Santa Cruz, CA - Following Governor Gavin Newsom’s final bill consideration actions of the first year of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session, State Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) issued the following statement:

“This year I introduced a comprehensive bill package aimed at enhancing consumer protections, strengthening safety standards for new battery storage facilities, providing affordable housing for coastal cities, and supporting those who provide emergency shelters.  Fourteen bills went to the Governor’s desk and he signed all fourteen.

There were also numerous budget victories which will go a long way for constituents of the 17th Senate District. Those include, the Cabrillo - UCSC Intersegmental Student Housing Project, restoring funding for food banks, rejecting tuition increases at UC and CSU, and securing funding for libraries in Santa Cruz.

In addition to working on my legislative package, I also served on two prominent working groups, the Senate Cap-and-Trade Working Group and the Redistricting Working Group. As the federal government continues to roll back crucial programs, I was proud to stand with my colleagues as we step up and protect our communities from climate change and push policies that will build a cleaner, healthier, and equitable future for all. ”

Legislation authored by Senator Laird during the first year of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session:

SB 22 – Allows consumers to get more of their money back by raising the limit on how much cash can be redeemed from a gift card to $14.99. Signed into Law.

SB 230 – Closes a gap in workers’ compensation presumption coverage for federal firefighters and firefighters employed at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) installations and airports to ensure timely care to work-related injuries like meningitis, tuberculosis, cancer, and more. Signed into Law. 

SB 283 – Strengthens safety standards for the development of new battery storage facilities and bolsters coordination with fire officials to ensure they can provide consultation during the application stage, and that there’s a developer-paid inspection prior to a facility going online. The bill also requires the state to review the safest configurations for these facilities, including limitations on construction within an indoor combustible building. Signed into Law.

SB 333 – Allows San Luis Obispo County to address increasing demands on its transportation network and fund new improvements by providing the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments with the authority to seek voter approval for a local sales tax measure.  Signed into Law.

SB 340 – Adds wraparound services to the definition of “emergency shelter,” clarifying that services, such as showers and meals, offered by an emergency shelter cannot be subject to a conditional use permit or other discretionary permit in zones where shelters are a use by right. Signed into Law. 

SB 391 – Ensures the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) is compensated for the workload and staff time associated with providing system-level data to research partners by allowing CCCCO to impose reasonable fees. Signed into Law.

SB 428 – Allows the State Auditor to consider additional options when establishing a permanent office location without compromising proximity to the Legislature. Signed into Law. 

SB 470 – Extends the sunset in SB 544 (Laird, Chapter 216, Statutes of 2023) to January 1, 2030, modernizing the Bagley-Keene Act to maintain important disability and public access to state board and commission meetings. Signed into Law.

SB 484 – Establishes a pilot program to advance affordable housing on the coast, tasking the Coastal Commission with identifying suitable areas for housing and exempting 100% affordable housing developments in those areas from the coastal development permit requirement. Signed into Law.

SB 504 – Strengthens California’s public health infrastructure by permitting health care providers to discuss specific patients living with human immunodeficiency virus when communicating with local and state health officials, only when necessary for public health purposes.  Signed into Law.

SB 544 – Increases the efficiency of transit and transportation development by streamlining the approval process for uncontested rail crossing applications. Signed into Law.

SB 609 – Increases state efficiency by updating the commercial fishing record confidentiality laws to improve record accuracy and reduce the amount of staff time spent correcting errors. Signed into Law.

SB 697 – Modernizes the stream system adjudication process by allowing use of modern technology when performing investigations into water rights. Signed into Law. 

SB 839 – Ensures private pleasure boats and yachts can be held liable for oil spills, and enables data informed decision making and interagency collaboration to assess whether fisheries should be closed after an oil spill to water. Signed into Law.

SCR 3 Safe Drinking Water Act: 50th Anniversary - Commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, celebrates the achievements and progress made over the last few decades, and commits to the continued protection and improvement of California’s drinking water resources. Chaptered. 

SCR 51 Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month - Proclaims the month of May 2025 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month to promote public awareness and understanding of cystic fibrosis and the diverse communities it impacts. Chaptered. 

Budget proposals Senator Laird secured and protected:

Rejecting tuition increases for UC/CSU students – Rejected a proposed 8% cut to the UC and CSU, and maintained full funding for the higher education segments with only a 3% rolling deferral to be paid off in better budget years.  

Restoring funding for food banks – Restored and protected $60 million in funding for California Food Banks, which had been slated for a drastic cut to just $8 million.

Protecting healthcare services for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patients – Secured $3.5 million to continue ALS wraparound care, preventing the existing program from ending.

Supporting student housing, UCSC/Cabrillo Housing Project – Secured authorization for the sale of $87.4M in general obligation bonds for the Cabrillo - UCSC Intersegmental Student Housing Project. 

Improving access to healthcare on the Central Coast, UCSC Med School - Secured $1.5 million to support implementation of the PRIME Central Coast program at UC Davis in collaboration with UC Santa Cruz.

Funding for local libraries in Santa Cruz – Secured $4.5 million in funding for the Santa Cruz Library through the Building Forward Grant Program.