•Authored by State Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), Senate Bill 963 passed the California Legislature on July 2, which advanced the proposed legislation to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration. If signed, SB 963 will require the California Coastal Commission to provide permit applicants with a complete list of any additional information needed within 30 days of determining that an appeal raises a “substantial issue,” among other mandates. Laird described the legislation as aiming to bring greater clarity and predictability to the coastal development permitting process by establishing consistent timelines for the commission to act on appeals of Coastal Development Permits. Under current law, the commission must act quickly to determine whether an appeal raises a substantial issue, but there are no deadlines for the steps that follow. SB 963 fills that gap by establishing standardized timelines for review and final decisions on appealed projects. “Good government depends on clear and consistent processes,” Laird said in a July 2 statement.
•Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that upheld birthright citizenship as a fundamental constitutional right, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) issued a statement on June 30. “The Constitution could not be clearer: If you are born in the United States, you are a citizen of the United States. Period. No ambiguity,” Padilla said. “While there is nothing surprising about Donald Trump’s efforts to erode birthright citizenship and disregard laws he doesn’t like, [the court’s] decision reaffirms over a century of legal precedent protecting this fundamental constitutional right.” While celebrating the verdict, he added, “we cannot rest, because this is certainly not the end of Trump’s attacks on our Constitution, our democracy, and the notion of what it means to be American.” Also on June 30, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) stated: “Birthright citizenship has never been up for debate. The Constitution is clear that anyone born in the United States is an American citizen. Striking that down was a bridge too far for even this partisan Supreme Court.”
•On July 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California will be the first state to implement a new tool one nonprofit hopes will help families across the nation discover and claim early investment accounts available to children through public and philanthropic support programs. Because billions in allocated resources go unclaimed, Newsom’s office stated, nonprofit Early Wealth Partnership developed its Early Investment Accounts Navigator to connect “the fragmented landscape of children’s savings and wealth-building accounts.” The goal is to enable families to more easily find and claim benefits their children are already eligible for. “Too many families are missing out on resources that can help build a stronger financial future—not because those opportunities don’t exist, but because they can be difficult to find and navigate,” Newsom said in a July 1 statement. “This partnership will make it easier for Californians to connect with CalKIDS accounts and other proven wealth-building tools, helping more children and families get on a path toward long-term financial security.” After launching the new navigation tool in California, Early Wealth Partnership plans to expand the program’s reach to other states by the end of the year. With pro bono technical support from Google engineers, the mobile, bilingual navigation tool currently aims to help California families connect with various child savings programs including HOPE Trust Accounts and 530A Trump Accounts. “Bringing together the tools and technology to help residents connect and navigate these programs marks a huge leap forward as California continues to lead the nation in building financial security at every stage of life,” state Treasurer Fiona Ma said in a July 1 statement.
This article appears in July 9 – July 16, 2026.
