TO: Legislative Subcommittee
FROM: Ryan J. Alsop, County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Andrew M. Mize, Legislative & Policy Analyst
SUBJECT: State Legislative Update
RECOMMENDATION
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Receive an update provided by State advocates regarding the 2024 session of the California legislature.
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BACKGROUND
The final day for the California legislature to pass bills in 2024 was August 31, and the final day for the Governor to sign passed legislation into law is today, September 30. Advocates have provided updates from the legislature's decisions in 2024.
While most end-of-sessions are rife with tension, this year's intra-governmental branch tension seemed to be
higher than usual. While there were a plethora of factors that led to these disputes, the major contributing
factors were: 1) a difference of opinion on the Governor's push for legislation to address gasoline prices, which led to a special session; (2) several bills in pro tem McGuire's "California Made" energy package; 3) a last-minute Speaker-endorsed push to address warehouse development (AB 98), and; 4) the Senate's early adjournment on Friday, which narrowed the time to dispense with the remaining Assembly bills in the Senate on Saturday in order for the Assembly to take them up timely before the adjournment at midnight, as mandated by the Constitution.
The special session is ongoing, with the Senate planning to take up any bills on October 11 that move through the Assembly. Bills comprise a limited range of topics, including but not limited to a one-year suspension of the gas tax; California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) streamlining for projects that increase California-produced petroleum storage capacity at refineries; creation of a consumer dashboard that compares California petroleum prices to national average prices and includes other information about factors contributing to that cost difference; and expedited review of ethanol-added gasoline by the California Air Resources Board.
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