ACCCA provides California Administrators with timely news and information about legislation, policy and other issues that impact your college and your career. In addition to this up-to-the-minute website, we keep you in the loop with email alerts.
View the legislative bills report here. (updated September 12, 2025)
September 12, 2025
Legislature Inches Closer to End of Legislative Year
Today, Friday, September 12, 2025, marks the final day for the Legislature to approve and send bills to Governor Gavin Newsom for the 2025 legislative year. The Legislature has been putting in late nights this week (and potentially into Saturday) to meet this deadline to send bills to the Governor.
Last week, we reported that Senate Bill (SB) 494 (Cortese, D-San Jose), a bill that ACCCA opposes, was sent to the inactive file. The bill was revived earlier this week but was gutted and amended into a completely different measure. Prior to this week’s amendments, SB 494 would have authorized a permanent classified employee of a TK-14 district to appeal disciplinary action to a contracted administrative law judge, paid by the district and jointly selected by the district and the employee or their employee organization. However, the bill now has to do with TK-12 charter school renewals. For this reason, ACCCA will move to a neutral position on SB 494.
The other two active bills that ACCCA has positions on are Assembly Bill (AB) 1400 (Soria, D-Merced) and AB 1028 (Fong, D-Alhambra).
AB 1400—BSN Pilot Program
AB 1400 would require the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) to develop a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (BSN) Pilot Program that authorizes select community college districts (CCDs) to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. The bill would limit the pilot program to ten CCDs statewide and would require the CCCCO to identify and select eligible CCDs based on specified criteria.
ACCCA supports AB 1400 because it is a fiscally responsible investment in California’s healthcare workforce and directly responds to a national trend of hospitals requiring and preferring to hire BSN-educated nurses. The measure is also supported by a number of CCDs, individual community colleges, the Community College League of California (CCLC), a handful of labor unions and is sponsored by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. The bill is opposed by the California State University, the University of California, and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.
As of this writing, AB 1400 has been approved by the Senate and is currently awaiting a concurrence vote by the Assembly (if a bill is amended in the second house it has to go back to the first house for a concurrence vote for those amendments). The measure is expected to be approved before tonight’s deadline and sent to Governor Newsom. However, it is important to note that Governor Newsom vetoed a similar measure last year. He cited the 2024 State Budget Act’s $60 million per year investment through 2028-29 for the Rebuilding Nursing Infrastructure Grant Program, which may be used to develop or expand BSN partnerships with higher education institutions.
If this bill does get to the Governor’s desk, ACCCA will draft a letter asking him to sign it into law.
AB 1028—Temporary Employees
AB 1028 would require, if a CCD terminates a part-time faculty member, that the governing board comply with the procedures in its collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Recent amendments removed language from the bill that would have delayed applicability of the provisions to after the CBA in effect on January 1, 2026, expires. If the measure is signed into law, there is no more delayed applicability, which means CCDs would have to abide by the bill’s provisions on January 1, 2026, regardless of what their CBA says.
ACCCA opposes AB 1028 because it could create significant new costs for CCDs. By requiring that termination of temporary, part-time faculty conform to collective bargaining provisions rather than the current statutory framework, districts would be subject to additional procedural obligations that could increase legal exposure, arbitration costs, and administrative workload. The CCLC also opposes this measure. The bill is sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers and is supported by the California Teachers Association and the California State Council of Service Employees International Union.
AB 1028 has been approved by houses and is on its way to Governor Newsom’s desk. ACCCA will submit a letter to the Governor asking him to veto this measure.
Next Steps
After completing its work, the Legislature will adjourn until January 2026, barring a special session being called, which is not expected to happen. Governor Newsom will have until October 12, 2025, to sign or veto the bills on his desk. If the Governor does not take action on a bill, then it becomes law without his signature.
