Jury service exemptions.

Drafting artifact removed: the phrase 'No An eligible person shall not be exempt' was corrected to 'An eligible person shall not be exempt' in both Section 1 and Section 2 of the bill.

Standard enrolled bill formatting added, including Assembly passage date (August 20, 2026), Senate passage date (August 19, 2026), governor's receipt and approval signature blocks, and chapter number placeholder.

Persons 80 or older seeking a permanent jury service excuse now must provide a written attestation to the jury commissioner stating they have an impairment permanently rendering them incapable of performing jury service. Previously, the bill allowed them to seek the exemption based solely on age without any supporting documentation.

The basis for the permanent exemption was narrowed from simply being 80 years old to being 80 or older AND having a medical impairment that permanently renders the person incapable of performing jury service.

A sunset clause was added to the amended existing Section 204, providing that it remains in effect only until January 1, 2028, and is then repealed. This creates a clean transition point where the old section expires and the newly added Section 204 takes effect on the same date.

The bill's title was changed from 'An act to amend Section 204' to 'An act to amend, repeal, and add Section 204,' reflecting the new structural approach of replacing the section entirely on January 1, 2028 rather than simply amending it in place.

Entire Section 65914.91 of the Government Code was deleted. This section would have authorized housing-forward jurisdictions (prohousing jurisdictions that met regional housing targets) to impose conditions on development projects, including prohibiting density bonus reductions to commercial ground floor space, bicycle parking, and showers, and requiring impact fees for accessory dwelling units on multifamily sites.

The bill title and legislative digest were narrowed to reference only the jury service amendment, removing all references to land use and housing-forward jurisdictions.

A new subdivision (d) was added to Section 204 of the Code of Civil Procedure stating the section shall become operative on January 1, 2028, delaying the effective date of the jury service exemption for persons 80 and older.

A new Section 1 amends Code of Civil Procedure Section 204 to allow any person 80 years of age or older to seek a permanent excuse from jury service without providing a supporting letter, memorandum, or note from a treating health care provider. The court is required to grant the permanent excuse if requested.

The prior version included a second Section 1 stating it was the intent of the legislature to enact subsequent legislation authorizing housing-forward jurisdictions to impose conditions on development projects. This 'intent' declaration has been removed, as the operative provisions (Section 65914.91) are now in effect beginning January 1, 2026.

The Judicial Council is authorized to adopt or amend rules of court and publish related judicial forms to implement the new age-based jury service exemption.

The fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' meaning the bill now requires review by the Legislative Fiscal Committee, likely due to the added jury service provisions having potential state fiscal impact.

Assembly Member Bryan was added as a coauthor of the bill.

Added Section 65914.91 to the Government Code, making the bill operative rather than purely declaratory. The new section takes effect January 1, 2026.

Specified that the new conditions apply to all housing development applications regardless of approval process - streamlined, ministerial, conditional use permit, or any other nonlegislative discretionary approval.

Defined 'housing-forward jurisdiction' as a city or county that (A) met or exceeded RHNA targets in the most recent prior planning cycle for each income level, (B) met or exceeded its share of regional housing need under Section 65584 for each income level, and (C) is designated as a prohousing jurisdiction under Section 65589.9.

Authorized housing-forward jurisdictions to prohibit developers from using density bonus benefits to reduce commercial ground floor use below the lesser of required square footage or half the ground floor area.

Authorized housing-forward jurisdictions to prohibit developers from using density bonus benefits to reduce bicycle parking/storage below the lesser of required spaces or one long-term space per unit plus one short-term space per four units.

Authorized housing-forward jurisdictions to prohibit density bonus reductions of showers in mixed-use developments, with a tiered minimum based on gross floor area (0 for under 12,500 sq ft; 1 for 12,500-29,999; 2 for 30,000-49,999; 4 for 50,000 or greater).

Authorized housing-forward jurisdictions to require impact fees for ADUs (including those under 750 square feet) on multifamily projects, capped at the fee for a multifamily unit. Excludes junior ADUs and ADUs added to individually owned parcels (defined as owning five or fewer parcels in the jurisdiction).

Updated the bill title and legislative counsel's digest to reflect both the new operative provisions (development conditions for housing-forward jurisdictions) and the retained intent statement for future legislation.