“Passing a Law Isn’t The Finish Line”: California Assembly Evaluates Implementation, Results
California lawmakers are finding that laws passed in Sacramento do not always work as intended once implemented. A new Assembly oversight program has identified gaps in laws addressing wildfire recovery, insurance, foster care and clean energy.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced Aug. 17 that the Assembly had completed the first year of its Outcomes Review program. Billed as the first initiative of its kind in the nation, the program enlisted 15 Assembly members to evaluate 14 laws they authored or championed. Through public hearings and community meetings, lawmakers assessed whether the measures were producing their intended results.
“Passing a law isn’t the finish line,” said Rivas. “The Outcomes Review project makes sure we’re checking our work.”
The reviews identified both successes and shortcomings. The expansion of telehealth largely improved access to care and provided patients with greater flexibility. Affordable housing financing reforms also strengthened coordination among state agencies and could reduce duplicative paperwork, development costs and delays.
Other reviews uncovered more significant implementation problems.
One focused on Assembly Bill (AB) 238, which was enacted after the Eaton and Palisades fires to provide eligible borrowers with up to 12 months of emergency mortgage forbearance. The review found lender noncompliance, insufficient consumer complaint data and a need for stronger coordination between state and federal agencies.
Those findings helped shape AB 1842 and AB 1847, both victim-protection bills that are currently pending in the Senate.
After discovering that California’s FAIR Plan clearinghouse was failing to transition affected homeowners back into the private insurance market, Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) introduced AB 69 to fix the issue.
A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar technology.
Lawmakers also found that the FAIR Plan clearinghouse was not effectively helping homeowners move into the traditional insurance market, prompting the introduction of AB 69, legislation adding new reporting, notification, and access requirements.
The program identified additional implementation problems related to foster care placement protections, oversight of charitable fundraising and wage theft enforcement.
Rivas said the findings demonstrate the need for lawmakers to continue evaluating legislation after it takes effect.
“This isn’t oversight for its own sake — it’s what accountability looks like, and we’re just getting started,” he said.
The Assembly plans to expand the Outcomes Review program in 2027 by involving more lawmakers and holding additional public hearings and community meetings. The next phase, according to Rivas, will build on the pilot year as lawmakers seek to identify implementation problems earlier and improve how state laws work in practice.
Gov. Newsom’s Latest Appointees Include Sacramento Advocate for Formerly Incarcerated Students; State’s New Tech Chief
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced eight appointments Aug. 19, including a new state chief technology officer and the reappointment of a Sacramento State outreach coordinator who works with formerly incarcerated students.
Ayushi Roy, of San Francisco, was appointed state chief technology officer at the California Department of Technology. Roy has taught at Harvard Kennedy School since 2022 and previously held technology and policy roles with New America, the U.S. General Services Administration, and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget
Roy’s policy work has focused on the gap between government programs and the people they are intended to serve. In a Harvard course inspired by Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” she teaches students to examine how administrative and implementation barriers can undermine social safety-net programs.
“I do know as a practitioner, having served in the government for over a dozen years, that the building of technology is the easy part; managing the political feasibility and the implementation is the hard part,” Roy said.
Roy’s appointment requires Senate confirmation and carries compensation of $214,692.
Newsom also reappointed Michael Love, of Sacramento, to the State Rehabilitation Council, where he has served since 2025. Love has been an outreach coordinator at California State University, Sacramento since 2024 and previously held several roles at the university, including administrative services coordinator for Project Rebound and teacher’s associate.
Project Rebound supports formerly incarcerated students as they pursue higher education, making Love’s appointment relevant to the council’s work involving vocational rehabilitation services.
Love earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication studies from Sacramento State. He is a Democrat.
Newsom also appointed Eric De La Cruz of Sacramento as executive director of the Racial Equity Commission. De La Cruz has served as chief of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Toxic Substances Control since 2022. The position pays $146,220 and does not require Senate confirmation.
The governor additionally appointed Christine Aurigemma to the State Rehabilitation Council and reappointed Lisa Weiler, Michelle Bello and Matthew Asner. The council positions are unpaid and do not require Senate confirmation.
Gov. Newsom Launches New Free Lunch Program; Announces Nearly $14,000 Per Family in Universal TK Savings
Gov. Gavin Newsom marked the start of California’s new school year by highlighting universal free school meals and the statewide expansion of Transitional Kindergarten, which the state says saves families nearly $14,000 per child each year.
Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom celebrated the full implementation of Universal Transitional Kindergarten, making free TK available to every 4-year-old in California. The state enrolled 213,313 children in TK during the 2024-25 school year and has invested $12.5 billion in the program since 2019.
“California is proving what’s possible with historic investments in the next generation,” said Newsom. “Free TK for every 4-year-old. Free meals at school. Expanded after-school programs.”
California is also providing two free school meals each day to every public-school student, regardless of family income. The state has served nearly 3.5 billion free meals through its Universal Meals Program, with 2.9 million students connected to California-grown, nutritious food.
The administration says the school investments extend beyond meals and early education. California has committed $4.7 billion to its Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, placed more than 4,000 trained professionals in schools and community organizations, and provided free mental health services to more than 500,000 children, youth and families.
The state is also expanding literacy programs, with more than 800 high-need elementary schools receiving support from literacy coaches and reading specialists. Special education funding has increased by $2.4 billion, or 43 percent.
The investments come as California reports academic gains across every tested subject and grade level, with particularly strong gains among Black and Latino students and continued improvement among socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
Newsom said the broader effort is aimed at ensuring students have the support they need before, during, and after the school day.
“Every parent wants their child to feel safe, supported, nourished, and inspired when they walk through the school doors,” said Siebel Newsom. “California recognizes that if we want to give our kids the best start in life, we need to invest in the whole child.”
On Aug. 21, Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced that families have claimed 1 million accounts through CalKIDS, California’s publicly funded college and career savings program. Launched in 2022, CalKIDS has established more than 6 million accounts containing over $2.3 billion in savings, with eligible students receiving up to $1,500 for higher education or career training. The Newsoms also unveiled the California Golden Start Challenge, a public-private partnership aimed at encouraging businesses and philanthropic organizations to contribute additional money to children’s savings accounts.
Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Blasts California New Tire Rules; Newsom Hits Back
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is criticizing California’s new replacement-tire efficiency standards, arguing they will limit consumer choice and increase costs for drivers.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, says the regulations will save consumers money.
Hilton protested the standards Aug. 20 outside the California Energy Commission in Sacramento, where he and supporters chanted, “Hands off our tires.” The commission unanimously approved the regulations Aug. 17, making California the first state to adopt energy-efficiency standards for replacement tires.
“We are done with these bureaucrats and these politicians in our state, making everything so insanely expensive,” Hilton said at the protest.
Hilton said that, if elected governor, he would eliminate or defund the Energy Commission. His opposition to the tire standards is part of his broader criticism of California’s high cost of living.
Newsom defended the regulations Aug. 19, citing the commission’s projected savings for consumers.
“I think it was a good choice,” said Newsom. “Save a billion dollars a year in fuel. Talk about an affordability agenda, that makes sense to me.”
The Replacement Tire Efficiency Program sets limits on rolling resistance, which measures how much energy a tire requires to move along a road. Tires with lower rolling resistance can improve a gasoline-powered vehicle’s fuel economy or extend an electric vehicle’s driving range.
The first phase will take effect in 2029, setting a maximum rolling resistance of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton. A stricter limit of 7.2 newtons per kilonewton will take effect in 2033.
The Energy Commission says the standards will ensure that replacement tires are, on average, at least as energy efficient as those installed on new vehicles. The agency estimates the regulations will save Californians nearly $1 billion annually in gasoline and electricity costs while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by two million metric tons a year.
Some tire manufacturers, however, have raised concerns about the effect on prices and product availability. Goodyear estimates that about 70 percent of replacement tires currently sold in California would not meet the 2033 standard and argues that the regulations could increase costs for consumers.
The Energy Commission estimates the standards will add about $1.50 to the cost of each tire during the first phase and $6.50 per tire beginning in 2033. The commission projects that a driver with a gasoline-powered vehicle could save about $179 in fuel costs over the life of a set of tires meeting the 2033 standard.
The regulations exempt several specialty products, including competition, winter, used, retreaded, motorcycle and certain off-road tires.
