SB 926 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Public safety: Funding of Proposition 36 Act.

Summary

Existing law generally provides financial support for cities and counties to provide public safety services, including, among other funding, moneys allocated through the Local Revenue Fund 2011 and its accounts. Existing law, enacted by the voters as the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act (Proposition 36) at the November 5, 2024, statewide general election, authorizes the Board of State and Community Corrections to allocate appropriate funds to counties and local governments for programs under the Treatment-Mandated Felony Act, as specified. This bill, the Funding of Proposition 36 Act, would create the California Public Safety Services Support Fund to be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to implement Proposition 36. The bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature for the 2026–27 fiscal year, require the funds to be administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections, as specified. The bill would also require, beginning in the 2027–28 fiscal year, the Governor to annually include a proposed transfer from the General Fund to the California Public Safety Services Support Fund of an amount sufficient to fund the ongoing administration of Proposition 36 as part of the Governor's proposed budget to the Legislature. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 29, 2026 Last action May 14, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

04/23/26 - Amended Senate → SB926 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The final enacted version of SB 926 removed the direct $400 million transfer from the General Fund to the newly created California Public Safety Services Support Fund. Instead of making an appropriation itself, the bill now requires that any moneys the Legislature separately appropriates to the fund be used for specified Proposition 36 implementation purposes. This shifts the funding decision from this bill to the regular budget process.

FISCAL

The $400 million direct transfer from the General Fund to the California Public Safety Services Support Fund for FY 2026-27 was removed. The bill no longer appropriates a specific dollar amount.

Section 3(b) was rewritten from a mandatory Controller transfer of $400 million to a provision stating that any moneys appropriated by the Legislature to the fund for FY 2026-27 shall be used for implementing Proposition 36. The bill now creates the funding framework without specifying an amount.

The appropriation status changed from 'yes' to 'no,' confirming the bill no longer makes a direct appropriation and instead relies on future legislative appropriations.

TECHNICAL

In Section 3(c), the phrase 'continued implementation' was changed to 'ongoing administration' in the requirement for the Governor to include a proposed transfer in annual budget proposals starting FY 2027-28.

04/06/26 - Amended Senate → 04/23/26 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · Apr 23, 2026

MODERATE

The April 23 amendment to SB 926 makes three major changes: it replaces a formula-based funding mechanism (the greater of $280 million or 6.22 percent of the Economic Uncertainties Fund transfer, capped at $400 million) with a flat $400 million transfer; it removes specific percentage allocations for fund distribution, giving the Board of State and Community Corrections discretion in how to divide funds among recipients; and it changes the bill from a direct appropriation to one that requires future legislative appropriation, which also changes the bill's classification from an appropriation bill to a non-appropriation bill.

FISCAL

The funding formula was replaced. Previously the transfer was the greater of $280 million or 6.22 percent of the 2025-26 General Fund transfer to the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties, capped at $400 million. Now it is a flat $400 million transfer from the General Fund.

The bill changed from a direct appropriation ('are hereby appropriated') to conditional language ('Any moneys appropriated by the Legislature... shall be for the purpose of implementing'). The summary line now reads 'Appropriation: no' instead of 'Appropriation: yes,' meaning the bill no longer directly appropriates funds and does not trigger the constitutional 2/3 vote requirement for appropriations.

REQUIREMENT

Specific percentage allocations for fund distribution were removed. The old version mandated 35.71 percent to county behavioral health departments, 30.36 percent to county sheriffs, 16.07 percent to county probation departments, and 17.86 percent to counties for administrative costs. The new version lists the same recipient categories without fixed percentages, giving the Board of State and Community Corrections discretion in allocation.

TECHNICAL

The phrase 'continued implementation' was changed to 'continued implementation ongoing administration' in both the summary and the Governor's budget requirement section, though the combined phrasing appears to be a drafting error or missing conjunction.

03/12/26 - Amended Senate → 04/06/26 - Amended Senate · 6 edits · Apr 6, 2026

MODERATE

The April 6 amendment to SB 926 significantly increases and restructures funding for Proposition 36 implementation. It adds a $400 million floor to the transfer formula, designates the Board of State and Community Corrections as the administering body with an equitable allocation methodology, and creates two new funding streams for district attorneys and city police departments. The bill also removes a prior legislative intent statement about broader public safety funding.

Scope change

The bill's scope narrowed slightly by removing the broader legislative intent statement about public safety funding for cities and counties, but expanded in practice by adding two new recipient categories (district attorneys and city police departments) and a higher funding floor.

FISCAL

A $400 million floor amount was added to the General Fund transfer formula for FY 2026-27, raising the minimum guaranteed transfer above the previous $280 million threshold.

A new funding category (5) directs funds to district attorneys to offset additional costs of prosecuting more complex cases under Proposition 36.

A new funding category (6) directs funds to city police departments to support retail theft reduction programs and other community interventions consistent with Proposition 36.

REQUIREMENT

The Board of State and Community Corrections is now designated as the administering body for the funds, with allocation required on a statewide equitable basis taking into account population and caseload, while providing a base minimum to each county.

SCOPE

The prior Section 1 stating the Legislature's intent to enact legislation providing cities and counties funding for public safety services and costs was removed, narrowing the bill's stated scope to Proposition 36 specifically.

TECHNICAL

Digest annotations updated: Appropriation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' Fiscal committee changed from 'no' to 'yes,' and Vote notation simplified from 'majority 2/3' to '2/3.'

01/29/26 - Introduced → 03/12/26 - Amended Senate · 7 edits · Mar 12, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was transformed from a one-line statement of legislative intent into a full funding mechanism for Proposition 36 (the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act). The amended version creates the California Public Safety Services Support Fund, appropriates at least $280 million for FY 2026-27 with specific allocation percentages to behavioral health, sheriffs, probation, and administrative functions, and requires future Governors to include full Proposition 36 funding in their annual budget proposals.

Scope change

Expanded from a non-operative statement of legislative intent about public safety funding to an operative statute that creates a dedicated fund, appropriates specific dollars for FY 2026-27, mandates future annual budget inclusion of Proposition 36 funding, and takes effect immediately as an urgency measure.

FISCAL

Creates the California Public Safety Services Support Fund in the State Treasury to be used for implementing Proposition 36 upon legislative appropriation.

Appropriates the greater of $280 million or 6.22 percent of the 2025-26 transfer to the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties for FY 2026-27.

Specifies allocation: 35.71% to county behavioral health departments for treatment services, 30.36% to county sheriffs for community interventions or offsetting incarceration costs, 16.07% to county probation departments for court support and supervision, and 17.86% to counties for administrative costs and coordination.

REQUIREMENT

Requires the Governor, beginning in FY 2027-28 and annually thereafter, to include a proposed General Fund transfer sufficient to fully fund continued Proposition 36 implementation in the annual budget proposal.

SCOPE

The bill's scope expanded from a general statement of intent regarding public safety funding to a specific, operative funding mechanism tied directly to Proposition 36 (the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act passed by voters in November 2024).

TIMELINE

Declared an urgency statute to take effect immediately, citing the need to fund voter-approved public safety and treatment programs as quickly as possible.

ENFORCEMENT

Vote requirement changed from majority to two-thirds; appropriation and fiscal committee designations changed from no to yes, reflecting the bill's new budgetary impact.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

upper

Apr 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Apr 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 3982.) (April 21).

upper

Apr 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

upper

Mar 25, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Feb 11, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Introduced

Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

upper

1 primary · 9 co-sponsors