How many bills in the 2024 California Legislature?

With the dust settled after Friday’s bill introduction deadline, the California Legislature’s count for new bills this year is 2,124.

That includes 1,505 in the Assembly and 619 in the Senate, according to lobbyist Chris Micheli. The total is close to the recent average, though many measures never reach the governor’s desk. That’s because some aren’t really proposed to get there in the first place and others are introduced without tracking whether similar existing laws are working. 

Last year, legislators introduced more than 2,600 bills (the most in a decade) and passed 1,046. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 890 and vetoed 156. But with 2024 being an election year, lawmakers seeking reelection may hope to notch a few legislative wins, inked with the governor’s signature, under their belt.

A few interesting bills that made the last-minute deadline:

• Artificial intelligence: To curb biases in artificial intelligence technology, Democratic Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of San Ramon introduced a bill to require developers to analyze whether their AI tools have any potential negative impacts on people based on their race, sex, religion and other classifications, as well as “prohibit a deployer from using an automated decision tool in a manner that results in algorithmic discrimination.”

• Daylight savings: In another attempt to end switching back and forth from daylight savings time, Republican Sen. Roger Niello of Roseville has legislation to establish standard time year round. But some legislators, such as Republican Joe Patterson of Rocklin, said they prefer the opposite and want to permanently stay on daylight savings time instead. The choice between more sunlight after work or more light in the morning has health consequences, experts say.

• Downtown redevelopment: With the backing of San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Sen. Scott Wiener has a new bill that would exempt San Francisco from certain environmental laws in order to speed up affordable housing development and other construction projects. The San Francisco Democrat said this bill, along with another to allow cities to establish “entertainment zones,” will help revitalize the city’s beleaguered downtown.

• Elections: To preempt Huntington Beach and other California cities from enacting voter identification requirements, Democratic Sen. Dave Min of Irvine introduced a measure to prohibit local governments from imposing the policy for local elections. Huntington Beach residents are expected to vote on whether to require voter ID after their city council decided last year to add it to the March ballot. 

• Reparations: Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer has a bill to require the state to formally apologize for “human rights violations and crimes against humanity on African slaves and their descendants.” The Los Angeles Democrat’s measure, introduced Friday, is part of a package that the California Legislative Black Caucus unveiled in January. Another bill in the package, authored by Inglewood Sen. Steven Bradford, would establish a fund for “reparations and restorative justice.” The caucus is expected to hold a press conference at the state Capitol on Wednesday to give more details on its reparations bill package.

• Traffic safety: In response to demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that have blocked roads and caused traffic delays, Assemblymember Kate Sanchez has a new bill to double fines for protestors who block highways — particularly when it interferes with an emergency vehicle. The Rancho Santa Margarita Repulican’s measure would fine as much as $1,000 for a third offense.

And one bill back in play includes a political odd couple: Gov. Newsom vetoed a bill last year to decriminalize psychedelic drugs. This session, there’s a narrower bill to allow their use in treatment — and the coauthors are not necessarily obvious suspects. Find out who they are from CalMatters Digital Democracy reporter Ryan Sabalow.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em? 

After blasting Rep. Adam Schiff for elevating Republican Steve Garvey in the U.S. Senate race, Rep. Katie Porter is pulling a similar maneuver with Eric Early, who’s also running for Senate as a Republican.

Both the anti-Garvey ad by Schiff and now the anti-Early ad by Porter (first reported by Politico) seek to tie the Republicans to former President Donald Trump — the strategy being that the GOP faithful will rally to their side if they’re under attack by Democrats.

• Porter’s ad, on Facebook: “Who’s the real Republican threat in the California Senate race? MAGA Republican Eric Early proudly stands with Donald Trump, while Steve Garvey refuses to tell us who he supports. Garvey claimed he might even vote for Joe Biden. Get the facts.”

The two Democrats are jockeying to finish in the top two in the March 5 primary and advance to November. A new Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill poll out today puts Schiff at 28%, followed by Garvey with 22%, Porter at 16% and Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee at 9%, with 17% of likely voters still undecided.

While Schiff is apparently trying to make sure Garvey is his ostensibly weaker opponent, Porter is apparently hoping that Early can take away some GOP support from Garvey so she can slide into at least second place. 

Such are the shenanigans in California’s “jungle” primary. It was sold as a way to make sure no party preference voters can participate and to boost more moderate candidates. But since rolling out in 2012, it has come under fire for unintended consequences and Machiavellian maneuvering. 

• Jon Fleischman, a political consultant, on social media: “Welcome to California, where the Democrat candidates spend more money boosting the Republicans than the Republican candidates can raise to spend on themselves.”

In other U.S. Senate campaign news:

• On stage: At 6 p.m. today in Los Angeles, the three Democrats plus Garvey are set to face off in the final scheduled debate of the primary, an hour-long event hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo. Porter, Schiff and Lee took part in a forum hosted by Univision on Saturday and aired Monday evening on TV stations across the state (Garvey declined an invitation.) They discussed the cost of living, housing and immigration. Latino voters could be key, as CalMatters has reported, if the participation rate increases.

• Endorsements: Porter won the backing of the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board over the weekend. Previously, Schiff was endorsed by the Los Angeles Times and La Opinión, while Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee was favored by The Sacramento Bee.

From CalMatters higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn: 

California State University faculty overwhelmingly approved a new labor contract, moving the nation’s largest four-year public university system a step closer to ending arguably the most acrimonious labor standoff between educators and university leaders in the system’s history.

The California Faculty Association said Monday that 76% of members who voted approved the tentative agreement, a set of raises and expansions of benefits that exceeds what Cal State negotiators were offering during eight months of contract negotiations but fell short of initial union demands.

The union represents 29,000 professors, lecturers, counselors, coaches and librarians.

All that remains to finalize the contract is a vote from Cal State’s board of trustees, who are scheduled to meet March 24-27. It’s likely that trustees will approve the deal. The deal would last through June 30, 2025.

“We look forward to working together to continue our advocacy for an equitable CSU,” Charles Toombs, union president and a professor at San Diego State, said in a statement that also thanked members for organizing and joining the strikes.

The week-long vote followed a one-day strike last month, the first time faculty walked off the job at all 23 Cal State campuses in the system’s history, and strikes at four campuses in December. Some union members criticized the union’s leadership for ending the rain-soaked January strike the day it began, arguing a better deal could have emerged had the strike lasted the full five days union leaders envisioned. Critics also faulted the deal for agreeing to a 10% across-the-board raise that technically isn’t fully guaranteed. 

It also raises the salary floor by at least $3,000 for the lowest paid faculty on top of the faculty-wide raises — less than what the union wanted but also something Cal State management originally opposed.

For more, read the full story.

It looked as if Madera Community Hospital had found its white knights — UC San Francisco and Advenist. But in the latest twist, a bankruptcy judge rejected their bid to take over. Find out who won instead from CalMatters health reporter Ana B. Ibarra.