Assemblymember Arambula Landed 10 Bills on Governor Newsom’s Desk This Legislative Year; Governor Newsom Signed Nine of the Bills

FRESNO – Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) in this State Legislative year worked with bill sponsors and supporters to land 10 of his bills on Governor Newsom’s desk for consideration – the Governor signed nine of them into law.

Each year, the Governor considers hundreds of bills that have been approved by both the Assembly and the Senate and then forwarded to the Governor, who has until September 30 to sign bills into law.

Assemblymember Arambula’s nine bills reflected his commitment to equity and access, addressing disparities, focusing on health and mental health issues, and improving the lives of people in disadvantaged communities or facing vulnerable situations. For example, AB 1830 will require manufacturers to fortify corn masa flour and wet corn masa products with folic acid to help prevent birth defects. Folic acid fortification already is done in enriched cereal grain product.

AB 1888 seeks to protect victims of the heinous crime of labor trafficking. AB 2240, with Speaker Robert Rivas as the principal co-author, eliminates an outdated requirement that forced farmworker families to move out of farm labor centers for a minimum of three months or risk ineligibility for that housing, disrupting their lives and their children’s education. In addition, AB 2240 also will address the physical condition of the state’s farm labor centers to ensure these centers will be dignified places by requiring they comply with health and safety codes for hearing, cooling, clean water, and other systems.

Assemblymember Arambula said: “I’m humbled by the support of Governor Newsom for these bills and greatly appreciate that he signed them into law. I am thankful to my colleagues in the Legislature, who also supported this work. And, I deeply appreciate the sponsors, advocates, and supporters who tirelessly worked alongside me and my staff because they believed in these bills’ potential impact to improve the lives of people in the Central Valley and our State. Now, the work continues – I look forward to bringing forth more legislation that focuses on making life better for all people who call California their home.”

These are the nine Assembly Bill signed by Governor Newsom:

• AB 310 – It aims to help improve patient care and outcomes at California State Hospitals. The bill requires the California Department of State Hospitals to submit a report to the Legislature by January 31, 2026 that details the amount of funds budgeted and spent for civil service psychiatrists and contract psychiatrists in California. By doing this, the report will help shape future policies to enhance the trust and consistency of quality of care between patients and their psychiatrists.

• AB 805 – All communities should have access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation. The bill authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to appoint administrators to better manage failing systems and protect communities.

• AB 1830 – Folic acid is essential to preventing birth defects, and food is the best way to get folic acid into women’s diets before they become pregnant. This bill helps support healthy pregnancies by requiring manufacturers to fortify corn masa with folic acid. A requirement is in effect for enriched cereal grain product.

• AB 1855 – Eligible legislative student organizations at California community colleges will be allowed to use alternate teleconferencing provisions, if adopted by their Board of Trustees and adopted by the eligible body. This bill ensures students can participate in public meetings without threat to safety, privacy, or accessibility.

• AB 1888 – Survivors of labor trafficking should not be traumatized when seeking help. AB 1888, co-authored with Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), ensures that the State prioritizes these victims through more efficient and comprehensive enforcement of existing labor trafficking laws. The bill will establish the Labor Trafficking Unit within the State’s Department of Justice and will develop a tracking and reporting system. In addition, victims will be informed of services and options available to them.

• AB 2080 – Every patient should have access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care to ensure better communication with patients – and therefore better treatment and outcomes. There is a critical shortage of physicians in the Central Valley and our state, especially doctors who reflect the diversity of our communities. AB 2080 requests that the University of California present an annual enrollment report, and post data on its website, regarding students in its medical schools.

• AB 2240 – It will eliminate an outdated requirement that forces farmworker families to move out of farm labor centers for a minimum of three months, or risk ineligibility for that housing. This unfairly disrupts their lives and their children’s education. AB 2240, with Speaker Rivas as principal co-author, also ensures that these centers will be dignified places by requiring they comply with health and safety codes for heating, cooling, clean water, and other systems.

• AB 2543 – This bill provides all small business owners with the same opportunity to help California’s economy to thrive. AB 2543 ensures that all small businesses will have access to the benefits of small business certification, regardless of the immigration status of the owners or operators.

• AB 2795 – Members of tribal communities should receive equitable access to safety net programs. This bill, with Assemblymember Ramos as co-author, reduces administrative barriers to providing CalWORKS and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) at Indian Health Clinics.

In addition, Assemblymember Arambula authored two other pieces of legislation that only required Assembly approval:

• ACR 128 – The date of October 1 is designated as California Latino & Latina Physician Day to recognize the importance of a health care workforce that represents the cultural and linguistic diversity of the state. It also helps raise awareness of the critical shortage of physicians and medical providers in California, especially in the Central Valley. ACR 128 follows a federal resolution that designated the same date as National Latino and Latina Physician Day.

• HR 110 – This bill represents California’s support for the establishment of the National Infrastructure Bank to facilitate financing to repair existing infrastructure and new projects without additional federal taxes. It’s estimated this would generate 25 million new jobs nationwide.

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