Christopher Cabaldon

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills, Senate Bill 960 (Sen. Christopher Cabaldon) and Assembly Bill 2694 (Assemblymember David Alvarez), setting new limits on how many bachelor's degrees California community colleges can create. Starting in 2028, districts can add two to 12 new degrees a year, with higher caps tied to accountability metrics like graduation and transfer rates. Existing degrees are unaffected; currently 49 colleges offer or plan to offer 66 bachelor's programs. Districts must also show regional workforce need.

The laws replace a 2022 rule capping new degrees at 30 statewide and address long-running friction with the California State University system, which often objected to community college programs it saw as duplicative. Colleges can now proceed if a nearby Cal State program rejects more than 25% of applicants from that district for three straight years, and a new dispute-resolution process routes conflicts to the state labor secretary. Community colleges, despite initially backing the bills, opposed last-minute revisions tying degree caps to student outcome metrics. Newsom separately vetoed a third bill that would have allowed community college bachelor's degrees in nursing, calling it redundant.

California lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 1159, sponsored by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon (D-West Sacramento), which prohibits knowingly using AI to falsely represent that a real person engaged with a government agency and clarifies that agencies need not treat AI or bot-generated engagement as if it came from real humans. The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom for signature in September.

The legislation follows reporting on campaigns that flooded the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District with thousands of public comments generated via platforms like CiviClick and Speak4, ahead of votes on gas-appliance regulations. Multiple people contacted said they never submitted the comments attributed to them, and officials believe the flood of messages swayed at least one vote. The platforms deny using AI in those specific campaigns. The bill lets agencies use verification tools to detect AI while preserving residents' ability to use AI tools to help write genuine comments, provided volume and frequency resemble normal human participation.

The Solano County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to oppose draft state legislation, tentatively called the Solano Maritime and Manufacturing Act, that would streamline zoning and environmental review for shipbuilding projects in Collinsville. Supervisors said they received the draft only a day before Tuesday's meeting and objected to being rushed ahead of Friday's bill-introduction deadline for the current legislative session. The board instead directed staff to continue discussions, hoping to push any proposal to the next session in December 2026.

The legislation, backed in comments by Assemblywoman Lori Wilson and State Senator Christopher Cabaldon, is tied to renewed interest in a Collinsville shipyard after California Forever's plans lost a bid to Texas-bound defense firm Saronic. Supporters argue it would let the county compete for federal shipbuilding investment without authorizing California Forever's broader planned city. Critics, including many residents at the hearing, worry it could bypass normal zoning and environmental safeguards. No formal bill author has been named, and it remains unclear whether the board's opposition will affect the state's timeline.