Office of Legislative Affairs - "The Friday Wrap-Up"

 

 
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CEO/Office of Legislative Affairs - The Friday Wrap-Up
August 28, 2026 Volume 12 Issue 34
 
Board Actions

The Board of Supervisors met on August 25, 2026, at 9:30 am. Notable actions include the following:

Discussion Items

22. County Executive Office - Approve grant applications/awards submitted in 8/11/26 grant report and other actions as recommended - All Districts (Click for Files) APPROVED MOTION TO OPPOSE SB 1087 UNLESS AMENDED TO REMOVE AUGUST 21, 2026, AMENDMENTS.

23. County Executive Office - Approve recommended positions on introduced or amended legislation and/or consider other legislative subject matters - All Districts (Click for Files) APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED.

The next Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled for September 15, 2026, at 9:30 am.

 
Table of Contents
orange arrow Board Actions
orange arrow County Legislation Position
orange arrow Sacramento Update
orange arrow Washington D.C. Update
orange arrow Weekly Clips
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County Legislation Position

 
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Sacramento Update
Prepared by Precision Advocacy

With just days remaining before the legislature adjourns for the year on August 31, Sacramento has entered the final days of the 2025-26 legislative session. Negotiations are continuing on several major end-of-session issues, including the wildfire liability package, where recent legislative counterproposals have moved in a more favorable direction for Orange County, but significant details remain unresolved and final bill language has not yet been released.

This report provides an update on those negotiations, as well as recent legislative and budget developments with particular relevance to Orange County. It includes a summary of the legislature’s oversight hearing on California’s pesticide regulatory program and its connection to concerns in Ladera Ranch, as well as an overview of the Legislative Analyst’s Office assessment of the enacted 2026-27 state budget, including implications of H.R. 1 for county health and human services programs. As the session concludes, attention will increasingly turn from legislative negotiations to the governor’s action on measures sent to his desk and preparation for the 2027-28 budget and legislative cycle.

Wildfire Liability End-of-Session Package

Wildfire liability negotiations have moved substantially over the last several days, and the direction is more favorable to Orange County than the governor’s original proposal. Both the Assembly and Senate have now developed counterproposals that reject several of the provisions of greatest concern to counties. However, there is still no final agreement and no public legislative language. Negotiations are occurring at the leadership level among the governor, Senate, and Assembly, with the legislature facing an extremely compressed timeline.

The practical deadline is now Friday, August 28. Because legislation generally must be in print for 72 hours before a vote, failure to reach agreement and publish language by Friday would make passage before the August 31 adjournment extremely difficult. As of today, neither the governor nor legislative leaders have released the actual bill text.

Local government Infrastructure Recovery. The governor’s original proposal would have limited local governments to the depreciated value of destroyed infrastructure rather than the full cost of rebuilding. The Assembly counterproposal expressly rejects that provision, and current reporting indicates lawmakers in both chambers oppose reducing local government recovery. This is consistent with the County’s and local government coalition position that utility-caused disasters should not leave taxpayers responsible for rebuilding public assets. The original county concerns also include recovery of emergency response costs, avoiding mandatory reliance on FEMA, and preserving recovery for lost tax revenues. Those issues have not been clearly resolved in the publicly available Assembly or Senate outlines, so they remain important items to review when actual language appears.

Both houses are rejecting elimination of insurance subrogation. The governor proposed substantially restricting or eliminating insurers' ability to recover from utilities after paying wildfire claims. Both the Assembly and Senate appear to favor preserving the existing right of subrogation. The Senate would nevertheless prohibit insurers from selling subrogation rights to hedge funds unless approved by the insurance commissioner. This reduces one potential avenue for shifting utility-caused wildfire costs into California’s already stressed property-insurance market.

The legislature is also pushing back on limits on survivor damages. The governor proposed limiting certain non-economic damages, including a $150,000 cap for some individuals. The Assembly proposal rejects that cap. The Senate takes a somewhat different approach. It would permit claims by people outside the immediate wildfire area but require those plaintiffs to meet a higher evidentiary standard establishing that the wildfire caused their harm.

Utility accountability provisions appear likely to survive and may become stronger. There is significant agreement around restricting utility executive bonuses following serious utility-caused fires and increasing shareholder-funded penalties for safety violations. The Senate proposal reportedly goes further by requiring closer CPUC scrutiny of utility spending and profits and requiring consideration of tying rate increases to inflation. Senate proponents estimate the latter could produce more than $2 billion annually in ratepayer savings, although the actual statutory mechanism is pending.

Restrictions on attorneys' fees and claim trafficking remain part of the discussion. Both houses appear open to limiting some attorneys' fees associated with wildfire litigation, although the Senate proposal would address fees paid by utilities as well as plaintiffs.

At this point, the negotiations are trending in the right direction on the County's most immediate concern – preserving full recovery from utilities for damaged public infrastructure. The Assembly position is particularly clear on this point, and Senate members involved in the negotiations have also publicly expressed opposition to forcing local governments to absorb costs caused by private utilities.

County concerns will remain unresolved until there is actual language. The final package should be reviewed specifically to ensure that it:

  • Preserves full replacement-cost recovery for public infrastructure, without depreciation limits or other indirect caps;
  • Preserves recovery of fire suppression, emergency response and mutual-aid costs;
  • Does not require counties to rely primarily on FEMA or other uncertain federal reimbursement;
  • preserves the ability to recover lost property tax or other public revenues attributable to a utility-caused catastrophe; and
  • Does not create new Wildfire Fund priority, offset, causation or damages provisions that effectively subordinate public-agency claims even if an explicit local-government cap has been removed.

Joint Oversight Hearing on California’s Pesticide Regulatory Program

On August 11, the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee held a joint oversight hearing titled “Putting Public Protection First: Is California’s Pesticide Program Achieving its Purpose?” The hearing, chaired by Senator Catherine Blakespear and Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-X), examined the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) progress in protecting public health and the environment, implementing recent reforms, transitioning toward sustainable pest management (SPM), and overseeing pesticide enforcement by county agricultural commissioners (CACs). The hearing came two years after passage of AB 2113, three years after release of the state’s SPM Roadmap, and nearly a decade after the last major legislative oversight hearing on DPR. A separate State Auditor review of the relationship between DPR and CACs is also underway.

Ladera Ranch. The hearing has relevance for Orange County because Senator Blakespear opened her remarks by discussing Ladera Ranch and recent cases of rare childhood cancer in the community. Blakespear emphasized that no cause has been established and that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is currently investigating whether environmental factors may be associated with the cases. According to Blakespear, CDPH expects to complete its report this fall. She noted that she, Assemblymember Sanchez, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, and a representative of Congressman Mike Levin recently met with CDPH and urged the department to conduct a comprehensive investigation and make the process transparent and accessible to the community.

Blakespear specifically acknowledged community concerns regarding pesticides and herbicides, while cautioning that there has been no determination that pesticide exposure is associated with the Ladera Ranch cases. She nevertheless pointed to integrated and sustainable pest management as precautionary approaches that communities can consider as California works to reduce reliance on higher-risk chemicals.

That distinction is important when reviewing the health research presented at the hearing. The studies discussed by researchers largely involve agricultural communities with substantially different exposure circumstances than Ladera Ranch; they provide evidence regarding pesticide exposure and potential health risks but do not establish an explanation for the Orange County cancer cases.

Health Research and Exposure Monitoring. The first panel focused on pesticides, human health, and California’s regulatory system. Dr. Ana Maria Mora of UC Berkeley discussed findings from CHAMACOS, a long-running study of 601 Salinas Valley farmworker families that has followed children from pregnancy into adulthood and collected more than 400,000 biological samples. The accompanying research summary reports widespread organophosphate exposure among participants and associations between prenatal exposure and a range of reproductive, neurological, developmental, and respiratory outcomes. It also notes that children may be particularly vulnerable because they are less efficient than adults at metabolizing organophosphates.

Mora argued that California’s pesticide-use reporting system is unusually comprehensive but measures where chemicals are applied rather than what ultimately enters people’s bodies. She recommended ongoing biomonitoring, linking pesticide-use data to birth, developmental, school and cancer-registry data, examining cumulative and combined exposures, and providing additional protections around homes, schools and child-care facilities.

This issue could become particularly relevant to Orange County as the Ladera Ranch investigation proceeds. During questioning, DPR acknowledged that it does not conduct human biomonitoring itself. The department relies on other state programs for some of that work and uses measures such as air monitoring as proxies for potential exposure. Director Morrison expressed support for exploring better ways to identify actual exposure and connect those findings to health risks and possible mitigation.

Questions About Who Is Responsible for Local Enforcement. A major theme throughout the hearing was the division of responsibility between DPR and CACs. California essentially operates a two-tier system. DPR registers and evaluates pesticides and establishes statewide requirements, while CACs implement and enforce many of those requirements locally, including issuing permits for restricted materials and evaluating proposed applications based on local conditions.

The committee background paper makes an important point for Orange County – CACs enforce state pesticide laws under DPR’s direction and supervision, while state law generally preempts cities and counties from separately regulating pesticide registration, sale, transportation or use. Thus, the Orange CAC is particularly important when residents raise concerns about compliance, pesticide drift, restricted material permits or other matters governed by state pesticide law.

Frontline community witnesses argued that the respective responsibilities of DPR and county commissioners are not always clear to members of the public and that implementation can vary substantially between counties. Assemblymember Diane Dixon echoed concerns about overlapping responsibilities and said clearer lines of authority and follow-up could be helpful. Connolly noted that these questions are among the subjects of the ongoing State Auditor review.

The committee backgrounder likewise cites a 2023 U.S. EPA Region 9 audit that found inconsistencies among county pesticide investigations and enforcement decisions. The pending state audit is examining DPR oversight of county enforcement, including restricted-material permitting, evaluations of alternatives, and the activities of pest control advisers.

County Agricultural Commissioners: More Resources and Local Flexibility. Representing CACs, the Nevada County Agricultural Commissioner emphasized that county staff issue restricted-material permits, inspect applications and businesses, investigate illnesses and drift complaints, respond to emergencies, collect pesticide-use information, and take enforcement action. He argued that counties provide critical local knowledge regarding weather, nearby communities, environmentally sensitive areas, water resources and other site-specific conditions.

At the same time, county commissioners cautioned that responsibilities have grown faster than resources. Their recommendations included stable state funding for county pesticide programs, earlier county involvement in developing new policies, adequate training and technology support, realistic implementation timelines, and continued state-local collaboration. They also argued against a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to account for differences in geography, crops, staffing and community needs.

For Orange County, this portion of the hearing may ultimately be as significant as the broader debate over particular pesticides. Any legislative or regulatory effort to strengthen local inspections, investigations, reporting, community outreach or enforcement could create new workload and funding implications for the County’s Agricultural Commissioner.

Sustainable Pest Management and Safer Alternatives. The hearing also examined implementation of California’s Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) Roadmap, released in 2023. SPM is intended as a broader, whole-system approach that builds on integrated pest management and incorporates human health and social equity, environmental protection, and economic considerations. The Roadmap calls for California, by 2050, to eliminate the use of designated “Priority Pesticides” through a transition to SPM and to make SPM the state’s standard pest-management approach.

There was broad agreement on the goal of reducing risk, but disagreement over the pace and mechanics of the transition. Environmental and community witnesses pressed DPR to move more quickly and questioned whether 2050 is sufficiently ambitious. Agricultural and regulated-industry representatives stressed that growers and other users need viable, effective replacements before higher-risk products are removed and called for faster registration of lower-risk products, greater investment in pest prevention, and financial and technical assistance for farmers transitioning to SPM practices.

This is not exclusively an agricultural issue. The Roadmap specifically contemplates both agricultural and urban pest management, making its implementation potentially relevant to Orange County parks, public facilities, schools, community associations and other managed landscapes.

DPR’s Response and AB 2113 Implementation. DPR presented the hearing as evidence that significant reforms are already underway. AB 2113 and the 2024-25 budget provided DPR with 120 additional permanent positions, representing roughly a 25% expansion, along with increased funding through the pesticide mill assessment. DPR said the resources have allowed it to reduce scientific-review backlogs, modernize registration through the CalPEST electronic system, expand research and grants, establish new advisory bodies, and accelerate reevaluations.

DPR reported that its registration process is now moving approximately twice as fast for most products and four times as fast for complex new-active-ingredient reviews, while maintaining scientific review standards. The department has also created the Scientific Prioritization and Review Committee to help determine where risk-evaluation resources should be focused.

On enforcement, DPR said it oversees 55 CACs serving all 58 counties and approximately 500 local inspectors. DPR evaluates each county pesticide program at least once every three years and conducts more than 400 oversight inspections annually. The department is also updating enforcement-response regulations, particularly for repeat or egregious violations, and has received new authority allowing some pesticide-use enforcement cases to be handled at the state level, including cases involving repeat violations across multiple counties.

Additional Considerations. Assemblymember Dixon raised another issue likely relevant to Orange County’s predominantly urban and suburban setting – residents often have difficulty translating statewide pesticide-use information into an understandable picture of what is being used near a particular home or community. Witnesses acknowledged that California has substantial pesticide-use data, but that the information can be difficult for residents to interpret at a localized level.

DPR’s SprayDays California system is intended to improve advance public notification, but DPR testified that the system applies to scheduled applications of restricted materials requiring permits in production agriculture. It therefore does not appear, based on the hearing materials, to provide a comprehensive notification system for every pesticide or herbicide application in an urban or suburban setting. This distinction may be particularly relevant as Orange County considers concerns involving residential communities such as Ladera Ranch.

Key Issues

  • CDPH’s Ladera Ranch investigation, expected this fall, will be the most immediate Orange County-specific development. The hearing did not establish a connection between pesticides and the childhood cancer cases.
  • The State Auditor’s DPR/CAC enforcement audit could lead to legislation or regulations clarifying the respective responsibilities of DPR and CACs and potentially imposing new county enforcement, reporting or oversight requirements.
  • DPR’s pending enforcement-response regulations could affect the way Orange County investigates violations and assesses or coordinates enforcement actions.
  • County funding and staffing could become an issue if the state expands local inspection, community-engagement, notification or enforcement obligations without corresponding resources.
  • Urban SPM policies and localized exposure information may receive greater legislative attention, particularly given the Ladera Ranch concerns and the hearing’s discussion of the limitations of existing pesticide-use and notification data.
  • The 2050 SPM timeline and Priority Pesticide strategy are likely to remain active policy debates, with potential implications for both agricultural and nonagricultural pest management in Orange County.

The hearing did not identify a new immediate regulatory requirement for Orange County, but it placed the County squarely within the broader statewide pesticide-policy discussion because of the Ladera Ranch investigation. The most consequential issues for the County are likely to be the pending CDPH findings, the state audit of DPR/county enforcement, potential changes to the role and resources of CACs and increasing state pressure to expand sustainable pest management and improve public access to localized pesticide-exposure information.

Background

Legislative Analyst’s Summary of the 2026-27 Budget Act

The Legislative Analyst’s Office’s (LAO’s) August 2026 overview of the enacted 2026-27 state budget highlights a spending plan that benefits from unexpectedly strong recent revenues but remains structurally imbalanced. The report summarizes budget actions adopted through the end of June and is based on the administration’s estimates incorporated into the final budget package.

Overall Budget Condition. The 2026-27 budget includes approximately $252 billion in General Fund spending, $347 billion in total state spending and roughly $539 billion when federal and bond funds are included. General Fund spending increases approximately $6 billion, or 2.5%, from 2025-26.

Despite strong revenues, the state continues to spend more on an ongoing basis than it collects. The administration estimates an $18.5 billion operating deficit in 2026-27, followed by projected deficits of $10.4 billion in 2027-28, $8.7 billion in 2028-29 and $8.3 billion in 2029-30. The enacted budget is balanced largely because it draws down the unusually large balance carried over from 2025-26. The state is expected to end 2026-27 with approximately $19.6 billion in General Fund reserves, while the Safety Net Reserve is fully depleted.

The budget also relies on approximately $14 billion in budget solutions, including reserve actions, borrowing, spending reductions and revenue increases. The LAO estimates the state will have approximately $29.2 billion in outstanding budgetary borrowing by the end of 2026-27.

The immediate budget is considerably stronger than appeared possible earlier in the cycle, but the multiyear outlook remains challenging. The ongoing deficits and reliance on one-time resources and borrowing suggest that county programs dependent on state funding could again face pressure in the 2027-28 budget.

H.R. 1, Medi-Cal, and CalFresh. For Orange County, the most consequential portion of the report is the implementation of federal H.R. 1. The administration estimates that H.R. 1 and related state policy decisions will ultimately result in approximately 1.3 million Medi-Cal disenrollments and 700,000 CalFresh disenrollments statewide through 2029-30.

Importantly for counties, the budget recognizes the substantial administrative workload created by the new eligibility requirements. It provides:

  • $197 million General Fund ($709 million total funds) for county Medi-Cal eligibility work; and
  • $223 million General Fund ($460 million total funds) for county CalFresh eligibility work.

These are one-time appropriations intended to support county implementation over multiple years.

The state also backfills reductions in federal matching funds for emergency Medi-Cal and CalFresh administration, at an ongoing cost of approximately $1 billion General Fund. However, the budget does not backfill the Medi-Cal coverage or food benefits that will be lost. It instead provides targeted assistance, including $108 million for food banks anticipating increased demand from CalFresh disenrollment.

The report reinforces the County’s concern that H.R. 1 is not simply a state fiscal issue. Although the budget provides meaningful administrative funding, it does not replace lost health coverage or nutrition benefits. Counties will therefore be responsible for implementing more complicated eligibility rules while also managing the downstream effects of disenrollment on the safety net, indigent care, food assistance and other county services.

Medi-Cal and Health Care. Health represents nearly 40% of all new discretionary spending in the budget. Major actions include delaying previously planned reductions to Medi-Cal safety-net clinic payments by $1 billion and dental payments by $258 million, providing $361 million for dental benefits for adults with unsatisfactory immigration status, and funding hospital assistance.

The budget provides $365 million one time for hospitals, including $250 million for UC and county hospitals, with another $115 million for financially distressed private nonprofit and public hospitals.

The renewed MCO tax is expected to generate substantially less net funding than the existing tax, approximately $2.3 billion, compared with $7 billion to $8 billion annually under the current structure, and will rely much more heavily on private health-plan enrollment because of new federal Medicaid rules. The budget also shifts $387 million in MCO tax funding to behavioral health and uses $212 million from the Behavioral Health Services Fund to offset other state health expenditures.

Homelessness and Affordable Housing. The final budget significantly increases funding for the seventh round of HHAP. Previous budget action had provided $500 million; the 2026-27 budget adds another $400 million, bringing HHAP Round 7 to $900 million. At the same time, the state imposes additional accountability requirements, including a local matching requirement that applies to participating cities and the counties in which those cities are located, as well as the requirement for a prohousing designation.

Affordable housing investments include:

  • $200 million one time for the Multifamily Housing Program;
  • $500 million in state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, in addition to roughly $135 million otherwise required; and
  • Streamlined access to federal tax credits for projects selected through the new Housing Development and Finance Committee.

The report also notes that ongoing Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities funding will be substantially lower than in prior years.

Local Revenue. Beginning January 1, 2027, the budget extends the sales tax to many purchases of prewritten digital software. The administration estimates the change will generate $560 million in local sales tax revenue during the first half-year and approximately $1.1 billion annually thereafter statewide, in addition to General Fund revenue.

This represents a potentially meaningful new source of local sales tax revenue, although the LAO report does not provide an Orange County-specific estimate or specify how much would accrue to the County versus cities and other local entities.

Courts, Climate, and Other Local Programs. The budget includes $2.1 billion for courthouse construction, modifications, deferred maintenance and new judgeships, including $150 million for deferred maintenance and $100 million in 2026-27 to support 13 new judgeships and related facility modifications.

The budget also directs approximately $372 million in projected cap-and-invest funding to continuously appropriated programs that include local transit, safe drinking water, and forest health. It provides an additional $150 million General Fund for the Community Air Protection Program. These statewide investments could create opportunities for Orange County and regional agencies, although the report does not identify county-specific allocations.

The LAO report confirms that the 2026-27 budget provides considerably more near-term funding than might be expected from a state facing an ongoing structural deficit. For Orange County, the most important positive elements are the county administrative funding for H.R. 1 implementation, HHAP augmentation, preservation of key Medi-Cal provider funding, hospital assistance, housing funding and potential new local sales tax revenue.

At the same time, the report underscores the larger concern facing the County going forward: the state is funding the transition to H.R. 1 but is not fully funding its consequences. Significant Medi-Cal and CalFresh disenrollment is still anticipated, and lost benefits are largely not backfilled. Combined with persistent state operating deficits and substantial outstanding borrowing, this makes the 2027-28 budget a significant risk point for county health, human services, homelessness, and other safety-net programs.

 

Grant Opportunities

Below is a list of the latest grant opportunities released by the state. All opportunities for local jurisdictions may be found here.

 

Expected Award Announcement: 06/30/2027

Title: Flood Partnership: Real-time Data Grant Program

State Agency / Department: Department of Water Resources

Match Funding? No

Estimated Total Funding: $3,500,000

Funding Method: Reimbursement(s)

 

Application Deadline: 9/21/26 09:00

Title:2027 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

State Agency / Department: CA Department of Food and Agriculture

Match Funding? No

Estimated Total Funding: $28,000,000

Funding Method: Advances & Reimbursement(s)

 

Governor’s Press Releases

Below is a list of the governor’s press releases beginning August 19.

August 26: Governor Newsom awards $48.5 million to drive economic growth and advance innovation across the state, supporting the creation of 20,000 new jobs

August 25: Governor Newsom announces appointments 8.25.2026

  • Cynthia Stein, of Piedmont, has been appointed General Counsel at the California Housing and Homelessness Agency
  • Nicole Richardson, of San Ramon, has been appointed Administrative Director of the Division of Workers Compensation at the Department of Industrial Relations
  • Sherri Sarro, of Escondido, has been appointed Deputy Director of Response at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

August 25: Governor, First Partner statement on the passing of Dolly Parton

August 25: ICYMI: The nation’s economic engine, California, continues to lead in job creation and raising wages

August 25: California becomes first state to offer same-day and ongoing opioid treatment support

August 24: Governor Newsom signs legislation 8.24.2026

August 24: Governor Newsom announces judicial appointments 8.24.26

  • Heather Durand, of Humboldt County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Humboldt County Superior Court
  • Martin Gonzalez, of Imperial County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Imperial County Superior Court
  • Kjehl Johansen, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court
  • Lindsey Berg-James, of Monterey County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Monterey County Superior Court
  • Evan Acker, of San Bernardino County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Bernardino County Superior Court.
  • William Patrick Dudley, of San Diego County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court.
  • Michael Garabed, of San Diego County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court.
  • Katherine Lucero, of Yolo County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Yolo County Superior Court.
  • Binh Dang, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to serve in an interim appointment as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
  • Benyomin Forer, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to serve in an interim appointment as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
  • Candice Henry, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve in an interim appointment as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
  • Michael Rasmussen, of Sacramento County, has been appointed to serve in an interim appointment as a Judge in the San Joaquin County Superior Court.

August 22: Governor Newsom announces intent for California to sue Trump administration over latest attack on voting; new legislation introduced to defend democracy

August 22: FACTS NOT ON FOX NEWS: California attracts more startup investment than 49 states combined

August 22: Governor Newsom signs legislation 8.22.2026

August 21: Governor Newsom announces appointments 8.21.26

  • Mike Marshall, of Sacramento, has been appointed State Chief Information Security Officer at the California Department of Technology.
  • William Shafroth, of Santa Barbara, has been appointed to the California State Coastal Conservancy.
  • Rita Gallardo Good, of Long Beach, has been reappointed to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, where she has served since 2023.
  • Nisha Devi Rodrigo, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls
  • Joelle Gomez, of Stockton, has been reappointed to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls

August 21: FREE MONEY FOR KIDS: Governor Newsom and First Partner celebrate one million families claim CalKIDS “baby bonds” accounts

August 21: Governor Newsom issues statement on federal Colorado River plan

August 20: Governor Newsom signs legislation 8.20.2026

August 19: Governor Newsom awards $11.3 million to 13 prohousing communities to build more affordable housing

August 19: California sends FREE life-saving asthma inhalers to ALL schools

August 19: Governor Newsom announces appointments 8.19.26

  • Ayushi Roy, of San Francisco, has been appointed State Chief Technology Officer at the California Department of Technology
  • Eric De La Cruz, of Sacramento, has been appointed Executive Director for the Racial Equity Commission
  • Lisa Weiler, of Lakeport, has been appointed to the State Rehabilitation Council
  • Christine Aurigemma, of Carlsbad, has been appointed to the State Rehabilitation Council
  • Michael Love, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the State Rehabilitation Council
  • Michelle Bello, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the State Rehabilitation Council where she has served since 2024
  • Matthew Asner, of Northridge, has been reappointed to the State Rehabilitation Council
 
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Washington D.C. Update
Prepared by Townsend Public Affairs

The House and Senate were on August Recess, the White House focused on Foreign Policy and Campaigning for the Midterm Elections.

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH ACTIVITY

House to Return and Vote on Senate CR, Pushing Government Funding Deadline to December

The House and Senate were both on recess this week, the House returning on August 31 and the Senate on September 14. The House is expected to quickly vote on the Senate passed HR 6500, a trade agreement modified to become the Senate’s version of the House passed Continuing Resolution, punting the deadline to fund the federal government from the end of the Fiscal Year (FY) on September 30 to December 11, after the midterm elections.

The bipartisan compromise CR would also provide extended funding for the expiring 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The IIJA included the last Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which provides funding for highway, road, bridge, airport, seaport, and other federal infrastructure programs for the five years. The CR would also delay the publication or implementation of a White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Proposed Rule that could give the Administration significant control over federal grantmaking.

As the end of recess nears, bipartisan support for the CR has emerged, with House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx suggesting it could be passed with a 2/3rds majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson agreeing with the sentiment in the middle of August. On October 26, the House Appropriations Committee’s Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro indicated Democrats were open to the measure. The White House has issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting it.

Even without Democratic votes, the measure is likely to pass before the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30. The Administration could also push on a number of issues not addressed in the CR, such as ‘pocket recissions,’ where funding unspent before the end of the fiscal year is withheld and returned to Treasury or redirected by the White House to other priorities. The legality of that practice is questionable and politically contentious. Any efforts to enact pocket recissions would likely eliminate Democratic support for the CR.

EXECUTIVE BRANCH ACTIVITY

DOEd Publishes NRPM for Grants Guidance, First to Begin Implementation of OMB Proposed Rule Giving the Administration More Control Over Federal Grantmaking

On August 24, the Department of Education (DOEd) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register, containing language that would significantly increase their control over the grants they administer.

The NRPM follows the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Proposed Rule, making changes to the Uniform Guidance or 2 CFR Part 200, which would give political appointees significantly more control over federal grants, require grantees to advance the President’s priorities, and give the Administration significant authority to suspend, terminate, delay, or withhold federal funding. With DOEd’s NPRM, they became the first agency to move to implement OMB’s Proposed Rule.

In the Continuing Resolution (CR) currently being negotiated to avoid a federal government shutdown, there is a provision prohibiting OMB from publishing or implementing a Final Rule before the CR expires in December. The CR is likely to pass the House in early September and become law, it is unclear whether the law delaying implementation of OMB’s rule would inhibit DOEd or other agencies from implementing their own regulations following OMB’s rule.

Orange County Delegation Press Releases

Legislation Introduced by the Orange County Delegation

Bill Number      

Bill Title      

Introduction Date      

Sponsor     

Bill Description      

Latest Major Action      

H. RES. 1488

No Short Title Available.

08/24/26

Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA-46)

A resolution Recognizing the significance of "Chicano/Chicana Heritage Month" in August as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Mexican Americans to the history of the United States.

Submitted in House, 08/24/26

 

 
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Weekly Clips

Friday 08/28/2026

Orange County is now treating e-bikes like guns. Can the crackdown make streets safer? -- You’ve heard of gun buyback programs across the country, but in Orange County, they’ve taken it one step further to get another item that authorities say can be a deadly weapon off the streets — the e-bike. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/28/26

Insurance executives warn that Newsom plan to shift utility wildfire liability would raise premiums -- Insurance company executives warned Gov. Gavin Newsom in a letter Wednesday that his plan to shift utility wildfire liability to property insurers would raise premiums across California. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times Andrew Graham and Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee -- 8/28/26

Edison to pay climate credit cash to SoCal customers -- Edison is providing a $72 climate credit on summer electricity bills as a part of a California program that requires large facilities that produce greenhouse gas emissions to buy carbon pollution allowances. Annika Duneja in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/28/26

Reducing drug penalties likely increased homelessness in California, new report says -- It found that while the measure succeeded in reducing prison overcrowding as intended, it also appears to have contributed to an increase in people living on the street, a rise in overdoses and a drop in the number of people getting drug treatment. Marisa Kendall Calmatters -- 8/28/26

Thursday 08/27/2026

From beaches to battery fires, California moves to outlaw disposable vapes -- On Wednesday, the state assembly approved Assembly Bill 762, which, if signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, will make the battery-powered disposable devices illegal to manufacture, distribute or sell in the state. The bill passed the senate Tuesday. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/27/26

L.A.-area lawmakers urge Trump to fund transit fixes for 2028 Summer Olympics -- Transportation officials say $2 billion in federal funding is needed to deploy 1,700 extra buses and to create high-speed traffic lanes during the 2028 Summer Games. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/27/26

Hollywood actors clash over AI voice clones -- Hollywood voice actors are split over AI voice cloning, as big-name performers license lucrative replicas while freelancers see jobs vanish and fear training their own replacements. Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/27/26

Wednesday 08/26/2026

Orange County to sue Garden Grove aerospace company over chemical tank crisis --Orange County will sue to recoup more than $4 million in costs associated with the response to a chemical threat at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility after a faulty tank triggered mass evacuations over Memorial Day weekend. Claire Wang in the Orange County Register -- 8/26/26

Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement over social media harms to children -- Meta Platforms agreed to pay a maximum $16.68 billion and make major changes to Facebook and Instagram to resolve claims by states across the U.S. that the company designed those platforms to addict children, ‌misled consumers about their safety and improperly collected children's personal data. Diana Novak Jones Reuters Barbara Ortutay, Kelvin Chan Associated Press -- 8/26/26

The countdown is on: Energy and environment battles to watch before Sacramento closes out its session -- Central fights include how to divvy up cap-and-invest climate dollars, whether to shield utilities from wildfire liability, and whether to roll back controversial shortcuts to environmental review for industrial projects. Other proposals aim to tap home batteries, electric vehicles and plug-in “balcony solar” to address soaring power bills, while tightening oversight of coal exports and the offshore drilling pushed by the Trump administration. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/26/26

Huntington Beach mayor pro tem ordered to pay nearly $120K in attorney fees -- An Orange County judge has ordered Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Butch Twining to pay nearly $120,000 in attorney fees to Ocean View School District Board of Trustees President Gina Clayton-Tarvin, after Twining lost his defamation case against her. Matt Szabo in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/26/26

Tuesday 08/25/2026

Garden Grove aerospace firm to pay up to $100 million to residents who evacuated over chemical leak -- A major aerospace company responsible for a chemical leak in Garden Grove in May will pay up to $100 million to residents forced to evacuate during the emergency, under an agreement the company reached with the Orange County district attorney. Fedor Zarkhin in the Los Angeles Times --8/25/26

Assembly leaders reject elements of Newsom’s utility wildfire proposal -- Leaders of the California Assembly are rejecting elements of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bid to change the way California handles the financial aftermath of utility-caused wildfires. But lawmakers appear committed to reaching a deal on the issue in the final week of the legislative session. Andrew Graham and Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee --8/25/26

Fed up with high prices, California weighs penalties against hospitals, other entities -- California is weighing stiff penalties for hospitals and other healthcare entities that don’t stay under state spending limits, potentially levying hundreds of millions of dollars in fines if these providers don’t take steps to rein in rising healthcare costs. Claudia Boyd-Barrett KFF Health News in the Los Angeles Times --8/25/26

Federal wildfire crews are stretched thin. California is stepping in to help -- As fire season takes hold, California is managing fuels and fire on federal lands. Does California have the money to keep this up? Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 8/25/26

Monday 08/24/2026

Manufactured housing’s affordability problem -- Congress’s new, bipartisan housing law is expected to lower the price of units that are largely constructed off-site and sometimes sit on land that is rented rather than owned. But the law doesn’t fully address interest rates for the loans on those homes, which often reach near double digits. And that price could still lock out many prospective buyers. Cassandra Dumay Politico -- 8/23/26

This Bay Area encampment went viral for its size. Here’s why cleanup efforts dragged on -- A sprawling network of tents pitched along several blocks of Harrison Street in West Berkeley is one of the most entrenched homeless encampments in the Bay Area, known to many East Bay residents who pass through. Sarah Brager in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/23/26

Weekend 08/22-08/23/2026

California lost 30,000 jobs in last three months and July’s drop was biggest in over a year -- The state lost 20,500 jobs in July according to preliminary state data, with the professional and business services sector cutting around 15,000, the most of any sector. July’s job losses, which are subject to revision, were the worst drop since June 2025. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/22/26

OpenAI calls for stronger AI laws in California -- OpenAI urged its home state of California on Friday to “strengthen” its landmark AI law following recent autonomous hacks by its models — a notable step after the ChatGPT maker had previously opposed stricter rules. Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 8/22/26

Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods beginning Sept. 8 as trade negotiations collapse -- The United States imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products early Saturday, and Canada said it would retaliate beginning Sept. 8 after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the latest strain in relations between the historic allies. Paul Wiseman, Rob Gillies Associated PressDaniel Desrochers and Ari Hawkins Politico Gavin Bade and Amanda Coletta in the Wall Street Journal Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Ian Austen and Ana Swanson in the New York Times Rachel Lerman and Amy B Wang in the Washington Post -- 8/22/26

Degrees of difference: The fight over diplomas roiling California’s public colleges -- For decades, the University of California and California State University have enjoyed the right to award bachelor’s degrees, while the state’s expansive network of community colleges has been all but shut out of the action. Eric He Politico -- 8/23/26

Highway 1 in Big Sur fully reopens as Timber fire continues to burn -- A visually stunning stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur has reopened to travelers after a 12-day closure, even as firefighters continue to battle the persistent Timber fire. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/23/26

 
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