December Public Policy News By Kathy Papst

I want to begin by thanking the members who supported Public Policy by attending the October presentation on Redistricting, Gerrymandering, and Prop. 50. It was an eye-opener to learn about the Constitution and The Bill of Rights, and how they led to where we are today.

Unfortunately, I will not be attending the December Holiday Luncheon. In my absence I will share the debut of my Public Policy information board. Members and guests will be able to see what is currently happening with California legislation and the goals for California AAUW. Public Policy is the heartbeat of branch goals and activities. I hope that our newer members get involved with working on a committee or other ways of supporting this important part of AAUW goals.

The next time that I see you it will be 2026. So, Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all!

2025 Legislative Session Ends with Some Big Wins and Tough Losses for AAUW California

By Amy Hom and Missy Maceyko, Co-chairs AAUW California Public Policy

The 2025 legislative session has closed in California.

Kathy Van Osten, AAUW California’s Legislative Advocate, summarized the session this way: “In 2025, 917 bills were sent to the Governor, of which he signed 794 bills and vetoed 123 bills. The 2025 Legislative Session was tumultuous as policymakers worked to address the impacts of ravaging urban wildfires in Los Angeles, to pass a State Budget that closed a $12 billion deficit, and to address a multitude of impacts created by the violent upheaval of federal funding and policies that have or will decimate services for Californians, that threaten existing or future projects in the State, and that threaten our educational institutions.”

With these issues in mind, AAUW California put together our 2025 Legislative Agenda, taking a support position on 26 bills, and for the first time in our recent history, taking an opposition position on 7 bills. With the blessing of the Public Policy Committee and the AAUW California Board, we were proud to advance this agenda, which confronted some of the most pressing issues that we face as a state, and a nation, around gender equity and social justice. We were also proud to take strong opposition positions this year, given the large number of bills introduced at the start of the session that were antithetical to AAUW California’s values and Public Policy Priorities.

While our A-priority support bills did not fare well this session, we are happy to report that we had a great deal of success with the rest of our support-bills as well as with stopping the opposition bills from advancing.

First the bad news: Our A-priority support bills were vetoed or gutted.

• SB 771 was vetoed. This A-priority bill, authored by Senator Henry Stern and sponsored by AAUW California, would have held social media companies liable if their algorithms aid or abet individual users who are breaking the law and intimidating or threatening others in online spaces. The Governor vetoed the bill, indicating that current civil rights laws have not been tested in the courts with respect to algorithms’ complicity in hate crimes, and that until existing law is deemed insufficient by the courts, SB 771 is premature.
• SB 418 was vetoed. This A-priority bill, authored by Senator Caroline Menjivar, would have prohibited a health service provider from denying coverage for services based upon race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including sexual preference or gender identity, intersex traits, and pregnancy. The Governor vetoed the bill, citing a concern that the bill’s requirement to cover prescribed hormone therapy without utilization management (UM) is likely to drive up the cost of health care.
• AB 1098 was gutted and amended. This A-priority bill, authored by Assemblymember Mike Fong, would have prohibited a postsecondary educational institution from discriminating against a student based on their current, potential, or past pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions. According to the author’s office, the bill had run into significant opposition from the public universities, and they chose not to continue to move the bill this year. Instead, the bill language was gutted and replaced with language that establishes the Office of the Interagency Council on Education within the Governor’s Operations Agency. The amended bill was signed into law.

Now, the good news: Of our fourteen support bills that made it to the Governor’s desk, eleven were signed into law. Below are some important wins:

• AB 621 – signed into law! This B-priority bill, authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, heightens penalties for companies whose platforms distribute deepfake pornography.
• SB 669 – signed into law! This B-priority bill, authored by Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, authorizes up to five rural hospitals throughout the state to partner with licensed birth centers to provide perinatal services in rural communities.
• AB 260 – signed into law! Authored by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, this bill protects access to medication abortion.
• SB 627- signed into law! Authored by Senator Scott Wiener, this bill bans law enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings during their duties. This is the first such law enacted in the nation!

And of the seven bills that AAUW California opposed, four have become 2-year bills and three have died:

• AB 579 is dead! This A-priority bill, authored by Assemblymember Leticia Castillo, would have stated categorically that parents’ refusal to acknowledge a child’s gender identity can never be considered a form of abuse or neglect, and therefore cannot be considered in a custody dispute.
• AB 25 is dead! Authored by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, this bill would have required an elections official to verify the citizenship of voters and authorized the official to require a person to provide documentation of citizenship for that purpose.
• AB 1012 is dead! Authored by Assemblymember Bill Essayli, this bill would have prohibited the provision of Medi-Cal to people without legal immigration status.

To see the full results of the 2025 Legislative Agenda, please go to the Bill Tracking Report. The  November issue of Public Policy News includes a Legislative Agenda Scorecard.