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January was a busy month in the State Legislature; legislators returned from recess, introduced new bills, held numerous committee hearings, and started up the State Budget process. In addition, January 31, 2020 marked the official deadline for legislation introduced in 2019 to pass its “house of origin.” Meaning, all Assembly Bills introduced in 2019 needed to have passed out of the Assembly, and conversely, any Senate Bills introduced in 2019 needed to pass the Senate by the 31^st or they died as a result of not meeting the deadline.

Below are a few of the most significant bills that faced the house of origin deadline:

Housing Development: SB 50 (Wiener)

This measure sought to require local governments to build more housing, specifically around transit and employment dense areas. Cities and counties would have been mandated to zone for taller buildings and multifamily homes. Requirements could include certain exceptions to requirements for zoning, density, parking, height restrictions, and floor area ratios. SB 50 Failed to garner enough votes to pass out of the State Senate. While CSDA has taken no position on the measure, it was monitored closely for potential impact to special districts and the services they provide.

Sexual Harassment Leave: AB 628 (Bonta)

This measure related to sexual harassment leave from work, failed to meet the House of Origin deadline. The 2019 bill initially failed to pass the Assembly Floor in May of 2019 on a vote of 36 to 15 with 29 Assembly Members abstaining, but it was still active and was expected to be brought up for a vote last week. However, Assembly Member Rob Bonta, the author of AB 628, did not attempt to bring the bill up for a vote before the deadline, possibly because he did not believe the bill had the votes necessary to pass.

CSDA opposed this flawed but well-intentioned bill, which would have granted unlimited unpaid-leave to victims of sexual harassment and their family in an effort to provide victims greater opportunities to recover from trauma, seek medical care, and provide family members greater flexibility to comfort and assist victims. Unfortunately, as drafted, the bill was ripe with opportunities for fraud and abuse and would have exposed employers, including special districts, to increased threats of litigation.

Brown Act for Social Media: AB 992 (Mullin)

This bill will help modernize the Ralph M. Brown Act as it relates to public officials posting on social media platforms. AB 992 passed the Assembly on a 48 to 13 vote at the end of January and will be heard next in a Senate policy committee. AB 992 creates clear guidance for local elected officials by setting the same standard for visiting social media sites as is currently in place under the community meetings exception to the Brown Act.

The community meetings exception to the Brown Act allows a majority of the members of a local agency body to attend an open and publicized meeting held by another organization-such as a neighborhood association meeting, local candidates night, or service club meeting to address a topic of local community concern. The exception does not permit a majority to discuss among themselves business of a specific nature that is within the legislative body's subject matter jurisdiction. CSDA is supporting this measure and will be sending out periodic updates as the bill continues to move through the legislative process.

Climate Resilience Bond: SB 45 (Allen)

The Wildfire Prevention, Safe Drinking Water, Drought Preparation, and Flood Protection Bond Act of 2020, also known as one version of the proposed Climate Resilience Bonds, made it out of Senate Appropriations with amendments and passed out of the Senate on a required two-thirds vote. It is now in the Assembly. The bill was amended on the Senate Floor to include an urgency clause, which offers flexibility beyond normal legislative deadlines.

The measure is anticipated to be taken under consideration in the Assembly simultaneously with the other climate bond proposals anticipated from the Assembly and Governor, which we expect to be introduced in the coming weeks.

SB 45 was amended January 23 to increase the proposed statewide bond to $5.51 billion, broken down as follows:

• General Provisions: including definitions, how the funds may be used, grant eligibility, and applicant eligibility. See Chapter 1 (beginning at Section 80200)
• Wildfire Prevention and Community Resilience from Climate Impacts: $2,200,000,000 for wildfire prevention, drought, or other natural disaster prevention and community resilience from climate change impacts. See Chapter 2 (beginning at Section 80220). Note: "Fire hardening" is defined in Chapter 1, Section 80203 (f)
• Ensuring Safe Drinking Water and Protecting Water Supply and Water Quality from Climate Risks: $1,470,000,000 for providing safe drinking water and protecting water supply and water quality from climate risks. See Chapter 3 (beginning at Section 80230).
• Protecting Fish and Wildlife from Climate Risks: $620,000,000 for protecting fish and wildlife from climate risks. See Chapter 4 (beginning at Section 80240).
• Protecting Agricultural Lands from Climate Risks: $190,000,000 for protecting agricultural land from climate risks. See Chapter 5 (beginning at Section 80250).
• Protecting Coastal Lands, Bays, and Oceans from Climate Risks: $970,000,000 for protecting coastal lands, oceans, bays, waters, natural resources, and wildlife from climate risks. See Chapter 6 (beginning at Section 80260).
• Climate Resilience, Workforce Development, and Education: 60,000,000 for climate resilience, workforce development, and education. See Chapter 7 (beginning at Section 80270). Note: This section includes grant funding for career pathways for fire prevention and park and open space operations, among others, as well as funding for community colleges and the CSU and UC systems for fire education purposes.
• Fiscal Provisions: issuance procedures and mechanisms necessary for the State Treasurer and the Department of Finance to implement the bond act. See Chapter 8 (beginning at Section 80400).