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Senator Cervantes
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Press Release

Riverside County Sheriff and Coroner to be Separated - Governor Signs Senate Bill 1379 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes

(SACRAMENTO) – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1379 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside). The new law will require the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to separate the offices of county sheriff and coroner by July 1, 2027, and establish an independent office of the medical examiner. SB 1379 also creates clear requirements for the county to publicly report information regarding in-custody deaths on its website.

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Press Releases

Senate Bill 1328 Signed by Governor Newsom; Cervantes Secures Legislation for Equity in Higher Education Act at Satellite Campuses

(SACRAMENTO) – On Sept. 26, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1328 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), legislation that expands on the state's policy to require that the California State University (CSU) and community college systems designate a confidential LGBTQ+ liaison at satellite campuses in addition to main campuses; the bill also requests the same action at the University of California (UC) campuses.

Press Releases

Cervantes Bill Prohibiting Expansion of Detention Facilities in California Signed into Law by Governor Newsom

(SACRAMENTO) – Today, Senate Bill 1367 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. This law prohibits local governments from issuing new land-use authorizations that would allow the construction of a detention facility or a change of use that permits using an existing building as a detention facility, when a private entity would operate the detention facility on behalf of a government entity. SB 1367 is sponsored by the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice.

Press Releases

Senator Cervantes Statement on California Supreme Court Decision on Unlawful Ballot Seizure

STATEMENT: "I applaud the California Supreme Court for standing on the side of voting rights, California voters, and our democracy. No one, including law enforcement officers, is above the law when it comes to safeguarding the integrity of elections in our Golden State,” said Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside).

Press Releases

Cervantes’ Bill Safeguarding California Elections Records from Interference Signed by Governor

On Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1418 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), a bill that directly improves defenses against election interference in California. SB 1418 builds on Senate Bill 73, which the Governor signed into law earlier this year, by extending many of the chain-of-custody protections for voted ballots in that bill to other forms of election records. To provide these protections for the November midterm elections, SB 1418 includes an urgency clause that allows its provisions to take effect immediately. California Attorney General Rob Bonta sponsored the bill.

Press Releases

Senator Cervantes Champions Voting Rights California Voting Rights Act of 2026 Signed by Governor

The California Voting Rights Act of 2026 (CVRA 2026), authored by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday. CVRA 2026, which includes Senate Bills 1164 and 1360, provides stronger protections against vote dilution and voter suppression and expands language access assistance to more limited-English proficient (LEP) voters. CVRA 2026, a long-needed update to the California Voting Rights Act of 2001, also strengthens defenses against other forms of voter discrimination that Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited before the unfortunate U.S. Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais.

Press Releases

Cervantes Statement on Unlawful Voter Initiative by the Department of Homeland Security

“The whistleblower report shows the depths that the federal government is willing to descend into in their efforts to dismantle our democracy piece by piece—now by impersonating members of the public to access voter information, likely in violation of state laws. California will not allow our sacred right to vote to be attacked this way, and to that end, I will introduce legislation when the Legislature reconvenes in December to address this flagrant violation of our democracy.”

Press Releases

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

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.

Press Releases

Cervantes’ California Voting Rights Act of 2026 Heads to Governor’s Desk

(SACRAMENTO) – The California Voting Rights Act of 2026 (CVRA 2026), comprised of Senate Bills 1164 and 1360 authored by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk after being approved by both the Assembly and Senate. CVRA 2026 updates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 to provide increased protections against vote dilution, voter suppression, and other forms of voter discrimination that were once prohibited by Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 before the horrific Louisiana v. Callais decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, and expands language access assistance to more limited English proficiency (LEP) voters.