Assembly committee advances bill pushing special districts to migrate to .gov or .ca.gov domains; special‑district groups object to costs and identity limits

Assemblymember Ash Kalra Irwin (presenting as Assemblymember Irwin) introduced AB 810, which would require special districts and joint powers authorities to migrate public-facing websites and official email addresses to .gov or .ca.gov domains by 2031. The author said the requirement is meant to reduce online fraud and protect public trust during emergencies, noting that federal grant programs sometimes require a .gov presence for cybersecurity funding.

Irwin said local agencies already can obtain .gov domains at no direct cost and that cities and counties have begun migrating under earlier legislation. He acknowledged small agencies may need technical assistance and said he would work with opponents on adding assistance. “Consistency through local agencies is a key element to reducing the effectiveness of fraudsters’ ability to deceive Californians,” the author said.

Marcus Detwiler of the California Special Districts Association opposed the bill, citing outsized costs and examples where a district’s effective outreach domain (for example mosquitoes.org) could not be replicated on a permitted .gov or .ca.gov name and would force rebranding and expense. California Association of Recreation and Park Districts and the Association of California Water Agencies registered opposition or concerns. Several education and school-technology groups initially opposed but removed opposition after committee amendments; the author accepted amendments that narrowed some scope.

Committee members acknowledged the cybersecurity intent and asked technical questions about aliases and redirects. The author confirmed agencies could use legacy domain aliases to redirect to a .gov site to preserve public-facing convenience while meeting the bill’s security aim. Some committee members urged the author to continue working with special districts and tribal governments to protect sovereignty and reduce implementation burdens.

The committee passed AB 810 as amended and recorded the roll call. The record shows a mix of support and opposition letters and on-the-record opposition from special-district and water-agency groups; the author said he would work with opponents on technical assistance and tribal/sovereignty language as the bill moves forward.