California Assembly advances broad package of bills on housing, energy, education and public safety

The California State Assembly passed a broad package of bills Tuesday that included measures on tenant safety accommodations for survivors of violence, streamlining post-entitlement permit approvals for housing, options to seal certain juvenile and young adult convictions, and state-level steps on energy and broadband access.

Assemblymember Kalra, presenting AB 878, said the bill “will allow survivors of violence and abuse to ask for reasonable safety accommodations from their landlords,” describing measures such as unit transfers, parking changes, extra time to move or pay rent, and permission to install doorbell cameras at tenants’ expense. The Assembly approved AB 878 by a recorded vote of Ayes 44, Noes 3.

The floor also cleared AB 660, a housing “post-entitlement” streamlining bill that sets deadlines and limits repeated plan resubmissions by local agencies; Assemblymember Wilson said it creates a path for applicants to seek a writ of mandate if complete applications are not processed in time. The measure passed 57-0.

On criminal records, Assemblymember Lowenthal’s AB…