CCFC Legislative Update: 2025 Bill Introductions

Members of the Legislature introduced over 2,500 new bills for consideration in the 2025 legislative session. Below is an update on a selection of priority bills that may impact community college facilities.

AB 48 (Alvarez) – Higher Education Bond

AB 48 would place a higher education bond bill on the 2026 primary ballot. The bond would fund capital outlay projects at UC, CSU, and community colleges. The total dollar amount, as well as the split between higher education segments, is still to be determined. Assembly Member Alvarez is the chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance. CCFC has a support position on this bill, as it provides recognition of the need for additional state funding for community college capital outlay projects. The bill is scheduled to be heard in Assembly Higher Education Committee on April 22.

AB 90 (Jackson) – Overnight Student Parking Program

AB 90 is a reintroduction of a bill to address community college student housing insecurity. Prior efforts in 2018 and 2024 stalled in the Legislature. In this version, AB 90 would require the governing board of each community college district to include, as part of the annual campus safety plan, a plan of action to establish a student overnight parking program in designated parking lots on each campus. The governing board would be required to vote to establish the overnight parking program, and a vote would be conducted annually until the parking program is established at each campus. The plan should address campus security, access to bathroom and shower facilities, and the designation of at least one parking lot and at least 50 parking spots. Students should have access to the program until they are provided a suitable alternative, such as a grant to secure housing, a hotel voucher, or rapid rehousing referral services. CCFC is opposed to this bill due to impacts on facilities and because it mandates one specific approach to address housing insecurity. AB 90 was passed by Assembly Higher Education Committee and is pending in Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 538 (Berman) – Certified Payroll Record Requests

AB 538 is sponsored by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Cal-Nevada Conference. Under current law, certified payroll records are required to be made available upon request by the public through the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) or the awarding body, and the contractor has 10 days to provide the record after a written request. AB 538 specifies that the awarding body must request the records from the contractor or subcontractor when the awarding body is not in possession of them. If the contractor or subcontractor fails to comply within 10 days, the awarding body shall notify DLSE, who may initiate existing penalties against the contractor or subcontractor. CCFC currently has a “watch” position on this bill but will be following it closely. AB 538 was passed by Assembly Labor and Employment Committee and is pending in Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 648 (Zbur) – Local Zoning Exemption for Housing

AB 648 is sponsored by Santa Monica College, Los Angeles Community College District, and two housing organizations (Abundant Housing LA, Student Homes Coalition). The bill exempts student and faculty/staff housing projects from “local zoning regulations” of a city or county when constructed on property owned or leased by a community college district. AB 648 was recently heard and passed by the Assembly Higher Education Committee, and it is now pending in Assembly Local Government Committee. The author indicated that projects can be stalled for years as a result of the onerous local rezoning process, and, with so many housing insecure students, the state should remove barriers to quickly increase the housing supply. He also argued that the bill would extend to community colleges the same authority that UC and CSU already have to build housing regardless of how their property is zoned. During the committee discussion, legislators raised concerns about a blanket exemption or bypassing local jurisdictions. CCFC has a “watch” position on this bill.

AB 699 (Stefani) – Ballot Label Reform

AB 699 is a new bill aimed at addressing the negative effects created by AB 195 (Obernolte, 2017). The bill is sponsored by the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California and supported by CCFC. AB 195 requires local bonds and other tax measures to state on the ballot label the rate, duration, and amount anticipated to be raised annually. This information is challenging to provide for bonds and creates voter confusion, making it more difficult for some schools to pass local bonds or place them on the ballot. 

AB 699 provides the option to take an alternative path. In lieu of providing the ballot label information required by AB 195, AB 699 allows local bonds and tiered taxes to include the statement “See voter guide for measure information statement” on the 75-word ballot label. It creates additional financial disclosures in the voter guide’s measure information statement, such as a plain language description of why rates may change year to year. AB 699 is scheduled for its first hearing on April 9 in the Assembly Elections Committee.

AB 905 (Pacheco) – Bond Oversight and Accountability

The first version of AB 905 created detailed reporting and disclosure requirements for local agencies, including community colleges, that issue local bonds. The bill required the governing body to develop and publicly disclose specific information about a general obligation bond within 90 days after the bond’s approval by voters, including the goals and objectives of the bond, detailed performance indicators, and data collection and baseline measurements. The bill required specific information to be posted on the public body’s website, including an overview of the programs to be funded, accountability criteria, and detailed information about the bond. Additionally, AB 905 required a public body to provide a written report to various state entities regarding the outcomes of the bond expenditures. CCFC adopted an “Oppose Unless Amended” position and requested an amendment to exempt community colleges. This is because AB 905 was duplicative of the accountability and transparency requirements for school bonds authorized pursuant to Proposition 39 (2000), including annual independent financial and performance audits and Citizens’ Oversight Committees. After working with the author’s office, the bill was amended on March 28, 2025. It no longer requires this information and reporting for local bonds, and it instead now focuses the disclosure and reporting requirements on state bond measures. CCFC will continue to engage with the author’s office on this important issue. 

Rebekah Kalleen
CCFC Executive Director