Every veto. Every message.

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2337 without my signature.

This bill adds theft committed by a peace officer under color of authority to the definition of "serious misconduct" for purposes of ineligibility for, or revocation of, peace officer certification.

While I support the author's goal of holding peace officers accountable for illicit actions, this bill is duplicative of existing law. Serious misconduct is already defined as inclusive of, but not limited to, "abuse of power," "dishonesty," and "acts that violate the law and are sufficiently egregious or repeated as to be inconsistent with a peace officer's obligation to uphold the law or respect the rights of members of the public." The existing definition of serious misconduct therefore already encompasses the use of peace officer authority to commit theft. Absent reports to the contrary, further particularizing of the definition is unnecessary and may be interpreted to suggest that other unspecified violations are not actionable.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2635 without my signature.

This bill requires local air districts to implement a commercial voucher program to support the transition to zero-emission small off-road equipment.

Small off-road engines are a significant source of harmful air pollution, particularly in communities already burdened by poor air quality. While I share the author's goal of helping marginalized communities transition to zero-emission equipment, this bill duplicates existing state and local air district programs. Under my administration, in partnership with the Legislature, we provided $30 million to incentivize the purchase of nearly 30,000 pieces of zero-emission landscape equipment. Additionally, zero-emission landscape equipment is now widely available from many manufacturers, which will further increase market competition.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 865 without my signature.

This bill would establish a $20 million grant program, contingent upon a future appropriation, for eligible independent live music event promoters.

I support the author's goal of improving the viability of live music festivals. However, this measure would impose significant cost pressures on the General Fund and should be considered during the annual budget process.

In partnership with the Legislature, my administration has enacted a balanced budget that recognizes the challenging fiscal landscape our state faces while maintaining our commitment to working families and our most vulnerable communities. With significant fiscal pressures and the federal government's hostile economic policies, it is vital that we remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications that are not included in the budget, such as this measure

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1064 without my signature.

This bill would reduce required testing under the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) Clean Truck Check program from semiannual to annual for certain heavy-duty vehicles.

I appreciate the author's intent to ease compliance costs for low-mileage fleets. However, Clean Truck Check is a critical measure for reducing vehicle emissions. Reduced testing would allow malfunctioning emissions systems to go undetected for extended periods, worsening air quality and undermining health protections for communities along freight corridors.

Due to illegal actions by the federal government, California faces a 165-ton-per-day NOx deficit. Weakening the Clean Truck Check risks the state's ability to meet federal attainment obligations and jeopardizes access to tens of billions of dollars in federal transportation funding.

Clean Truck Check already offers flexible, low-burden compliance pathways — including mobile testing, self-credentialing, and telematics-based automated reporting — that address the concerns this bill seeks to confront without compromising Californians' ability to breathe cleaner air.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1180 without my signature.

This bill would specify the criteria for programs, projects, and initiatives to be funded by the California Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund (Fund) established under the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (Act), clarify entities eligible for funding, and impose certain requirements on agencies administering the Fund.

I commend the author's commitment to the creation of a circular economy and his desire to ensure that the Funds resources reach the communities most burdened by plastic pollution.

However, my administration is working through the complex, foundational work of implementing the Act, including its core producer responsibility requirements and ensuring compliance clarity for the regulated community. Much of the work to ensure the funding reaches the most appropriate entities is already underway, and this bill risks complicating implementation of both the Act and the Fund.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1238 without my signature.

This bill would make several changes to the Davis-Stirling Common interest Development Act, which governs homeowners associations (HOAs), including establishing a duty of care owed by an HOA's managing agent to both the association and its individual members.

A managing agent acts on behalf of the association, while the association owes duties to its members. Establishing a duty owed to both the association and its individual members could create conflicting obligations when a member's interests diverge from those of the community as a whole. The resulting uncertainty could invite litigation, the costs of which homeowners would ultimately bear.

This provision also leaves unclear how the new statutory duty of care would interact with a managing agent's existing obligations to the association under common law. Several of the bill's remaining provisions overlap with existing requirements governing reserve planning and homeowners' access to association records, limiting their added benefit.

California should improve transparency and accountability in homeowners associations without creating legal uncertainty that could invite litigation and increase costs for homeowners, For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1889 without my signature.

This measure would authorize a court to issue a protective order, at the time of sentencing, preventing a defendant from contacting a victim in specified cases for up to one year after the defendant is released from state prison or county jail.

While well-intentioned, it is unclear whether this bill can be implemented effectively. Many factors can trigger recalculations of an incarcerated person's release date, including changes in workgroup assignments, program credit earnings, credit losses or restorations, and modifications to sentencing terms or case credits. Any one of these factors could change when an incarcerated person is released, but they are unknowable at the time of sentencing, when the court issues the protective order. This will result in inaccurate or incomplete information being entered into the electronic systems that law enforcement rely on to determine whether a particular individual is subject to such an order. Tying a protective order to the date of release requires information that will simply not be available to the court, creating confusion on the part of officers and victims alike. While I support the author's attempt to ensure victims are adequately protected, additional work is needed to allow for proper implementation of this measure.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1894 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit a public agency from denying imported water for groundwater replenishment due to the presence of an invasive mussel In response to the detection of golden mussels in October 2024, my administration immediately began working with managers of uninfested and infested waters to support the implementation of invasive mussel prevention and containment programs. This work is critical to ensure that water managers are prepared to respond to the ongoing threat these species pose. While I appreciate the author's intent, I am concerned by this bill's "one-size-fits-all" approach prohibiting the denial of local water deliveries. This could have serious, unintended consequences for water managers statewide, especially as the challenges associated with invasive mussels continue to evolve. For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2349 without my signature.

This bill would require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to expand its incident air monitoring program.

While I share the author's goal of expanding emergency air monitoring, the proposed program requires significant resources not included in this year's budget. In partnership with the Legislature this year, my administration has enacted a balanced budget that recognizes the challenging fiscal landscape our state faces while maintaining our commitment to working families and our most vulnerable communities. With significant fiscal pressures and the federal government's hostile economic policies, it is vital that we remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications that are not included in the budget, such as this measure.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2395 without my signature.

This bill modifies the statewide Debt Reduction Program (DRP), through which parents can make an offer in compromise for child support and interest owed to the state. The bill requires the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) to implement highly specific standardized forms and procedures across all local child support agencies (LCSAs) to ensure the DRP operates uniformly throughout the state.

I appreciate the author's intent to increase access to the DRP. However, while well-intentioned, this bill adds unnecessary complexity to provide improvements that can be achieved administratively. DCSS already has full statutory authority to establish and operate a statewide DRP. To that end, DCSS is actively working with local child support agencies and other stakeholders to improve the program's transparency, fairness, and accountability.

Finally, the new complaint resolution process envisioned by this bill would require administrators to review and potentially overturn their own decisions — creating an inherent conflict of interest. These chances undermine the program's clarity and administrative integrity, and do not provide meaningful improvements for families seeking debt relief. For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2588 without my signature.

This bill would allow a District Agricultural Association (DAA) board of directors, in cases where the Governor has not filled a vacancy within 90 days and the DAA board has insufficient membership to establish a quorum, to temporarily appoint a director to fill the vacancy and to establish a quorum.

I share the author's goal of ensuring a DAA has sufficient appointees to conduct business, which is why my office engages with local community groups and leaders to seek recommendations and recruit candidates to serve on these boards. This process includes a thorough vetting to ensure that appointees reflect the community and are the most qualified to serve. This bill would create a temporary appointment process outside this standard vetting framework, raising accountability and oversight concerns as decisions are made regarding these state properties. I encourage the author and interested stakeholders to continue discussions with my office to continue to build this pool of potential appointees to be vetted through the appropriate process.

For this reason, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom