Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo announced that 11 bills she authored have been signed into law this year, delivering new protections for families, small businesses, veterans, crime survivors, patients, and communities across California.

The new laws address key issues concerning residents throughout the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys, including the ongoing Chiquita Canyon Landfill public health crisis, rising costs, and difficulties accessing veteran services or health care.

“Every one of these laws started with a problem people in our community are facing in their everyday lives,” said Assemblywoman  Schiavo. “Whether it is protecting families from another disaster like Chiquita Canyon, helping veterans get connected to the benefits they earned, keeping health care available in our communities, protecting a small business owner from predatory financing, or making sure survivors of crime have support when they need it most, these laws make government work better for people and deliver real results.”

Assemblywoman Schiavo’s bills signed into law include:

Consumer Protection & Financial Security

• Protecting Families from Financial Delay Act (AB 1660): Protects vulnerable individuals and holds institutions accountable for unnecessary delays by ensuring financial institutions promptly comply with public guardians’ requests for financial information and assets.
• Protect Small Business from Predatory Lending Act (AB 2116): Saves small businesses time and money by preventing surprise contract terms or hidden fees from unregulated financiers.

Lowering Costs for Patients & Ratepayers

• Utility Rate Transparency Act (AB 1715): Holds utility companies accountable by ensuring savings from public financing the utility receives are passed along to ratepayers.
• Public Hospital Physician Stability Act (AB 2311): Keeps health care services available by allowing some public healthcare district hospitals to directly employ physicians.

Public Health & Public Safety

• Landfill Safety Act (AB 28): Better prevents public health disasters like the one at Chiquita Canyon Landfill from occurring by requiring action if early warnings are seen, formalizing state oversight to control landfill temperature, and creating strong public health responses in the event a disaster occurs.
• Landfill Data Transparency Act (AB 2674): Better protects public health by making landfill temperature and gas data publicly available online, so communities can identify warning signs.
• Sexual Predator Accountability Act (AB 2147): Helps protect and support crime survivors and improves prosecution of serial sexual offenses perpetrated across multiple counties.

Housing Affordability

• Electric Vehicle Charger Affordability Act (AB 1820): Reduces costs for EV charger installation in multifamily housing by capping permitting fees, making clean transportation more accessible.
• Multifamily Housing Fast-track Cleanup Act (AB 2390): Ensures housing projects eligible for streamlined approval are not delayed by shifting standards during the process that can unexpectedly increase construction costs.

Supporting Veterans

• Faster Services for Veterans Act (AB 2219): Helps to ensure veterans and their families receive the comprehensive and timely support they deserve by strengthening collaboration between the California Department of Veterans Affairs and County Veteran Service Officers.
• Veterans Property Tax Relief (SB 296): Provides total exemption from property tax up to $1 million in home value for low-income disabled veterans and 50% exemption for all other qualifying disabled veterans.* “Getting these bills signed into law is the result of months of work with residents, advocates, local leaders, and organizations who helped identify problems and push for solutions,” Assemblywoman Schiavo said. 

“I’m thankful to everyone who shared their experiences and worked with us to pass these bills, and I’m looking forward to seeing these new laws make a real difference for people across California.”

Ed. Note: The above information was provided by Schiavo’s Office.

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