Legislature Prepares for Summer Recess

Later this evening, the Legislature will adjourn for its annual Summer Recess after a few busy weeks of adopting a new state spending plan, placing more measures on the ballot that will be decided by voters in November, and committees wrapping up most of their work for the year. 

Some of the most notable events taking place over the past week include:

Senate Housing Committee Passes AB 2022 (Addis, D-Morro Bay) Over WMA Objections

This bill deals with how parkowners and managers operate in emergency situations, and requires managers or responsible parties to be able to assist in evacuations of parks if requested by first responders. 

WMA pointed out that this bill was duplicative of existing law that requires parks have emergency preparedness plans available for public review and that mandatory park manager training curriculum is currently being developed by HCD. Despite our opposition to the bill, the Senate Housing Committee passed AB 2022 on a 7-1 vote with two abstentions, and the bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee upon the Legislature’s return in August. 

HCD has estimated that AB 2022 will cost the general fund $2.1 million annually and will require 13 new staff positions, along with an initial $2.6 million price tag to set up the procedures to comply with the law.  WMA will argue that the state is already facing a deficit of almost $50 billion, and the recently passed budget calls for an eight percent cut in staff across agencies as we attempt to persuade the Appropriations Committee to hold AB 2022 in committee due to its significant fiscal cost.

To read the language of AB 2022, please click here.

Other Bills Supported and Opposed by WMA Await Action by Appropriations Committees Upon Return of Legislature on August 5

Many of the legislative measures WMA has supported and opposed over the past year have been defeated.  For those remaining, most of them will be considered by the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees upon the return of the Legislature on August 5.  Over the next few weeks, WMA will meet with the Appropriations Committee staff to urge the committees to either pass measures to the Floor or to hold them in committee.

To view a list of bills being monitored and tracked by WMA, and to learn about the positions WMA has taken on these legislative measures, please click here.

All bills introduced this year must be acted on by midnight on August 31, which is when the 2023-24 Legislature permanently adjourns. The 2025-26 Legislature will be sworn into office on December 2, 2024, and there will be a high number of newly elected legislators after the November election.

Legislature Packs November Ballot with More Ballot Measures

With 10 qualified ballot measures already slated to be on the November ballot, the Legislature took action this week to place several more measures on the ballot and remove others. At the time this article is being written, the fate of some of these measures remains uncertain. Some of the last-minute measures that may end up on the November ballot include:

• A new climate bond.
• A new school facilities bond.
• A marriage equality initiative
• A constitutional amendment to prohibit slavery

The Secretary of State should have the updated list of ballot measures available soon on its website — after the Governor signs the legislation placing other measures on the ballot. To view the list of ballot measures, please visit:  https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures

WMA Convention & Expo Registration Coming Soon

It is finally July, and that means the WMA Convention & Expo is coming up in just over three months at the M Resort Spa Casino, in Henderson Nevada (just outside of Las Vegas). Please be on the lookout for more information on registering for the Convention & Expo and the kick-off golf tournament benefiting the Frank J. Evans Charitable Foundation’s scholarship program. To learn more about the upcoming convention, please click here.

No Capitol Update Until August 8

Since the Legislature adjourns for its Summer Recess later tonight and will not return to Sacramento until August 5, the Capitol Update won’t be published until August 8.  Over the next month, WMA will be meeting with the staff of key legislators and the staff of the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees. Those committees will be meeting soon after lawmakers return to act on fiscal bills). In the meantime, stay safe and cool, and be on the lookout for the Capitol Update in early August.

It is an honor to serve WMA. Please feel free to reach me directly at chris@wma.org or on my direct line at the office at 916.288.4026 if I may be of assistance or if you need additional information.