Becerra Courts Capitol Leaders as Voters Pass Housing Bonds 1 and 37

Executive-legislative relations and billions of dollars in statewide housing and school facility borrowing are taking center stage in Sacramento following the November election. California Governor-elect Xavier Becerra met inside the state Capitol with Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas—the Capitol's top leadership trio known as the Big Three—promising early, consultative collaboration with the 120-member Legislature rather than outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom's late-session deadline negotiations.

Capitol observers including political strategist Richard Stapler, former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and former legislative director Sirat Attapit noted that lawmakers introduced just under 1,850 bills in 2026, down from more than 2,100 bills in both 2024 and 2025. Incoming leaders face immediate fiscal and policy tests: federal Medi-Cal funding reductions scheduled to take effect on January 1, utility wildfire liability standards, Oakland Assemblymember Buffy Wicks's condominium construction defect reform legislation, and Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas's corporate Fair Share tax study due from the Department of Finance in March.

On the statewide ballot, California voters approved Propositions 1 and 37 with roughly 60% support each to expand housing production and homeownership. Proposition 1 authorizes the state to borrow more than $11 billion to build affordable multifamily housing for low-income renters and unhoused residents, while Proposition 37 authorizes up to $25 billion in state general obligation bonds to finance a first-time homebuyer downpayment assistance program that state housing agencies must launch within 1 year by November 2027.

By contrast, local school facility borrowing encountered stiffer voter resistance. Preliminary returns across California show only 50 of 86 school district repair and modernization bond measures are passing, leaving nearly half of the $12.4 billion in proposed local measures short of the required 55% voter approval threshold. While San Diego Unified passed the largest school bond in California history at $3.4 billion—estimated at $294 per year for homeowners and praised by Board Vice President Sabrina Bazzo—several districts with aging campuses are trailing. Beaumont Unified's $86 million bond is falling short after the district logged 138 roof leaks and relied on 81 portable classrooms, according to Superintendent Mays Kakish and spokesperson Thomas Guzowski. Similarly, Visalia Unified's $158 million bond is trailing despite more than 70% of its school buildings exceeding 50 years of age and total facility needs reaching $600 million, Superintendent Kirk Shrum reported. Researchers Sara Hinkley of the University of California, Berkeley and John Affeldt of Public Advocates warned that districts failing to pass local bonds cannot unlock state matching funds from the $10 billion Proposition 2 education bond approved by voters in 2024.