Every veto. Every message.

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 264 without my signature.

This bill expands access to the California College Fee Waiver program by repealing existing law that prohibits dependents of veterans from receiving state benefits while…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1165 without my signature.

This bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop statewide finance plans on homelessness and housing unaffordability, establish related metrics, and…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1537 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit peace officers from engaging in any form of secondary employment that involves enforcing immigration laws and would require that certain documents…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1608 without my signature.

This bill would exempt the Office of the Inspector General (Office) for the California High-Speed Rail Authority from specified state personnel and contracting requirements. The…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1666 without my signature.

This bill would establish the Biomass Innovation Park Grants and Financing Program, to be administered by the Natural Resources Agency, to identify biomass innovation parks.…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1813 without my signature.

This bill requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to adopt or modify a customer renewable energy subscription program under which a program participant is…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1881 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit a government agency from burdening a California Native American tribe's exercise of religious beliefs or spiritual practices on state lands, even…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1896 without my signature.

This bill would disqualify from state and local government employment any sworn law enforcement officer or contractor who personally engaged in federal immigration enforcement, unless…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1940 without my signature.

This bill would amend the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to include perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause, and related medical conditions within the definition of "sex."…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1949 without my signature.

This bill would require Medi-Cal to cover up to 24 acupuncture visits per calendar year for each Medi-Cal member and allow additional acupuncture visits beyond…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1997 without my signature.

This bill would require a public agency serving as the lead agency for a development project to approve or disapprove a housing development within 30…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2066 without my signature.

This bill would make pregnancy a triggering event for purposes of enrollment or changing a health benefit plan. Last year, I vetoed a substantially similar…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2186 without my signature.

This bill would exclude, from personal and corporate income taxation, any monetary compensation or benefits made pursuant to state or local government reparations programs or…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2218 without my signature.

This bill would establish a state policy to recognize and address the inequities inflicted upon all California Native American tribes regarding access to, and control…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2367 without my signature.

This bill would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the State Department of Developmental Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the State Department…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2465 without my signature.

This bill would disqualify large businesses with specified relationships to private prisons or immigration enforcement agencies from receiving state-provided loans, grants, or tax credits. I…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2575 without my signature.

This bill would authorize a worker providing direct patient care to override the output of a clinical decision support system if, in the judgment of…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2656 without my signature.

This bill would require public employers to provide a recognized employee organization with at least 45 days' written notice before developing, purchasing, or requiring the…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2721 without my signature.

This bill requires a hotel operator with actual knowledge of a reservation by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the premises to post a notice in a prominent and accessible place to hotel workers that discloses the possible presence of those officers on the premises, and, upon request by a guest at the time of check-in, requires disclosure of this possible presence during a guest's reservation.

Recent conduct by federal agencies captured by this bill is abhorrent, and hotel employees deserve basic information about their rights should they come into contact with federal immigration officers. To that end, I signed SB 294 in 2025, and the state has greatly expanded investments and resources to help Californians, including workers, understand their rights when interacting with immigration officers.

While the intent of the author is laudable, this bill introduces considerable consumer privacy and public safety concerns by compelling hotel operators to disclose this guest information not just to their employees, but to the public. Compelling the disclosure of guest records on demand is likely in conflict with longstanding state privacy laws, and would put hotel operators in the position of determining which law they should follow. Further, requiring this information to be shared with the public could create real public safety risks on hotel properties by encouraging demonstrations or other disruptive activity. We have seen even the most peaceful protests escalate unexpectedly, which could lead to real risk for workers, demonstrators, and other hotel guests.

I encourage the Legislature to revisit this issue next year in a manner that avoids these unintended consequences and instead focuses on promoting safety and transparency for hotel employees.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2739 without my signature.

This bill establishes the Water Affordability and System Stabilization Trust to theoretically generate ongoing funding for two programs — one to provide water rate assistance…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 490 without my signature.

This bill would impose several new requirements on the Department of Health Care Services related to oversight of licensed alcohol and other drug (AOD) facilities,…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 661 without my signature.

This bill would redirect state sales and use tax revenue attributable to jet fuel from the General Fund, Local Public Safety Fund, and Local Revenue Fund to the Aeronautics Account and establish a new formula for distributing those funds to airports and aviation-related programs as an alternative mechanism for complying with the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Revenue Use Policy.

For more than a decade, California has worked with the FAA across successive federal administrations using an offsetting-expenditure methodology that the FAA has described as a "good overall methodology." Federal law does not prescribe the revenue-distribution formula established by this bill. California instead demonstrates compliance by documenting eligible airport and aviation expenditures that equal or exceed covered jet fuel tax revenue.

In March, the Department of Finance provided the FAA with information identifying nearly $2.3 billion in state expenditures supporting airports and aviation programs from 2020-21 through 2025-26 - more than 10 times the approximately $226 million in covered revenue collected during that period. The identified expenditures exceeded covered revenue in every fiscal year.

This measure would establish a permanent fiscal commitment that goes far beyond what federal law requires. It would redirect tens of millions of dollars annually from the General Fund and critical realignment funds that support local public safety, health, mental health, and social services. It is critical to evaluate a permanent new revenue commitment of this magnitude in the context of the substantial funding airports already receive through other state programs.

The bill also raises serious constitutional concerns. A portion of the revenue it would redirect is deposited into the Local Public Safety Fund pursuant to Proposition 172 and is constitutionally dedicated to local public-safety services. Redirecting that revenue to a statewide aviation account for purposes not limited to local public safety is inconsistent with that voter-enacted provision of California's Constitution and would diminish resources available for essential public safety services.

Any proposal to permanently redirect these revenues should be based on a demonstrated need for statutory change and considered through the annual budget process alongside other state and local priorities.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 903 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit the use of companion chatbots in the provision of psychotherapy services and would create restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 938 without my signature.

This bill would provide that service as a sworn federal law enforcement officer whose primary duties consisted of enforcing of immigration laws, and the training…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 944 without my signature.

This bill would remove the limitation that requires federal matching funds for the coverage of acupuncture services within Medi-Cal, making acupuncture a covered Medi-Cal benefit…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1029 without my signature.

This bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), after the existing three-year claim period, to transfer unclaimed proceeds from vehicle lien sales to the State Controller's Office for administration under the Unclaimed Property Law.

I support the author's goal of helping vehicle owners recover excess proceeds that rightfully belong to them. However, this bill divides responsibility between two state agencies without establishing a clear process for verifying ownership, resolving claims, or making final eligibility determinations.

The DMV has already taken an important step to help vehicle owners recover these proceeds by establishing an online lookup tool. Future efforts should build upon that work by clearly defining how claims will be verified and administered before responsibility for the funds is transferred. As written, this measure would impose additional administrative costs on the Motor Vehicle Account resources that are needed to sustain core DMV and CHP operations, without demonstrating that more funds would reach their rightful owners.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1105 without my signature.

This bill would limit federal law enforcement's powers of arrest and prohibit California law enforcement agencies from entering into an interagency agreement unless the agreement…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1125 without my signature.

This bill establishes the Water Rate Assistance Program, administered by the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board), and creates the Water Rate Assistance Fund…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1130 without my signature.

Among other changes to the law, this bill would make it a misdemeanor to operate a wearable recording device to capture sound or video of…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 220 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs) from creating or applying their own medical-necessity criteria for subacute care. If the Department of Health…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 464 without my signature.

This bill tolls the statute of limitations for bringing an action for sexual assault against a public entity or public employee alleged to have occurred…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 664 without my signature.

This bill authorizes the California Community Colleges (CCC) Chancellor to allow the Southwestern Community College District to offer four workforce-aligned baccalaureate degree programs outside of…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 760 without my signature.

This bill would enact a personal income and corporation tax exclusion for settlement payments related to the 2026 Garden Grove chemical leak.

I wholeheartedly support the intent of this bill. In 2022, I signed legislation that provided similar tax exclusions for settlement claims resulting from catastrophic wildfires that occurred in the preceding five years. In signing those bills, I stated that future measures, like this bill, should be included in the annual budget process, given the General Fund implications. This standard was subsequently applied to Assembly Bill 1973 (Lackey) and Senate Bill 542 (Dahle) in 2024. I strongly encourage the Legislature to include this proposal in next year's budget framework.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 788 without my signature.

This bill creates the Division of Female Programs and Services (Division) within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), which is solely responsible for female adult institutions and community facilities housing female offenders. The bill also makes changes to the Female Offender Reform Master Plan and creates an ombudsperson position solely assigned to adult female institutions.

I appreciate the author's recognition that incarcerated women face significant unique experiences that demand a different approach to program and policy development. However, this measure would considerably expand the size of the CDCR administration in ways that will duplicate existing work and create organizational dysfunction.

As the size of the state's incarcerated population has declined, my Administration has both closed institutions and worked to reduce the size of the administration of the CDCR. In 2025, the CDCR realigned its leadership structure to consolidate supervision of institutions by region, grouping both women's institutions into one region with the same Associate Director. This is already proving to be a significant step forward in bringing additional attention and resources to the women's institutions. In light of this, creating a new parallel Division within the CDCR to administer only two institutions is not advised. Further, the organizational changes required by this bill would result in increased costs to CDCR that were not considered in the context of 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 880 without my signature.

This bill would make various changes to the California Prompt Payment Act, including requiring state agencies to reimburse a nonprofit grantee's indirect costs, eliminating the…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1039 without my signature.

This bill would require state agencies to provide advance payments for certain grants and contracts awarded to eligible nonprofit organizations and federally recognized tribes, and…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1054 without my signature.

This bill would establish a Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) framework for Bargaining Unit 5 patrol officers and Bargaining Unit 8 state peace officers and…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1099 without my signature.

This bill requires that any child or youth in foster care referred for regional center services receive a case conference within an initial 15-day period…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1116 without my signature.

This bill requires the Secretary of State to develop a method to allow voting-eligible individuals who do not have a California driver's license or California…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1542 without my signature.

This bill prohibits businesses that are subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) from selling or sharing a consumer's sensitive personal information. While I…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1562 without my signature.

This bill authorizes a county to adopt a system to randomly select individuals to serve as precinct board members. This bill also establishes standards and…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1567 without my signature.

This bill would allow cities and counties, under specified conditions, to count units approved in congregate housing and residential care facilities for the elderly toward up to 15% of their regional housing needs allocation in any income category.

California needs more housing and supportive living options for older adults. My administration has supported senior housing, including through recent legislation providing development incentives tied to clear affordability standards. However, this bill would allow these facilities to count toward any income category without demonstrating that they serve households at that income level. As a result, local governments could receive credit toward their lower-income housing obligations for facilities unaffordable to lower-income residents, thereby overstating their progress in meeting those needs.

The bill also does not establish how beds and units should be counted or how duplicative credit would be prevented. These unresolved questions could allow local governments to use such facilities as a substitute for housing they would otherwise be required to plan for and approve, without demonstrating that the facilities serve the same housing needs.

The Department of Housing and Community Development has identified the treatment of senior housing and group quarters as an issue requiring a consistent statewide approach. Any reform should align the population included in the regional housing need with the housing credited toward meeting it and establish clear standards for affordability, classification, and counting. This bill does not provide that framework. For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1647 without my signature.

This bill would codify existing case law to prohibit the use of a minor's statements relating to a transfer hearing from being used against the…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1832 without my signature.

This bill would, upon appropriation, create the 211 Fund in the State Treasury for the 211 system and require the California Office of Emergency Services…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1891 without my signature.

This bill would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to dedicate a specified percentage of all grant funding appropriated to the…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1967 without my signature.

This bill would revise procedures and requirements for children and youth who wish to enter or reenter foster care.

The intent of this bill is laudable, and I deeply appreciate the author's effort to address unacceptable delays in assistance to vulnerable young adults who find themselves in need of renewed support from the child welfare system. However, this bill's proposed changes to the eligibility standards for reentry into foster care would actually exacerbate, rather than mitigate, these delays.

This bill would not only make it more difficult to determine if a youth meets the criteria to reenter foster care, but it would only allow reentry for youth who are receiving no support at all — a far higher bar to clear than is currently in place, and one which would turn away youth who are receiving very little support and still need foster care services.

I encourage the Legislature and interested stakeholders to work with county child welfare agencies and the California Department of Social Services to identify improvements to the foster care reentry process that will effectively promote our shared goal of seeing disadvantaged former foster youth receive the services and support that they need. For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2247 without my signature.

This bill would establish the Trauma Healing and Resilience Investment for Victimized and Exposed Youth Act (T.H.R.I.V.E.) pilot program, to be administered by the State Department of Health Care Services in order to administer a program to pay for mental health and counseling services for youth survivors of gun violence.

I strongly support the author's commitment to this issue, and my administration continues to prioritize policies that increase assistance for individuals suffering from the effects of violence. This year's budget includes a $12.5 million augmentation for Trauma Recovery Centers, which offer immediate assistance after a traumatic event, as well as long-term therapeutic support, addressing the emotional, psychological, and practical needs of survivors.

This measure is duplicative of those efforts and creates a new, unfunded grant program not included in the 2026 Budget Act. In partnership with the Legislature this year, we have 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 2253 without my signature.

This bill would require certain recycled-content documentation obligations to apply to all products making recycled-content claims, beginning in 2030.

I share the author's goal of ensuring that environmental marketing claims are accurate and that consumers can trust the products they buy. However, I am concerned that expanding these documentation requirements will unduly burden manufacturers and suppliers already facing economic headwinds caused by federal tariff and trade policy actions. Adding new, complex compliance requirements at this time risks compounding those pressures, with little benefit to consumers.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2282 without my signature.

This bill would require the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to issue a waiver to a publicly owned and operated general acute care hospital…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2314 without my signature.

This bill would propose new requirements for the Voluntary Temporary Transfer (VTT) of child care and development funds, allow a VTT request submission at any time during the fiscal year, and add optional fiscal management provisions for Alternative Payment Programs (APP).

I share the author's intent of ensuring families have access to reliable childcare. However, allowing an APP contractor to submit a VTT request at any time during the fiscal year conflicts with CDSS' existing statutory authority to set timelines for temporary transfers of funds. This compromises program integrity, putting contractor annual fiscal reports and audits at risk, and creates unnecessary administrative burdens for CDSS and contractors alike. Additionally, the bill's permissive language regarding the transfer of VTT funds out of a county conflicts with childcare and development funding requirements that were negotiated as part of the 2026 Budget.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2369 without my signature.

This bill makes energy-only resources eligible to satisfy long-term planning and procurement requirements under the Integrated Resource Plan and would designate energy-only resources as long…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2402 without my signature.

This bill would define a multiservice health club studio as a studio offering three or more specified amenities, and would remove the $4,400 contract limit in statute.

California has long regulated health studio service contracts to protect consumers from excessive fees and predatory sales practices. The statutory cap was adopted to limit consumer's exposure to substantial future payment obligations, and I do not believe it is in the best interest of Californians to remove this cap, which could price consumers out of these clubs altogether.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2502 without my signature.

This bill would define "drive" for purposes of certain driving under the influence, reckless driving, and vehicular manslaughter offenses when a vehicle is operating with…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2510 without my signature.

This bill would expand eligibility for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Family Reunification (FR) program by authorizing the program's cash aid…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2526 without my signature.

This bill expands eligibility for the state's low-incidence disability special education funding program by adding pupils who take California's alternate assessments as determined by their…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2543 without my signature.

This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services (OES), in consultation with the California Energy Commission and the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, to…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2551 without my signature.

This bill requires the California State University (CSU), and requests the University of California (UC), to hold an open forum on a selected campus by…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2565 without my signature.

AB 2565 would require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to issue guidance clarifying Medi-Cal managed care plan (MCP) obligations to cover pharmacist services…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2571 without my signature.

This bill would require the Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for advanced practice pharmacist services to be at least 85% of the fee schedule for physician services,…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2593 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit a supervisor, administrator, or employee of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) or the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) from interfering with or refusing to implement prescribed healthcare that results in substantial emotional distress or serious bodily injury.

While well-intended, I am concerned this bill could ultimately weaken the quality and accountability of patient care. In particular, this bill may directly conflict with the court-ordered healthcare system established under Plata v. Newsom and may cause challenges with the federal courts, risking backsliding in the significant progress made to fully delegate healthcare back to CDCR.

Further, this bill does not appear limited to CCHCS-employed providers and could potentially encompass healthcare recommendations from contractors, outside specialists, hospitals, or other community providers, creating uncertainty regarding either CDCR's or CCHCS's ability to independently evaluate outside treatment recommendations as they pertain to medical necessity. I am concerned about the potential liability tied to subsequent patient harm, as supervisors and clinicians may be reluctant to question or modify another provider's treatment decision even when doing so is part of their professional responsibilities or necessary to protect patient safety. For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2717 without my signature.

This bill would extend through January 1, 2032, an exemption under the Outdoor Advertising Act allowing certain professional sports arenas built or under construction by January 1, 2027, to receive approval for new advertising displays that would otherwise be prohibited under state law.

I recognize that the revenue generated by these displays can support sports and entertainment venues and provide local economic benefits. However, I vetoed a similar measure in 2022 after the Federal Highway Administration notified Caltrans that existing arena billboards did not comply with federal law and that exemptions in state law did not provide the department with the ability to maintain effective control of outdoor advertising.

Those compliance risks remain, and state exemptions do not relieve California of its federal obligations. Failure to maintain effective control of outdoor advertising could jeopardize 10% of the state's federal highway funding — currently estimated at up to $580 million annually.

As stated in my 2022 veto message, I continue to support modernizing federal requirements and encourage proponents of this legislation to pursue those changes at the federal level.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2770 without my signature.

This bill would require the state to quitclaim the state-owned land within San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park.

Under my administration, the Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) has worked with tribal governments to foster government-to-government coordination and co-management of natural lands within California tribes' ancestral lands. Such arrangements now cover more than half of State Parks land. Additionally, my administration facilitated the return of over 100,000 acres of land to tribes.

While I share the author's goal of further advancing ancestral land return, I am mindful of the need to approach that important work systemically by building processes that are transparent and fair to all interested parties. I am concerned that piecemeal measures, like this bill, could undermine those values.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 608 without my signature.

This bill requires school-based health centers to make condoms available and easily accessible to students in grades 7 to 12 and requires local educational agencies…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 872 without my signature.

This bill establishes the Delta Levees and Canal Subsidence Fund (Fund) to support multi-benefit levee projects and capital improvements to water conveyance systems impacted by…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bills 877 and 878 without my signature.

These two bills codify existing technical regulations and guidance adopted by the California Department of Insurance to clarify definitions of claim documents and specify certain…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bills 877 and 878 without my signature.

These two bills codify existing technical regulations and guidance adopted by the California Department of Insurance to clarify definitions of claim documents and specify certain…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 891 without my signature.

This bill would establish the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Justice Program within the Department of Justice to fund and support law enforcement agencies' investigatory activities.

The MMIP crisis is a worldwide issue, recognized in several nations across the globe. As the state with the largest American Indian and Alaska Native population, exceeding 700,000 people, California has taken multiple actions to respond to this urgent public safety and human rights crisis. I have signed numerous bills, including legislation creating the "Feather Alert," a statewide emergency notification system for missing Indigenous people, and, in the 2022 Budget Act, established the MMIP Grant Program to provide California tribal nations with funding to investigate, track, and prevent cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous individuals.

Since its inception, the state has allocated tens of millions of dollars to the MMIP Grant Program and, in this year's budget, we made that funding permanent with a $15 million ongoing allocation. This historic investment reflects the need for sustained action - and California's continued commitment - to confront the disproportionate violence affecting Native communities. While well-intentioned, this bill disregards those efforts and creates a new, unfunded program that is duplicative of the work already underway.

I am confident that with ongoing resources, California will continue to work closely with tribes across the state to develop strategies to support tribal work and investigations to solve and prevent MMIP cases, therefore making this bill unnecessary.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1037 without my signature.

This bill requires health plans and insurers to provide additional information in premium rate filings submitted to the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1173 without my signature.

This bill would authorize a criminal court to instruct a jury and convict on a "lesser-related offense" of the defendant's choosing, over the objection of…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1194 without my signature.

This bill establishes the Immigration Legal Fellowship Project (ILFP) within the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). I share the author's commitment to ensure California…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1240 without my signature.

This bill would establish the Office of Nonprofit Empowerment within the Government Operations Agency to oversee and coordinate state-level policies and strategies to support California's…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1340 without my signature.

This bill would require the small business liaison for each state agency to annually submit an inventory of all agency contracts and subcontracts involving small businesses, including total contract values and total payments made, to the Office of the Small Business Advocate (OSBA). This bill also requires OSBA to post that information on its website.

I support the author's goal to create greater consistency in statewide reporting as agencies meet small business participation requirements in state contracting. However, this bill's proposed manual review and collection requirement, when applied across all agencies that execute procurement contracts, would result in additional spending in the tens of millions of dollars annually.

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 this reason, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 306 without my signature.

This bill would expand the California Building Standards Commission's authority to hear appeals of certain local building code decisions, including requests to use alternative materials…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 539 without my signature.

This bill would require approved prior authorizations for healthcare services requested by in-network providers to remain valid for at least one year, or for the…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 605 without my signature.

This bill would establish the Refinery Safe Staffing Task Force, composed of employer and employee organization representatives, to report to the Legislature by June 1,…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 713 without my signature.

This bill prohibits California public universities, beginning January 6, 2027, from disqualifying a student from employment for failing to provide proof of federal employment authorization.…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 917 without my signature.

This bill requires certificated employees in school districts and county offices of education with less than 250 average daily attendance to be granted permanent status…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1328 without my signature.

This bill would require the Department of Health Care Services to adjust the rates for nonemergency medical transportation to be reimbursed at 80% of the…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1383 without my signature.

This bill would modify the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) to prospectively establish a new pensionable compensation limit for all members and reduce…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1595 without my signature.

This bill would substantially expand circumstances in which a person who has been convicted of a criminal offense may file petitions for writs of habeas…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1602 without my signature.

This bill establishes a statewide Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund and a Child Welfare Disaster Response Program to support foster children and youth and their…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1761 without my signature.

This bill would require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to disclose any data, including market-sensitive data, to load-serving entities and advocacy organizations concurrent with…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2122 without my signature.

This bill would, among other things, eliminate the misdemeanor offense for failing to appear in court on a Vehicle Code infraction and prohibit the issuance…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2142 without my signature.

This bill creates a rebuttable presumption that a school district or community college district must replace a short-term employee position with a position in the…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2164 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit future governors from recognizing a request for extradition of a person subject to criminal liability based on allegations that the person…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2230 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit employees of a child daycare facility licensed by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) from providing voluntary consent to a…

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 2439 without my signature.

This bill would generally prohibit homeowners associations from restricting a member's use of public streets, establish new notification requirements when the recipient of assessment payments…

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 632 without my signature.

This bill expands eligibility to qualify for a California College Promise fee waiver by reducing the minimum unit requirement from 12 to 9 units. While…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 675 without my signature.

This bill would restructure the governing board of the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) and impose new reporting and planning duties. The Imperial…

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 Fund's 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 Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1272 without my signature.

This bill would specify that the reasonable period of time to correct a violation related to building, plumbing, electrical, or other similar structural or zoning…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 353 without my signature.

This bill would require the Governor to appoint an Inspector General of the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to serve a six-year term and transfer the…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning AB 1049 without my signature.

This bill exempts the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) from federal sponsor-deeming rules and exemptions so that a sponsor's income and resources are no longer…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1547 without my signature.

This bill, an urgency measure, requires the University of California (UC) to complete a feasibility study to establish a UC medical school branch campus in…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1591 without my signature.

This bill requires the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) to establish and administer the California Podiatric Pipeline Program. While well-intentioned, this bill…

To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1722 without my signature. This bill would prohibit the imposition of civil…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1729 without my signature.

This bill would require a state agency to provide a detailed written justification to the agency's employees if the agency's unique operational needs and programmatic…

To the Members of the California State Assembly / Senate: I am returning Assembly Bill 1882 without my signature. This bill would establish the Safe…

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 2012 without my signature.

This bill would modify permitting and escort requirements for transporting manufactured homes, factory-built housing, and commercial modular structures. It also would require the Department of…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2081 without my signature.

This bill would require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to expand capacity in the Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver by 5,000…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2124 without my signature.

This bill would require the California Council on Science and Technology to create a program to review pending legislation upon request by legislators for impacts…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2166 without my signature.

This bill would establish the Multifamily Backstop Financing Program within the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to provide state- backed credit support for surety…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2301 without my signature.

This bill requires the California Community College (CCC) Chancellor's Office to establish a Community College Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Pilot Program that would authorize IO…

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2343 without my signature.

This bill would require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to designate or design a public consumer-protection platform to provide information on licensed and…

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 2494 without my signature.

This bill would significantly revise the state's management policies for the Demonstration State Forests and establish new goals, forestry techniques, research efforts, and other activities…

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

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 769 without my signature.

This bill would enact the Golden State Infrastructure Act, establishing the not-for-profit Golden State Infrastructure Corporation (GSIC) within the State Treasurer's Office to finance large-scale…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 954 without my signature.

This bill would revise several California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemptions enacted last year, including repealing the exemption for advanced manufacturing facilities. The bill replaces…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1057 without my signature.

This bill would allow continuing education or in-service hours for certified nurse assistants (CNAs) to be obtained through online training and would make significant changes…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1059 without my signature.

This bill would require the Employment Training Panel (ETP) to authorize and encourage the use of electronic recordkeeping systems. This bill also would require ETP…

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning SB 1077 without my signature.

This bill would impose a number of requirements on the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to respond to future federal government shutdowns that impact…