California Legislature: 2025-2026 Regular Session
The 2025-2026 California legislative session is currently underway with thousands of bills moving through various stages of the legislative process. As of May 2025, there are 2,692 bills that have been introduced in the current session, with 126 bills having completed the legislative process. This legislative session ends on September 12, 2025. This report examines the most notable active bills, their sponsors, and the overall legislative landscape in California.
Overview of Bill Introduction and Legislative Activity
The 2025-2026 session has seen significant legislative activity, following a trend of robust bill introduction in California. In the first year of this session, a total of 2,350 bills were introduced by the February 21, 2025 deadline, including 1,500 Assembly Bills and 850 Senate Bills.. This represents a slight increase from the 2024 session, which saw 2,124 bills introduced by the deadline. Notably, this is the first year in which bill introduction limits were reduced to 35 bills per Assembly Member and Senator for the two-year session.
Of the total bills introduced this year, approximately 37% are placeholder bills (871 bills), consisting of 390 spot bills and 481 intent bills, which lack substantive language upon introduction. This percentage is consistent with historical patterns in the California legislature.
Key Active Bills in the Current Session
SB582: Health and Care Facilities During Emergencies
Status: In progress (25% progression) - Set for hearing on May 19, 2025
Summary: This bill proposes amendments to the Health and Safety Code relating to health and care facilities licensing during emergencies or disasters.
Sponsors: The bill has nine Democratic sponsors, led by Senator Henry Stern, and including Senators Sabrina Cervantes, Dave Cortese, Lena Gonzalez, Sasha Renee Perez, Eloise Reyes, Laura Richardson, Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, and Tom Umberg.
The bill has seen steady progress through committee hearings, receiving unanimous support in its committee votes thus far. It was recently set for a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 19, 2025..
SB848: Pupil Safety and School Employee Misconduct
Status: Introduced on February 21, 2025
Summary: This bill addresses pupil safety, school employee misconduct, and child abuse prevention in educational settings[10].
Sponsor: Senator Sasha Renee Perez (Democrat)
Employment Law Bills
Several employment-related bills have been introduced in the 2025 legislative session, addressing various workplace issues[15]:
SB642: Requires pay scales in job advertisements to be within 10% of the mean pay rate and clarifies language regarding equal pay provisions[15].
AB1018: Proposes regulations for automated decision systems in employment-related decisions, including hiring, promotion, evaluation, and compensation[15].
AB1331: Would place limitations on workplace surveillance, prohibiting monitoring during off-duty hours and in private areas[15].
SB590: Aims to expand eligibility for the state's paid family leave program to include care for a designated person[15].
Top Bill Sponsors in the California Legislature
The most active bill sponsors in the current Assembly are:
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (Democrat): 211 bills
Assemblymember Juan Alanis (Republican): 159 bills
Assemblymember Ash Kalra (Democrat): 147 bills
Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez (Democrat): 141 bills
Assemblymember Lori Wilson (Democrat): 139 bills
In the Senate, the top sponsors are:
Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee: 119 bills
Senator Sabrina Cervantes (Democrat): 93 bills
Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (Republican): 92 bills
Senator Tom Umberg (Democrat): 91 bills
Senator Susan Rubio (Democrat): 82 bills
Legislative Process and Key Deadlines
The California legislative process follows a structured timeline. For the 2025 session, key deadlines include[13]:
February 21, 2025: Bill introduction deadline (already passed)
September 12, 2025: End of the legislative session
October 12, 2025: Last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature
Bills must proceed through both houses of the legislature before reaching the Governor's desk. This typically includes:
Introduction and first reading
Committee hearings and possible amendments
Floor votes in the house of origin
Repeat of the process in the second house
Reconciliation of any differences between house versions
Final passage and submission to the Governor
Most Monitored and Viewed California Bills
Most Viewed Bills
The bills receiving the most public attention in the current session include:
AB1333: Relating to crimes (amending Section 197 of the Penal Code)
SB712: Regarding air pollution and vehicle emissions
AB928: Concerning roosters (adding regulations to the Food and Agricultural Code)
SB23: A taxation measure (creating a temporary property tax exemption)
AB84: An education-related bill with numerous amendments to existing code sections
Most Monitored Bills
Bills under closest observation by stakeholders include:
SB712: Air pollution measure
AB1333: Penal code amendments
SB672: Parole-related legislation
AB49: Education code amendments related to immigration enforcement
SB48: Immigration enforcement bill relating to education
Master Plan for Aging Legislation
Several bills in the current session align with California's Master Plan for Aging (MPA), which was released in January 2021 as a ten-year plan to prepare the state for an aging population. Some notable bills in this area include:
AB474: Aims to increase participation in nonprofit home sharing programs among older adults.
AB508: Would require Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly to calculate and disclose their daily staffing levels to residents and their families
AB804: Proposes Medi-Cal Housing Support Services
California Legislators for Lodi and the surrounding area
Heath Flora (R)
Assemblymember • District 9
1021 O Street, Suite 4730, Sacramento, CA 95814
916-319-2009
Jerry McNerney (D)
Senator • District 5
1021 O Street, Suite 6640, Sacramento, CA 95814-4900
916-651-4005
CalMatters Digital Democracy offers an easy way to track bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Heath Flora (AB) and Jerry McNerney (SB).
Click here to view…
More Information
CA Legislation | 2025-2026 | Regular Session - LegiScan https://legiscan.com/CA/legislation/2025
Free bill tracking for California - FastDemocracy https://fastdemocracy.com/states/ca/
California Legislature | 2025-2026 | Regular Session - LegiScan https://legiscan.com/CA
2025 Legislative Deadlines | California State Assembly https://www.assembly.ca.gov/schedules-publications/legislative-deadlines
Bills | Digital Democracy https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills
Bill Tracker - California Association of Councils of Governments https://calcog.org/bill-tracker/
California Sessions - Plural Policy https://pluralpolicy.com/app/jurisdictions/ca
California Legislative History - Sacramento County Public Law Library https://saclaw.org/resource_library/california-legislative-history/
CA Legislation | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Resolutions https://legiscan.com/CA/legislation/2025?page=2&type=resolution
California Bills - Plural https://openstates.org/ca/bills/?search_text=&sponsor__leg_id=&type=&sort=-latest_action&page=3
Status of Current Legislation https://post.ca.gov/Status-of-Current-Legislation