Assemblyman’s office briefs Newman council on wave of 2026 state laws affecting cities

Justin Farkas, representing the office of Assemblyman Juan Alanis, briefed the Newman City Council on a large package of state laws that he said will affect city operations beginning in 2026 and beyond.

"Over the past year, governor Newsom has signed one of the largest collections of bills affecting cities that we've seen in more than a decade," Farkas said, and he presented a prepared packet of summaries for council and staff. He highlighted changes in several policy areas that staff will need to implement.

Farkas said housing and land‑use reforms include changes to accessory dwelling unit rules, automatic completeness checks and reduced local discretion. "One of the most significant changes, Senate Bill 79 will go into effect in July, and it preempts local zoning to allow mid‑rise housing near major transit stops in California's largest metro cities," he said. He noted that SB 79 is intended to speed housing supply in large metro areas and said it "does not in fact impact sales laws in Merced Counties," as read into the record.

He described CEQA/permitting reforms in AB 130 and SB 131 (budget‑trailer bills) that he said create new CEQA exemptions for infill housing and shorten administrative and judicial timelines, and he flagged SB 707 as the most significant Brown Act update in decades, saying it "modernizes teleconferencing rules, expands when public comment must be allowed and requires new translation and accessibility standards."

On homelessness, Farkas said several bills tighten statewide reporting and tie funding to performance measures, increasing city reporting requirements for encampment management and shelter planning. On short‑term rentals he cited SB 346, which he said gives cities authority to require platforms to share listing data to support enforcement and transient‑occupancy‑tax collection.

Farkas left informational packets, and told council that Chief Hedden from the Turlock Police Department had requested a separate packet outlining public‑safety mandate changes.

The presentation was informational; council thanked Farkas and did not take action during the meeting. Staff said the materials would be reviewed and used to update procedures, training and public materials as needed.

Next steps: staff will review the packet materials, identify local process changes required by the new laws (for example Brown Act teleconferencing and translation procedures), and bring recommended ordinance or administrative updates back to council as needed.