Peace Officers Research Association of California
2026 Legislative Priorities
PORAC represents nearly 90,000 California peace officers. This page outlines our priority bills for the 2026 legislative session — what we’re fighting for, what we’re fighting against, and why it matters.
Priority Bills 2026 Bills At A Glance
Click any bill to jump to its full summary and supporting materials.
PORAC Sponsored – Support
Neutral
Bills We Support PORAC Sponsored
Modernizes public safety retirement benefits to address California’s law enforcement staffing and retention crisis.
Codifies longstanding PERB protections prohibiting public employers from interrogating employees or union representatives about confidential union communications.
Requires public employers to send a simple email 45 days before purchasing or using GenAI. The need for AB 2656 is simple: If AI can affect your job, you have a right to know about it.
Neutral Bills PORAC Neutral
No longer disqualifies anyone from being a peace officer based on federal immigration enforcement employment. Instead, it now prevents those individuals from qualifying for a Regular Basic Course Waiver (the shortcut that lets out-of-state/federal officers skip California’s full academy training), meaning they will still need to complete California’s standard training to become California peace officers.
Previously Oppose – Position Updated July 2026
Bills We Oppose PORAC Opposed
Bans officers from off-duty work or volunteering with any agency that contracts with DHS — including FEMA, the Coast Guard and the military reserves — threatening disaster response capacity during wildfires, floods, and earthquakes under penalty of career-ending decertification.
Proposes a training exemption for out-of-state officers to obtain full peace officer status in California during the 2028 Olympics without ensuring adequate standards and accountability measures are in place.
Creates a new state cause of action allowing individuals to sue public employees for alleged rights violations, opening public employees performing lawful duties to costly litigation.
Extends the flawed mask restrictions of SB 627 to all state peace officers, while federal officers will remain exempt.
Restricts California law enforcement from participating in joint task forces without pausing for AG approval, slowing or preventing seamless, real-time coordination when a victim is being trafficked, a child is abducted or a credible threat emerges at a major event, such as the 2028 Olympics.
“But to paint a picture against all law enforcement in the state of California, I think we’re missing some of the issues that are going on. I think we had bills here last year that have been deemed unconstitutional. I think there’s some that start to move in a direction that give false hope to a community that somehow we’re going to be able to shed some of these things moving forward.”
Assemblymember James Ramos on AB 1537
The Bigger Picture
These bills don’t exist in isolation — they form a pattern.
A capable workforce is the foundation of safe communities.
Every bill on this page either strengthens or threatens California’s ability to recruit, retain, and support the officers Californians depend on. AB 1383 and AB 1564 invest in that workforce. The oppose bills chip away at it.
An obstacle course for officers puts every Californian at risk.
California’s attempts to regulate and restrict ICE are being misplaced on local officers and would create new barriers to effective policing. We urge every elected leader in Sacramento to ask a simple question before casting their vote: does this bill make Californians safer? If the honest answer is no — and for every bill PORAC opposes, it is — then it has no place becoming law.
We are asking for coherent policy.
There is a lack of coherence in how Sacramento is approaching public safety partnerships. The Legislature is simultaneously advancing SB 1105, which treats partnerships with out-of-state and federal law enforcement as a threat, and AB 2411, which treats those same officers as essential. The Legislature cannot have it both ways.
We want to work with you.
PORAC represents the men and women who show up when Californians call for help. We are partners in the Legislature’s public safety goals — we are asking for policies that reflect that partnership, not ones that work against it. We are here to serve as a resource for all of our elected leaders who are serious about improving public safety in California.