Finally, the California Legislature passed major bills on housing, climate and more

California lawmakers deserve credit this week for an achievement that had eluded them for years: Sending the governor a wave of significant legislation that could meaningfully address some of the state’s most stubborn issues.

After weeks of negotiating and sleepless nights for legislators and their staff — who remain barred from unionizing thanks largely to Elk Grove Assemblyman Jim Cooper, Sacramento County’s sheriff-elect — Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon advanced a robust slate of legislation that could address fundamental issues such as housing, climate change, homelessness and abortion rights. Gov. Gavin Newsom also pushed his agenda beyond the state budget this summer, steering controversial energy and mental health policies out of the Legislature as he laid the groundwork for a potential presidential bid.

In what could be a long-awaited breakthrough for housing reforms, bills that open up commercial properties for new apartments, remove parking requirements that impede housing development and streamline permits for accessory dwelling units all survived. An effort to repeal a racist provision in the California Constitution that restricts affordable housing also advanced, presaging a contentious ballot measure campaign in two years.

After President Joe Biden delivered landmark climate action at the federal level in August, Newsom’s late-session lobbying resulted in a flurry of bills that take meaningful steps to fight global warming. Lawmakers approved a bill that mandates 100% carbon neutrality by 2045 instead of just hoping for it, along with another that sets buffer zones around oil and gas wells to protect communities. Two additional climate bills, one to extend the lifespan of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant and another to enable unproven, oil-friendly carbon capture programs, warrant more skepticism.

The Legislature also bolstered California’s reputation as a champion for women’s rights in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s egregious reversal of Roe v. Wade. Laws that fund abortion access, prohibit prosecution for ending a pregnancy and prevent tech companies from disclosing information to out-of-state entities all passed. Similar protections were extended to young people who live elsewhere but travel to California for gender-affirming care.

Other noteworthy bills would curtail solitary confinement in prisons, boost paid family leave and exempt student housing at public universities from obstruction through misuse of the California Environmental Quality Act.

In recent years, the end of the legislative session became a grieving period for ambitious legislation. This summer was a departure but wasn’t without its own noteworthy misses. They included drug reforms such as safe injection and psychedelic decriminalization, vaccine access for teens, restrictions on concealed carrying of guns and Big Tech regulations that could have reduced the dangers of social media for children. Legislators also shot down a bill that would have ramped up the state’s reduction of greenhouse gasses. And while food service workers could get stronger labor protections, Newsom shamefully intends to veto farmworker rights yet again.

After a string of years that saw landmark legislation stall, Rendon and Atkins showed the leadership their jobs demand. Now the onus falls on Newsom, whose political ambitions and allegiances have already killed some of the session’s most important bills.