120 Legislators Return to the Capitol
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CSAC has a finger on the pulse of political and governmental activity in Sacramento and cuts through the noise to deliver the trends, insights, and key developments necessary to keep counties well-informed. Here’s what you need to know about the hustle and bustle at the State Capitol this week:
2025-2026 Legislative Session Reconvenes
On Monday, January 4, the Legislature reconvened from the long winter recess to begin the second year of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session. While there continues to be intense focus on the Newsom Administration’s posturing towards the federal administration, legislative leadership has indicated that their priorities for 2026 continue to be state-focused.
The topics that dominate the conversation in 2026 are not expected to differ substantially from those that did in 2025, including policy areas that address quality of life and the cost of living for California residents, like affordable housing, childcare, access to healthcare, and energy costs. Additional priorities and tone-setting for the year were communicated by legislative leadership during the first Senate and Assembly floor sessions on Monday.
Of course, achieving meaningful progress for these priorities is subject to the fiscal condition of the state, which will be discussed in detail when the Governor’s proposal for the 2026-27 state budget is presented during a press conference tomorrow at 10:00am. How the Newsom Administration and the Legislature build the state budget will drive the narrative around how legislative priorities will, or will not, be realized this year.
As a regular course of business, January includes many significant legislative deadlines for the thousands of bills making their way through the Legislature, including the state Budget Bill:
| Snapshot of Upcoming Legislative Deadlines | |
| Date/Deadline | Activity/Event |
| Saturday, January 10 | Last day for the Governor to submit the budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year to the Legislature (Budget Bill). |
| Friday, January 16 | Last day for policy committees to hear and report bills with fiscal impacts that were introduced in 2025 to fiscal committees (the appropriations committees). |
| Friday, January 23 | Last day for any committee to hear bills that were introduced in 2025 and report them to the Floor. |
| Saturday, January 31 | Last day for each house to pass bills introduced in that house in 2025 (also called the “house of origin” deadline). |
Resources for County Officials and County Staff
You can track legislation with potential impacts to county governments and CSAC’s legislative advocacy by visiting the Legislative Tracking webpage on the CSAC website. CSAC looks forward to the critical work of advocating for the best interests of county governments throughout 2026. Please contact CSAC Legislative Affairs staff with questions regarding specific legislation or policies.
Related webpages for further information about the 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
CSAC will continue to publish comprehensive updates on the legislative process in our weekly bulletin. In the interim, please contact CSAC legislative affairs staff with questions about specific policy areas.