This measure would call on Congress to enact legislation that restores and strengthens the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and it would call on the President to sign the legislation.

Sponsored bills
Existing law, commonly known as the Cartwright Act, identifies certain acts as unlawful restraints of trade and unlawful trusts and prescribes provisions for its enforcement. Chapter 338 of the Statutes of 2025 provides that in a complaint for any violation of the Cartwright Act, it is sufficient to contain factual allegations demonstrating that the existence of a contract, combination in the form of a trust, or conspiracy to restrain trade or commerce is plausible. Chapter 338 of the Statutes of 2025 also provides that a complaint for any violation of the Cartwright Act is not required to allege facts tending to exclude the possibility of independent action. Existing case law, In re Cipro Cases I & II (2015) 61 Cal.4th 116, establishes a rule of reason analysis for certain claims under the Cartwright Act, which, among other things, determines whether an act was made for the purpose of avoiding competition and whether the anticompetitive effects of the agreement outweigh any procompetitive justifications. This bill would prohibit any person from monopolizing or monopsonizing any part of trade or commerce, as provided. The bill would require courts to use the analytical framework and guidance provided in In re Cipro Cases I & II. The bill would require a plaintiff bringing an action under its provisions to allege, and prove at trial, substantial market power through either direct or indirect evidence. The bill would exempt a small business, as defined, from these provisions. The bill would provide that its provisions do not prevent, limit, or prohibit certain conduct and legal instruments, including exclusive franchises granted and supervised by a local, state, or federal governmental agency. This bill would require any action brought pursuant to these provisions to be initiated only by the Attorney General or a district attorney, and would, with certain exceptions, preclude an alleged violation under its provisions from serving as a predicate violation under the Unfair Competition Law. The bill would require an action brought pursuant to these provisions to be filed as a "complex case" pursuant to provisions of law requiring the assessment of additional court fees, as specified. The bill would also make related findings and declarations. The bill would require courts to liberally interpret California's antitrust laws to best promote free and fair competition, as provided. Because the bill would expand the scope of activities prohibited by the Cartwright Act, the violation of which is punishable as a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law, the Licensed Dentists from Mexico Pilot Program, requires the Dental Board of California to issue 3-year nonrenewable permits to practice dentistry to dentists from Mexico who meet specified criteria. This bill would repeal those provisions and replace them with a new Licensed Dentists from Mexico Pilot Program. Under that new program, the bill would require the board to issue a 3-year nonrenewable license to practice dentistry to an applicant who meets specified criteria, and require participants in the program to comply with specified requirements. The bill would authorize participants to be employed only by federally qualified health centers that meet specified conditions and would impose requirements on those centers. The bill would require an evaluation of the program to be commenced beginning one year after the program has commenced, as specified, and would prescribe the information to be included in that evaluation. The bill would require the costs for the program to be fully paid for by funds provided by philanthropic foundations.
Existing law prohibits human trafficking, defined as, among other things, violating the personal liberty of another person with the intent to engage in specified sex offenses. Existing law prohibits pimping, defined as deriving support from the earnings of another person's prostitution, and pandering, defined as procuring another for purposes of prostitution or persuading someone to become a prostitute. This bill would, in any prosecution for a violation of those crimes in which the victim was a minor, prohibit any plea agreement, nonprosecution agreement, immunity agreement, anonymity, or other disposition from granting immunity to any person other than the defendant unless that person is specifically named in the written agreement, and the agreement is approved by the court after a hearing in which victims are given notice and an opportunity to be heard. By increasing duties on local prosecutors, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Maddy summaryThis bill designates September 2026 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It directly affects state agencies and organizations by encouraging them to recognize this specific month for awareness activities. The measure does not change laws or allocate funding but serves as a formal commemorative resolution.
This measure would recognize and affirm the important role of artists, arts organizations, creative arts therapists, and arts for health initiatives in supporting behavioral health, promoting recovery, strengthening community resilience, and contributing to public safety. The measure would encourage and recognize exploration, support, and integration of arts and behavioral health within California's health care, behavioral health, and community-based systems.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education, on or before January 31, 2024, to appoint an independent panel of experts for the purpose of creating an approved list of evidence-based, culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate screening instruments for pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 to assess pupils for risk of reading difficulties, including possible neurological disorders such as dyslexia, as specified. Existing law requires the governing board or body of a school district, county office of education, or charter school serving pupils in kindergarten or grades 1 or 2 to adopt, on or before June 30, 2025, one or more screening instruments from the approved list to assess pupils for risk of reading difficulties, as specified, and commencing no later than the 2025–26 school year, requires those local educational agencies to assess each pupil in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 for risk of reading difficulties using the screening instrument or instruments adopted by the governing board or body of the local educational agency, as specified. This bill would, on or before July 31, 2027, require the state board to approve and the State Department of Education to post on its internet website criteria and guidance for selecting evidence-based, culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate mathematics diagnostic assessments for pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 to assess pupils' mathematics knowledge and learning needs and identify pupils in need of additional support. The bill would require the department, on or before January 31, 2028, to (1) publish on its internet website a list of approved diagnostic assessments that meet the criteria, and (2) post on its internet website additional guidance to assist local educational agencies in selecting diagnostic assessments from the approved list, as provided. The bill would require the list to include diagnostic assessments that are developed for both English learners and non-English learners, as provided. The bill would require the state board and the department to solicit stakeholder input when developing the criteria, guidance, and list of diagnostic assessments pursuant to these provisions and to allow for public comment. The bill would authorize the department to periodically update the list of approved assessments. The bill would require the governing board or body of a school district, county office of education, or charter school serving pupils in kindergarten or grades 1 or 2 to adopt, on or before June 30, 2028, one or more diagnostic assessments from the published list of approved diagnostic assessments to assess pupils' mathematics knowledge and learning needs. The bill would authorize a local educational agency to satisfy this requirement by using a diagnostic assessment that is not on the published list if the governing board or body self-certifies that the assessment tool meets the above-described criteria. The bill, commencing no later than the 2028–29 school year, would require those local educational agencies to assess each pupil in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 for mathematics knowledge using the diagnostic assessment or assessments adopted by the governing board or body of the local educational agency. The bill would require a local educational agency to provide parents or guardians of pupils eligible for assessment with information about the assessment and to make pupil results available to parents or guardians, as required by the state board, as provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the department, by April 30, 2028, to curate and maintain on its internet website guidance and resources on evidence-based support, intervention, and instructional strategies aligned with the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
This measure would proclaim the month of October 2026 as California Firefighter Appreciation Month and October 3, 2026, as California Firefighters Memorial Day.
Existing law establishes the University of California Kern County Medical Education Endowment Fund. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, existing law requires moneys in the endowment fund to be allocated to the University of California to support the annual operating costs for the development, operation, and maintenance of a branch campus of an existing University of California School of Medicine in the County of Kern, and to conduct a feasibility study related to that campus. This bill would require the University of California, on or before January 1, 2028, to complete a feasibility study, and reasonably attempt to consult with local stakeholders, to determine the steps necessary to establish a branch campus of an existing University of California medical school in the County of Kern, and to submit the feasibility study, including detailed findings, recommendations, and an implementation timeline, to the Governor and Legislature, as provided. The bill would require the feasibility study to include a comprehensive analysis of the requirements, challenges, and opportunities related to establishing a branch campus of an existing University of California medical school in the County of Kern, as provided. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law designates specific days as holidays in this state. Existing law designates holidays on which public schools are required to close. This bill would require, commencing with the 2027–28 school year, the governing board of a school district, a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school to consider making efforts to avoid scheduling the first day of class and high school graduation, if applicable, on a date for which the governing board of the school district, the county office of education, or the governing body of the charter school knows, or has reason to know, that members of the public would be unable to participate or be present due to the ritual observance of a religious, cultural, or ancestral holiday. The bill would require the governing board of a school district, a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school, in considering and making a determination of which dates to avoid, to actively seek input from the affected community and consider any other relevant sources to ensure inclusive public participation. The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth the missions and functions of California's public segments of higher education and their respective institutions of higher education. The California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, are 3 of the segments. Provisions of the act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California act, by appropriate resolution, to make them applicable. This bill would require, commencing with the 2027–28 academic year, the governing board of a community college and the California State University, and would request the University of California, to make good faith, reasonable efforts, when developing academic calendars, to avoid calendaring an institutional event, as defined, on a date for which the institution of higher education knows, or has reason to know, that members of the public would be unable to participate or be present due to the ritual observance of a religious, cultural, or ancestral holiday. The bill would require the governing board of a community college and the California State University, and would request the University of California, in considering and making a determination of which dates to avoid, to seek input from the student and faculty organizations on campus. The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act and the Ralph M. Brown Act require, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of specified governmental bodies be open and public and all persons be permitted to attend. Existing law prohibits a state agency, as defined, or a legislative body of a local agency, as defined, from conducting any meeting, conference, or other function in any facility that prohibits the admittance of any person, or persons, on the basis of ancestry or a specified characteristic, that is inaccessible to disabled persons, or where members of the public may not be present without making a payment or purchase. This bill would require a state agency to make good faith, reasonable efforts to avoid conducting any meeting, conference, or other function on a date for which the state agency knows, or has reason to know, that members of the public would be unable to participate or be present due to the ritual observance of a religious, cultural, or ancestral holiday, including, among others, Eid al-Adha, Rosh Hashanah, and Diwali. The bill would also encourage a legislative body of a local agency to consider making efforts to avoid conducting any meeting, conference, or other function on a date for which the legislative body knows, or has reason to know, that members of the public would be unable to participate or be present due to the ritual observance of a religious, cultural, or ancestral holiday, including, among others, the holidays listed above. By imposing new duties on school districts and community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize a person who has suffered harm as a result of a violation of certain of the above provisions to bring a civil action for injunctive relief, as provided. The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.