New California Laws 2026
SB 776, Ashby. Optometry. This bill extends the sunset date for the California Board of Optometry (Board) until January 1, 2030 and makes additional technical changes, statutory improvements, and pol- icy reforms in response to issues raised during the Board’s sunset review oversight process. An act to amend Sections 2541.2, 2550, 2552, 2553.5, 2558.1, 2559.1, 2560, 2564.5, 2564.6, 2564.71, 2564.76, 2564.79, 2565, 2566, 2566.1, 3003, 3010.5, 3014.6, 3020, 3046, 3046.1, 3057, 3070.2, 3145, 3151, and 3152 of, to add Sections 2555.6, 3004.5, and 3024.5 to, and to repeal and add Section 2564.90 of, the Business and Professions Code, relating to heal- ing arts. SB 862, Committee on Health. Health. This bill makes non-controversial changes to a number of pro- visions of existing law contained in the Health and Safety Code (HSC), the Education Code, the Insur- ance Code (INS), and the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC). An act to amend Sections 232.7 and 49421 of the Education Code, to amend Sections 1279.6, 1337.3, 110962, 127410, 131365, and 131370 of the Health and Safety Code, to amend Sections 10119.6 and 10123.1991 of the Insurance Code, and to amend Sec- tions 5771.1, 5814, 5830, 5835, 5835.2, 5840.6, 5847, 5892, 5892.1, 5897, 5899, 14132.85, and 14184.201 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to health. 2025 Assembly Housing and Real Estate Laws AB 36, Soria. Housing elements: prohousing des- ignation. Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to evaluate materi- als from a small rural jurisdiction’s housing element submission for evidence of prohousing local policies and prohibits HCD from requiring those jurisdic- tions to renew their prohousing designations for at least five years. An act to amend Section 65589.9 of the Govern- ment Code, relating to housing. AB 87, Boerner. Housing development: density bo- nuses. This bill provides that a local government is not required to grant a concession or incentive under Density Bonus Law (DBL) to a hotel or motel as part of a housing development project, as specified. An act to amend Section 65915 of the Government Code, relating to housing. AB 130, Committee on Budget. Housing. This bill provides statutory changes to facilitate implementa- tion of the Budget Act of 2025 as it relates to housing and homelessness. An act to amend Sections 714.3, 5850, and 5855 of, and to add Section 2924.13 to, the Civil Code, to amend Sections 12531, 54221, 65400, 65584.01, 65584.04, 65589.5, 65905.5, 65913.10, 65913.16, 65928, 65941.1, 65952, 65953, 65956, 66323, and 66499.41 of, to amend and repeal Sections 65940, 65943, and 65950 of, to add Section 8590.15.5 to, and to repeal Section 66301 of, the Government Code, to amend Sections 17958, 17958.5, 17958.7, 17973, 17974.1, 17974.3, 17974.5, 18916, 18929.1, 18930, 18938.5, 18941.5, 18942, 37001, 50222, 50223, 50253,
50515.10, 50560, 50561, 50562, 53560, and 53562 of, and to add Sections 17974.1.5, 50058.8, 50406.4, 50410, and 53568 to, the Health and Safety Code, to amend Sections 21180, 21183, and 30603 of, and to add Sections 21080.43, 21080.44, 21080.66, 30114.5, and 30405 to, the Public Resources Code, to amend Section 17053.5 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, and to amend Section 5849.2 of the Welfare and In- stitutions Code, relating to housing, and making an appropriation therefor, to take effect immediately, bill related to the budget. AB 238, Harabedian. Mortgage forbearance: state of emergency: wildfire. This bill requires a mortgage servicer to provide up to 12 months of forbearance to a borrower experiencing financial hardship due to the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfire disaster. An act to add Title 19.1 (commencing with Section 3273.20) to Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code, re- lating to wildfire relief, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. AB 246, Bryan. Social Security Tenant Protection Act of 2025. Establishes the Social Security Tenant Protection Act of 2025. The Act authorizes a tenant of residential real property to assert Social Security hardship as an affirmative defense in an unlawful de- tainer proceeding based on the nonpayment of rent. An act to add and repeal Section 1946.3 to the Civil Code, relating to housing. AB 253, Ward. California Residential Private Per- mitting Review Act: residential building permits. Allows, until January 1, 2036, an applicant for spec- ified residential building permits to contract with or employ a private professional provider to check plans and specifications if the county or city estimates a timeframe for this plan-checking function that ex- ceeds 30 days, or does not complete this plan-check- ing function within 30 days. An act to amend Sections 17951 and 17960.1 of, and to add and repeal Section 17960.3 of, the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. AB 299, Gabriel. Motels, hotels, and short-term lodging: disasters. Provides, until January 1, 2031, that a guest of a lodging shall not be considered a person who hires nor have their lodging constitute a new tenancy for purposes of existing law govern- ing tenancy and unlawful detainer proceedings if the guest is residing in the lodging as a result of a disas- ter that substantially damaged, destroyed, or other- wise made uninhabitable their prior housing, subject to certain conditions. An act to add and repeal Section 1954.071 of the Civil Code, relating to tenancy, and declaring the ur- gency thereof, to take effect immediately. AB 301, Schiavo. Planning and zoning: housing de- velopment projects: postentitlement phase permits: state agencies. Establishes specific timeframes for all state departments involved in postentitlement re- views and approvals for housing developments. An act to amend Section 65913.3 of the Govern- ment Code, relating to housing, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. Continued on page 64
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