California Senate committee advances bills on childcare staffing, campus housing, Native regalia and school board pay

A California State Senate subcommittee on Wednesday advanced a package of Assembly bills that included a temporary permit for associate teachers to address a childcare staffing shortage, expanded authority for community colleges to build student and staff housing, and measures on board composition, credentialing representation and ceremonial regalia.

The committee approved motions to pass seven bills to policy or appropriations committees. Top items included Assembly Bill 753, which the committee sent to the Senate Human Services Committee after testimony from Assemblymember (author) and early childhood providers; and AB 648, which would allow community colleges to build housing on property they own or lease within a half-mile of campus and was sent to the Senate Local Government Committee.

Why it matters: Providers and college officials told the committee the measures respond to immediate shortages and long-standing barriers. Childcare advocates cited severe workforce gaps that force centers to close classrooms, while community colleges said constrained land-use authority and local zoning slow needed campus housing projects that could serve students and surrounding communities.

Childcare staffing and AB 753

Assemblymember Garcia, the bill’s author, said AB 753 “proposes a temporary solution to the urgent staffing crisis within our childcare field.” Maeva Mark, vice president for advocacy and policy at Cadango, and Julia Terry of the Child Care Resource Center testified in support. Mark said Cadango has about 5,000 children and families in the Bay Area, employs more than 800 teachers and logged 466 vacancies from July 2023 to 2025; she added the organization had 143 associate teacher vacancies in that period.

The bill would allow individuals who have completed at least six early childhood education (ECE) units to be employed as an interim associate teacher for up to two years while they complete the 12 units required for the full permit. Supporters said the interim role would be supervised by a teacher-permit holder and limited to one interim associate teacher per classroom. Julia Terry said the change “creates a supportive workforce pathway for ECE professionals to advance up their credentialing ladder while also being employed during their career advancement.”

Supporters stressed the shortage is a wage and access problem: witnesses told senators many early educators leave for jobs with higher hourly pay and fewer scheduling obstacles. Cadango said its most entry-level teacher earns about $29 per hour in the Bay Area, while parts of the state pay as little as $11–$15 per hour; the Child Care Resource Center said its wait list had grown to nearly 19,000 children. The committee voted to pass AB 753 to the Senate Human Services Committee (final recorded outcome: passed; roll call recorded below).

Community college housing and AB 648

Assemblymember Zbur presented AB 648, which would allow community colleges to build student and staff housing on property owned or leased by a district within a half mile of a main or satellite campus, while still requiring compliance with CEQA and consultation with local planning departments. Don Gerard of Santa Monica College said his district has more than 25,000 students and a $375 million bond measure that included affordable housing; he and Kate Rogers of the Student Homes Coalition argued the bill would give community colleges land-use parity with the UC and CSU systems and help increase housing supply near campuses.

Senators questioned lease terms and long-term protections for housing built on leased land. Ochoa Bogue and Zbur agreed to consider clarifying language about lease duration and protections for state-funded investments. The measure was moved to the Senate Local Government Committee with a recorded vote (see actions below).

Other bills advanced

- AB 587: Assemblymember Davies’ bill would add a veteran committee representative to the California Student Aid Commission upon the next vacancy. Supporters said the change would bring veterans’ perspectives to student aid policymaking; the measure was voted out to the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.

- AB 1123: Assemblymember Murasuchi and early childhood faculty and program leaders testified to add early childhood content expertise to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) as voting members, citing CTC’s increased role in PK–3 and child development permitting. Supporters said the absence of voting ECE professionals risks decisions that affect the early childhood workforce. The committee moved AB 1123 to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

- AB 1369: Assemblymember Ramos’ bill would prohibit pre‑approval processes that delay or deny Native American students from wearing tribal regalia at graduation and provide greater deference to tribal and family determination of what constitutes traditional regalia. Student witness Bella Garcia described repeated local denials and intrusive documentation requests from her district; tribal leaders and California Indian Legal Services supported the bill. The committee passed the bill as amended to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

- AB 1390: Assemblymember Solace’s bill would update statutory compensation thresholds for local school board members, allowing boards via public process to adjust monthly stipends that have not been updated in roughly 40 years. Speakers representing Bellflower and Woodland school districts said current stipends make it harder for working parents and lower‑income residents to serve. The committee moved AB 1390 to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Background and next steps

Committee votes moved each bill to subsequent Senate committees for further analysis and floor scheduling. Committee members asked authors to consider clarifying language in areas such as leases for campus housing and data protections tied to federal background checks (raised in a separate presentation for AB 922). Witnesses were directed to follow up with staff on technical questions.

Votes at a glance (committee motions and immediate roll calls)

- AB 753 (Garcia) — Motion: do pass to Senate Human Services Committee. Mover: Senator Ochoa Bogue. Outcome: passed (voice/roll call recorded). Senators recorded as voting Aye included Perez, Ochoa Bogue, Cabaldon, Choi, Cortese, Laird and Limon.

- AB 648 (Zbur) — Motion: do pass to Senate Local Government Committee. Mover: Senator Ochoa Bogue. Outcome: passed (final recorded tally in committee: 6–1); Senator Choi recorded a No; other senators present recorded Aye votes.

- AB 587 (Davies) — Motion: do pass to Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. Mover: Senator Ochoa Bogue. Outcome: passed (committee recorded vote Aye).

- AB 1123 (Murasuchi) — Motion: do pass to Senate Appropriations Committee. Mover: Senator Ochoa Bogue. Outcome: passed (committee recorded vote Aye).

- AB 1369 (Ramos) — Motion: do pass as amended to Senate Judiciary Committee. Mover: Senator Ochoa Bogue. Outcome: passed (committee recorded vote Aye).

- AB 1390 (Solace) — Motion: do pass to Senate Appropriations Committee. Mover: Senator Choi (motion); Outcome: passed (committee recorded vote Aye).

- AB 922 (Hoover) — Motion: do pass to Senate Public Safety Committee. Mover: Senator Ochoa Bogue. Outcome: passed (committee recorded vote Aye). Witnesses described the bill as statutory authority for the University of California to retain direct federal background-check access used for hiring; members asked follow-up questions about protections for DACA and other employees.

Ending

Committee action advances each measure to the next committee; sponsors and witnesses were instructed to work with staff on technical amendments and follow-up responses to questions recorded on the floor. Several authors indicated they would consider targeted amendments to address lease protections for campus housing and data‑protection questions raised during discussion.