Updates from the Office of Senator Sasha Renee Perez on Bills Signed by the Governor
Housing and Tenant Protections
- SB 610 (Disaster Protections for Homeowners and Renters), as part of the Senate’s Golden State Commitment, this bill provides clarity to existing law and establishes key protections for tenants and homeowners following a disaster. It establishes a presumption that the presence of debris from a disaster renders a unit uninhabitable; clarifies that landlords are responsible for repairing damage, including smoke and ash, to the unit after a disaster; clarifies tenants are not obligated to pay rent during a mandatory evacuation order; and requires the state to coordinate with mortgage lenders and servicers upon an emergency declaration for a wildfire to facilitate mortgage forbearance for those financially impacted.
– SIGNED
- SB 634 (Unhoused Service Providers Protection Act), protects the ability of charities and organizations to provide supportive services, including legal and medical services, as well as other basic survival resources like food, to unhoused individuals. This commonsense bill ensures these groups can continue their vital work without the threat of local governments outlawing their services, as happened temporarily in the City of Fremont in the Bay Area. – SIGNED
Wildfire Response & Recovery
- SB 293 (Generational Homeownership Protection Act), establishes a pathway for homeowners affected by the 2025 Southern California wildfires who lost or sustained damage to their homes during a declared emergency to update their property transfer records without financial penalty and being at greater risk of losing their homes altogether. This ensures continuity for families who have inherited their homes and reduces the immediate tax burden from property value reassessments, helping homeowners avoid unexpected financial hardships. – SIGNED
- SB 547 (Commercial Insurance Protection Act), part of the Senate’s Golden State Commitment wildfire package, this legislation responds directly to the January wildfires. It would help small businesses recover from future disasters by prohibiting commercial insurance cancellations or non-renewals for one year following a declared emergency, protections that homeowners already receive. My bill ensures condominiums, affordable housing communities, small businesses and nonprofit organizations can recover without losing coverage. – SIGNED
- SB 581 (Fight for Firefighters Act), would transition all 3,000 seasonal Cal Fire firefighters to full-time, permanent status. The measure would also fully staff all 356 Cal Fire engines and all helicopter bases year round. We know all too well that California no longer has “fire seasons.” Fire is a year round threat. – BUDGET BILL
- SB 782 (Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District), creates a streamlined option for cities and counties to form a disaster recovery financing district following a Governor-declared state of emergency. The formation and implementation of the district requires public engagement and transparency, including multiple public hearings and public access to the infrastructure financing plan before approval. All district revenues are strictly dedicated to projects that repair, rehabilitate, or replace disaster-damaged infrastructure, and initiatives that mitigate future disaster risks. This includes economic recovery projects, resiliency enhancements, small business recovery, and workforce development programs. – SIGNED
Supporting Immigrant Communities
- SB 98 (Sending Alerts to Families in Education (SAFE) Act), requires K-12 schools and higher education institutions to notify campus community members if immigration enforcement authorities show up on campus. – SIGNED
- SB 805 (No Vigilantes Act), expands the scope of existing police impersonation laws by making it illegal to impersonate peace officers, including federal agents, and requires all law enforcement operating in California to clearly display identification that includes their agency and either a name or badge number or both. This bill also authorizes law enforcement to request identification from anyone claiming to be law enforcement, and bans bounty hunters from engaging in any form of immigration enforcement in California. – SIGNED
- SB 281 (Immigration Advisement), ensures consistency across California’s courts in delivering the mandatory advisement of potential immigration consequences whenever a person enters into a plea agreement. – SIGNED
