The final weeks before the July 2 policy committee deadline were among the busiest of the legislative year, as every bill that advanced to the opposite house was required to be heard in its new policy committees. For PORAC, that meant nearly 100 bills required support and opposition letters, along with dozens of meetings with legislators and committee staff, testimonies, amendment negotiations, and outreach to educate lawmakers hearing these bills for the first time.

Much of PORAC’s work happens behind the scenes. Our advocacy team works closely with PORAC leadership, bill authors, legislative leadership, committee consultants, coalition partners, and PORAC’s attorneys to negotiate amendments on priority legislation. While not every bill can be stopped, meaningful amendments often produce better outcomes than simply opposing legislation. In several cases this year, PORAC’s advocacy has resulted in significant improvements, allowing PORAC to remove or soften its opposition after key public safety concerns were addressed.

As negotiations continue through the summer, PORAC remains focused on several sponsored and high-priority bills, including our sponsored bills AB 1383 (retirement flexibility), AB 1564 (confidential peer support communications), and AB 2656 (AI implementation notice to employees), as well as opposition bills SB 1105 (restrictions on joint task forces) and AB 1537 (restrictions on federal task force employment), and continued work to amend AB 2411 (Olympic public safety staffing).

The Legislature returns on August 3, with just four weeks remaining before the August 31 end-of-session deadline. PORAC will continue working every day to ensure California’s peace officers have a strong voice in the legislative process and that public safety remains at the forefront of policy discussions.