Relating to: battery or threat to jurors and providing a penalty.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Elijah Behnke and 14 co-sponsors

Proposes broad reforms to curb perks for politicians, including bans on gifts, stock trading, lobbying after office, removing exemptions, and ending local official pensions.

Laid on the table

Overview

AB 26, introduced December 2, 2024 by DeMaio, is a bill that expresses the Legislature’s intent to enact broad reforms aimed at reducing or eliminating various “perks” for elected officials. The bill is currently in the early stage of passage, with its status listed as “From printer” and a potential committee hearing on January 2. The Digest indicates the reforms would touch gifts, stock trading, lobbying, labor and public-record exemptions, and government pensions for local elected officials.

Purpose and Intent

The bill presents an intent to enact legislation that would hold elected officials more accountable by:

Prohibiting Members of the Legislature from accepting gifts.
Prohibiting Members of the Legislature from trading in individual stock.
Imposing a lifetime lobbying ban on former legislators.
Eliminating exemptions for the Legislature from labor, workplace, and public record laws.
Eliminating government pensions for local elected officials.

As introduced, the language expresses intent rather than codifying these provisions as operative law. The actual statutory text implementing these changes would appear in later amendments or companion bills.

Key Provisions (as introduced)

Gift restrictions: Prohibit Members of the Legislature from accepting gifts.

Stock trading restrictions: Prohibit Members of the Legislature from trading in individual stocks.

Lobbying ban: Impose a lifetime ban on lobbying for former legislators.

Labor, workplace, and public-record exemptions: Remove exemptions that currently shield the Legislature from certain labor, workplace, and public-record laws.

Pensions: Eliminate government pensions for local elected officials.

Note: The bill text provided focuses on an introductory declaration of intent. Specific, operative provisions would be required in follow-up amendments to become law.

Who Would Be Affected

Current and future members of the California Legislature.

Local elected officials (due to changes to pensions).

Individuals and entities involved in lobbying (due to the proposed lifetime lobbying ban for former legislators).

Potentially, public employers and state agencies responsible for labor, workplace, and public-record compliance, given removal of certain exemptions.

Procedural and Timeline Details

Status: From printer. May be heard in committee January 2.

Legislative actions to date:

2024-12-03: From printer; may be heard in committee January 2.
2024-12-02: Read first time; to print.

Key fiscal notes: Digest indicates No appropriation, No fiscal committee, No local program required for this measure at this stage.

Next steps: If advanced, the bill would move through committees and floor votes in the legislative chambers, with potential amendments to become operative language.

Summary

AB 26 is an introductory measure signaling a broad set of proposed reforms intended to curb perceived perks for politicians, including gifts, stock trading, lobbying after office, legal exemptions, and pensions for local officials. As introduced, it states intent rather than enacting specific provisions, and its immediate trajectory depends on committee action and subsequent amendments.

Bill