Sacramento lawmakers are racing against the clock today, the final practical deadline for the Legislature to pass bills before wrapping up its session and sending them to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. This marks the last stretch of legislating in what is Newsom’s final year as governor, and his signatures and vetoes in the coming weeks will be scrutinized closely as he positions himself for a possible presidential bid.
Several high-profile measures remain unresolved as of this week, while others have already cleared both chambers and are headed to the governor.
Among the unfinished business: state officials and legislative leaders are still at odds over how to allocate California’s primary climate fund, which draws revenue from the state’s carbon-trading program. New rules adopted by the Newsom administration this year could cut that funding pool roughly in half, threatening a range of climate initiatives lawmakers had hoped to bankroll.
Late Sunday, the Legislature approved a fiercely debated antitrust bill that would allow Californians to sue large corporations accused of using monopolistic tactics to squeeze out competitors. Labor unions have championed the measure, while business groups have fought it hard.
Lawmakers also passed a deal Sunday night addressing how much financial exposure schools face when settling sexual abuse lawsuits. The compromise has drawn criticism from some victim advocates, who argue it would make it harder for survivors with older claims to meet evidentiary standards and are pushing Newsom to reject it.
Still pending are several bills aimed at regulating data centers, including proposals that would shift the cost of electric grid upgrades onto data center operators rather than residential ratepayers, along with a measure requiring environmental review for new data center projects.
In a last-minute push to aid California’s film industry, legislators are also negotiating changes that would ease the impact of a $5 million cap on annual tax credits — a limit studios say makes it harder to justify filming in the state.
Other measures have already been finalized and sent to the governor. One would establish a “fast-pay” system for victims of utility-caused wildfires and bar utility executives from receiving bonuses in years their companies are responsible for fatal fires. Newsom had initially pushed to reduce how much utilities pay insurers, survivors and local governments after wildfires, but dropped that idea amid heavy pushback.
Another bill headed to Newsom would scale back which manufacturing facilities qualify for exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act. Environmental advocates call it a workable middle ground, though business groups maintain that regulatory hurdles continue to choke off economic growth.
Lawmakers also passed a measure barring law enforcement from using undercover operatives to elicit confessions from certain in-custody suspects under age 26, a practice critics say can be coercive and lead to false confessions.
In other news, more than a dozen California colleges and universities have lost upwards of $6 million after the U.S. Department of Education pulled funding from outreach programs designed to help students prepare for and succeed in college, according to reporting from CalMatters’ College Journalism Network. As part of a broader effort to dismantle diversity-focused initiatives, the federal agency eliminated over $40 million nationwide for more than 100 TRIO programs — resources that have historically helped low-income and first-generation students navigate college applications, financial aid and campus visits.
The cuts are expected to affect roughly 7,000 California students, with rural communities — already among the least likely to enroll in or complete college — bearing much of the impact. Sofia Santos-Arriola, a former TRIO adviser at Cal Poly Humboldt, said the cuts felt deliberately aimed at vulnerable students. “This does seem like it was so directly targeted against poor people, against first-generation immigrants, against first-generation college students,” she said.
Meanwhile, CalMatters has welcomed a new class of student journalists into its College Journalism Network fellowship program. The 12 fellows, representing community colleges, Cal State campuses, UC schools and private universities across the state, recently gathered in Sacramento for a two-day orientation that included meetings with campus officials, student leaders and higher education experts. Over the coming academic year, they’ll report on issues ranging from artificial intelligence and student privacy to housing, transfer pathways and college affordability.
And in a separate development, Newsom signed legislation expanding privacy protections for people who provide legal or counseling assistance to immigrants — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers, who argue the law threatens First Amendment rights.
Original source: CalMatters
