Greetings Neighbor,

Welcome to the latest edition of our SD28 Newsletter! I’m proud to serve as your State Senator and to keep you informed about our work at the Capitol and in our 28th District.

In this issue, I highlight my new legislative package for the year. These proposals are focused on protecting workers, strengthening our local economy, supporting working families, and protecting essential services for our most vulnerable communities.

Your voice is essential to this process. That’s why this issue also offers information on how to connect with our district team.  I encourage you to reach out, stay involved, and be an active part in shaping the policies that affect us all.

Thank you for staying informed and engaged. Together, we can continue building a stronger future for our district.

Warm Regards, 

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Senator, 28th District

This new legislative year, I am proud to introduce a bill package aimed at protecting working families and advancing equity across our state. These proposals would strengthen workplace protections, expand access to opportunity, and help ensure every Californian has a fair chance to succeed. At the same time, I remain committed to responsible governance and investing taxpayer dollars where they will have the greatest impact – particularly for our most vulnerable communities.

Outlined below is the legislation I am advancing this year as part of my broader legislative agenda. I look forward to moving these proposals forward and continuing to work with community leaders and advocates across our district to fight for policies that uplift our communities.

2026 Bill Package

SB 909: Public Works Enforcement 
Strengthens enforcement of public works labor laws by directing the Department of Industrial Relations penalties toward enforcement and tying contractor registration fees to inflation.

SB 964: Continuity of Care 
Ensure patients with chronic, complex conditions receive timely, medically necessary dose adjustments for medications already approved for adjustments.

SB 1012: Incarcerated Firefighter Reentry 
Creates a direct pathway for people leaving prison with wildfire or conservation camp experience to enter apprenticeship programs in vegetation-management and wildfire mitigation, improving reentry outcomes, and expanding access to union-affiliated trade careers.

SB 1030: End the CalWORKs “Man in the House” Rule
Eliminates the outdated “man-in-the-house” statue in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program, which originated in the 1950s/60s, and currently disqualifies households if any unrelated male is present, disproportionately impacting Black families.

SB 1073: Cultural Districts Voluntary Tax Fund 
Creates a voluntary tax contribution fund on California personal income tax returns, allowing residents to support cultural preservation without creating a new tax increase. Enables taxpayers across the state to donate any amount they desire, and authorizes the California Arts Council to administer and allocate the funds that are placed in the state treasury.

SB 1100: Civil Grand Jury Reports 
Requires annual civil grand jury reporting, establishing a six-month submission timeline to improve transparency, efficiency and public access to oversight records.

SB 1132: Labor Workforce Board—Know Your Rights 
Requires the California Workforce Development Board to partner with the Department on Industrial Relations, Civil Rights Department, and other experts to develop a workplace rights and immigrant know-your-rights curriculum to be taught through the state’s workforce system to individuals receiving individual career, training, and supportive services. Requires local workforce boards to explain how the curriculum would be implemented in their four-year plans.

SB 1203: Security Officers 
Requires security officer training to occur during paid, protected time rather than through unpaid “on-the-job training.” Eliminates employer-provided training authority, requires training through approved third-party training providers, and directs the Department of Industrial Relations to establish a prevailing wage for security officers.

SB 1155: Federal Employee Tenant Protections 
Prohibits landlords from evicting or collecting late fees to federal employees and contractors impacted by a government shutdown, and allows 30 days to repay rent after back pay is received, following shutdowns like the one in late 2025 that left LAX airport workers without pay for over a month.

SB 1241: Skilled & Trained Compliance 
Closes gaps in existing law to create a more consistent and fair process, clarifies rules, and ensures that Skilled and Trained Workforce requirements are applied evenly across projects, supporting contractors already complying with the law, and helping ensure public projects are built by properly trained workers.

SB 1284: Protecting Medi-Cal 
Ensures public programs function as a true safety net rather than a subsidy for employers that rely on the state to provide health coverage for their workers.

SB 1316: Labor and Workforce Development 
Updates state law on lien renewal and investigations by the Labor Commissioner.

SB1355: Community Spacing
Explores standards related to security officers operating in residential areas.

SB 1405: Retirement Protections
Reconnects seniors with millions of dollars in missing retirement funds, by updating California's unclaimed property law and ensuring unclaimed retirement distribution funds are managed and returned to owners through the state’s unclaimed property program.

Continuing Legislation

SB 238: Workplace Surveillance 
Requires employers to annually report workplace surveillance tools to the Department of Industrial Relations, increasing transparency around employee monitoring as surveillance technology becomes more widespread.

SB 247: Bid Preference 
Requires state agencies to offer up to a 10% bid preference on large federally funded infrastructure projects over $35 million when contractors hire workers from disadvantaged communities.

SB 262: Perinatal Health
Strengthens maternal mental health protections by requiring coverage for treatment, training providers, and ensuring long-term accountability, consistent with expert guidelines.

SCR 89: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Affirms the Legislature’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion principles.
 

As your State Legislator, I value every opportunity to connect with the people, businesses and nonprofit organizations that make our 28th District strong.

If you are hosting a community event, grand opening, town hall, school program, nonprofit fundraiser or neighborhood celebration, I encourage you to reach out to my district office. My team and I welcome invitations to attend, provide certificates of recognition, share remarks or simply stop by to show our support.

To submit an event invitation, request a certificate or complete a meeting request form, please visit our website at SD28.Senate.CA.Gov and click onto our Scheduling Requests page to fill out the appropriate form.

You are also welcome to call our district office at (213) 745-6656 or email our district staff for any inquiries. Our district team’s emails are listed on our website’s Staff page.

We are excited to celebrate your community efforts and continue building strong partnerships throughout our district. Together, we can uplift the work happening in every corner of our district and ensure our voices are represented at the State Capitol.