Monday marked the end of this year’s legislative session.
Hundreds of bills were decided before lawmakers adjourned. Some passed both the Assembly and Senate and are now headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.
We’re taking a look at some of the bills introduced by Inland Empire Latino lawmakers — Democrats and Republicans — and what they were able to get across the finish line.
First, Democratic Senator Sabrina Cervantes, who represents parts of Riverside County.
Cervantes had two bills this year focused on voting rights, and another aimed at conditions and oversight in county jails.
Senate Bills 1164 and 1360 would change California’s voting rights laws and expand protections against vote dilution, voter suppression and other forms of voting discrimination.
SB 1164 would strengthen California’s voting rights protections and make it easier to challenge discriminatory election practices in court.
SB 1360 would expand language assistance for voters with limited English proficiency.
Here’s Cervantes speaking about the bills during a committee hearing in July:
CERVANTES: “We cannot allow California to continue to be imperiled by the chaos emanating from D.C. Here in the Golden State, we will continue to protect democracy.”
The measures come after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened federal voting rights protections.
Several cities across the state, including Glendora, Buena Park and Carson, opposed the bills.
Cervantes also authored a bill to strengthen oversight of Riverside County’s jail system, which has come under scrutiny in recent years because of in-custody deaths.
SB 1379 would require the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to separate the offices of sheriff and coroner by July 2027.
It would also require the county to create an independent medical examiner’s office and post information about in-custody deaths in county jails on its website within certain timeframes.
CERVANTES: “The independent medical examiner strengthens public trust, it removes conflict of interest, and helps ensure objective medical-informed investigations that can identify systemic failures and help prevent future deaths.”
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who opposes the bill, told KVCR the measure is politically motivated.
Next, Republican Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, who represents parts of San Bernardino County.
Bogh authored SB 993, which aims to protect the privacy of mental health professionals who work with patients in state prisons and other correctional settings.
OCHOA BOGH: “Mental health professionals working in correctional settings and other facilities face unique concerns as they work in some of our state's most challenging environments.”
Current law requires licensed therapists and social workers to disclose certain public information about where they practice.
SB 993 would limit some of that information for mental health professionals working in high-risk settings, including prisons.
Bogh was joined by unions representing mental health care workers.
Bogh also authored SB 1062, the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act.
The bill would strengthen protections for the species by restricting the taking, sale and transportation of western Joshua trees, with some exceptions.
It would also allow the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue permits for projects that affect the trees, while requiring mitigation for those impacts.
The bill comes as development and climate change continue to threaten the western Joshua tree across parts of Southern California.
In the Assembly, Republican Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez, who represents the Coachella Valley, already had one of his bills signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The new law addresses youth caregivers by directing the state to consider adding content about young people who care for family members to California’s career technical education standards.
It could also allow some students who provide care for family members at home to receive academic credit for that work.
A bill that could give the public greater access to information about emergencies inside private immigration detention centers, including the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, has also made its way through the Legislature.
SB 423, authored by Democratic Senator Lena Gonzalez, would require local agencies to release audio of 9-1-1 calls and related written reports involving private detention centers.
The bill was prompted by questions about medical care, as well as allegations of sexual abuse and violence involving people held in immigration detention.
LENA GONZALEZ: “I hope Governor Newsom signs, because it really gives us a signal that he means business as it pertains to pushing back against this Trump administration.”
There have also been six deaths inside the state’s detention centers since last September. Four of those deaths occurred at the Adelanto ICE facility.
DHS has repeatedly denied that abuse is taking place inside ICE detention centers.
And last, Democratic Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes of Colton.
Her SB 1414 would create an independent citizens commission to draw San Bernardino County’s five supervisorial districts after the 2030 Census.
The commission would have final authority over the district maps, instead of the Board of Supervisors.
Commissioners would be selected through an application and screening process designed to limit political influence and include representation from across the county.
Check out Digital Democracy on CalMatters.org for more about the bills covered here.
