LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: December 10, 2025
Subject: State Legislative Updates of Interest to Contra Costa County
Submitted For: Legislation Committee
Department: County Administrator’s Office
Referral Name: State Update
Presenter: M. Rubalcava and G. Neill, Nielsen Merksamer
Contact: E. Struthers (925) 655-2045
Referral History:
The Legislation Committee regularly receives reports on the State Budget and bills of interest to the County and provides direction and/or input to staff and the County’s state lobbyists.
Referral Update:
The second year of the two-year legislative session will return in January.
In preparation, the Board is asked to provide direction on priorities for advocacy and potential sponsored bills.
Thus far, there has been one proposal for a two-year bill and one proposal for a one-year bill.
The one-year bill idea has been submitted by the Employment and Human Services Department, in coordination with the California Welfare Directors Association. The bill would address underfunded administration for IHSS, and new penalties being imposed. The Committee is asked to consider referring the idea to the full Board for inclusion in the adopted legislative platform.
Sponsored Bills
The next legislative session begins January 5, 2025. The bill introduction deadline is February 20. Multiple steps are necessary prior to bill introduction, including securing an author for the bill, and drafting of the bill language by County Counsel and Legislative Counsel.
Importantly, the Board of Supervisors must approve all sponsored bill ideas prior to introduction. In order to meet these key deadlines, all proposals for sponsored bill ideas must be submitted no later than November 21, 2025 to Emlyn Struthers, staff to the Legislation Committee, so that the Committee can review bills at its December 10 meeting.
Sponsored Bills Considerations and Criteria
Typically, more complex, costly, or controversial ideas are introduced during the first year of the two-year session, when more time is available for consideration. In the second year of session, newly-introduced bills are usually more straightforward, common-sense edits to improve existing policy at a cost-savings-or at virtually no net cost. As we are entering the second year of the two-year session, sponsored bill ideas should embody these principles. More complex ideas may benefit from further development, coalition-building, and a planned future introduction at the beginning of the next two-year session in January 2027.
The Legislation Committee will make recommendations to the full Board for action at the December 16 meeting, or January 13, 2026 the first meeting in the new year.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
RECEIVE the report and provide direction and/or input to County staff and the County’s state advocates, as needed, including on one sponsored bill proposal idea.
Fiscal Impact (if any):
None.