Press Release

Senator Cervantes Successfully Delivers 10 Bills to the Governor’s Desk

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Ten of Senator Sabrina Cervantes’ (D-Riverside) bills were approved by the Senate and Assembly and are now at Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. These bills address safeguarding personal privacy, affordability for working families, and protecting the right to vote for millions of lawfully registered California voters. Two other Cervantes’ bills—Senate Bill 73: Elections Systems Safeguarding and Senate Bill 928: Protecting California State University (CSU) Employees from AI Encroachment—have already been signed into law by Governor Newsom this year.

“My bills focus on strengthening elections and voting rights, making life more affordable for working families, solving the state’s persistent housing crisis, justice forward for those in need, and safeguarding teaching from AI encroachment,” said Senator Cervantes. “I will continue to fight for the needs of the people I represent in the Inland Empire, as well as all Californians, with these important bills.”

 

Senator Cervantes Delivers these 10 Bills to the Governor’s Desk:

  • SB 891 – MMIP Justice Program: SB 891 would establish the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Justice Program within the California Department of Justice (DOJ). The program would facilitate collaboration and, where appropriate, serve as a liaison among tribal victims’ families, tribal governments, and federal, state, tribal, and out-of-state law enforcement agencies.
  • SB 1117 – Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Fee Reform: SB 1117 would help cut red tape that prevents new accessory dwelling unit (ADU) construction by reducing impact fees for homeowners in California; specifically, it would clarify the existing ADU law by ensuring local governments assess impact fees only on the portion of an ADU exceeding 750 square feet of interior livable space.
  • SB 1151 – Infant Formula Tax Exemption: This legislation would help working families by making the sale of infant formula in California tax-exempt.
  • The California Voting Rights Act of 2026 – Senate Bills 1164 and 1360: CVRA 2026 would codify prohibitions against voter discrimination in state law and provide California voters with a direct means of protecting their right to vote. It would also enshrine the language assistance requirements in Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 in state law and provide a process to expand language access assistance beyond those covered by Section 2023.
  • SB 1328 – LGBTQ Liaisons at Higher Ed Satellite Campuses: This bill would request the University of California and require the California State University and community college systems to designate a confidential LGBTQ+ liaison for students, faculty, and staff at satellite campuses.
  • SB 1367 – Prohibiting Zoning for Detention Purposes: SB 1367 would prohibit new land-use authorizations in a manner that allows the construction of a detention facility or a change of use that permits the use of an existing building as a detention center.
  • SB 1379 – Separating Riverside County Sheriff and Coroner: This bill would require the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to separate the offices of Sheriff and Coroner and create the office of an independent medical examiner by July 1, 2027. The bill would also require Riverside County to post information about in-custody deaths in county jails on its website within certain timeframes.
  • SB 1381 – CDE/School for the Deaf Notification: This bill, sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, would require the individualized education program team of the Local Educational Agency (LEA) to provide parents of students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind information regarding the option for the student to attend a state special school.
  • SB 1418 – Preserving Chain of Custody Over Elections Records: SB 1418 would expand on Senate Bill 73, which Governor Newsom signed into law in May, and make it a felony to remove other forms of elections records, including voting systems, from the custody of a county registrar. This bill is sponsored by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

You can read more about the individual bills here.

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