Sacramento, Calif. (May 28, 2026)—The California Senate today voted to advance Senate Bill 1181, the Valley Youth Safety Act, authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield). The Legislation would establish a pilot program focused on identifying school safety threats as they surface while bolstering coordination between schools, local law enforcement agencies and the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).

On Wednesday, Senate Bill 970 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), which will facilitate the ability of U.S. military personnel deployed overseas and Americans living abroad to cast their ballots, was approved on the Senate Floor by a vote of 29-1.

SB 1330 (Arreguín, D-Oakland) will enhance legal protections for utility employees and other workers engaged in essential infrastructure work

SACRAMENTO – Today, the Senate approved Senate Bill 867, authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego). This bill is a first-in-the-nation piece of legislation placing a 4-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of toys with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot capabilities for children under 18. The purpose of this legislation is to allow time for safety regulations to be developed to protect children from dangerous AI interactions.

The California State Senate passed SB 913 by Senator Josh Becker (D–Menlo Park) to create an improved pathway for customer-owned resources (e.g., home batteries, electric vehicles, thermostats), to compete fairly with other resources (e.g., peaker plants, diesel generators) to offer the least cost option for providing reliability to the electric grid.

Sacramento, Calif. (May 27, 2026)—State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) announced that The Peace Officer Protection Act successfully passed through the Senate and now heads to the Assembly for consideration.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 73 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) into law May 27, 2026, to provide elections in California with improved defenses against interference. Because SB 73 included an urgency clause, its provisions took effect immediately upon the Governor's signature, ensuring the defenses it provides are in place for the June 2nd statewide primary election.

SACRAMENTO – Today, the California State Senate passed Senate Bill 876 authored by Senate Insurance Committee Chair Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) and California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara which would comprehensively reform the insurance claims process by cutting red tape, improving payouts, and ending delays and runarounds by insurance companies.

SB 1301 (Allen) Advances to Assembly for Consideration to Mitigate Nonrenewals
SACRAMENTO – Senator Ben Allen (D-Pacific Palisades) advanced SB 1301 through the Senate before Friday’s deadline. The measure provides property owners with more time and opportunity to maintain their insurance coverage before being dropped by their provider.

In addition to significantly expanding California’s scientific research capacity, the bill includes first-in-the-nation requirements to lower health costs by requiring discounts on drugs discovered with public research funding, and allowing the state to recoup some funds from successful discoveries.