By: @Anna Stagg
While CSDA’s eNews highlights the most important news of the week, CSDA’s Advocacy News community board and email list keep you up to date on developments from the California state capital and beyond.
Don’t miss out! Get the hottest issues, including breaking news, from CSDA’s lobbyists at the Advocacy News Community Board. Subscribe now for updates delivered to your inbox in real time or daily digest.
Below is a sample of some hot issues from last week shared to Advocacy News:
House Sends DHS Funding Bill to President Trump's Desk
Breaking news from the National Special Districts Association (NSDA), of which CSDA is a founding member and extends benefits and resources to all CSDA members:
Today, the U.S. House approved a bill by voice vote to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) except its immigration enforcement agencies, ending the longest agency shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown has lasted more than 10 weeks, with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin warning that the agency would soon run out of money to pay its employees.
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CA High-Speed Rail Authority Board Delays Vote on 2026 Business Plan
Yesterday, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) convened a meeting of its board of directors. On their agenda was an item to consider the adoption of the draft 2026 business plan – a plan, that, among other provisions, contains elements related to tax increment financing and land use authority that are opposed by CSDA and a coalition of other local government association stakeholders.
Rather than approve the business plan, the directors instead opted to delay the vote. Board Chair Tom Richards relayed that the decision to delay the vote was necessary "to address a large volume of public comments as well as to have the authority to continue coordinating with the administration."
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CARB Pushes Back Comment Deadline
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has extended the public comment deadline to May 4, 2026, for the 15-day proposed amendments to the California Cap on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Market- Based Compliance Mechanisms comment period which was scheduled to end April 29, 2026. It comes in response to a joint request from the Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and the Chair of Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy.
CARB has also extended the public comment deadline for proposed updates to two of the state’s key greenhouse gas programs: the Cap-and-Invest Regulation and the Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
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CSDA, County Auditors Co-Sponsored Legislation Advances out of Initial Policy Committee
Yesterday, the Senate Local Government Committee approved Senate Bill 992 (Niello) with a 7-0 vote, sending the bill to the Senate Floor. Should the full Senate chamber approve the bill, it will head to the Assembly, whereupon it will likely be sent to the Assembly Local Government Committee for its policy committee hearing.
SB Bill 992 is sponsored by CSDA and the State Association of County Auditors. It would preserve the full suite of audit flexibilities afforded to special districts looking to fulfill their annual fiscal audit obligation. Absent SB 992’s passage, certain audit flexibilities – namely agreed-upon procedures engagements and annual financial compilations – would expire at the end of this year and cease to be available.
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