UPDATED 9/15 - CCFC End-of-Session Legislative Update: Student Housing, Local Zoning, and More

This is a big deadline week for the California State Legislature. Bills must be passed by Friday, September 12, and the Governor has until October 12 to sign or veto bills passed at the end of session. The Legislature will then adjourn into interim recess, reconvening on January 5, 2026 to kick off the second year of the 2025-2026 legislative session.

Below is an update on bills and policy issues of interest to CCFC.

Note: This article will be updated after Sept. 12 to specify final outcomes in the Legislature. 

9/15/25 Note: This article has been updated to show the final actions by the Legislature as of September 15, 2025.

Legislation

AB 48 (Alvarez) – Higher Education Bond

AB 48 would place a higher education bond bill on the ballot in 2026. 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. CCFC has a support position on this bill, as it provides recognition of need for additional state funding for community college capital outlay projects. However, we remain concerned about inclusion of the authorization to use bond proceeds for student housing, as the dollar amount will likely not be high enough to meet core educational facility needs as well as student housing. Additionally, CCFC cautions this should only be added if polling indicates it is supported by California voters.

This bill is pending in the Senate Rules Committee and is unlikely to move forward in 2025. This is consistent with the process used for recent bond measures, which were parked in Rules Committee in the second house until the Legislature was ready to finalize the details for a specific election.

AB 90 (Jackson) – Overnight Student Parking Program

We are pleased to report a positive outcome on AB 90, which was “held” on the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file and did not meet the deadline to continue moving forward in 2025. AB 90 requires 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 on whether to establish the overnight parking program; recent amendments limited that to a one-time (rather than annual) vote. The plan should address campus security, access to bathroom and shower facilities, and the number of parking spots to be designated. CCFC opposes AB 90 due to impacts on facilities and because it mandates one specific approach to address housing insecurity.

AB 538 (Berman) – Certified Payroll Records

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 has a “watch” position on this bill. It is pending on the Senate floor.

9/15/25 Update: AB 538 was passed by the Legislature and is now awaiting the Governor’s action.

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, with the goal of removing barriers to quickly build student housing. The bill states that student and faculty/staff housing projects are not required to comply with the zoning ordinances of a city or county when the project is both:

• On property owned or leased by the community college district
• Within a one-half mile radius of the main campus or a satellite campus that existed before July 1, 2025.

Recent amendments require that if the project includes faculty/staff units, the community college district shall ensure that a portion of the units are “made available at affordable rents to extremely low income faculty and staff and to lower income faculty and staff.”

CCFC has a “watch” position on this bill. AB 648 was passed by the Senate and is now pending on the Assembly floor for a final vote to concur with recent amendments.

9/15/25 Update: AB 648 was passed by the Legislature and is now awaiting the Governor’s action.

AB 699 (Stefani) – Ballot Label Reform

AB 699 aims to address the negative effects created by AB 195 (Obernolte, 2017). The bill is sponsored by the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California and supported by CCFC. Current law 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 and community colleges to pass local bonds or place them on the ballot.

AB 699 provides the option to include an alternative fiscal disclosure directing voters to an enhanced Voter Guide for more information. Recent amendments provide three options for the alternative fiscal disclosure based on the repayment source. Most community college district local bonds choosing the alternative statement would use the phrase “See county voter guide for how property taxes repay bonds.”

AB 699 is pending on the Senate floor. If passed, it will return to the Assembly for a final vote to concur with recent amendments.

9/15/25 Update: AB 699 was passed by the Legislature and is now awaiting the Governor’s action.

Budget Bill Junior – Student Housing and Community College Projects

End-of-session “Budget Bill Junior” AB/SB 105 was introduced on September 8, 2025 and proposes amendments to the 2025-26 Budget Act adopted in June. This Budget Bill Junior includes the following community college provisions:

• Cabrillo Community College District/UCSC Intersegmental Student Housing Project – Provides $87.5 million from state school bond Proposition 2 for the Design-Build project, which was previously approved under the SB 169 program with financing from the University of California.
• Fire Academies – Provides $5 million in one-time funding for fire academy projects, including $4 million for the Mendocino College Fire Academy and $1 million for the Santa Rosa Junior College Fire Academy Training Tower.

AB/SB 105 still needs to be passed by both houses of the Legislature by September 12.

9/15/25 Update: SB 105 was passed by the Legislature and is now awaiting the Governor’s action.

Select Committee on Community Colleges – Student Housing Hearing

The Legislature remains interested in student housing at community colleges, as they pursue solutions to the broader issue of housing affordability in California.

On August 27, 2025, Senator Eloise Gomez Reyes chaired a well-attended hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Community Colleges focused on “Leveraging Community College Housing for a Vibrant Community.” California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian spoke about the connection between housing insecurity and student outcomes, and the role that student housing projects can play in regional economic development. Three community college district leaders, including Willy Duncan, Superintendent/President of Sierra College and former Chair of CCFC, spoke about their efforts to advance affordable student housing projects and provided suggestions to improve the SB 169 Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program.

Senator Reyes asked what the Legislature can do right now to assist community colleges with their student housing goals given the constrained state budget picture. During public comment, CCFC Legislative Advocate Rebekah Kalleen suggested that the Legislature can help ensure the success of previously-authorized SB 169 projects. One way to do this is to utilize an estimated $218.2 million in authorized but unallocated lease revenue bond authority to supplement projects that need additional funding as a result of the long and complex SB 169 program implementation process.

Rebekah Kalleen
CCFC Executive Director