Halfway Point: Gov’s Sign/Veto Deadline Approaches on Sept. 30

The first half of September has elapsed, and the first day of fall is just five days away — marking the halfway point to the Governor’s September 30 deadline to sign or veto legislation. 

September has a way of signaling that change is coming. The days grow shorter, the seasons shift, and in Sacramento, the long process of turning legislation into law enters its final stretch. Hundreds of bills are now before the Governor, with decisions coming in the weeks ahead. 

CSAC is tracking those decisions closely and highlighting recent legislative actions that may be of particular interest to counties. We will continue to provide updates as the Governor takes action through the end of the month. 

Follow legislative activity and CSAC advocacy on our Legislative Tracking page. Questions? Contact CSAC legislative staff. 

Legislative Outcomes So Far:  

CHAPTERED LEGISLATION THAT CSAC SUPPORTED:  

AB 1153 (Bonta) Illegal disposal site abatement.
Read the coalition request for signature letter. 

AB 1617 (Alanis) Household hazardous waste: reporting.
Read CSAC’s request for signature letter. 

AB 1786 (Harabedian) Public contracts: best value construction contracting for counties, cities, and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments.
Read CSAC’s request for signature letter.  

AB 2015 (Wicks) Department of Transportation: third-party navigation applications: study and report.
Read CSAC’s request for signature letter. 

AB 2341 (Fong) Local government: emergency response services: use of languages other than English.
Read the coalition request for signature letter. 

SB 922 (Laird) Vehicles: local agency charges: use of streets or highways
Read the coalition request for signature letter. 

SB 935 (Choi) Local agency design-build projects: authorization. 

CHAPTERED LEGISLATION THAT CSAC OPPOSED:
Read the coalition request for signature letter. 

SB 1193 (Wahab) Discretionary funds: County of Alameda.
Read the coalition request for veto letter. 

Be on the Lookout: Notable Bills Pending on the Governor’s Desk:  

Higher pension costs: CSAC continues to advocate against legislation that would substantially increase pension costs. AB 1383 (McKinnor) would reduce retirement age for public safety members, establish a new 3% at 55 bargainable benefit tier, and increase compensation caps for any highly compensated member. Read the coalition’s request for veto letter here. 

Indigent Defense Compensation: CSAC, alongside the Urban Counties of California (UCC) and Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), remain opposed to AB 690 (Schultz), despite amendments during the last few weeks of the legislative session. The proposed changes most notably limit the prohibition on the use of flat fee payment models for cases that carry a life without the possibility of parole or death penalty sentence, and changes compliance with indigent defense workload standards to consideration of the workload standards, amongst other changes, which will result in administrative and fiscal impacts to counties statewide. Read the coalition’s request for veto letter here.  

Tribal Water Bills: CSAC opposes AB 1881 (Ramos) and AB 2218 (Kalra) as part of a wide coalition of local government and water agencies. While we support efforts to include tribal governments as part of land use and water decision making, these bills in their current forms would result in substantial legal exposure to counties and create delays and barriers across almost all relevant permitting programs, while also creating uncertainty in existing permits such as established water rights. 

AB 1881 (Ramos) establishes a private right of action, allowing tribes and individual tribal members to challenge state decisions involving state lands and waterways, thereby increasing potential litigation risk. The measure further prioritizes tribal governmental interests through a strict scrutiny standard and overlaps with, or conflicts with, existing state and federal frameworks that already govern tribal consultation and protections. Amendments to this measure were introduced today using a rule waiver, however, they do not rectify our concerns. Read the coalition’s request for veto letter here. 

AB 2218 (Kalra) seeks to address longstanding inequities faced by California Native American Tribes due to the loss of access to and control over water resources. However, the bill’s policy statement and directive introduce substantial uncertainty into existing water management processes by establishing a broad policy framework without providing clear direction, safeguards, or limitations to ensure the continued reliability of water supplies. This measure would also have unclear, but potentially far-reaching impacts on surface water rights. Read the coalition’s request for veto letter here. 

AB 218 Liability: SB 577 (Laird) addresses public agency liability due to AB 218 (Gonzalez, 2019), as well as general liability for cases when public agencies share a small portion of the fault. SB 577 includes provisions heightening evidence and knowledge standards for past claims brought by a claimant above age 40. The bill also improves joint and several liability, limiting public agency liability for economic damages to their share of fault, if their share of fault is fifteen percent or less. The bill also includes a variety of provisions aimed at prevention, including required adoption of assault prevention plans, requirements for recurring mandated reporter training, heightened state oversight and investigations roles, and opens certain personnel records held by the Office of Youth and Community Restoration. CSAC is neutral. 

Workplace Technology: Several bills would regulate the use of workplace technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems (ADS).  

AB 1883 (Bryan) would restrict how public agencies use tools defined as “workplace surveillance tools,” including routine security tools.  Amendments offered by our coalition of local government advocates that would have fully addressed our concerns while preserving the purpose of the bill were not taken. Read the coalition’s request for veto letter here.   

AB 2656 (Petrie Norris) would require public employers to provide 45-day written notice to union representatives before developing, purchasing, or requiring the use of any generative AI to perform a service that is within the scope of work of a represented job classification. CSAC has significant concerns regarding the burdensome, costly obligations for local agencies. Read the coalition’s request for veto letter here.   

SB 947 (McNerney) is the successor to SB 7 (McNerney) which was vetoed last year. This bill would complicate the routine work of local governments by regulating the use of ADS, which include AI and other routine tools used for everyday work when making employment-related decisions. Read the coalition’s request for veto letter here.