February 13, 2025
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Valerie Evans, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
MORE ON THE CALIFORNIA BUDGET
2025 BUDGET FOR EDUCATION
Under Proposition 98 which sets the minimum the State can allocate to schools, the budget includes $137 billion ($83 billion from the general fund and $54 billion other funds) for all TK-12 education programs.
Proposition 98 General Fund spending per pupil would be $18,918 in 2025-26 and $24,764 per pupil from all spending sources. Compared to six years ago, the year before the pandemic started and when and counting for all funds, it is an increase of $7,750 per pupil or 46%. The budget reflects a revised final balance in the Public School System Stabilization Account of $1.5 billion at the end of 2025-26.
Proposition 2 School Facility Funding is a result of a November 2024 authorization of $8.5 billion in State General Obligation bonds for K-12 schools to be allocated through the School Facility Program. The funding allocation is $4 billion for modernization projects, $3.3 billion for construction, $600 million for charter schools and $7 million for career technical education projects.
It should be noted that the 2024-25 budget eliminated a planned $550 million one-time general fund investment in the Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, and Full Day Kindergarten Facility Grant program and another planned $875 million one-time General Fund Investment in the School Facility Program, in anticipation of the bond passing
HOUSING
AB239 (Marabedian and Irwin D State and County of Los Angeles Housing Task Force} –
State-led County of Los Angeles disaster housing task force.
Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and sets forth its powers and duties, including updating and revising the California Statewide Housing Plan.
Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services (OES), which is responsible for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or human-induced disasters and emergencies, including responsibility for activities necessary to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters on people and property.
This bill would require HCD and OES to jointly convene a state-led County of Los Angeles disaster housing task force, for the purpose of coordinating and streamlining efforts between HCD, FEMA, OES and local governments to rebuild housing in communities impacted by the wildfires that began on 1/7/25, in the County of Los Angeles.
The bill will require the task force to appoint a state disaster housing coordinator to accelerate the delivery of resources to communities impacted by the wildfires. The bill would require the task force to report to the legislature on the status of rebuilding housing in communities impacted by the wildfires, on April 1, 2026 and every quarter thereafter.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura.
This bill declares that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
GUN RELATED
SB 248, Rubio (D), January 30, 2025SB 248, as introduced, Rubio. Firearms: information to new owners.
Existing law requires any sale, loan, or transfer of a firearm to be processed through a licensed firearms dealer. Existing law exempts from this requirement certain transfers such as those made by gift, bequest, intestate succession, or operation of law, among others. Existing law requires a person who receives a firearm pursuant to these provisions to submit to the Department of Justice a report, as prescribed by the department, describing the firearm and providing personal information.
Existing law requires that fees charged by the department for the processing of these forms be deposited in the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account, which is available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to offset certain costs relating to the regulation of firearms, among other things.
This bill would, beginning July 1, 2027, require the department to mail to any person who notifies the department pursuant to the above-described reports of a firearm transaction a letter that includes certain information relevant to firearm ownership, such as information on how to legally transfer or relinquish a firearm and resources regarding gun violence restraining orders, among others. The bill would state that the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account may, upon an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, be used for any costs associated with this law’s implementation.
AB 256, as introduced, DeMaio (R), January 16, 2025. Crimes involving firearms.
Existing law establishes that the state has a compelling interest in protecting its citizens from crimes involving firearms. Existing law generally regulates the manufacture, distribution, transportation, and importation of specified firearms.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to crimes involving firearms.
WATER
SB 72, as introduced, Caballero(D), January 15, 2025. The California Water Plan: long-term supply targets.
Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to update every 5 years the plan for the orderly and coordinated control, protection, conservation, development, and use of the water resources of the state, which is known as “The California Water Plan.”
Existing law requires the department to include a discussion of various strategies in the plan update, including, but not limited to, strategies relating to the development of new water storage facilities, water conservation, water recycling, desalination, conjunctive use, and water transfers, that may be pursued in order to meet the future needs of the state. Existing law requires the department to establish an advisory committee to assist the department in updating the plan.
This bill would revise and recast certain provisions regarding The California Water Plan to, among other things, require the department to expand the membership of the advisory committee to include tribes, labor, and environmental justice interests. The bill would require the department, as part of the 2033 update to the plan, to update the interim planning target for 2050, as provided.
The bill would require the target to consider the identified and future water needs for a sustainable urban sector, agricultural sector, and environment, and ensure safe drinking water for all Californians, among other things.
The bill would require the plan to include specified components, including a discussion of the estimated costs and benefits of any project type or action that is recommended by the department within the plan that could help achieve the water supply targets.
The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature the amendments, supplements, and additions included in the updates of the plan, together with a summary of the department’s conclusions and recommendations, in the session in which the updated plan is issued. The bill would also require the department to conduct public workshops to give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the plan.
CLIMATE CHANGE
SB 222, as introduced, Wiener (D), January 27, 2025. Climate disasters: civil actions.
(1) Existing law gives a person the right of protection from bodily harm and the right to possess and use property. If a person suffers bodily harm or a loss of their property because of the unlawful act or omission of another, existing law authorizes them to recover compensation from the person at fault, which is known as damages.
This bill would authorize a person to bring a civil action, if specified criteria are met, including damages of $10,000 or more, against a party responsible for a climate disaster or extreme weather or other events attributable to climate change due to the responsible party’s misleading and deceptive practices or the provision of misinformation or disinformation about the connection between its fossil fuel products and climate change and extreme weather or other events attributable to climate change.
The bill would make responsible parties jointly, severally, and strictly liable to a plaintiff for the climate disaster or extreme weather or other events attributable to climate change. The bill would set forth venue requirements and prohibited defenses for that action, and would require the court to award a prevailing plaintiff the full extent of noneconomic, compensatory, and punitive damages allowable, as specified.
The bill would provide that the connection of a climate disaster, extreme weather or other events attributable to climate change, or harms resulting from long-term changes to the climate system to alleged injuries are an injury in fact for all residents of the state harmed by the event and would give those persons standing to bring a civil action pursuant to the above-described provisions.
The bill would also make a person who seeks declaratory or injunctive relief to prevent enforcement of the above-described provisions or any other related law, as specified, jointly and severally liable to pay the attorney’s fees and costs of the prevailing party, as specified.
(2) Existing law generally regulates the business of insurance in the state. The California FAIR Plan Association is a joint reinsurance association in which all insurers licensed to write basic property insurance participate in administering a program for the equitable apportionment of basic property insurance for persons who are unable to obtain that coverage through normal channels.
Under existing law, a member insurer participates in the writings, expenses, and profits and losses of the association in proportion to its written premiums, as specified. Existing law authorizes the association, with the Insurance Commissioner’s approval, to assess member insurers in amounts sufficient to operate the association.
This bill would authorize an insurer to seek damages against a responsible party for a climate disaster, pursuant to the above-described provisions. Within 90 calendar days of its operative date, the bill would require the commissioner to establish an independent advisory body of industry experts to conduct cost-benefit analyses of the effect of a climate disaster, or extreme weather or other events attributable to climate change, on the association.
The bill would require the association to exercise its right of subrogation against a responsible party for a climate disaster or extreme weather or other events attributable to climate change, if the association pays claims and the independent advisory body determines the benefits of subrogation outweigh the costs.
The bill would authorize the association to assess member insurers in amounts if the claims paid after a climate disaster or extreme weather or other events attributable to climate change exhaust the association’s claims-paying capacity, but would provide for adjusting an assessment amount if the insurer does or does not exercise its right of subrogation against a responsible party.
(3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
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”.
