2024 Ballot Proposition Positions

Governor Newsom’s deadline to act on legislation was September 30. Of the more than 2,100 bills introduced in 2024, 991 made it to the Governor’s desk, with 808 bills signed and 183 vetoed. His veto rate was nearly 15% higher than in the last two years. 

DRC’s mental health advocacy continued the fight against involuntary mental health treatment. In the current political landscape, legislators seem increasingly eager to treat houselessness and the mental health crisis as a single problem, with “solutions” aimed at getting people off streets without necessarily helping them on a path to recovery. Despite long odds, our work stopped some of the worst bills. The Governor sponsored Proposition 1 to rewrite the Mental Health Services Act renaming it as the Behavioral Health Services Act, with funding for locked treatment. Lopsided funding favored the Governor ($20 million to $2,000), but the measure passed by only 26,000 votes out of more than 7.2 million cast. 

DRC continued to advocate for the complete ban of solitary confinement in jails, prisons and immigration detention centers for individuals who are disabled, pregnant, elderly or under 26 years old. Solitary confinement impacts people with disabilities and people of color at a disproportionate rate. Unfortunately, this bill did not make it out of the Legislature and to the Governor’s desk.  Difficult conversations and decisions were made by Assemblymember Holden on the bill, and ultimately the decision was made to hold the bill and not move it forward in 2024. 

Budget Impact on the Disability Community

DRC was active in the budget process and appreciates that the 2024-25 budget maintains some of the critical programs utilized by people with disabilities. It also includes funding for crucial programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), education and housing priorities. However, it misses the mark to expand affordable accessible housing solutions to truly reduce homelessness or fully fund education starting in preschool. 

Education 

The budget generally maintains existing education funding levels and does so by using creative maneuvers, delaying the implementation of promised programs, and ignoring the severe infrastructure needs of schools throughout the state. However, the budget included $25 million in one-time funding for educators to train on administering literacy screenings to students in kindergarten through second grade, which ensures early detection of dyslexia. The budget also provides increased transparency of special education funding outcomes.

Many school districts across the state report they are still underfunded and unable to provide the level of support that students with disabilities need. DRC calls for a more significant investment from all levels of government that matches the needs of the students and ensures that disabled students are not left behind in an under-resourced system.

A troubling aspect of the enacted education budget is the decision to pause the planned increase in disabled student enrollment in the State Preschool program. Specifically, the budget suspended requirements to increase the number of disabled children served and reverted to the existing requirement of providing only 5 percent of slots to disabled children. This decision limits access to early intervention services, which are critical for students with disabilities. Delaying or denying opportunities only widens the educational gaps that already exist for disabled children and counters recent efforts of inclusion put forward by the state.

Health

The May Revision proposed cuts to the IHSS program for undocumented immigrants. These cuts to the program could have put thousands of elderly and disabled people that rely on these services for daily care and well-being at grave risk. DRC is grateful the Legislature rejected these cuts and DRC calls on the Legislature and Governor to also increase slots to Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). DRC was disappointed to learn that the final budget delayed implementation of Share of Cost Reform making it difficult for seniors and people with disabilities to afford access to needed Medi-Cal services. DRC will continue to push for implementation of Share of Cost Reform in the next budget year. 

Housing

The final budget also restores prior year funding for crucial housing and homelessness programs, previously slated for cuts in the May Revision. These programs ensure that affordable housing production continues, and local governments can continue to provide services that prevent and end homelessness. 

Unfortunately, the final budget also provides $250 million over two years to continue dismantling encampments without providing adequate funding for permanent housing solutions. If California continues to face budget shortfalls, we must fund programs and services that support vulnerable populations and don’t cause further harm to them. 

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

DRC led budget advocacy around two key changes to the Lanterman Act and helped write statutory language enacting those changes in this year’s developmental services budget bill (AB 162): 

• The ability for people served and families to have Individual Program Plan (IPP) and Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) meetings virtually upon request is now permanent.  
• Social recreation services, camping services, and non-medical therapies will be easier for people to obtain. The new statute clarifies that the purpose of these services is to promote community inclusion by providing opportunities to build ongoing relationships through or around shared interests or activities, in ways that reduce isolation and build informal social networks, including through 1:1 activities.

Other policy changes made through the budget process:

• The Family Cost Participation Program that previously imposed fees on families whose earnings exceed a specific amount for daycare, respite, and camping services for children has been repealed. 
• The Master Plan for Developmental Services has been codified into state law. 

Mental Health

The 2024-2025 budget includes 91.3 million for CARE Court. Previously, the 2023-2024 budget included $128 million and $104.2 million in 2022-2023 allocated to CARE Court. These funds are used to administer the CARE Court program through County Behavioral Health Agencies and the judicial branch. This spending does not fund housing or services for CARE Court participants.

Meanwhile, other behavioral health and housing services faced significant cuts in the 2024-2025 budget and beyond. For example, the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program faces $340 million in cuts. Other behavioral health programs were eliminated, such as the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative School Linked Partnership.

Legislative highlights of enacted and vetoed bills affecting people with disabilities

DRC Sponsored Bills Signed by the Governor 

SB 445 (Portantino) – Special education: standardized individualized education program template: translation.

SB 445 requires the Department of Education to translate the standardized Individualized Education Program (IEP) template into the top 10 most commonly spoken languages used across the state other than English. It also makes those templates available on its website for school districts to use.  

SB 483 (Cortese) – Pupil rights: prone restraint.

SB 483 bans prone restraints in schools and is a victory for students with disabilities. Prone restraints—where students are pinned face down—are dangerous and disproportionately used on students with disabilities. This harmful practice has led to injuries and even deaths in some cases, making it essential to ban such restraints to safeguard student well-being. With this law, California takes a step toward treating students with the dignity and respect they deserve. Students with disabilities are often subjected to harsher forms of discipline, and this bill helps to move schools away from using harmful physical interventions.

SB 1197 (Alvarado-Gil) – In-home respite services. 

SB 1197 clarifies that regional centers can fund in-home respite for all foster youth, including those placed with non-relative families. By making this critical in-home support consistently available for all foster youth served by regional centers, not just those cared for by relatives, this bill will promote more placements in the community instead of in congregate care settings, leading to greater stability and better outcomes for some of California's most marginalized youth.

Significant Bills Supported by DRC and signed by the Governor  

Accessibility 

AB 1902 (Alanis) – Prescription drug labels: accessibility.

AB 2302 (Addis) – Open meetings: local agencies: teleconferences.

SB 1384 (Dodd) – Powered wheelchairs: repair.

Civil Rights 

ACA 8 (Wilson) – Slavery

SB 1340 (Smallwood-Cuevas) – Discrimination 

Courts/Procedure

SB 1323 (Menjivar) – Criminal procedure: competence to stand trial.

AB 2505 (Gabriel) – Attorneys: pro bono legal services.

Disabilities

ACR 179 (Jones-Sawyer) – Disabled individuals – lays the groundwork for a Legislative Disability Caucus

Discrimination

SB 1137 (Smallwood-Cuevas) – Discrimination claims: combination of characteristics.

Education

AB 1855 (Arambula) – Open meetings: teleconferences: community college student body associations and student-run organizations.

AB 1984 (Weber) – Pupil discipline: transfer reporting.

AB 2711 (Ramos) – Suspensions and expulsions: voluntary disclosures.

AB 2821 (Grayson) – Postsecondary education: students with disabilities.

Employment

AB 2499 (Schiavo) – Employment: unlawful discrimination and paid sick days: victims of violence.

SB 1100 (Portantino) – Discrimination: driver’s license.

SB 1451 (Ashby) – Professions and vocations.

Health

AB 2319 (Wilson) – California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act.

AB 2613 (Zbur) – Jacqueline Marie Zbur Rare Disease Advisory Council.

AB 3161 (Bonta) – Health facilities: patient safety and antidiscrimination.

Housing

ACA 10 (Aguiar-Curry) – Local government financing: affordable housing and public infrastructure: voter approval.

AB 653 (Reyes) – Public housing authorities: reports.

AB 846 (Bonta) – Housing programs: rent increases.

AB 2304 (Lee) – Unlawful detainer: case records.

AB 2926 (Kalra) – Planning and zoning: assisted housing developments: notice of expiration of affordability restrictions.

SB 1187 (McGuire) – Housing programs: Tribal Housing Reconstitution and Resiliency Act.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

AB 1147 (Addis) – Disability Equity, Transparency, and Accountability Act of 2024.

AB 3193 (Calderon) – State acquisitions of goods and services: rehabilitation services.

SB 1001 (Skinner) – Death penalty: intellectually disabled persons.

Jails/Prisons

SB 1254 (Becker) – CalFresh: enrollment of incarcerated individuals.

Tenant Rights:

AB 2493 (Pellerin) – Tenancy: application screening fee.

AB 2801 (Friedman) – Tenancy: security deposits.

SB 1051 (Eggman) – Victims of abuse or violence: lock changes.

Medi-Cal

AB 2340 (Bonta) – Medi-Cal: EPSDT services: informational materials.

SB 1112 (Menjivar) – Childcare: alternative payment programs.

SB 1289 (Roth) – Medi-Cal: call centers: standards and data.

SB 1354 (Wahab) – Long-term health care facilities: payment source and resident census.

Mental Health

AB 2154 (Berman) – Mental health: involuntary treatment.

ACR 146 (Pellerin) – Peer Appreciation Week.

SB 1043 (Grove) – Short-term residential therapeutic programs: dashboard: seclusion or behavioral restraints.

SB 1353 (Wahab) – Youth Bill of Rights.

Public Safety

AB 2432 (Gabriel) – California Victims of Crime Act.

Special Education

AB 438 (Rubio) – Pupils with exceptional needs: individualized education programs: postsecondary goals and transition services.

AB 1938 (Gallagher) – Special education: inclusion and universal design for learning.

Transportation

AB 2367 (Lee) – Highways: supplemental destination signs: state special schools.

Voting 

AB 2127 (Berman) – Voter registration: California New Motor Voter Program.

AB 2642 (Berman) – Elections: intimidation.

AB 2655 (Berman) – Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024.

AB 2839 (Pellerin) – Elections: deceptive media in advertisements.

SB 1174 (Min) – Elections: voter identification.

Significant Bills Supported by DRC Vetoed by the Governor:  

Abuse/Neglect

SB 278 (Dodd) – Elder abuse: emergency financial contact program.

Accessibility

AB 884 (Low) – Elections: language accessibility.

Housing

SB 37 (Caballero) – Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Act.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

SB 1281 (Menjivar) – Advancing Equity and Access in the Self-Determination Program Act.

Jail/Prisons

SB 254 (Skinner) – Correctional facilities: media access.

Medi-Cal

AB 2428 (Calderon) – Medi-Cal: Community-Based Adult Services.

Non-Profit Organizations

SB 336 (Umberg) – State grant programs: negotiated indirect cost rates.

Voting

AB 544 (Bryan) – Voting pilot program: county jails.

Significant Bills Opposed (or with concerns) by DRC and Signed by the Governor

Alcohol/Drugs/Sober Living

AB 2574 (Valencia) – Alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment programs and facilities: disclosures.

Housing

AB 1893 (Wicks) – Housing Accountability Act: housing disapprovals: required local findings.

AB 2243 (Wicks) – Housing development projects: objective standards: affordability and site criteria.

AB 2667 (Santiago) – Affirmatively furthering fair housing: housing element: reporting.

Jails/Prisons 

AB 2527 (Bauer-Kahan) – Incarceration: pregnant persons.

Tenant Rights

AB 2747 (Haney) – Tenancy: credit reporting.

Mental Health

SB 42 (Umberg) – Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program: process and proceedings.

SB 1184 (Eggman) – Mental health: involuntary treatment: antipsychotic medication.

SB 1238 (Eggman) – Health facilities.