CA legislation seeks to curb immigration arrests

From CalMatters local news fellow Cayla Mihalovich:

California Democrats passed a batch of bills in 2025 to push back against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, and new ones are in the works at the start of this year.

On Tuesday Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes, a Democrat from San Bernardino, introduced legislation to prevent federal immigration agents from making “unannounced and indiscriminate” arrests in courthouses, which have become a battleground for the Trump administration to carry out its aggressive deportation tactics.

• Gómez Reyes, in a statement: “The issue is clear cut. One of the core responsibilities of government is to protect people — not to inflict terror on them. California is not going to let the federal government make political targets out of people trying to be good stewards of the law. Discouraging people from coming to court makes our community less safe.”

The proposed legislation comes nearly two weeks after a federal judge ordered that the U.S. Justice Department halt civil arrests in immigration courts across Northern California, ruling that its deportation policies hadn’t addressed the “chilling effects, safety risks, and impacts on hearing attendance.” 

More bills: Other legislators introduced new measures this week, including:

• Political violence: Prompted by the separate killings of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and Democratic Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, a bill by Assemblymember Laurie Davies, an Oceanside Republican, would add political affiliation to the list of characteristics needed to classify a crime as a hate crime.

• Data privacy: Backed by Consumer Reports and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a bill by Assemblymember Chris Ward would prohibit data brokers from selling sensitive user information including immigration status, sexual orientation and genetic information. The proposal builds on two other data protection bills by the San Diego Democrat that’s currently before the Legislature.

• Solar energy: A proposal by Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco would cut red tape for Californians who want to install plug-in solar energy systems — smaller, more portable systems that residents can position on their balconies, patios or other locations. 

A coalition of lawmakers is planning a series of bills this legislative session to fundamentally revamp how California handles dangerous drivers. 

The action comes in response to License to Kill, a CalMatters investigation that revealed how the state of California has routinely allowed dangerous drivers with horrifying histories to continue driving and killing.

Assemblymember Nick Schultz of Burbank, a Democrat who is the chairperson of the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, proposed a law Monday that would increase penalties for repeat drunk drivers. 

He said the bill is intended to be the “tip of the spear” in a larger movement. 

• Schultz, in an interview: “California has been behind the eight ball, quite frankly, compared to many other states in the country. We have got to do a better job.”

Details of other road safety bills are expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks. 

Read the latest from CalMatters reporters Lauren Hepler and Robert Lewis on the push for new laws. And read their full License to Kill project.

From CalMatters Director of Membership Sonya Quick:

We’re launching a free and personalized weekly newsletter called My Legislator to help hold your Sacramento lawmakers accountable in a powerful new way.

Californians can now easily track what their state representatives say and do each week, as legislators consider about 5,000 bills before adjourning in August. That’s why each week during the legislative session, My Legislator will tell you what your legislators said, how they voted (or if they missed a vote), the status of bills your legislators have authored, who is backing them financially and more.

We heard from people who helped test a one-month beta of My Legislature in the fall. Bill from Petaluma said, “The My Legislators newsletter provides useful information that is not available without a deep dive and significant time investment.”

Sign up for My Legislator for free today (and don’t worry — it can help you look up who your state reps are).

Since Jan. 1, all California residents can access a tool that enables them to opt out of letting brokers use their data. Built by the California Privacy Protection Agency, the platform delivers privacy instructions to every registered broker at once. Read our step-by-step guide on how to use this tool by CalMatters’ Colin Lecher and Miles Hilton.