California Bills Tracker: Housing Bond, Vetoes, and Deadlines

The California bills tracker landscape in the 2025-2026 session is unusually busy: CalMatters is following more than 5,000 bills, the legislature passed 917 in the first year alone, and Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed 123 of those before the rest took effect on January 1 or July 1, 2026.¹² Major measures on housing financing, healthcare taxes, insurance reform, and firearms training are still moving through the second year of the session, which must wrap up its floor votes by August 31, 2026.

Where to Follow Bills Yourself

Every California bill’s full text, amendments, committee analyses, and vote history is posted on the official California Legislative Information site at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.³ CalMatters runs a separate searchable tracker through its Digital Democracy project that covers the full 5,000-plus bill universe for the session.¹ If you know a bill number, both sites will give you the current status; if you only know a topic, the CalMatters search tends to be faster.

New California Laws Already in Effect in 2026

The signed bills from the first year of the session mostly took effect January 1, 2026, with a second wave starting July 1, 2026.

Housing

Senate Bill 79, the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, preempts local zoning to allow denser multi-family housing near major transit stops.⁴⁵²⁶

Artificial Intelligence

SB 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, requires developers of the largest AI models to post safety and risk management plans addressing catastrophic risks, publish transparency reports before releasing models, and report critical safety incidents to the California Office of Emergency Services. The attorney general can impose civil penalties of up to $1 million per violation.⁷ AB 853, the California AI Transparency Act, requires large generative AI systems to offer free AI detection tools, with online platforms required to detect provenance data starting in 2027 and capture device manufacturers required to offer latent disclosure features by 2028.⁸ AB 489 bars AI chatbots from posing as licensed professionals, SB 243 mandates AI safety protocols for minors, and SB 524 requires disclosure when AI is used to draft police reports.⁶

Workers and Pay

The state minimum wage rose to $16.90 per hour on January 1, 2026.⁹¹⁰¹¹

SB 648 lets the Labor Commissioner cite and fine employers who withhold tips and requires credit card gratuities to be paid without processing-fee deductions. AB 692 bans “stay-or-pay” contract provisions that penalize employees for leaving before a set date. SB 642, the Pay Equity Enforcement Act, extends the statute of limitations for equal pay claims to three years. SB 294 requires employers to provide a standalone notice of constitutional and labor rights.⁹

Firearms, Schools, Vehicles, and Health

AB 1127 prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling semiautomatic pistols reclassified as “machinegun-convertible” starting July 1, 2026, targeting pistols with a cruciform trigger bar that can be converted by replacing the slide’s backplate.⁴ AB 3216, passed in 2024, requires every school district, charter school, and county office of education to adopt policies limiting or prohibiting student smartphone use on campus by July 1, 2026.¹² SB 760 mandates gender-neutral restrooms in all public and private K-12 schools, also effective July 1.

AB 1777 lets police issue traffic citations directly to autonomous vehicles, with penalties assessed through the DMV. SB 40 caps insulin copays at $35 for a 20-day supply under large state-related health plans. AB 1264 bans ultra-processed foods from being served at public schools.⁶ SB 68, the ADDE Act, requires restaurant chains with 20 or more locations to list major allergens on their menus starting July 1.⁴

Major Bills Still Moving in 2026

An $11.25 Billion Housing Bond on the November Ballot

SB 417, the Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026, was chaptered on June 25, 2026, placing an $11.25 billion bond measure on the November 3, 2026, statewide general election ballot. The package includes $10 billion in general obligation bonds for affordable rental housing, homeownership, and farmworker housing programs, plus $1.25 billion in revenue bonds for the CalVet Home Loan Program for veterans.¹³

Rainy Day Fund Constitutional Amendment

ACA 20, the Save for California’s Future Act, also passed the legislature on June 25, 2026. The constitutional amendment would raise the cap on the state’s Budget Stabilization Account from 10% to 20% of General Fund tax revenue, increase savings during years with high capital gains receipts, and extend requirements for paying down state liabilities.¹⁴ It would also create a Projected Surplus Temporary Holding Account capped at 10% of General Fund proceeds.¹⁵

A New Health Plan Tax: SB 125

The legislature approved SB 125 in June 2026, restructuring the state’s managed care organization tax to comply with new federal rules that prohibit taxing Medicaid plans at higher rates than commercial plans. The bill imposes a flat $8.85 per enrollee monthly assessment on both public and private health plans, aiming to generate $2.3 billion annually to support Medi-Cal services. The Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates the tax could raise private insurance premiums by about 1.5%. The California Medical Association and the California Hospital Association argue the bill conflicts with Proposition 35, a 2024 ballot measure that restricts taxes on private health plans and requires revenue to be used for Medi-Cal service expansion rather than backfilling the General Fund. Dr. René Bravo, president of the California Medical Association, called the approach “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” The bill awaits Newsom’s signature and will then need federal approval.¹⁶

Single-Payer Healthcare: AB 1900

AB 1900, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act (CalCare), was introduced in February 2026. It would establish a universal single-payer system covering all state residents, overseen by a nine-member CalCare Board with authority to negotiate pharmaceutical prices and set enrollment timelines. The system would integrate benefits from Medi-Cal, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and other existing programs, with implementation contingent on a fiscal analysis confirming adequate revenue in a newly created CalCare Trust Fund.¹⁷

Insurance Reform After the LA Fires

The January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires killed 31 people and damaged or destroyed more than 18,000 structures, and FAIR Plan enrollment in the fire zones nearly doubled between 2020 and 2024, rising from about 14,300 to over 28,400 policies. SB 1076, the Insurance Coverage for Fire-Safe Homes Act, would have required insurers to offer coverage to homeowners meeting wildfire-mitigation standards, but it was killed in the Senate Insurance Committee in April 2026 on a 3-2 vote — the fourth time since 2020 that such a mandate failed. SB 1301, authored by Senator Ben Allen, which would protect policyholders from abrupt non-renewals, did clear the Insurance Committee and continues to advance. SB 877 and SB 878, addressing claims process transparency and penalties for late claim payments, also advanced.¹⁸

The “Water’s Edge” Corporate Tax Fight

AB 1790, from Assemblymember Damon Connolly, would repeal California’s “water’s-edge” combined reporting election, which allows multinational corporations to exclude foreign subsidiary income from state taxes. The bill targets companies with California earnings above $100 million and would end the election entirely for tax years beginning in 2028.¹⁹ It was pulled from the Assembly Appropriations suspense file in May 2026 and remains officially eligible for future reconsideration, likely as part of budget negotiations. Because it would raise taxes, passage requires a two-thirds vote in both houses.²⁰

Firearms Training

SB 948, from Senator Jesse Arreguín, would require prospective gun buyers to complete a four-hour firearm safety course, including at least one hour of live-fire training, before purchasing a weapon. The requirement would take effect July 1, 2028. The bill cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee on a party-line vote in May 2026 and is headed to the full Senate. A previous version proposed eight hours, and similar legislation failed in the prior session.²¹

Homelessness

With an estimated 182,000 unhoused individuals statewide, several homelessness bills are in play. AB 1556, from Assemblymember Matt Haney, would authorize state funding for recovery housing. AB 1165 would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to produce a comprehensive financial plan addressing homelessness by January 2028. SB 866 would require cities to report data on homeless populations and services, though it faces opposition from city leaders and the League of California Cities over unfunded mandate concerns. The June 2026 budget proposal includes $900 million for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention funds.²²

Environment and Energy

The cap-and-invest program, authorized through 2045 under AB 1207, caps emissions and mandates a decline of roughly 14 million metric tons annually, with the California Air Resources Board expected to tighten stringency in 2026.²³ SB 1375, which would streamline environmental review for major transit projects, passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee unanimously in April.²⁴ SB 913, the Clean Local Power Act, aims to use distributed energy resources like home battery storage to stabilize the grid, and SB 868, the Plug and Play Solar Act, would streamline approvals for small-scale “balcony” solar installations.²⁵ SB 1097, which would have exempted clean energy transmission projects from CEQA, was shelved during the May suspense file hearings.²⁰

What Died on the Suspense File

On May 14, 2026, the Senate and Assembly appropriations committees held their annual “suspense file” hearings, a closed-door process used to shelve bills with significant fiscal impacts. Roughly 25% of bills under consideration were killed: 90 of 332 in the Senate and 169 of 637 in the Assembly. Legislators cited the need for fiscal restraint amid projected losses in federal funding.²⁰

Casualties worth knowing about if you were watching for them: SB 1415, which would have provided property tax breaks for low- and moderate-income households; SB 978, setting special utility rates for data centers; SB 1084, offering tax credits for wildfire home hardening; and SB 1162, directing Cal Fire to prioritize vegetation management in areas with high concentrations of FAIR Plan policyholders.²⁰

Notable 2025 Vetoes

Newsom’s 123 vetoes in 2025 reflected a mix of fiscal caution and policy disagreement. He referenced “the federal government’s hostile economic policies” 28 times in his veto messages, and Senator Anna Caballero had the most bills vetoed at seven.²⁶ Newsom vetoed SB 7, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to disclose use of AI in employment decisions, calling it “overbroad.” He also vetoed SB 11, a deepfake impersonation bill, citing “burdensome” warning-label requirements, and AB 1064, which would have restricted AI companion chatbots for minors.²⁷ Six “zombie bills” nearly identical to measures he previously rejected also got vetoed again, including proposals on farmworker heat-illness compensation, community college nursing degrees, and insurance coverage for menopause treatment.

Key 2026 Session Deadlines

The second year of the session runs on a compressed calendar. The deadline for introducing new bills was February 20, 2026. Policy committees must finish reporting bills by July 2, after which the legislature breaks for summer recess. Fiscal committees have until August 14 to send bills to the floor. The last day for either house to pass bills is August 31, when the final recess begins. The governor then has until September 30 to sign or veto bills passed before September 1. The session formally adjourns on November 30, 2026.²⁸

How a California Bill Becomes Law

The legislature consists of a 40-member Senate and an 80-member Assembly operating in two-year sessions. A bill starts as an idea sponsored by a legislator, with formal language drafted by the Legislative Counsel’s Office. Once introduced and assigned a number, a bill cannot be acted on for 30 days.³

The Rules Committee assigns the bill to one or more policy committees based on its subject. If the bill has a fiscal impact, it also goes to Appropriations, where bills exceeding certain cost thresholds land on the “suspense file” for additional scrutiny. In the Senate, that threshold ranges from $50,000 to $150,000 depending on the fund; in the Assembly, it is $150,000. Bills voted off suspense advance to the floor; those held on suspense are effectively dead for the year.²⁹

Standard bills require a simple majority on the floor: 21 votes in the Senate and 41 in the Assembly. Urgency measures, tax increases, and constitutional amendments require a two-thirds supermajority. If the bill clears its house of origin, it repeats the process in the second house, with amendments sent back for a concurrence vote. Once a bill passes both houses, the governor has 12 days to sign it, let it become law without a signature, or veto it; near year-end, that window extends to 30 days. Overriding a veto requires a two-thirds vote in each house. Signed bills are chaptered by the Secretary of State and typically take effect the following January 1, unless they contain an urgency clause or a different specified date.³³⁰

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Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. New in 2026: California Laws Taking Effect in the New Year
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Brookings Institution. What Is California’s AI Safety Law
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CalMatters. AB 853: California AI Transparency Act
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California Department of Industrial Relations. New Worker Protections Taking Effect in California on January 1, 2026
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CalMatters. Gig Worker Union Bill Passes
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IJPR. California Gig Drivers Gear Up for Union Rights in 2026
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CalMatters. AB 3216
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CalMatters. SB 417: Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026
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Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. California Leaders Announce Save for California’s Future Act
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CalMatters. ACA 20: Save for California’s Future Act
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CalMatters. California Health Tax Medi-Cal Premiums
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CalMatters. AB 1900: California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act
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Los Angeles Times. Senate Committee Kills Bill Mandating Insurance Coverage for Wildfire-Safe Homes
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CalMatters. AB 1790
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CalMatters. Suspense File: Senate and Assembly
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CalMatters. California Gun Safety Training Bill
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CalMatters. Legislature Homelessness Bills 2026
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Beveridge & Diamond. Environmental Developments to Watch in California in 2026
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