Becerra Courts Legislature as Half of CA School Bond Measures Trail

Statewide governance in Sacramento, public school construction financing across 86 California districts, and municipal ethics oversight in San Mateo County highlighted policy developments this week following the November general election.

Governor-Elect Xavier Becerra Signals Collaborative Era With Legislature

Standing alongside Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas in the Capitol rotunda, Democratic Governor-elect Xavier Becerra pledged an early, cooperative working relationship with the California Legislature—a deliberate departure from outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom’s practice of introducing major policy proposals near legislative deadlines. Rivas, who was photographed at Limón’s January 5, 2026 swearing-in ceremony before Becerra’s November 5, 2026 Capitol press conference, welcomed the shift as lawmakers prepare to return in January to confront federal Medi-Cal reductions that could affect more than 1 million Californians starting January 1, utility wildfire liability rules, artificial intelligence regulation, and housing affordability.

Democratic strategist Richard Stapler—former chief adviser to Santa Cruz Senator John Laird—and former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon noted that Becerra’s prior service as an Assemblymember and member of Congress, along with directing legislative affairs chief Sirat Attapit in 2017 to meet all 120 state legislators, shapes his approach at a time when lawmakers introduced just under 1,850 bills in 2026 compared with more than 2,100 in 2024 and 2025. Last month, Becerra toured a transit-oriented affordable housing complex enabled by a 2025 housing law with Oakland Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, who plans to reintroduce condominium construction defect reform. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, who appeared in an August 29, 2024 Capitol floor photo, reported that Becerra expressed support for studying a Fair Share corporate tax ahead of a March Department of Finance report, while legislative leaders also weighed his campaign proposal for two hours of free off-peak daytime electricity for low-income households.

Nearly Half of California School Repair Bond Measures Trail in Returns

Across California, preliminary election results show that only 50 of the 86 school district repair and modernization bond measures placed on last week’s ballot—totaling $12.4 billion statewide—were approved or leading above the required 55% threshold as of Tuesday night, leaving 36 trailing. Sara Hinkley, policy and research director at UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities + Schools, described the outcome as striking for districts with aging facilities, while Public Advocates managing attorney John Affeldt noted that wealthier communities in the Bay Area and Orange County more easily pass local bonds needed to unlock matching funds from Proposition 2, the $10 billion state school construction bond approved in 2024.

While San Diego Unified School District voters passed California’s largest measure—a $3.4 billion bond replacing a 2022 measure at an average cost of $294 per year for homeowners, praised by board vice president Sabrina Bazzo—other districts fell short. Beaumont Unified School District Superintendent Mays Kakish and spokesperson Thomas Guzowski noted that losing their $86 million bond leaves the growing district struggling to address 138 roof leaks recorded last year and 81 portable classrooms, while Visalia Unified Superintendent Kirk Shrum said his district’s trailing $158 million bond leaves more than 70% of its campuses—which are 50 years old or older and face $600 million in total repair needs—without dedicated modernization funds.

Woodside Town Council Faces Calls for Public Ethics Training Debate

In Woodside, Councilmember Jenn Wall called for an open council vote on mandatory ethics training three months after a July 28, 2026 Independent Hall meeting where an independent investigation found that Mayor pro tem Paul Goeld had disclosed closed session information regarding former Town Manager Jason Ledbetter’s April 2025 hiring following Ledbetter’s 14-page whistleblower report and $2 million claim. After resident Tom Johnson asked in October when special counsel Rick Bolanos’ recommended training would occur, interim Town Manager Pam Antil noted that she advised councilmembers to retake two hours of Fair Political Practices Commission training—completed by Goeld, Mayor Brian Dombkowski, Hassan Aburish, and Dick Brown between September and October—and attend the League of California Cities’ New Mayors and Council Members Academy in Sacramento in January 2027, scheduling formal discussion after November mediation and the December seating of incoming councilmembers Lyle Weaver (District 2) and Dan Druker (District 3).