California Bills to Support in 2026
On behalf of concerned families and citizens, we respectfully ask PERK supporters, Organizations, and Legislators to oppose the following California bills. We’ve scrutinized these bills under the criteria of how the policy will impact health freedom, protect parental rights, and protect children. With that in mind here is an active list below of the bills we ask you to oppose. It takes less than one minute to send the letter we’ve redrafted for you. .
Summary of each bill below with arguments of support.
AB 68 (SUPPORT)- (GALLAGHER/CASTILLO)
This bill would require schools to automatically excuse an absence if the student misses to observe a religious holiday or ceremony. No written note or request from parents would be required. Schools would not need to approve it in advance.
We support that the bill respects religious freedom by ensuring students can observe their faith without bureaucratic hurdles. Automatically excusing absences reduces administrative burdens on parents and schools, and helps create an inclusive environment where students’ religious practices are acknowledged and accommodated without fear of penalty.
AB 767 (SUPPORT) - (ALANIS)
This bill aims to keep children safe by restricting where sexually violent predators can live after being released under certain conditions. Currently, these individuals cannot live within 1/4 mile of a school if they have a history of sexual crimes against children. This bill adds child daycare centers to that rule and clarifies that private schools include any school for children ages 6 to 18 that is officially registered with the state and publicly listed.
The bill enhances child safety by expanding restrictions on where sexually violent predators can live, now including child daycare centers in addition to schools. By clarifying that private schools for children ages 6–18 are included, it closes potential loopholes and ensures consistent protections across all educational settings. Advocates may emphasize that these measures reduce the risk of predators being in close proximity to vulnerable children and strengthen public confidence in community safety.
AB 1538 (SUPPORT) – (KRELL)
This bill will make it illegal for government officials to use their power to punish or retaliate against people for exercising their constitutional rights, and officials who do so would lose their jobs and be permanently banned from public office.
The bill protects citizens’ constitutional rights by holding government officials accountable if they abuse their power to punish or retaliate. By imposing penalties such as removal from office and a permanent ban on holding public office, the bill deters misconduct, reinforces trust in public institutions, and ensures that officials cannot intimidate or silence individuals for exercising their legal rights.
AB 1628 (SUPPORT) – (RODRIGUEZ)
The bill would expand California’s Safely Surrender Law, raising the age limit for safely surrendering a baby from 72 hours to 30 days old. Parents or lawful caregivers could legally leave a baby at designated sites like fire stations or hospitals without risk of prosecution. Staff at these sites must accept the baby, provide medical care, notify child protective services within 48 hours, and keep the parent’s identity confidential. The bill also updates school sex-education requirements to inform students about the safe-surrender option and the 30-day age limit.
The KID Act protects infants and parents by giving caregivers a longer, safe window—up to 30 days—to surrender a newborn without fear of prosecution. By ensuring babies are immediately cared for medically and safely placed in state custody, the law reduces the risk of abandonment or harm. Confidentiality provisions protect parents’ privacy, while updating school sex-education programs increases awareness of the safe-surrender option, potentially preventing unsafe abandonment and saving lives.
AB 1763 (SUPPORT) – (LEE)
This bill would require schools to automatically excuse an absence if the student misses to observe a religious holiday or ceremony. No written note or request from parents would be required and schools would not need to approve it in advance.
We support that the bill respects religious freedom by ensuring students can observe their faith without bureaucratic hurdles. Automatically excusing absences reduces administrative burdens on parents and schools, and helps create an inclusive environment where students’ religious practices are acknowledged and accommodated without fear of penalty.
AB 1766 (SUPPORT) – (KRELL)
We support this bill because it includes the following measures:
Prioritizing student safety by educating children on human trafficking risks.
Ensuring students receive age-appropriate lessons from kindergarten through high school.
Teaching digital safety skills to help students navigate online spaces safely.
Helping students develop strategies to seek help if they face danger.
Providing annual training for school staff to recognize warning signs and respond effectively.
Focusing on prevention and support rather than punitive measures.
Following a state-guided framework to consistently protect students starting in 2027.
The bill proactively protects students by teaching them age-appropriate lessons on preventing human trafficking and staying safe online, helping children recognize risks early. By providing digital safety skills and help-seeking strategies from kindergarten through high school, the bill equips students to navigate online and real-world dangers safely. Encouraging annual training for school staff ensures adults can identify warning signs and respond effectively, emphasizing prevention and student support rather than waiting for crises to occur.
AB 1998 (SUPPORT) - (CASTILLO)
AB 1998 would amend California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act to redefine “sex” as an individual’s immutable biological sex, limited to female or male as specifically defined in the bill, while still separately listing gender identity and gender expression among protected characteristics. The bill would then require that “intimate spaces” in all business establishments—including bathrooms, showers, changing rooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and other areas where a person would reasonably expect privacy from the opposite sex—be separated based on sex regardless of gender identity or gender expression. It would allow single-occupancy intimate bathrooms to be gender neutral and would also permit family-use intimate spaces so long as sex-separated spaces remain available for both sexes.
SB 1015 (SUPPORT) – (STRICKLAND)
The bill would create a new felony for anyone who recruits, pressures, or uses a minor to harm, harass, groom, or sexually exploit another minor, including via social media or electronic communication. It will also allow minors to be charged with extortion if they threaten or coerce another minor into providing sexual acts or intimate images, including AI-generated content. The bill strengthens penalties to combat online sextortion, grooming, and exploitation of minors.
The “Protecting Our Children from Online Extortion Act” strengthens protections for minors by creating a new felony for those who exploit, groom, or coerce children online, including through social media or electronic communication. By allowing minors to be held accountable for extortion, including threats involving sexual acts or AI-generated images, the bill addresses emerging online dangers and deterrents abusive behavior among peers. Overall, it enhances legal tools to combat sextortion, grooming, and sexual exploitation, helping to keep children safer in digital spaces.
