Assembly Local Government Committee advances bills on short‑term rentals, street vendors, parks, fees and homelessness

The Assembly Local Government Committee on July 2 heard extended testimony and advanced several bills addressing housing‑market impacts, public‑safety uses of parks, vendor regulation and protections for people providing aid to unhoused Californians.

Lawmakers front‑loaded discussion on a measure to give local governments more access to short‑term rental addresses for tax and enforcement purposes, then took up bills on street vendors, parkland use for emergency services, traffic mitigation fees, employment protections for county public defenders, and a state-level prohibition on penalizing people who provide basic survival services to unhoused people. Committee decisions sent most measures on to the next committee in the house for further review.

SB 346 — short‑term rental transparency Sen. María Durazo told the committee SB 346 would "require short term rental platforms to provide local governments with the location of each listing" so cities and counties can audit transient‑occupancy tax (TOT) remittances and enforce licensing ordinances. Supporters including the League of California Cities and county treasurers said platforms’ refusal to disclose addresses or the use of voluntary collection agreements (VCAs) has left local auditors unable to verify remittances or identify unlicensed listings. Patrick Sullivan, Lake County treasurer‑tax collector, said administrative subpoenas and VCAs have not solved the problem for small jurisdictions.

Opponents including Airbnb, Expedia and Booking Holdings said the bill would upend an existing legal process by forcing platforms to hand over private business records without the narrow, tailored administrative‑subpoena process local city attorneys now use. Pat Joyce of KP Public Affairs (testifying for Airbnb) said the company "support[s] the proposed language that would allow governments to audit short term rental facilitators who collect and remit TOT," but remained opposed to provisions that would require broad disclosure of private business records without due process. The committee approved SB 346 as amended and passed it to the Judiciary Committee (roll call recorded as 7–0).

SB 635 — Street Vendor Business Protection Act Sen. Durazo also carried SB 635, described by its author as a measure to shield street vendors’ personal data from being used by federal immigration authorities. Testimony from Inclusive Action for the City and vendors emphasized that many vendors are low‑income and immigrant workers who depend on street vending for income and are fearful of sharing personal data. Doug Smith of Inclusive Action read statements from vendors who said raids and enforcement actions had forced them off the streets.

Multiple counties, labor and community groups supported the bill; some cities and industry groups sought clarifying amendments. The committee passed SB 635 to Public Safety (recorded vote 6–1).

SB 276 — narrow response to stolen‑goods fencing in San Francisco Assemblymember testimony on behalf of Sen. Scott Wiener presented SB 276, a narrowly tailored bill enabling the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to adopt a list of commonly stolen items and to require a local permit to sell those items on the public sidewalk. Supporters from San Francisco said the measure targets organized fencing operations that have displaced legitimate vendors and created public‑safety hazards. The committee passed SB 276 to Public Safety (roll call recorded 9–0).

SB 499 — parks and emergency uses Sen. Richard Stern’s SB 499 clarifies that parks and recreational facilities identified in a local agency’s hazard mitigation plan or general‑plan safety element may qualify for certain impact‑fee deferral exemptions when they are being used for public‑safety or emergency‑response purposes (for example, staging areas, evacuation centers, wildfire buffer land and cooling centers). Park districts and fire chiefs said the measure provides needed certainty so jurisdictions can plan facilities that serve both recreation and emergency roles. The committee passed SB 499 as amended (roll call recorded 7–0).

SB 358 — traffic impact fees and location‑efficient housing Sen. Becker’s SB 358 seeks to modernize the Mitigation Fee Act so traffic impact fees better reflect automobile trip generation for housing near transit and in walkable locations. Advocates argued the bill will help lower costs for infill housing near transit by ensuring fee calculations are supported by substantial evidence and account for reduced auto trips. The committee passed the bill as amended to Appropriations (roll call recorded 8–0).

SB 485 — county public defenders’ removal protections SB 485 (presented for Sen. Luz Rivas/Reyes in the hearing) would limit a county board of supervisors’ authority to remove an appointed county public defender to specified causes—"neglect of duty, malfeasance, misconduct in office, or other good cause"—and require a three‑fifths vote. Supporters, including the California Public Defenders Association and reform groups, said the change protects defenders from politically motivated dismissals and preserves their independence in representing unpopular clients. County associations asked for additional guardrails (for example, term or judicial review language) and were negotiating amendments. The committee passed SB 485 to Public Safety (recorded vote 7–0).

SB 634 — protections for unhoused service providers Sen. Sasha Pérez’s SB 634 would bar local or state entities from adopting or enforcing ordinances that penalize people or organizations for providing basic survival services (food, water, blankets, first aid) to unhoused individuals, while leaving local authority for public‑health and safety regulations intact. Testimony included first‑hand accounts of volunteers and outreach workers who said they had been threatened, cited or arrested while assisting people in crisis. Supporters argued criminalizing aid severs vital links to services and harms people seeking housing and benefits; a number of cities registered respectful opposition but the bill passed out of committee to Housing and Community Development (roll call recorded 6–1).

What’s next Most of the measures advanced with committee amendments and will go to further policy or fiscal review in subsequent committees (Judiciary, Public Safety, Appropriations, Housing and Community Development). Committee members said several measures remain open for amendment as the author offices and stakeholders continue negotiations.

Votes at a glance (committee recorded outcomes) - SB 346 (Durazo) — short‑term rental platform disclosure for addresses; passed as amended to Judiciary (7–0). - SB 635 (Durazo) — Street Vendor Business Protection Act (data privacy for vendors); passed to Public Safety (6–1). - SB 276 (Wiener, presented by staff) — SF authority to require permits for commonly stolen items on sidewalks; passed to Public Safety (9–0). - SB 499 (Stern) — clarifying parks as eligible for emergency‑purpose fee treatment when listed in safety/hazard plans; passed as amended (7–0). - SB 358 (Becker) — modernize traffic impact fee rules for location‑efficient housing; passed as amended to Appropriations (8–0). - SB 485 (Reyes) — limits on removal of county public defenders (good‑cause + 3/5 vote); passed to Public Safety (7–0). - SB 634 (Pérez) — prohibits penalizing people/organizations for providing basic survival services to unhoused people; passed to Housing & Community Development (6–1). - SB 322 (Mangivac/author) — urban equestrian inclusion zones (local option); passed to Appropriations (7–0).

Ending Committee members and authors said many of the bills remain subject to negotiated amendments before floor votes. Many authors signaled willingness to continue discussions with local governments and industry groups to narrow language and clarify implementation steps. Several chairs noted the measures will face additional fiscal and legal review in the next committee stops.

(Full roll‑call tallies and transcript excerpts are archived with the committee minutes.)