I don’t have to tell anyone this is an election year. Between last November’s special election, the June primary and the impending mid-terms this fall, the winds of change – or not, depending on how a few things roll out – are everywhere. All of this is reflected in this year’s Top 100 list, and will assuredly be in the future. Because in this world change is the only constant.
California Assembly Chambers, photo by Capitol Weekly. The California Legislature’s combined 57 standing committees (32 in the Assembly and 25 in the Senate) have addressed 1,846 bills (1,263 ABs and 583 SBs) during the 2026 Legislative Session.
Image by Panya Mingthaisong. As lawmakers race toward the end of the legislative session, AB 2575 is just one of many AI-related bills on the docket for them to consider. But amid the countless discussions currently surrounding AI, AB 2575 addresses one issue that may not immediately come to mind: the rights of healthcare workers using these systems.
Image by putilich. A measure aimed at protecting people’s privacy has instead become one of the most heavily discussed bills of 2026 among California law firms as debate over the proposal has become focused on what some see as a surprising topic: immigration.
Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo. Photo by AP. It was another busy week around the Capitol filled with intrigue and infighting as lawmakers lurch toward the end of session.
The state Capitol in Sacramento. Photo: Feoktistoff, via Shutterstock)Special interests paid contract lobbying firms more $93.4 million to lobby state government in the sixth quarter of the 2025-26 cycle, the most spent in a single quarter since Capitol Weekly started analyzing lobbying firm reports at the beginning of the last cycle.
Letter from the 9/12/25 Senate Daily Journal. Image courtesy of Chris Micheli. Because bills cannot be amended in the final three days of the Session, authors and interest groups have been utilizing letters to the Assembly and Senate Daily Journals in an effort to modify their “intent,” or even address concerns with explicit bill language that cannot be amended. Unfortunately, the use of these letters cannot be a substitute for making actual changes to the proposed statutory language.
Assembly Chambers. Photo by Capitol WeeklyLawmakers come back next week for the annual sprint to the legislative finish line. Today we look at a handful of bills and issues on the August docket.
Image of a librarian's hands as she sorts through a pile of children's books that are out of focus. Children's books have been a focus of book bans across the United States.OPINION — Since 1996’s Proposition 209, California has prohibited the consideration of race in public education, employment and contracting. While framed around fairness, the measure’s real-world effect has been to blindfold the state, creating a painful disconnect between the clearly visible systemic inequities and our legal ability to fix them.
Image by 24K-Production via iStock. This article is intended to provide a step-by-step instruction detailing how a bill becomes law in the California Legislature, sometimes referred to as the “life cycle” of a bill.