California Senate passes dozens of bills, confirms several state appointments in lengthy session

SACRAMENTO — The California State Senate wrapped a long floor day in Sacramento by passing a broad package of bills across housing, public health, environment and administrative policy, and by confirming several gubernatorial appointments to state boards and departments.

Senators voted to confirm Joaquin Esquivel and Nicole Morgan to the State Water Resources Control Board and approved multiple cabinet- and agency-level appointments, including Kim Rutledge as director of the Department of Rehabilitation and Peter Trevinka as director of the Department of Developmental Services. The chamber also moved or concurred in hundreds of legislative actions, including measures lawmakers said address nuisance abatement, accessory dwelling units, campus medical-amnesty protections and other topics.

Why it matters: The package advances priorities for local governments, higher education institutions, public-health advocates and environmental managers ahead of the autumn legislative schedule. Several bills carry implementation steps that will require follow-up at state agencies or further local action; others were intended to remove sunsets or clarify existing law.

Most-discussed items

- SB 757 (Richardson): The measure, returned from the Assembly, would allow a city or county legislative body to establish procedures that use nuisance abatement liens or special assessments to collect abatement costs and related administrative costs through Jan. 1, 2035; amendments adopted in the Assembly extended a right‑to‑cure period from 30 to 60 days and added a waiver…