SACRAMENTO – Senator John Laird today marked the end of the 2026 legislative session, highlighting a year that included 11 bills signed into law, five additional bills sent to Governor Gavin Newsom, a state budget that protected critical services, and major investments in healthcare, housing and communities across the Central Coast.

“This session was about getting things done for the people we represent,” said Laird. “We faced a difficult budget year, but we protected important services, made major investments in housing and our local communities, and moved legislation addressing real needs across the Central Coast and California. I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish together, and I look forward to working with Governor Newsom as our remaining bills reach his desk.”

BUDGET AND CENTRAL COAST INVESTMENTS

As Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, Laird helped negotiate a balanced state budget over the next two years that kept roughly $35 billion in reserves, cut the state’s ongoing budget shortfall nearly in half and protected important services during a difficult budget year. The budget maintained support for health care, food assistance, child care, hospitals and other essential programs while making investments in communities across California.

Laird also authored SB 106, which provided $90 million in emergency funding for reproductive health care providers, including Planned Parenthood, facing immediate federal funding cuts. The funding helped protect access to family planning and preventive health care and prevent clinics from reducing services or closing. Governor Newsom signed the measure into law in February.

Laird also helped secure $10.6 million in emergency funding for Watsonville Community Hospital as it faced renewed financial challenges following federal funding cuts and delays. As part of early budget action, Laird helped advance funding for the state’s distressed hospital loan and grant programs, providing immediate support for hospitals facing financial hardship. The funding builds on Laird’s years of work to keep Watsonville Community Hospital open and serving the Pajaro Valley.

As Budget Chair, Laird also helped advance the Fair Share from Big Corporations Act, a Senate-led effort included in the state budget signed by Governor Newsom. The measure takes the first step toward developing a proposal to hold California’s largest corporations accountable for the taxpayer cost of providing Medi-Cal to their employees. The effort also gained backing from former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and current gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, who spoke publicly in favor of the Fair Share proposal earlier this summer.

Laird also helped negotiate the Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026, which will help build tens of thousands of affordable homes and invest in housing for University of California and California State University students, farmworkers, and veterans. During negotiations, Laird successfully pushed to include funding for water, sewer and other infrastructure needed to support housing in disadvantaged communities, including communities in the Salinas Valley.

The budget also brought significant investments directly to the Central Coast. Laird secured state funding for community projects across Senate District 17, including affordable housing and Meals on Wheels in Santa Cruz County; new soccer fields, Bixby Bridge enforcement, and improved public access at Point Lobos in Monterey County; youth services and locally grown food programs in San Benito County; and trails, recreation and a permanent dining facility and kitchen serving people experiencing homelessness in San Luis Obispo County.

Additional investments he secured include $3.3 million to expand PRIME Central Coast, building on $1 million secured last year. The funding will help create a pathway for future physicians to train and practice in the region and serves as a first step toward a medical school on the Central Coast. Laird also secured additional funding for the Santa Cruz Downtown Library Mixed-Use Project.

Outside of the state budget, Laird secured a $16.6 million agreement with PG&E for San Luis Obispo County and local communities affected by the continued operation of Diablo Canyon Power Plant. Laird introduced SB 931 to address a five-year gap in community funding, and after months of work, PG&E voluntarily agreed to provide two payments of $8.3 million for local governments, schools and essential services. Importantly, the funding will come from PG&E – not state taxpayers or utility ratepayers. The agreement addresses the first two years of the five-year funding gap. Laird will continue working to secure support for the remaining three years.

Laird’s 2026 legislative package includes:

SIGNED INTO LAW

SB 575 – Restores the California Sea Otter Voluntary Contribution Fund, allowing Californians to once again support sea otter conservation through voluntary contributions on their state income tax returns. Since it was first established in 2006, the program has raised more than $5 million for sea otter research, rescue and rehabilitation, public education, and conservation.

SB 917 – Expands opportunities for California wineries to sell wine and offer tastings at certified farmers markets. The new law allows wineries that do not grow all of their grapes on-site to participate and increases the number of wineries that can offer tastings at a single market.

SB 922 – Clarifies that local governments can continue charging fees to help cover road damage caused by heavy hauling vehicles providing public services, including garbage and waste trucks. The law protects an important source of funding used by cities and counties to maintain and repair local streets and roads.

SB 939 – Updates the process for public employees purchasing retirement service credit through CalPERS by requiring payments to be made upfront rather than over time. The change reduces financial risk for both the retirement system and members, while improving long-term fiscal stability.

SB 952 – Helps the State Water Project meet California’s clean energy goals by providing greater flexibility in how it purchases and manages renewable energy. The bill is intended to reduce costs, improve long-term planning, and support cleaner energy use in operating the state’s water system.

SB 963 – Establishes clearer timelines for the California Coastal Commission to act on appeals of coastal development permits. The law brings greater predictability to the appeals process while maintaining California’s existing coastal protections.

SB 1038 – Improves transparency during CalPERS audits by requiring public employers to notify employee organizations throughout the audit process. The bill helps ensure workers are informed early about potential retirement or financial issues that could affect their planned benefits.

SB 1055 – Helps accelerate critical flood protection work along the Pajaro River by giving the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency more flexibility in how it contracts for and builds projects. The bill builds on Laird’s longstanding work to secure state support for Pajaro River flood protection.

SB 1139 – Ensures the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District can enforce restrictions on using potable water to irrigate decorative, nonfunctional grass. The law helps protect the region’s limited water supplies while maintaining exemptions for functional uses.

SB 1207 – Recognizes California Conservation Corps service by allowing Corpsmembers who later enter state service to purchase up to three years of CalPERS retirement service credit for their time in the Corps. The bill also helps improve coordination with tribal conservation corps and supports the CCC’s long-term stability as it prepares for potential federal funding challenges.

SB 1253 – Expands recreational access at Santa Margarita Lake in San Luis Obispo County to allow activities including swimming while maintaining protections for drinking water and public health. Advances in water treatment now make it possible to safely expand recreation while continuing to protect the City of San Luis Obispo’s water supply.

SENT TO THE GOVERNOR

SB 577 – Addresses the growing financial impact of childhood sexual abuse claims on public institutions while preserving survivors’ ability to seek justice without placing a cap on damages. The bill includes new fraud prevention, accountability, and abuse prevention measures aimed at protecting children in the future.

SB 1023 – Expands access to long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a highly effective medication used to prevent HIV infection. The bill helps clinics and health care providers receive reliable insurance reimbursement for administering the medication, removing a financial barrier that can limit patient access.

SB 1078 – Allows the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and other businesses to continue using gift cards printed before California’s cash-redemption threshold increased from less than $10 to less than $15. The bill preserves the new consumer protection while giving businesses until the end of 2028 to use existing inventory, as long as customers are clearly informed that gift card balances under $15 can be redeemed for cash.

SB 1261 – Protects continued access to services for older adults and people with disabilities during transitions affecting aging and disability services. The bill ensures the Aging and Disability Resource Connections (ADRCs) serving San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties will not shutter due to current transitions in these Planning and Service Agencies.

SB 1288 – Helps ensure securities gifted to beneficiaries, including nonprofits, reach the people and organizations they were intended for. The bill requires financial institutions to notify beneficiaries within 60 days after learning of a person’s death and remove barriers to accessing assets, reducing unnecessary delays in transferring nonprobate assets.

ADDITIONAL LEGISLATION

SB 931 – Dolly Parton Day: Laird joined Senator Shannon Grove in authoring legislation recognizing the life and legacy of Dolly Parton by establishing September 25 as Dolly Parton Day in California. The bipartisan measure recognizes Parton not only for her music and cultural impact, but also for her philanthropy, including the Imagination Library, which has provided free books to millions of children.

Coastal Measures

The Legislature also adopted two coastal measures authored by Laird this year. SJR 12 expresses bipartisan opposition to new federal offshore oil and gas leasing off California’s coast, while SCR 136 commemorates the 50^th anniversary of the California Coastal Act and Coastal Conservancy Act and five decades of work to protect California’s coastline and public access.

“Public service has always been about leaving things a little better than you found them,” said Laird. “I’m grateful to my colleagues, our local partners, and the people throughout Senate District 17 who helped us get this work done. I’m proud of what we accomplished together, and there is plenty more work ahead.”