My 2026 Legislative Package

Dear neighbor,

Please allow me to introduce my 2026 legislative package. This is our second year in the state Senate and follows our very productive year in 2025. 

Last year, the governor signed five of my bills into law – a rewarding year for a freshman senator. But perhaps our biggest victory was blocking the costly and destructive plan to fast-track a massive water tunnel through the heart of the Delta.

Building on last year’s accomplishments, this year’s legislative package is very strong. It includes 21 bills, with proposals to help make California and our region more affordable; ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) is safe and beneficial; safeguard our water; accelerate our transition to clean energy; reform our campaign finance system; help local farmers and schools and reduce hunger; assist veterans; and make our tax system fairer. A lot of credit goes to my dedicated and talented staff.

Below is a summary of bills that I have introduced and are moving forward this year:

Affordability 

• SB 327 Protecting Ratepayers
  Protects ratepayers by strengthening oversight of investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and barring IOUs from using ratepayer funds to fight efforts to create municipal utilities.
• SB 1168 Data Centers Pay Their Fair Share
  Directs the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to examine data centers’ use of excessive amounts of energy and ensure that Californians don’t face rate hikes as a result.
• SB 1196 Accelerating ADU Utility Hookups
  Directs the CPUC to establish clear timelines for utility hookups of low-cost housing, specifically, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and institute penalties for utilities that fail to provide timely service connections.
• SB 1275 Reducing Californians' Federal Tax Burden
  Reduces Californians' federal tax burden by eliminating the state sales tax on motor vehicle purchases for five years and replacing it with a one-time vehicle license fee of the same amount that can be deducted from federal taxes.

Safe and Beneficial AI

•  SB 813 AI Safety Standards
  Establishes the nation’s first transparent safety and security standards for artificial intelligence created by independent panels of AI experts, academics, and government officials.
• SB 833 Human Oversight of AI in Critical Infrastructure
  Mandates human oversight of AI in state-owned critical infrastructure to safeguard the state’s transportation, energy, communications, emergency services, and financial services systems.
• SB 947 No Robo Bosses Act of 2026
  Requires human oversight of artificial intelligence systems in the workplace to prevent AI from firing or disciplining workers on its own.
• SB 1011 Human Oversight of AI in CA's Power Grid
  Ensures human oversight when private and public utilities use AI in their electric and natural gas infrastructure. 

Safeguarding Our Water

• SB 872 Protecting California's Water
  Safeguards California’s primary water source for decades to come by protecting both the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the State Water Project.
• SB 1313 Addressing PFAS Water Pollution
  Helps public water systems remove toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS from drinking water and prevents water rate increases. 

Helping Local Farms and Schools and Reducing Hunger

• SB 881 Helping Farmers Fight Hunger
  Enables farmers, growers, and food producers to provide fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and more to food-insecure families and receive tax credits for donating surplus food to food banks.
• SB 1058 Local Meals for Kids
  Updates California law to allow school districts to provide more high-quality, locally grown and culturally appropriate foods for students.
• SB 1201 No Hungry Heroes
  Seeks to protect California's veterans from significant federal cuts to CalFresh. 

Campaign Finance Reform

• SB 900 Campaign Finance Disclosure Reform
  Updates and strengthens California’s campaign disclosure rules to provide more transparency and clarity regarding who is paying for political advertisements.

Clean Energy

• SB 925 California Fusion Energy Roadmap
  Directs the California Energy Commission to develop a strategic plan to advance fusion energy, which has the potential to provide nearly limitless clean, safe, and reliable power.
• SB 1120 Boosting CA's Innovation Economy
  Extends and expands the Cal Competes program to create more jobs in cutting-edge industries such as fusion energy and quantum technology.
• SB 1329 Protecting the Future of Solar Power in California
  Helps ensure that solar power continues to grow in California by creating a standard for property taxes for all 58 counties for solar.
• SB 1350 Expanding Clean Hydrogen
  Expands California's clean energy program by including the use of clean hydrogen, a promising renewable form of energy, to generate electricity.   

Assisting Veterans

• SB 1034 Parking Equity for Disabled Veterans
  Ensures disabled veterans no longer have to meet stricter medical eligibility requirements than other disabled Californians to access parking benefits.
• Also, see SB 1201 above.

Helping Nonprofits

• SB 1240 Boosting California Nonprofits
  Establishes the Office of Nonprofit Empowerment within the governor’s office – a one-stop shop to improve nonprofits’ access to essential resources and help organizations navigate the often-complicated processes of state government.  

Tax Fairness

• SB 1406 Closing the Montana Tax Loophole
  Strengthens state law by barring tax scams in which California residents create an out-of-state shell company to buy exotic luxury cars or recreational vehicles in Montana to avoid paying California sales taxes and vehicle license fees.

You can track the progress of my legislation on my website or by following me on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter-X , Bluesky & Threads.

It is an honor serving you in the state Senate, and I welcome any comments or suggestions as we start planning for the 2027.