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Prepared by: Precision Advocacy
California's newly approved, voter-backed congressional maps, which are projected to give Democrats a five-seat advantage, are currently facing a high-stakes legal challenge from the state Republican Party. The legal fight began Monday before a three-judge federal panel in Los Angeles, where Republicans are seeking to invalidate the maps before the December 19th candidate filing deadline. Democrats and state officials defend the maps as legally sound, citing the Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold Texas's redistricting plan, which was also found to be politically motivated.
The GOP lawsuit, filed by Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Fresno), argues that Proposition 50, approved by 64% of California voters in November, constitutes an unjustifiable racial gerrymander under the Voting Rights Act. Specifically, the suit claims the measure unconstitutionally used race to create additional Latino-majority districts, despite Latino voters already holding a plurality in the state.
Adding to the case's complexity, the Department of Justice has joined the proceedings. A separate, pending Supreme Court case on the constitutionality of using race in redistricting could also influence the outcome for California. We will keep you posted on developments as they emerge.
State Auditor Report on High-Risk Programs
The California State Auditor's December 2025 report, "State High-Risk Audit Program," provides an updated assessment of issues and agencies posing a significant risk to the State of California. The program aims to enhance government efficiency and effectiveness by identifying areas with high potential for waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, or those facing major challenges in economy, efficiency, or effectiveness.
New High-Risk Agency: California Department of Social Services (CalFresh Benefit Obligations). The report designates the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) as a new high-risk agency due to its management of CalFresh benefits. This designation stems from federal H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted in July 2025, which significantly alters federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in California.
Starting in Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2028, states will be required to pay a portion of CalFresh benefit costs based on their payment error rate (PER). If California's PER (which was nearly 11% in FFY 2024 and has consistently hovered around the national average) does not decrease, the state could incur nearly $2.5 billion annually in additional costs by FFY 2028 (based on state fiscal year 2024-25 amounts). This includes over $1.8 billion for benefits and over $600 million for administrative costs (which also increase to 75% state share from 50% starting in FFY 2027).
The largest cause of payment errors is inaccurate wages and salaries of participants, often due to inadequate income capture during application or recertification, or participants' limited understanding of reporting rules. CDSS's corrective action plan for FFY 2024 includes strategies to lower the PER, but many efforts, such as a multi-year accuracy improvement, are yet to be implemented. CDSS faces challenges in hiring staff and developing specific strategies in time.
The report concludes that CDSS is unlikely to meaningfully lower the PER in a timely manner, necessitating increased state spending to maintain CalFresh benefits. A high-risk audit is recommended to identify specific improvements in quality control and oversight to limit additional costs.
Retained High-Risk Agencies and Issues
The report also identifies seven existing high-risk agencies and statewide issues that continue to pose substantial risks.
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Employment Development Department (EDD) – Unemployment Insurance Program. Retained since 2023 due to insufficient improvement in managing its unemployment insurance (UI) program. EDD continues to struggle with high rates of improper payments (estimated $1.5 billion in 2023-2024, with over $500 million from fraud in 2024 alone) and inadequate customer service. The department has met the federal standard for timeliness of first payments in only one month since January 2013, leading to long waits for claimants. Additionally, EDD's eligibility decisions are frequently overturned on appeal (over 43% in 2023-2024), and the appeals board resolves less than 4% of first-level appeals within 30 days.
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State's Management of Federal COVID-19 Funds. Retained since 2020, despite significant spending, approximately $2 billion in federal COVID-19 funds remain available, with $1.3 billion expiring by December 31, 2026. The state has a history of allowing $820 million in awarded funds to expire unspent. Challenges include difficulties in allocating and spending funds, as seen with the Department of Public Health losing $105 million. Unimplemented recommendations from prior audits and the risk of unspent expiring funds continue to be a concern.
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State's Financial Reporting and Accountability. Retained since 2020, the state continues to struggle with producing timely Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFRs), which are crucial for fiscal oversight and can affect credit ratings and federal funding. While recent ACFRs have been issued sooner than in prior years (e.g., FY 2023-24 in September 2025), the problem persists. An external audit is underway to identify opportunities for improvement.
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Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) – Medi-Cal Eligibility. Retained since 2007, DHCS has made some progress but has not adequately resolved long-standing problems with Medi-Cal eligibility determinations. Discrepancies between county and state eligibility systems remain high, leading to substantial questionable payments (estimated at $1.9 billion). DHCS's efforts to monitor county performance and impose corrective actions are still in early stages, with their first report on this not due until December 2025.
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Information Security. Retained since 2013, despite the California Department of Technology (CDT) increasing its capacity to conduct compliance audits, state entities' cybersecurity maturity remains low. As of July 2025, the average maturity score was 1.6 out of 4.0, below the baseline standard of 2.0, indicating that many entities are still developing foundational practices. Additionally, 46% of nonreporting entities were found to be non-compliant with cybersecurity requirements.
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California Department of Technology (CDT) – Information Technology Oversight. Retained since 2007, while CDT has improved its Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL) process, it remains lengthy, causing significant delays for highly critical IT projects (some spending nearly nine years in the PAL phase). These delays impair the delivery of essential government services. CDT recently launched a new Project Delivery Lifecycle for a faster, iterative approach, but its success is unproven, and the Legislative Analyst's Office has raised concerns about its aggressive timeline and transparency.
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Water Infrastructure and Availability. Retained since 2013, California's aging water infrastructure faces significant risks. The number of dams with poor or unsatisfactory condition ratings has increased by 73% since 2019, with 49 dams posing an extremely high downstream hazard without approved emergency action plans. The Governor's Office of Emergency Services has approved only 67% of required emergency plans for dams. Levee conditions have also worsened. The Delta Conveyance Project, a key solution for water availability, faces significant delays and public opposition, with full operation not expected until 2045. Many initiatives under the Water Supply Strategy are still in early stages or face setbacks.
Accountability Over Homelessness Spending and Program Outcomes. The report also reviewed accountability over homelessness spending and program outcomes. While this area is not yet formally designated as high-risk, the auditor expresses significant concern. AB 799, passed in September 2024, mandates the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) to collect and publicly report fiscal and outcome data. However, Cal ICH has demonstrated limited progress in implementing AB 799, with only preliminary work completed on methodology and significant delays in finalizing performance measures and fiscal reporting processes. The report indicates continued monitoring, and if progress remains slow, it may be added to the high-risk list in future assessments.
The State Auditor's report underscores ongoing and new challenges in essential state functions. These issues necessitate continuous oversight and immediate, firm action to lessen financial, operational, and public safety threats. These specific risks are significant because they have the potential to affect the state budget, which could subsequently impact the funding available to the county.
State Audit Report on Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant Program for Cannabis Licensure
Last month the California State Auditor released its report on the Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant Program which was intended to help local jurisdictions transition licensed cannabis businesses from provisional to annual licenses under the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). In general, the Auditor determined that all cities and counties that received funding from the grant program made progress in reducing the number of provisional licenses among their cannabis businesses but had concerns about how two local jurisdictions spent some of the funds.
As of June 30, 2025, the number of provisional licenses dropped from more than 4,600 in January 2023 to fewer than 300. The DCC expects to complete the remaining transitions without major obstacles. However, the report details some concerns about the use of grant program funding. At least $35.7 million remained unspent or was disallowed across local jurisdictions. The DCC has closed out six jurisdictions, returning $4.1 million to the General Fund, but it is still reviewing the remaining 11. The final amount of unspent funds may change depending on whether the DCC identifies additional unallowable expenditures. In addition, although the grant program’s purpose was to help businesses meet the requirements needed to attain annual state licensure, the DCC approved Humboldt County’s use of grant program funds to provide subgrants to cannabis businesses that already held annual state licenses. The city of Oakland also made a $2,000 purchase of computer equipment that did not comply with its grant agreement.
Summary of Findings. According to the DCC’s state licensing data, the DCC and 17 local jurisdictions transitioned a significant number of provisional licenses to annual state licenses by June 30, 2025. The Auditor reviewed the DCC’s licensing data to identify the number of active provisional licenses as of June 30, 2025, as well as the number of transitions to annual state licenses that occurred in each of the 17 local jurisdictions during fiscal year 2024–25. There were more than 4,600 provisional licenses in the 17 local jurisdictions as of January 1, 2023, but the local jurisdictions reduced that number to fewer than 300 by June 30, 2025.
The DCC data shows that the majority of the 17 local jurisdictions had 12 or fewer provisional licenses remaining, and Nevada County eliminated all of its remaining provisional licenses. Most jurisdictions had significantly fewer provisional licenses as of June 30, 2025, than the previous year. DCC data shows that the 17 local jurisdictions transitioned more than 1,700 provisional licenses to annual state licenses in fiscal year 2024–25. This amount is more than the 1,214 transitions that occurred in the year and a half leading up to June 30, 2024, and Mendocino County and Los Angeles were the primary drivers of the increase. Those two jurisdictions completed far fewer transitions during fiscal year 2023–24 but accounted for 70% of the transitions in fiscal year 2024–25.
Of the $95 million that the Budget Act appropriated for the 17 local jurisdictions, the DCC disbursed to local jurisdictions $84 million in total grant program funds. The DCC initially disbursed 80% of the total awarded funding to local jurisdictions in 2022 when the grant program started, withholding the remaining 20% until local jurisdictions had substantially met their annual goals to help cannabis businesses transition provisional licenses to annual state licenses. To receive the remaining 20% of the grant program funds, local jurisdictions had to submit a formal request to the DCC. Of the seven jurisdictions that submitted requests, the DCC awarded the remaining 20% to five of them, including the city of Desert Hot Springs and the counties of Humboldt, Mendocino, Monterey, and Trinity. The DCC denied disbursement requests from the city of Oakland and Sonoma County because of concerns that these jurisdictions were spending funds outside the scope of the grant program.
The Auditor calculated that local jurisdictions collectively spent $59.3 million in grant program funds they received, leaving about $35.7 million, or 38%, unspent of the total $95 million appropriated to the grant program.
For two of the three local jurisdictions reviewed by the Auditor, concerns were noted with how they spent some grant program funds. The Auditor selected three local jurisdictions that received large amounts of grant program funding and had high numbers of provisional licenses remaining: the cities of Los Angeles and Oakland and Humboldt County. After reviewing 20 transactions made by each selected local jurisdiction; examining invoices, receipts, and other supporting documentation; and evaluating the transactions against their grant agreements and the requirements in law to determine whether those transactions were allowable uses of grant program funding, the Auditor raised concerns with spending in the City of Oakland and Humboldt County.
The Auditor found that the DCC and the local jurisdictions transitioned a significant number of provisional licenses to annual licenses, meeting the intent of the Grant Program. However, the issues they identified in the audit and in their previous reports indicate that DCC might have benefited from guidance on the administration of government grants at the outset of the Grant Program. As the state agency that serves as the business manager for the State, the Department of General Services (DGS) may be best suited to develop such guidance. DGS administers the State Administrative Manual, a resource for statewide policies, procedures, requirements, and information that provides a uniform approach to statewide management policy. DGS believes that it has the institutional knowledge and experience to create and make available statewide guidance for grant administration for state agencies that may lack experience or infrastructure to effectively administer large grant programs. However, DGS said that, depending on whether and when the Legislature were to direct it to create such guidance, it is not certain that it would have the available resources to do so.
Recommendations to the Legislature. The Auditor’s report recommended that the legislature consider directing the Department of General Services or another state agency with the appropriate expertise to create and make available statewide guidance for grant administration, including guidance for subgrantee monitoring. Such guidance might include:
- Clear instructions for departments on how to define both allowable and unallowable costs in grant agreements, and the types of supporting documentation required.
- Examples of common grant monitoring controls to prevent or detect improper spending and delays in grant execution.
- An overview of the potential risks state departments face when they advance state grant funds, and when doing so may create a high risk of fraud, waste, or abuse of grant funding.
Recommendations to the Department of Cannabis Control. The Auditor’s report recommended that the DCC immediately implement a process for publicly reporting on its website the final amounts of grant program funding it disbursed to each local jurisdiction, the amounts each jurisdiction used, as well as the amounts the DCC determined jurisdictions may have used in unallowable ways and that are subject to recapture, and the amounts the DCC will return to the General Fund after it has determined these amounts.
To reduce the risk of fraud, waste, and abuse of future grant program funds, the report recommended that the DCC should, by June 2026, use best practices to develop guidance that grant recipients can use when making grant awards to subgrantees, including direction about limiting advance payments to the minimum amounts subgrantees need and timing those payments to the subgrantees’ actual, immediate cash requirements.
Grant Opportunities
Deadline: 1/21/26 17:00
Title: 2026-2027 New California Library Literacy Services Libraries Application
State Agency / Department: CA State Library
Match Funding? No
Estimated Total Funding: $200,000
Funding Method: Advances
Deadline: 1/23/26 05:00
Title: Tobacco-Use Prevention and Youth Engagement Grant (Cohort 2026–29)
State Agency / Department: CA Department of Education
Match Funding? No
Estimated Total Funding: $12,000,000
Funding Method: Advances & Reimbursement(s)
Deadline: 2/6/26 16:00
Title: 2026-27 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Grant
State Agency / Department: CA Department of Education
Match Funding? No
Estimated Total Funding:$16,000,000
Funding Method: Reimbursement(s)
Expected Award Announcement: 12/11/25
Title: Proposition 4 – Wildfire and Forest Resilience
State Agency / Department: CA Department of Education
Match Funding? No
Estimated Total Funding: $30,904,000
Funding Method: Advances & Reimbursement(s)
Governor’s Press Releases
Below is a list of the governor’s press releases beginning December 10.
December 17: Lights, camera, action! Governor Newsom announces 28 new films coming to California, set to boost local economies
December 16: Newsom launches website tracking Trump’s top 10 criminal cronies as new data shows December 16: California crime continues to drop
December 15: Governor Newsom launches new initiatives to partner with tech policy experts and accelerate responsible AI in state government
December 15: California continues to lead the nation in fusion energy, investing in technology of the future
December 15: Governor Newsom announces top former CDC officials to lead public health innovation, collaboration
December 14: Governor, First Partner statement on the death of Rob Reiner, Michele Singer Reiner
December 14: TOMORROW: Governor Newsom to make announcement with former CDC officials to expand
December 14: California’s science-based public health leadership
December 13: Happy Birthday, National Guard!
December 12: Governor Newsom announces appointments 12.12.2025
- Elmy Bermejo, of San Francisco, has been appointed Director of the Office of Small Business Advocate
- Jesse Melgar, of Palm Springs, has been appointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.
- Laura Capps, of Santa Barbara, has been appointed to the Board of State and Community Corrections
- Christopher Clark, of Santa Cruz, has been appointed to the Board of State and Community Corrections
- Arthur “Ari” Krantz, of Berkeley, has been reappointed to the California Public Employment Relations Board
- Siva Gangadhar Gunda, of Davis, has been reappointed to the California Energy Commission
December 12: TIME’s Person of the Year was Made in California
December 12: Governor Newsom visits LA recovery efforts in Altadena and the Palisades, views homes set to be completed soon
December 11: California state parks are for everyone, while Trump turns national parks into his vanity project
December 11: Trump’s AI executive order advances corruption, not innovation
December 11: Governor Newsom deploys California resources to Washington to support flood response efforts
December 11: Coho salmon are making a comeback in the Russian River for the first time in 30 years
December 10: Governor Newsom, First Partner join LA fire survivors Jude and Rebecca Kessler for 94th annual Capitol Tree lighting ceremony
December 10: Governor Newsom creates new housing and transportation using nearly $1 billion paid by big polluters
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Prepared by: Townsend Public Affairs
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH ACTIVITY
Congress Sees Minimal Progress on FY26 Funding Bills, Efforts Ongoing in Both Chambers
Efforts are ongoing to finalize the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2026 as HR 5371 the continuing resolution (CR), which reopened the federal government is set to expire on January 30, 2026. The House and the Senate remain stalled on advancing a minibus package combining between three and five of the nine remaining full-year appropriations bills left to pass.
Appropriators are working to “pre-conference” some of the bills, to avoid having to pass them back and forth between the two chambers and instead pass finished legislation in quick succession. Currently, the House is working towards a smaller set of three to four bills, while the Senate is seeking to advance five bills covering Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Interior programs. The Senate’s proposal would contain the vast majority of discretionary spending alongside Community Projects Funding and Congressionally-Directed Spending requests, also known as earmarks. Some Senators are keeping the Senate from advancing their minibus over the size of the packages, objections to the inclusion of earmarks, and previous legislative promises given during the first shutdown by Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
In parallel, Democrats have not yet been included in negotiating the bills, which require 60 votes in the Senate and therefore must be bipartisan. Aside from the policy language usually attached to the legislation, leadership has not yet finalized topline funding numbers for each bill and some of the larger funding accounts, which would allow committee staff to begin compiling floor-ready legislation. It generally takes six weeks for staff to draft and vet floor-ready bills once topline numbers have been agreed to. In theory, a tighter timeline is attainable if appropriators are able to finalize more detailed negotiations, but the shortened timeframe increases the risk of a second, albeit partial, government shutdown.
House Finalizes Permitting Reform Legislation Streamlining NEPA Reviews
The House continued to work towards passage of permitting reform legislation after objections over benefits for offshore wind were at least partially resolved by congressional leadership. The bills for the week of December 15 primarily address grid reliability and included HR 4776, the SPEED Act, a bipartisan NEPA reform package that would notably create effective equivalency for CEQA and NEPA reviews and limit the types of projects subject to a full NEPA review, HR 3632, the Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025, would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to delay power plant retirements and has the potential to bias generation towards older, and potentially less efficient, fossil fuel power sources.
HR 3616, the Reliable Power Act, would create a new process for determining and prioritizing grid stability when the federal government, via the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and FERC, assess the grid impacts of new regulations imposed by other federal agencies or states. Under the bill, FERC would have to review the proposals and provide recommendations on ways to prevent a negative effect on bulk-power systems. The agencies wouldn’t be allowed to finalize the proposals without FERC approval.
In the June markup of the legislation, Democrats argued both bills bias the definition of reliability towards coal and liquified natural gas by focusing on turbine operation in place of battery storage.
Housing for the 21st Century Act Introduced, Promises Housing Policy Reforms
On December 11, HR 6644, the Housing for the 21st Century Act, was introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill and Ranking Member Maxine Waters. The Committee also provided analysis of the legislation.
The introduction of the bill follows the Chairman’s successful effort to remove S 2651, the ROAD to Housing Act, from the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which passed out of the House earlier in the month. The Housing for the 21st Century Act has significant overlap on housing policy changes, though is significantly less proscriptive than the Road to Housing Act.
The bill would require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to produce zoning recommendations, reclassify housing projects exempt from NEPA reviews, order the government to create policy definitions for middle-income and workforce housing, update HOME Investment Partnerships, reform Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and make them contingent on reviews of local land use policies, and creates baseline policies for manufactured homes.
The Committee on Financial Services included the Housing for the 21st Century Act in a December 17 markup. The Chairman expressed confidence the bill would be brought for a vote on the floor in Spring, 2026.
Rep. Tran Introduces Legislation to Modify Older Americans Act, Expand Senior Legal Assistance Hotlines
On December 11, Rep. Derek Tran announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation to expand access to legal services for seniors by modifying the Older Americans Act (OAA). The OAA is the primary authorizing legislation for the delivery of social and nutrition services to older persons, and funds state Units on Aging (SUAs), Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), and a variety of other service providers.
Rep. Tran’s bill would create statewide legal hotlines for seniors, providing free legal services. Hotline operators under the bill would be community-based organizations or nonprofits, though they could partner with local governments to bolster capacity. The bill has been introduced in previous Congresses and is likely to make progress this Congress. The OAA’s authorization expired in October 2024 (FY24), though Congress continues to fund the programs it authorized. S 2120, introduced earlier this year, would reauthorize the OAA through the end of Fiscal Year 2030, on October 1, 2030.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH ACTIVITY
US Department of Veterans Affairs to Eliminate Unfilled Positions, Cementing 10% Workforce Reduction
A December 13 report indicated the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) intends to remove as many as 35,000 job postings for vacant positions, bringing their total workforce reductions to 10% from 2024 levels. These positions have been left open in some cases for years, as salary competitiveness and morale in certain markets remains a challenge for the VA in recruitment. Wait times across the system have increased due to staffing cuts, initially part of Reduction in Force (RIF) efforts across the federal government pursued by the now disparate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The VA largely rejected those RIFs, instead participating in the buyout program offered to federal employees.
On December 15, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins announced the reorganization of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), committing to reducing redundancies over the next 18-24 months, though denied they would be further reducing staff. In 2024, VHA accounted for 90% of VA employees, including administrative staff at hospitals, nurses, doctors, and other specialists.
US Department of Education Moves Toward Finalizing Workforce Pell Grant Rules
On December 12, the Department of Education (DOEd) concluded negotiated rulemaking on the establishment of the Workforce Pell Grant Program created by Section 83002 of HR 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). HR 1 modified Section 492 the Higher Education Act of 1965 to create the program, which seeks to provide special Pell grants to enrollees in certain workforce development programs determined by the Secretary of Education and Secretary of Labor.
Initially designated programs are anticipated to include emergency medical technician, mechanic, and other trade schools. Importantly, the Workforce Pell Grants will not require a program to culminate in a degree, instead allowing certain certificates or union apprenticeships to qualify for the benefits. DOEd will also seek to align Workforce Pell with other programs administered by the Department of Labor.
DOEd will now begin drafting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking before publishing a final rule before the July 4, 2026 implementation deadline.
President Signs Executive Order on AI and EPA Provides Guidance on Clean Air Act Enforcement for Data Centers
The Administration worked towards a federal regulatory regime for Artificial Intelligence (AI) on December 11, with the President signing Executive Order (EO) 14365, titled Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcing Clean Air Act clarifications for data center developers.
The most consequential provision in the EO is an attempt to preempt state and local regulations impacting both AI use, misuse, and infrastructure, with funding conditions and penalties for jurisdictions that do not comply with the EO. Compliance will be determined by the Department of Commerce, and local jurisdictions will be notified within 90 days. The legality of similar funding conditions has been successfully challenged throughout the year, while the Supreme Court is anticipated to better define the limits of Presidential authority over Congressionally-appropriated funding next June.
The EPA announcement covered a new Clean Air Act resource specifically detailing the EPAs interpretation of the applicability of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to data centers and developers. In particular, it highlights proposed regulatory changes to New Source Review for new energy projects required to support the grid demand necessary to sustain data centers.
Orange County Delegation Press Releases
- Young Kim – December 11, 2025: Rep Young Kim Small Business Bill Passes the House in INVEST Act
- Young Kim – December 11, 2025: Rep. Young Kim Leads Bill to Crack Down on Organized Retail Crime
- Young Kim – December 10, 2025: Rep. Young Kim Votes to Support U.S. Troops and Revitalize Our National Defense
- Dave Min – December 16, 2025: NEW: Rep. Dave Min and Sen. Adam Schiff Lead 10 Colleagues in DOJ Probe
- Dave Min – December 11, 2025: NEW: Rep. Dave Min Introduces Legislation To Close Loopholes Allowing Special Government Employees To Profit Off Government Service
- Dave Min – December 11, 2025: WATCH: Rep. Dave Min Passes Amendment to Lower Electricity Costs, Modernize Energy Grid
- Derek Tran – December 16, 2025: Representative Derek Tran Releases Statement on H.R. 4371
- Derek Tran – December 11, 2025: Representatives Tran, Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand No-Cost Legal Assistance for Seniors
- Derek Tran – December 11, 2025: Representative Tran Co-Leads Bipartisan Legislation to Improve First Responders’ Access to Care
- Derek Tran – December 11, 2025: Representative Tran Issues Statement Following Vote to Table Articles of Impeachment
- Derek Tran – December 11, 2025: Representative Tran, Senator Hirono Author Resolution to Commemorate 50 Years of Southeast Asian Diaspora in U.S.
- Derek Tran – December 10, 2025: Representative Tran Votes to Raise Troop Pay, Improve Military Readiness in National Defense Authorization Act
- Linda Sanchez – December 10, 2025: Sánchez: Republicans’ defense bill pushes harmful agenda
- Alex Padilla – December 15, 2025: Padilla, Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Provide Victims of Abuse by Federal Law Enforcement the Right to Sue
- Alex Padilla – December 15, 2025: Padilla, Cornyn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Establish a Federal Office of Fusion
- Alex Padilla – December 12, 2025: Padilla, Rosen, Colleagues Push to Overturn Trump Rule Ending Automatic Work Permit Renewal for Approved Noncitizens
- Alex Padilla – December 11, 2025: Padilla Statement on Trump’s Executive Order Undermining California’s AI Leadership
- Alex Padilla – December 11, 2025: WATCH: Padilla, California Health Care Leaders Blast Republicans’ Refusal to Prevent Californians’ Health Care Costs From Soaring
- Alex Padilla – December 11, 2025: Padilla, Schiff, Warren, Garamendi Unveil Report Showing Trump Administration Siphoned At Least $2 Billion From Military Budget for Immigration Enforcement
- Alex Padilla – December 10, 2025: WATCH: Padilla Calls on Republicans to Pass Democratic Proposal to Keep Health Care Costs From Skyrocketing for Millions of Americans
- Adam Schiff – December 16, 2025: NEWS: Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Dave Min Lead 10 Colleagues in DOJ Probe
- Adam Schiff – December 15, 2025: NEWS: Sen. Schiff Joins Sen. Cortez Masto to Introduce Legislation to Codify Fee-Free Days of Public Service on Federal Lands
- Adam Schiff – December 15, 2025: Jewish Senate Democrats Statement on Deadly Attack on Sydney’s Jewish Community on First Night of Hanukkah
- Adam Schiff – December 12, 2025: ICYMI: Sen. Schiff Marks One Year in U.S. Senate, Highlights Legislative and Oversight Accomplishments to Deliver for Californians
- Adam Schiff – December 12, 2025: NEWS: Schiff Joins Blumenthal on Senate Introduction of “No Check, No Sale” Bill to Close the Charleston Loophole
- Adam Schiff – December 12, 2025: WATCH: Sen. Schiff Raises Concerns About Epstein Files Tampering, Demands Audit of DOJ’s Handling on MS NOW
- Adam Schiff – December 12, 2025: STATEMENT: Sen. Schiff Statement on Trump AI Executive Order Preempting State Safeguards Meant to Protect Consumers and Workers
- Adam Schiff – December 11, 2025: WATCH: Sen. Schiff Calls Out Trump’s Continued Downplaying of ‘Affordability Hoax’, Failing Retribution and Redistricting Efforts on CNN
- Adam Schiff – December 11, 2025: WATCH: Sen. Schiff Calls Out Venezuela Tanker Seizure, Talks Marking One-Year Anniversary in U.S. Senate on CNN’s The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
- Adam Schiff – December 11, 2025: NEWS: Schiff, Padilla, Warren, Garamendi Unveil Report Showing Trump Administration Siphoned At Least $2 Billion From Military Budget for Immigration Enforcement
- Adam Schiff – December 11, 2025: NEWS: Schiff, Durbin Raise Concerns about Epstein Files Tampering, Demand Audit of DOJ’s Handling of Files
Legislation Introduced by the Orange County Delegation
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Bill Number
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Bill Title
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Introduction Date
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Sponsor
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Bill Description
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Latest Major Action
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S.3470
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Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act.
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12/15/25
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Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA)
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A bill to amend the Revised Statutes of the United States to hold certain public employers liable in civil actions for deprivation of rights, and for other purposes.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8731-8732), 12/15/25
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S.3464
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Housing BOOM Act.
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12/11/25
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Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
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A bill to increase the housing supply in the United States, and for other purposes.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance., 12/11/25
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S.3437
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No Short Title Available.
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12/11/25
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Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA)
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A bill to amend the Department of Energy Organization Act to reestablish an office relating to fusion.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8672), 12/11/25
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H.R.6651
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Federal Response to Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025
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12/11/25
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Rep. Young Kim (R-CA-40)
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A bill to direct certain heads of Federal agencies to develop a strategy to improve Federal investigations of organized retail crime, and for other purposes.
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary., 12/11/25
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H.R.6658
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Ban on Self-Interested Contracting (BASIC) Act
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12/11/25
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Rep. Dave Min (D-CA-47)
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To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit covered Federal awards for certain special Government employees, and for other purposes.
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Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned., 12/11/25
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H.R.6678
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Senior Legal Hotline Act
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12/11/25
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Rep. Derek Tran (D-CA-45)
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A bill to amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize a national network of statewide senior legal hotlines, and for other purposes.
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Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce., 12/11/25
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H.RES.948
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No Short Title Available.
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12/11/25
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Rep. Derek Tran (D-CA-45)
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A resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian refugee resettlement and the many contributions and sacrifices of Southeast Asian Americans to the United States.
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary., 12/11/25
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