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CAL.Regulation

California bars use of state-owned property for immigration-enforcement staging or detention

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1807 on September 29, 2026. New Government Code sections 7284.25 and 7284.26 bar the use of state-owned property, including garages, parking lots, state parks and vacant lots, for immigration enforcement, such as staging vehicles or personnel and processing, interviewing, detaining or taking custody of people. Property under an existing state lease and specified Corrections and Caltrans uses are exempt.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorSept. 30

CAL.Regulation

California lets cities permit Joshua tree removal for commercial projects and sets in-lieu fees

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1808 on September 29, 2026, as an urgency statute effective immediately. It amends the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act so the Department of Fish and Wildlife may delegate take permits for commercial and industrial projects to cities, and sets in-lieu mitigation fees of $1,000, $200 or $150 per tree by height. Some homeowner permits are exempt from CEQA until a programmatic EIR is certified or January 1, 2032.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California bars local building standards stricter than state code for factory-built housing

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1815 on September 29, 2026. Cities, counties and districts may not impose local building standards on factory-built housing structures that exceed or differ from the California Building Standards Code, including local energy and green-building amendments, except climate, geological or topographical changes backed by findings. It creates a rebuttable presumption favoring factory-built housing and covers buildings with at least 30% factory-built residential space.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California requires mobilehome parks to specify rule violations in tenancy-termination notices

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1817 (Chapter 793, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026, amending Civil Code section 798.56. Mobilehome park management seeking to end a tenancy for a rule violation must serve written notice reciting each rule allegedly violated, specific facts on the date, place or circumstances of the violation, and the action required to comply. The homeowner has seven days to comply, and management keeps the burden of proving the violation.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California orders a statewide homelessness prevention strategy by 2028

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1924 (Chapter 794, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026. New Welfare and Institutions Code section 8257.4 requires the state's homelessness council, by July 1, 2028, to develop a statewide homelessness prevention strategy in its Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, including a baseline estimate of first-time homelessness, agency roles, funding recommendations, goals and metrics, and practices such as emergency rental assistance, eviction defense and case management.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California creates a community-scale wildfire mitigation validation program

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1960 (Ch. 764, Stats. 2026) on September 29, 2026. It adds Public Resources Code section 4124.9, requiring CAL FIRE to set up a voluntary program recognizing communities that reach set levels of wildfire mitigation. Recognized communities may receive Wildfire Prevention Grants from fiscal year 2028–29. Recognition may not justify insurance rate, underwriting or mitigation-credit changes absent supporting empirical evidence.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 7

CAL.Regulation

California requires police to inform crime victims of immigration-relief rights by 2028

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1994, the Defending Immigrant Victims Act, on September 29, 2026. It adds Penal Code section 679.028, requiring law enforcement and prosecutors to inform crime victims — or their next of kin, parents, or guardians — of immigration-relief rights by January 1, 2028. The Attorney General must design an 'Immigrant Victims Rights and Resources' card covering U and T visas, VAWA relief, the cooperation requirement, and legal-services resources.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorSept. 30

CAL.Regulation

California lets HCD shift residual receipts between developments of the same sponsor

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2020 (Chapter 795, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026. New Health and Safety Code section 50406.4.5 lets the Department of Housing and Community Development, in its sole discretion, transfer its residual receipts share or excess reserves from one HCD-regulated rental development as equity to another owned by the same sponsor or an affiliate. Transfers may not impair other lenders' payment rights or leave replacement reserves below $1,000 per unit.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California launches rapid-response framework for invasive golden mussels

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2032 on September 29, 2026, as an urgency statute taking immediate effect. It adds Fish and Game Code section 2150.6 exempting water agencies with control plans from restricted-species permits for invasive-mussel maintenance and research, section 2301.5 requiring the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue guidance by April 1, 2027 and quarterly infestation maps, plus Food and Agricultural Code section 12824.1 and Water Code section 13371 for rapid-response coordination against golden mussels.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California extends streamlined habitat-restoration permitting to 2032

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2045 on September 29, 2026. It extends the Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Act from January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2032. Department of Fish and Wildlife approval of a restoration project now covers take only of the species the proponent lists in its application, and the department must set an application fee schedule by January 1, 2030 and report to the Legislature by December 31, 2029.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

Rulings this week

All court orders

CAL.Regulation

California requires HOAs to fund reserves at levels keeping 30-year balances non-negative

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2050 on September 29, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2032, common interest development reserve studies must state the minimum reserve contribution that keeps the projected reserve balance from falling below zero over 30 years, and associations must fund at least that level each year. If the balance is projected to fall below zero, the association must transfer 15% of its gross annual budget to reserves or levy a special assessment.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California lets buyers choose private inspectors for factory-built housing and caps local fees

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2058 (Chapter 783, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026. Once the Department of Housing and Community Development adopts regulations, due by January 1, 2029, a first user of factory-built housing may choose a department-supervised quality assurance agency to inspect installation. Local inspection and permitting fees are capped at 50% of nonfactory-built equivalents absent a substantial-evidence cost finding, and inspectors may not disassemble or damage the housing.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California requires major transit cities to zone regional transit hub districts for downtown housing by July 2027

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2074 on September 29, 2026. By July 1, 2027, each major transit city must designate at least one regional transit hub district where downtown housing developments are an allowed use eligible for streamlined ministerial approval. Cities may not set height limits below 150 feet or floor area ratios below six there, and at least a quarter of district area must allow 450 feet and a ratio of 12.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California tightens fire-tool requirements for forestry operations

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2075 on September 29, 2026. Operators of spark-producing equipment on or near forest, brush or grass land must keep a backpack pump extinguisher and enough round point shovels, at least 46 inches long, for every person within 25 feet of the equipment. The law defines 'person' to include business entities and removes the exception for emergency crews and utility service vehicles.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California streamlines approvals for essential local fire station projects

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2152 on September 29, 2026. It amends Public Resources Code sections 21189.81 to 21189.82 so the Governor may certify essential local fire station projects for CEQA infrastructure streamlining, including expedited litigation timelines. Qualifying projects must be undertaken by a local agency, be covered by a project labor agreement, and have the applicant pay trial and appellate court costs of any challenge.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California requires affordable-housing programs to accommodate factory-built housing by 2027

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2185 (Chapter 784, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026. New Health and Safety Code section 50158 requires state housing agencies administering nine multifamily affordable-housing programs, including the low-income housing tax credit and Multifamily Housing programs, to revise their guidelines by July 1, 2027 to facilitate factory-built housing, treat it as an allowable use of funds, and make early deposits available for upfront material and factory-production costs.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California revises regional housing-needs allocation methodology

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2296 on September 29, 2026. It amends the regional housing needs allocation process so councils of governments receive University of California and California State University enrollment forecasts, and moves the deadline to form subregional entities from 28 to 34 months before a housing element update and the subregional share deadline from 25 to 31 months, except for some seventh-cycle regions.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California bars officers from obstructing medical care for people in their control

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2318 on September 29, 2026. It adds Penal Code section 832.11, making it unlawful for law enforcement — including federal officers acting under color of law — to deny, delay, or obstruct medical care for a person under their control when safe and reasonable and a medical professional requested care or is present and willing. Denials must be documented within 72 hours and reported to civilian oversight when a professional was present.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorSept. 30

CAL.Regulation

California locks in original standards for modifications to SB 35 streamlined projects

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2390 (Chapter 799, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026, amending Government Code section 65913.4, the SB 35 streamlined-approval law. Local governments must approve a modification to a streamlined project if it is consistent with the objective zoning, subdivision and design review standards in effect when the original application or notice of intent was submitted, and must evaluate later modifications with the same assumptions and methodology used before.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California makes density-bonus approvals nondiscretionary and exempt from CEQA review

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2433 on September 29, 2026, amending the Density Bonus Law, Government Code section 65915. From January 1, 2027, a city or county's grant of a density bonus, incentive or concession, or waiver of development standards is not discretionary and requires no CEQA review. Once an application is deemed complete, the city or county must give the applicant a density-bonus eligibility determination. Applicants filing a base density study may elect a floor-area-ratio bonus.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorSept. 30

CAL.Regulation

California requires extra density bonus for mixed-income student housing

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2480 (Chapter 801, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026, amending Government Code section 65915. Cities and counties must grant an additional density bonus to a student housing development that gives 24% of its units to lower income students and adds units affordable to moderate-income students, if no more than 50% of total units are income-restricted. A moderate-income student is an independent student earning up to 120% of area median income.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California extends immigration-retaliation ban to rights under federal and local employment law

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2495, by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), on September 29, 2026 (Chapter 748, Statutes of 2026), amending Labor Code section 1019. From January 1, 2027, employers and others may not use unfair immigration-related practices to retaliate against anyone for exercising rights under any local, state or federal employment statute or regulation. Violators face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per employee for each violation.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California authorizes regional landscape wildfire-resilience grants

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2513 (Ch. 768, Stats. 2026) on September 29, 2026. It lets the Department of Conservation, CAL FIRE and the Wildlife Conservation Board directly award regional landscape grants to regional or local entities to carry out regional wildfire priority strategies, makes advance grant payments permanent, and adds ignition prevention and roadside vegetation modification to activities eligible for CAL FIRE's local assistance grants.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 7

CAL.Regulation

California bans wearable electroshock 'shock gloves' in law enforcement through 2029

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2760 on September 29, 2026. The bill adds Government Code section 7286.1, prohibiting law enforcement — including federal officers operating in California — from using wearable electroshock devices known as shock gloves through January 1, 2030. It bars the use of state funds to purchase the devices and directs the Department of Justice to complete a study of them by January 1, 2029.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorSept. 30

CAL.Regulation

California expands HCD Portfolio Reinvestment Program to older at-risk affordable housing

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 750 on September 29, 2026. It amends Health and Safety Code section 50607 so the Department of Housing and Community Development may make loans and grants to rehabilitate and extend affordability of challenged developments, not only department-funded projects with expiring restrictions. Department-funded projects keep priority, and at least 10% of each funding round goes to challenged developments the department did not fund.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California lets for-sale density-bonus affordability be met through nonprofit homebuyer loans

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 939 (Chapter 790, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026, adding Government Code section 65915.4. A developer may instead meet Density Bonus Law affordability for a for-sale unit by ensuring it is bought by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit housing corporation with a welfare exemption that sells to extremely low, very low or lower income families in a below-market interest rate loan program with a repurchase option. Cities and counties must ensure that purchase.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4

CAL.Regulation

California sets ministerial ADU and junior ADU permit rules for residential zones

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 956 on September 29, 2026. It amends Government Code section 66323 so local agencies must ministerially approve two detached new-construction accessory dwelling units, up from one, on a single-family lot, with up to 800 square feet and four-foot setbacks. Agencies may not require correcting nonconforming zoning or fire sprinklers not required for the primary residence, and rentals must exceed 30 days.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California requires early estimates of housing-project improvement costs

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1014 on September 29, 2026. New Government Code section 65941.3 lets housing applicants request a preliminary estimate of required onsite and offsite improvements, which the city or county must provide within 30 business days with a good-faith list of improvement types and costs. Within 30 business days of deeming a postentitlement permit application complete, the city must give an itemized list of required improvements and generally may not require unlisted ones.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorSept. 30

CAL.Regulation

California creates a CAL FIRE Fire Innovation Unit through 2032

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1079 on September 29, 2026. Upon appropriation, it creates a Fire Innovation Unit within CAL FIRE to research, test, procure and deploy wildfire technology. A vendor that completes a unit-run pilot and receives formal validation may get a follow-on contract for substantially similar technology without a separate competitive solicitation. The provisions are repealed January 1, 2033.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 5

CAL.Regulation

California creates Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1091 (Chapter 807, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026. It creates the Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program, under which the Department of Housing and Community Development, through a nonprofit-lender program manager and regional housing entities, funds acquisition and rehabilitation of unrestricted housing with affordability restrictions of 55 years for rentals and at least 45 years for ownership. HCD must adopt program regulations by July 1, 2028.

Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the GovernorOct. 4