, which is sponsored by the IHSS provider unions (SEIU and UDW), would transition In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) collective bargaining from counties to the state. CSAC, the California Association of Public Authorities for IHSS (CAPA), and the County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA) negotiated with the author and sponsors over the past several months and reached agreement on a series of amendments that address county concerns.
Prior to the bill’s passage out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, CSAC had a Support if Amended position, as reflected in the linked letter above. The requested amendments are now reflected in the bill. The amendments provide clarity that counties would not be responsible for the increased costs that the state agrees to in statewide bargaining, including wage and benefit increases and new program requirements.
SB 483 (Stern) Mental health diversion
CSAC Position: DROPPED OPPOSITION/NEUTRAL
Status: Held Under Submission
Prior to the amendments taken to the measure when it passed out of Senate Appropriations Committee, SB 483 would have required additional court approval for pretrial diversion plans for an individual who is already eligible for diversion under current law. CSAC, along with UCC, RCRC, and CAPAPGPC opposed the previous version of the bill, as it would have complicated the process and placement of individuals seeking treatment by way of diversion. Additionally, SB 483 would have allowed the courts to bypass the clinical judgement of county behavioral health agencies.
AB 543 (González) Medi-Cal: street medicine.
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed with Amendments
This measure seeks to remove barriers to delivering health care services to people experiencing home through street medicine. Specifically, the measure seeks to streamline authorization for providing care through street medicine and ensure that there are mechanisms in place for care coordination and reimbursement of services. A previous version of the bill would have established Medi-Cal presumptive eligibility for people experiencing homelessness, but that provision was removed when the measure passed out of Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 1288 (Addis) Registered environmental health specialists
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed with Amendments
This measure, which is co-sponsored by the County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC) and the California Association of Environmental Health Administrators (CAEHA), would extend the time in which local health/environmental health departments may train and employ a local Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) trainee from three years to five years. The measure would also strengthen and facilitate the process to become an REHS trainee, allow them to successfully complete their trainee period, and allow more opportunities to take the certification test. The bill was amended coming out of Appropriations to reduce costs of implementation.
AB 689 (B. Rubio) Foster youth: disaster aid assistance
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed with Amendments
This measure would establish a statewide Child Welfare Disaster Response Program to provide funding, upon appropriation of the legislature, to support the immediate needs of foster children and youth and their caregivers in disaster-impacted communities. Importantly, AB 689 authorizes county child welfare departments to apply for these funds to distribute among impacted clients, ensuring aid will quickly be distributed to those in need. Amendments taken in the Senate Appropriations Committee also authorize county probation departments and tribes to apply for funds.
AB 607 (C. Rodriguez) CalWORKs: Home Visiting Program
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed with Amendments
This measure, which is cosponsored by CWDA and Children Now, would extend the timeframe for participation in the CalWORKs Home Visiting Program (HVP) to align with the duration of the home visiting program model. The measure also allows for voluntary participants who no longer meet the CalWORKs eligibility criteria to continue participation of CalWORKs HVP through the duration of the home visiting model, ensuring continuity of services and care.
SB 27 (Umberg) Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program.
CSAC Position: ENGAGED
Status: Passed with Amendments
This measure makes numerous changes to the CARE Act, including changes to program eligibility, how respondents are referred, and the CARE Act court hearing process. Notably, the measure expands the eligibility criteria to qualify for CARE to include those with bipolar I disorder with psychotic features, except psychosis related to current intoxication. CSAC is grateful for the removal of the urgency clause that was amended out of the bill following Assembly Appropriations Committee, but we remain engaged in conversations with the author, Administration, and Legislature on implementation concerns.
Questions? Contact:
Justin Garrett, Senior Legislative Advocate, at jgarrett@counties.org
Jolie Onodera, Senior Legislative Advocate, at jonodera@counties.org
Danielle Bradley, Legislative Analyst, at dbradley@counties.org.
Housing, Land Use, and Transportation
AB 462 (Lowenthal) Land use: accessory dwelling units.
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed with amendments
This bill would require coastal development permits (CDP) for an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to be issued within 60 days. Additionally, the bill would waive prohibitions on issuing certificates of occupancy for ADUs on lots without a primary dwelling unit following a disaster and eliminate the ability to appeal a CDP for an ADU issued by a local government to the California Coastal Commission. CSAC is supporting this measure as it codifies community recovery and rebuilding best practices so that all counties that experience future disasters can utilize these laws to expedite the restoration of their communities.
AB 620 (Jackson) Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Fleet Purchasing Assistance Program: rental vehicles.
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed
This bill would require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to consider certain factors regarding the impacts and benefits of rental medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles in any regulation regarding their procurement. Specifically, this bill is intended to allow county fleets to be able to claim zero emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle rental costs and time duration towards their compliance with CARB’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulations.
SB 74 (Seyarto) Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation: Infrastructure Gap-Fund Program.
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Held
This bill would require the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) to establish the Infrastructure Gap-Fund (IGF) Program, upon appropriation by the Legislature after January 1, 2030, to provide grants to local agencies to complete the development and construction of a variety of infrastructure projects. Counties, cities and special districts would have been eligible for grants that would support development and construction of infrastructure projects facing unforeseen costs after starting construction. Eligible projects would have included broadband service delivery, fire stations, schools, health and safety improvements, or road projects that decrease vehicle miles traveled on roads and improve public health, safety, and welfare.
SB 78 (Seyarto) Department of Transportation: report: state highway system: safety enhancements.
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed with amendments
This bill would require the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2027 that identifies types of safety enhancements that could be implemented on the state highway system, common factors contributing to the delay in the delivery of safety enhancements projects, and strategies to expedite these projects
SB 359 (Niello) Use Fuel Tax Law: Diesel Fuel Tax Law: exempt bus operation
CSAC Position: SUPPORT
Status: Passed
This bill would add a county that owns and operates a local transit system to the list of local government entities exempt from tax under the Diesel Fuel Tax Law and Use Fuel Tax Law. The need for this measure arose after the State Controller’s Office found that counties that own and operate their local transit system are not eligible for the current exemption.
SB 364 (Strickland) Outdoor advertising displays: permits: new alignments.
CSAC Position: DROPPED OPPOSITION/NEUTRAL
Status: Passed with amendments
This bill sought to create a definition of ‘customary maintenance’ for billboards that had not existed previously with the intention of modifying the Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans’) review process when considering a permit application for a new advertising display and defines “customary maintenance” of an advertising display. CSAC joined with the League of California Cities (CalCities) in opposition to this effort as it effectively granted billboard owners the exemption from basic building and safety standards that was successfully defended against in Viacom v. City of Arcata, 140 Cal.App.4th 230 (2006). CSAC and CalCities jointly filed an amicus brief in support of the City of Arcata in the 2006 appellate case. The bill has been amended to remove the language that defined ‘customary maintenance’ which has led CSAC and CalCities to remove our opposition to this bill.
SB 445 (Wiener) High-speed rail: third-party agreements, permits, and approvals: regulations
CSAC Position: OPPOSE
Status: Held under submission
This bill would have directed the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) to develop both internal rules governing HSRA’s engagement of specified utilities to ensure coordination and cooperation in relocating utility infrastructure and regulations governing local agency permits and approvals. CSAC was concerned that the bill could create significant problems for county utilities and infrastructure that provides electric, water, sewer, and telecommunications services. Additionally, we believe that the significant policy changes the bill sought should have gone through vetting in the appropriate policy committees and robust engagement by impacted local governments and utilities.
Questions? Contact:
Mark Neuburger, Legislative Advocate, at mneuburger@counties.org