California Senate advances school, health‑care and housing measures; holds roll calls on dozens of bills

The California State Senate met in floor session and approved a large bundle of measures after lengthy consideration of several high‑profile bills, including AB 49 (school protections), SB 81 (health‑care privacy from immigration enforcement), SB 346 (short‑term rental facilitator rules), and AB 238 (mortgage forbearance for wildfire survivors). Lawmakers completed roll calls on at least 42 bills during the session and confirmed multiple gubernatorial appointments.

AB 49: school campus protections

Senators debated and approved AB 49, presented on the floor as a bill intended to strengthen protections for K‑12 campuses against immigration enforcement actions. Senator Gonzales, speaking as joint author on behalf of Assemblymember Marisucci, said the bill would “strengthen safeguards against immigration enforcement activities on school campuses,” and described recent incidents involving students and enforcement actions as part of the bill’s impetus. Several senators from both parties spoke in support, including Senator Ochoa Bog, Senator Perez (a coauthor), Senator Wahab and Senator Grove, who described the measure as intended to protect minors and preserve schools as safe spaces. Senator Rubio urged bipartisan support and framed the bill as addressing student trauma and school safety.

On the floor the measure’s supporters highlighted several provisions the bill would implement: a prohibition on immigration enforcement officers entering school property without proper identification or a valid judicial warrant or court order; a bar on school personnel disclosing student or staff information without a warrant; and the authorization for the Department of Justice to update model guidance. The author stated the bill also would prohibit federal agents from entering nonpublic areas of school property without a warrant.

The measure was taken up for vote and the clerk announced the vote as unanimous in the Senate for that item (ayes recorded as 39, noes 0), and the measure passed.

SB 81: limits on sharing immigration status at health facilities

Senator Ottingene (floor manager) presented SB 81 on concurrence. The bill, as amended in the Assembly, was described on the floor as prohibiting health‑care providers from sharing patients’ immigration status with law‑enforcement officials except in limited circumstances such as when presented with a valid judicial warrant or court order. Senate proponents said the amendments clarified which facilities are covered and that immigration information collected by a health provider would be treated as medical information, and they noted the bill’s support from health industry groups including the California Hospital Association and the California Medical Association.

Senators emphasized protecting access to care and preventing a chilling effect on patients seeking treatment, and several senators spoke as coauthors or supporters. The Senate adopted the concurrence amendments and took an urgency roll‑call vote; the clerk reported the measure passed (ayes 29, noes 7 on urgency and on the measure after the roll call sequence used in the session).

AB 238 (Mortgage Forbearance) — wildfire survivor relief

Senator Grayson presented AB 238 (identified on the floor as AB 2 38), the Mortgage Forbearance Act, described as an urgency measure to allow wildfire survivors to pause mortgage payments for up to one year without penalties, foreclosures, credit damage, or balloon payments. The sponsor framed the measure as an immediate relief tool for families affected by recent wildfires and said stakeholders were involved in crafting borrower protections and lender accountability. The Senate recorded the urgency roll call (the clerk announced unanimous ayes were recorded for the item) and the measure passed.

SB 346 — Short Term Rental Facilitator Act

Senator Durazo brought SB 346 (short‑term rental facilitators) back on concurrence. The Senate summary on the floor described the Short Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025 as permitting local governments to require platform facilitators to provide specified information about rentals (including campsites) to the local agency, to limit the information jurisdictions may require and reporting frequency, and to limit audit authority to jurisdictions where platforms are tax responsible. The bill’s sponsors were listed as the California League of Cities and the Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors. The Senate concurred in Assembly amendments and recorded an aye vote.

Other action and confirmations

The Senate confirmed multiple governor appointments to state boards and commissions, including reappointments and new appointees for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the State Board of Education, the California Arts Council and others. The clerk repeatedly called roll for confirmations; the president then announced confirmation results on the floor.

Votes at a glance (selected items)

- SB 346 (Short Term Rental Facilitator Act) — concurrence with Assembly amendments; outcome: passed (aye recorded at final roll call announced on the floor). - AB 49 (Safe Haven School Act) — outcome: passed (ayes 39, noes 0, as announced on the floor). - SB 81 (health‑care privacy from immigration enforcement) — concurrence with Assembly amendments; outcome: passed (ayes 29, noes 7 on the roll call reported in the session for that item). - SB 98 (SAFE Act — campus notification) — outcome: passed (ayes 30, noes 8 as announced on the floor). - AB 238 (Mortgage Forbearance Act for wildfire survivors) — outcome: passed (urgency; ayes reported on the floor). - Multiple other Assembly and Senate bills across public health, education, land use, veterans’ services and other policy areas were read and taken up; the clerk announced passage on many items with unanimous or near‑unanimous ayes during the session. (Complete list of bills considered appears in the clerk’s daily file and the session transcript.)

Why it matters

The floor session moved a broad package of measures that affect schools, health care settings, housing and local government authority. Two of the most contested and discussed items involved the intersection of immigration enforcement and public institutions: AB 49 (schools) and SB 81 (health facilities). Sponsors and supporters framed both as steps to protect access to vital services and to preserve “safe spaces” for children and patients; opponents recorded on the roll expressed concerns on a subset of provisions during the urgency roll calls, but both measures advanced.

What’s next

Passed bills from this session will go to the governor (if they are concurrence or final‑passage items) or return to the Assembly as appropriate for final processing. Confirmed appointments take effect according to statutory processes for each commission or board.