California Air Resources Board

Would have required every State agency to write each document it makes in plain language starting in January of 2027. Agencies may use the plain language standards made by the Office of Data and Innovation. This bill would have also required each State agency to choose a senior official who would make sure everyone in the agency knows about the language requirements and that the requirements are followed. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Would have used up to $250,000,000 from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) for nature-based climate solutions to meet goals set in 2024 by the Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and CARB. Of that money, $150,000,000 would go to CNRA to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in soils and biomass. $100,000,000 would have been used for nature-based climate solutions, with lawmakers deciding on the exact usages. A separate $150,000,000 from GGRF would have been used to pay for sustainable farming practices and nature-based climate solutions. If there were not enough funds available in the GGRF to meet the above requirements, funds must be given out proportionally. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Would have require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE) to set aside at least 10% of their prescribed and beneficial fire program funding for beneficial fire-related activities. The funding would be given in the form of grants, programs, or other ways to expand a community’s ability to support beneficial fire programs. At least 25% of the given funds must go to California Native American tribes or indigenous-led groups.

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Governor’s Veto Message

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 Department to beneficial fire activities.

The state has nearly doubled the amount of prescribed burn treatments since 2021, treating roughly 200,000 acres annually. While I share the author's goal to increase the pace and scale of prescribed fire projects, this bill limits CAL FIRE's ability to prioritize limited state resources toward the projects and communities facing the greatest wildfire risks.

Funding decisions of this nature should be considered within the annual budget process, where they can be evaluated alongside the state's broader wildfire resilience priorities and considered among available resources.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

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This bill tasks the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) with considering whether farmworker communities are disadvantaged communities (DACs). To achieve this goal, CalEPA must assess whether DAC status would create more investment opportunities for farmworker communities, decide whether current data is enough to identify areas with high concentration of farmworker communities, identify barriers for low-income farmworker communities to use current investment opportunities, and make all of these results available on the CalEPA website. Additionally, CalEPA and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment must develop and carry out a plan for working with farmworker communities.

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Would have required State agencies that impose a monetary charge, as defined in the bill, to report the money collectedfrom those charges on its website. These reports would need to be in a machine-readable format, available for download, and organized by category according toDepartment of Finance rules. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Revises current State agency language survey requirements under the Dymally-Alatorre Act to require not only a survey of the language needs but also an assessment every two years utilizing various recent data sources and community input to understand the needs of limited-English-speaking individuals. The bill also expands the definition of “substantial number of non-English speaking people” to include individuals who are eligible to served instead of just served by an agency. Held on Suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Amends existing law related to allocating moneys deposited into the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund including requiring interest income to be deposited into the fund.

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Amends the Budget Act of 2026 to make additional appropriations for CARB, including funding for land use grants and the FARMER program.

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Makes appropriations for the support of State government for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

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Would have provided a partial sales tax exemption for qualified tangible personal property used in producing hydrogen or electricity in the fueling of zero-emission vehicles and required CARB to review and report on the effectiveness of the tax exemption. Held on suspense in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.

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