October 23, 2025
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Valerie Evans, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
THE SESSION HAS ENDED
THE GOVERNOR HAS SIGNED ~ 800 BILLS AND VETOED 123 BILLS
Besides signing SB 79 and AB 495, he has signed several other bills that rival rational Republican thinking.
MORE ON THE SIGNING OF AB 495
AB 495 Family Preparedness Plan Act 2025
It should be noted that this bill was submitted and approved by the Governor because of ICE possibly picking up parents while their children were still in school and as a way for the children to be taken care of. However, it is controversial because it could lead to unauthorized and nefarious persons picking up children for improper reasons.
Under existing law, a caregiver who is 18 years of age or older and signs a caregiver’s authorization affidavit under penalty of perjury for a minor who lives in their home is authorized to enroll the minor in school and consent to school-related medical care on behalf of the minor. Under existing law, a caregiver who is 18 years of age or older signs the caregiver’s authorization affidavit under penalty of perjury and who is a certain type of relative of the minor who lives in their home, has the same rights to authorize medical care for the minor that are given to guardians, as specified.
Under existing law, a person who acts in good faith reliance on a completed caregiver’s authorization affidavit to provide medical or dental care, without actual knowledge of facts contrary to those stated on the affidavit, is not subject to criminal or civil liability or professional disciplinary action for that reliance, but is not relieved from liability for violations of other provisions of law.person who acts in good faith reliance on a completed caregiver’s authorization affidavit to provide medical or dental care, without actual knowledge of facts contrary to those stated on the affidavit, is not subject to criminal or civil liability or professional disciplinary action for that reliance, but is not relieved from liability for violations of other provisions of law.
This bill amends the statutory form for a caregiver’s authority affidavit.
The bill authorizes a court, in its discretion, to appoint a custodial parent and a person nominated by the custodial parent as joint guardians of the person of the minor, if the custodial parent will be temporarily unavailable due to specified circumstances, including among other things, an immigration-related administrative action. The bill makes all records, petitions, orders and documents related to these proceedings considered.
The bill would provide that absence is a basis for a delayed effectiveness of a guardianship and that such circumstances would not be a basis for subsequent legal incapacity for the nomination.
There are several other provisions that appear to allow anyone to pick up or take custody of the child or children.
SB 155—Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review. Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development: California Civic Media Program.
Existing law establishes the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. In this regard, existing law authorizes GO-Biz to make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature on new state policies and to provide data, information, and assistance, as specified.
This bill would establish the California Civic Media Program to be administered by GO-Biz in the advancement of specified goals, including enhancing the public good through supporting a robust and dynamic California press corps, as provided. The bill would establish the California Civic Media Fund, as a continuously appropriated fund, and would appropriate $10,000,000 from the General Fund to the California Civic Media Fund, for use by GO-Biz for purposes of the program.
The bill would require GO-Biz to direct allocations of public moneys in the fund, and the director of GO-Biz to establish and appoint a 9-person advisory board consisting of designated membership to provide recommendations to GO-Biz for the allocation of private moneys in the fund, as specified. The bill would prohibit, in any fiscal year, the total expenditure of public money from the fund from exceeding the total aggregate expenditure of funds from private sources, as provided.
In the words of Carl DeMaio: “Creates a slush fund for Newsom to funnel millions in taxpayer money to “friendly” media outlets that praise his policies.”
SB 518—Descendants of enslaved persons: reparations.
This bill will establish the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery within the department, under the control of the deputy director, who would be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The bill will require the bureau to create a Genealogy Division, as specified, and to verify an individual’s status as a descendant and would require proof of an individual’s descendant status to be a qualifying criterion for benefits authorized by the state for descendants. The bill will also require the bureau to create an Education and Outreach Division and a Legal Affairs Division.
The bill will impose various requirements on the bureau relating to the collection, storage, and disclosure of personal and genetic information, as specified. The bill would authorize the bureau to receive moneys from any federal, state, or local grant and from any nongovernmental entity, as specified.
“Sets up a massive new state agency to hand out taxpayer funds based soley on skin color.”
AB 361—Best value procurement: school districts.
Existing law establishes a pilot program authorizing the Los Angeles Unified School District to use, before December 31, 2025, a best value procurement method for bid evaluation and selection for public projects that exceed $1,000,000. The pilot program establishes various requirements applicable to the use of the best value procurement method under the authorization.
Existing law requires the school district to submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on the use of the best value procurement method as provided and in accordance with a specified schedule. These provisions are repealed on January 1, 2026.
This bill deletes the reporting requirement and repeal date, thereby extending these provisions concerning the Los Angeles Unified School District indefinitely, and make related conforming changes.
This bill would additionally authorize the governing board of any school district, except for the Los Angeles Unified School District, to use, before December 31, 2030, a best value procurement method for bid evaluation and selection for public projects that exceed $1,000,000. The bill would establish various requirements applicable to the use of the best value procurement method under this authorization.
The bill would require a school district to submit a report on the use of the best value procurement method, as specified, to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2030. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2031.
“Forces public projects to use only “Project Labor Agreements,” locking out non-union workers and driving up costs.”
SB 42—Political Reform Act of 1974: public campaign financing: California Fair Elections Act of 2026.
Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, prohibits a public officer from expending, and a candidate from accepting, public moneys for the purpose of seeking elective office.
This bill would remove prohibitions imposed on a public officer or candidate to expend or accept public funds, as defined, for the purpose of seeking elective office unless the funds are earmarked by a state or local entity for education, transportation, or public safety. The bill would require candidates to abide by specified expenditure limits and meet strict criteria, as defined, to qualify for public funds.
The bill would prohibit public funds from being used to pay legal defense fees or fines or to repay personal loans to their campaign. The bill would permit a statute, ordinance, or charter to establish standards to increase the expenditure limits for each qualified, voluntarily participating candidate pursuant to a specified formula. The bill would provide that the Fair Political Practices Commission is not responsible for administering or enforcing a system of public funding of candidates established by a local governmental agency.
Existing law prohibits a foreign government or foreign principal, as defined, from making a contribution, expenditure, or independent expenditure in connection with the qualification or support of, or opposition to, any state or local ballot measure or in connection with the election of a candidate to state or local office. Under existing law, a person who violates this prohibition is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine equal to the amount contributed or expended.
This bill would instead require that a person guilty of that misdemeanor, in addition to other penalties, be fined an amount at least equal to the amount contributed or expended, but not exceeding a maximum amount of 3 times the amount contributed or expended.
The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the act may be amended by a statute that becomes effective upon approval of the voters.
This bill would require the Secretary of State to submit the provisions of the bill, as specified, to the voters for approval at the November 3, 2026, statewide general election. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 85320 of the Government Code proposed by AB 953 to be operative pursuant to specified conditions.
SOME VETOES OF INTEREST
SB 418, Health care coverage: prescription hormone therapy and nondiscrimination.
Existing law sets forth specified coverage requirements for health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies. Existing law generally authorizes a health care service plan or health insurer to use utilization controls to approve, modify, delay, or deny requests for health care services based on medical necessity. Existing law requires health care service plans and health insurers, as specified, within 6 months after the relevant department issues specified guidance, or no later than March 1, 2025, to require all of their staff who are in direct contact with enrollees or insureds in the delivery of care or enrollee or insured services to complete evidence-based cultural competency training for the purpose of providing trans-inclusive health care for individuals who identify as transgender, gender diverse, or intersex.
This bill would require a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, renewed, or delivered on or after the bill’s operative date that provides outpatient prescription drug benefits to cover up to a 12-month supply of a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription hormone therapy, and the necessary supplies for self-administration, that is prescribed by a network provider within their scope of practice and dispensed at one time, as specified.
The bill would make the same prescription hormone therapy a covered benefit under the Medi-Cal program, as specified. The bill would prohibit a plan or an insurer from imposing utilization controls or other forms of medical management limiting the supply of this hormone therapy to an amount that is less than a 12-month supply, but would not prohibit a contract, a policy, or the Medi-Cal program from limiting refills that may be obtained in the last quarter of the plan, policy, or coverage year if a 12-month supply of the prescription hormone therapy has already been dispensed during that year. The bill would exclude a Medi-Cal managed care plan contracting with the State Department of Health Care Services from these requirements. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2035.
This bill would additionally require a pharmacist to dispense, at a patient’s request, up to a 12-month supply of an FDA-approved, prescription hormone therapy pursuant to a valid prescription that specifies an initial quantity followed by periodic refills, unless an exception is met.
Also vetoed
AB 7, Postsecondary education: admissions preference: descendants of slavery.
The California Constitution prohibits the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.
The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California’s public and independent segments of higher education and their respective institutions of higher education. A provision of the act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make the provision applicable.
This bill would state that the California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions may consider providing a preference in admissions to an applicant who is a descendant of slavery, as defined, to the extent it does not conflict with federal law.
REMEMBER
“NO” ON PROPOSITION 50
If you haven’t done so, please sign the Voter ID initiative: https://www.reformcalifornia.org/cavoterid/home
and the Save Prop 13 Initiative:
https://www.hjta.org/saveprop13_Sign_petition/
Legislative Portal links – Express your support or opposition to a bill or directly to the Legislative committee currently reviewing it (as an individual, not as a member of RW or GSRW) – click here, or the bill’s author – click here, enter your bill # and look for tab at top of the bill page labeled “Comments to Author”.
