League of California Cities

08/26/2026

SB 1246, a Cal Cities-supported bill that establishes statewide emergency response standards for autonomous vehicles, is awaiting action on the Assembly Floor. https://www.calcities.org/home/post/2026/08/19/robotaxi-bill-strengthens-emergency-responses--empowers-cities

08/25/2026

California State Parks is accepting applications for a nationwide grant program that helps cities acquire, develop, or renovate parks. 🌳 The program focuses on urban communities with little to no access to public outdoor recreation opportunities. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30578

08/25/2026

The Governor's last-minute wildfire liability framework claims cities and counties took $1 billion from survivors. FALSE. From 2017-2024, public agencies received just 4% of total utility payouts — and survivors can't rebuild until cities rebuild the infrastructure around them.

08/24/2026

"Californians have buried neighbors, closed businesses, rebuilt homes, breathed poisoned air and flinched at every red flag warning. They are the victims, not the utilities."

Governor Gavin Newsom believe utilities are asked to shoulder too much after a wildfire. It is an outrageous conclusion that insults every Californian who has watched a utility-sparked fire consume a home, not a basis for sound public policy.

08/24/2026

Attn city voting delegates: You will have one resolution to consider at our upcoming General Assembly during next month. The resolution seeks to restore and strengthen local authority over housing and land use matters. Learn more. https://www.calcities.org/home/post/2026/08/12/heres-what-your-city-needs-to-know-about-the-2026-general-resolution

08/24/2026

City of Mountain View is helping local gardeners make the switch from gas-powered to zero-emission electric equipment. ⚡ The city's program helps workers build new skills while advancing cleaner air, public health, and its climate goals. 👏

What many people experience as an unwelcome nuisance is also a significant source of noise pollution, greenhouse gas ...

08/21/2026

When a utility causes a wildfire under the current system, they must fully compensate survivors for property damage. But a plan by the Governor would stop utilities from paying their fair share. If public agencies cannot recover costs from negligent utilities, the very survivors whose community burned will have to foot the bill instead. Urge your lawmakers to reject the utility bailout!

08/21/2026

CalMatters reports that California cities are largely falling short of state housing targets for a myriad of reasons. Cal Cities Sr. Director of Legislative Affairs Jason Rhine noted that cities can rezone land and approve projects, but they can’t require developers to build housing.

California ordered cities and counties to plan for 2.5 million new homes by 2030. Only five jurisdictions are on track to hit their numbers.

08/21/2026

Cal Cities attended the California Big City Mayors’ press conference this week in support of Prop 1. We’re proud to stand with our city partners to help expand access to much-needed affordable housing throughout California. 🏘️

Yesterday, I traveled to the State Capitol with my fellow California Big City Mayors to advocate for Proposition 1, a pivotal opportunity to expand affordable housing, create pathways to homeownership for first-time buyers, support California’s veterans, and invest in communities across our state.

As Chair of Big City Mayors, I am proud to lead the support of bi-partisan solutions that give our cities the tools and resources to address one of the most pressing challenges facing our residents.

We also met with former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to discuss how California's cities are working to address homelessness, increase housing production, expand access to behavioral health and build economic opportunity.

Our advocacy may take us to Sacramento, but the work is always about delivering results back home in Riverside.

08/21/2026

“Changing the rules — whether to decrease the chances of liability or to take cases out of the courts — only helps the utility companies at the expense of all of us, especially those who suffer catastrophic losses from wildfires,” said UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky.

“These actions would make it more difficult for wildfire survivors to recover for their losses and lessen what they receive as compensation.”