April 3, 2025
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Valerie Evans, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
GENDER EQUALITY IN SPORTS
AB 89, as introduced (02/23/2025), Sanchez (R). Interscholastic sports: gender equity.
Existing law recognizes the California Interscholastic Federation (”CIF”) to be a voluntary organization that consists of school and school-related personnel with responsibility for administering interscholastic athletic activities in secondary schools. Existing law requires the CIF to report, as provided, to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature and the Governor on its goals and objectives with regard to, and the status of, among other things, gender equity in interscholastic athletics, including, but not limited to, the number of male and female pupils participating in interscholastic athletics in secondary schools, and actions it has taken in order to ensure compliance with Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972.
This bill would require the CIF to amend its constitution, bylaws, and policies to prohibit a pupil whose sex was assigned male at birth from participating on a girls’ interscholastic sports team.
HOUSING BOND
AB 736, as introduced (03/03/2025), Wicks (D). The Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026.
Under existing law, there are programs providing assistance for, among other things, emergency housing, multifamily housing, farmworker housing, home ownership for very low and low-income households, and down payment assistance for first-time home buyers.
Existing law also authorizes the issuance of bonds in specified amounts pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law and requires that proceeds from the sale of these bonds be used to finance various existing housing programs, capital outlay related to infill development, brownfield cleanup that promotes infill development, and housing-related parks.
This bill would enact the Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026, which, if adopted, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $10,000,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law. Proceeds from the sale of these bonds would be used to finance programs to fund affordable rental housing and home ownership programs, including, among others, the Multifamily Housing Program, the CalHome Program, and the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program.
This bill would provide for submission of the bond act to the voters at the June 2, 2026, statewide primary election, in accordance with specified law.
Hearing: Apr 9 @ 9:30 am in State Capitol, Room 437
(More bonds for affordable housing??)
VOTER REGISTRATION
AB 1116, as amended (03/28/2025), Berman (D). Elections: voter registration.
Existing law authorizes a person who is qualified to register to vote and who has a valid California driver’s license or state identification card to submit an affidavit of voter registration electronically on the Secretary of State’s internet website.
Existing law requires this affidavit to contain a statement that the county elections official must compare the affiant’s signature on the identification envelope for the return of a vote by mail ballot with the signatures appearing in the voter’s registration record, including the signature appearing on the applicant’s driver’s license or state identification card. The Secretary of State must require a person who submits such an affidavit to submit, among other things, the number from their California driver’s license or state identification card.
This bill would additionally authorize a person who is qualified to register to vote to submit an affidavit of voter registration on the Secretary of State’s internet website even if the person has not been issued a California driver’s license or state identification card, as long as the person provides the last four digits of their social security number with their affidavit.
The bill would require the Secretary of State to develop a process to allow such an applicant to electronically upload a high-quality digitized image of the applicant’s signature through the electronic voter registration interface. interface, and would require this signature upload process to be accessible to people with disabilities. The bill would additionally authorize a county elections official to compare the affiant’s signature on the identification envelope for the return of a vote by mail ballot with this digitized image of the affiant’s signature.
The bill would authorize the Secretary of State to authenticate the identity of an applicant who electronically submits an affidavit of voter registration without providing a California driver’s license or state identification card by verifying the last 4 digits of the applicant’s social security number, the applicant’s full name, and the applicant’s date of birth.
The bill would authorize the Secretary of State to adopt regulations as necessary to implement its provisions. The bill would specify that its provisions become operative on the earlier of (1) January 1, 2027, or (2) five days after the date on which the Secretary of State certifies that information technology infrastructure necessary to implement its provisions is functional.
Hearing: Apr 9 @ 9:00 am in State Capitol, Room 444
(More voter registration options??)
LAW / TRIALS
AB 814 Introduced (02/19/2025), (Schiavo) (D) Personal income tax law: exclusions: law enforcement –
The Personal Income Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines “gross income” as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income.
This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2030, would exclude from gross income qualified payments received by a taxpayer during the taxable year. The bill would define qualified payments to mean either amounts received from a pension plan the taxpayer is the beneficiary of based on services performed as a peace officer, as defined, or amounts received as the beneficiary of an annuity plan set up for the surviving spouse or dependent of a person that lost their life in services as a peace officer, as specified.
Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements.
This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to provide any data requested by the Legislative Analyst’s Office to write the report, as provided, and would make taxpayer information received by the Legislative Analyst’s Office subject to specified law limiting the collection and use of that information, the violation of which is a crime. By expanding the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(Any idea why peace officer beneficiaries would be exempt from State income tax for 5 years?)
SB 758, as introduced (02/21/2025), Umberg (D). Juries: peremptory challenges.
Existing law provides for the exclusion of a prospective juror from a trial jury by peremptory challenge. Existing law prohibits a party from using a peremptory challenge to remove a prospective juror on the basis of an assumption that the prospective juror is biased merely because of the sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or sexual orientation of the prospective juror, or on similar grounds.
Under existing law, a peremptory challenge for specified reasons, including a prospective juror expressing a distrust of or having a negative experience with law enforcement or the criminal legal system, expressing a belief that law enforcement officers engage in racial profiling or that criminal laws have been enforced in a discriminatory manner, or having a close relationship with people who have been stopped, arrested, or convicted of a crime, are presumed to be invalid unless the party exercising the peremptory challenge meets specified requirements.
This bill would, in cases where a law enforcement officer is a defendant or alleged victim, remove the presumption of invalidity for a peremptory challenge for a prospective juror’s expressing a distrust of or having a negative experience with law enforcement or the criminal legal system, expressing a belief that law enforcement officers engage in racial profiling or that criminal laws have been enforced in a discriminatory manner, or having a close relationship with people who have been stopped, arrested, or convicted of a crime.
Hearing: Apr 8 @ 9:00 am in 1021 O Street, Room 2200
FIREARMS
AB 824, as introduced (02/19/2025), Stefani (D). Protective orders: firearms and ammunition.
Existing law establishes procedures by which a person may petition the court for certain protective or restraining orders, including civil harassment restraining orders, domestic violence restraining orders, elder or dependent adult abuse restraining orders, gun violence restraining orders, postsecondary school restraining orders, and workplace violence restraining orders, to enjoin a restrained person from taking specified actions.
Beginning January 1, 2026, upon a court’s issuance of such a protective order, existing law will require the restrained person to relinquish any firearm and ammunition in that person’s immediate possession or control, according to specified procedures. Existing law prescribes procedures by which the restrained person must certify compliance with the court, and for the court to determine, by a preponderance of the evidence, whether the person has a firearm in violation of the order.
This bill would make clarifying and conforming changes to the procedures relating to the protective or restraining orders described above by explicitly requiring the restrained person to relinquish, in addition to any firearm, any ammunition in that person’s immediate possession or control.
Beginning January 1, 2026, the bill would also require the Judicial Council to include, on the petition form for the protective or restraining orders described above, a statement that any party or witness may request to appear remotely at a hearing on the petition through the use of remote technology.
THEFT
AB710 , introduced (02/14/2025), Irwin (D), Theft of a gift card –
Existing law makes every person who with intent to defraud, sells, transfer, or conveys an access card, as defined, without the cardholder’s or issuer’s consent guilty of grand theft. Existing law makes every person who, with the intent to defraud, designs, makes, alters, or embosses a counterfeit access card or utters or otherwise attempts to use a counterfeit access card guilty of forgery. Existing law makes every person who, with the intent to defraud, uses a forged or altered card guilty of theft.
This bill would make a person who, with the intent to defraud, acquires or retains possession of a gift card or gift card redemption information, or uses an acquired or forged card without the consent of the cardholder card issuer or gift card seller, or with the intent to defraud, devises a scheme to obtain a gift card or gift card redemption information from a cardholder, card issuer, or gift card seller by means if false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises guilty of theft, punishable as a misdemeanor, and if the things of value that are acquired or used exceed $950, guilty of grand theft, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony. The bill would make a person who, with the intent to defraud, alters or tampers with a gift card guilty of forgery, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony.
REPARATIONS
SB 437, as introduced (02/18/2025), Weber Pierson (D). California State University: claim eligibility: genealogy and descendancy.
Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requires the trustees to control and expend all money appropriated for the support and maintenance of the university.
Former law, until July 1, 2023, established the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, with a Special Consideration for African Americans Who are Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States (Task Force).
Former law required the Task Force, among other things, to identify, compile, and synthesize the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and the colonies, as specified, and to recommend the form of compensation that should be awarded, the instrumentalities through which it should be awarded, and who should be eligible for this compensation.
This bill would require the Director of Finance to allocate $6,000,000, as specified, for the purpose of enabling the California State University to conduct research in furtherance of the recommendations of the Task Force, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would authorize the California State University to partner with other universities or nonprofit institutions in furtherance of the bill.
The bill would require, before the start of each fiscal year, the California State University to consult with the California Legislative Black Caucus to propose a list of research components to be addressed through the appropriation, as provided.
This bill would require the California State University to explore options to determine how to confirm an individual’s status as a descendant and to establish a process for conducting or verifying genealogical research to confirm eligibility for reparative claims. The bill would authorize the funding described above to be used to support student participation in support of this goal. The bill would require the California State University, on or before October 1 of each year and until funding is exhausted, to submit to the Legislature and Governor a report with a status update of pending research projects, and any research projects that have been completed within the prior year. The bill would require the final report to include research findings, recommendations with options, and timelines for statewide implementation, including costs, developed pursuant to these provisions.
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