California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Introduce 2026 Priority and Endorsed Bill Packages
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2026 Caucus Contacts: Natalia Garcia & Jacob Fraker |
California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Introduce 2026 Priority and Endorsed Bill Packages
*An archive of the press conference can be found here.
*A folder of photos from the press conference can be found here.
*More information on the LGBTQ Caucus Priority & Endorsed Bill Packages can be found here.
(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, comprised of 14 Members of the Legislature, announced its annual legislative priority and endorsed bill package. The priority and endorsed packages cover top issues impacting our communities across California, including: Health and Mental Health Supports; Enhancing Supports in Education; Enhancing Public Safety; Supporting Families; Supporting Veterans; Combatting Hate; and Data Privacy. Specifically, bills under the priority and endorsed packages include:
“Sponsored” Priorities (in numerical order)
Asm. Mark González: AB 1540 – Restore LGBTQ+ 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline
Bucket: Health & Mental Health Supports
Asm. Chris Ward, Chair: AB 1775 – Support for Discharged Service Members
Bucket: Supporting Veterans
Asm. Rick Chavez Zbur: AB 1930 – Defending Protected Health Care in California
Bucket: Data Privacy
Sen. Scott Wiener: SB 934 – Safeguards for Conversion Therapy Survivors
Bucket: Health & Mental Health Supports
Sen. John Laird: SB 1023– Enhanced Access to PrEP
Bucket: Health & Mental Health Supports
Sen. Christopher Cabaldon: SB 1114 – SOGI Data Privacy
Bucket: Data Privacy
Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, Vice Chair SB 1328 – LGBTQ+ Higher Education Equity for Satellite Campuses
Bucket: Enhancing Supports in Education
“Supported” Endorsements (in numerical order)
Asm. José Luis Solache: AB 908 – LIFT Act** [TWO-YEAR BILL]
Bucket: Enhancing Supports in Education
Dr. Corey Jackson: AB 1578 – Antihate Speech Training
Bucket: Combatting Hate
Asms. Jesse Gabriel and Chris Ward: AB 1836 – Non-Profit Security Grant Program
Bucket: Enhancing Public Safety
Asm. Dawn Addis: AB 1876 – Protections in Health Care
Bucket: Health & Mental Health Supports
Asm. Sade Elhawary: AB 2014 – Preventing Gender Bias in Criminal Trials
Bucket: Enhancing Public Safety
Asm. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan: AB 2164 – Care Without Fear Act
Bucket: Enhancing Public Safety
Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez: SB 957 – Dating App Safety Policies
Bucket: Enhancing Public Safety
Sen. Lena Gonzalez: SB 998 – Discrimination Prevention Coordinators
Bucket: Enhancing Supports in Education
Sen. María Elena Durazo) SB 1149 – Bereavement Leave for Chosen Families
Bucket: Supporting Families
“While our community is unfortunately all too familiar with difficult moments in history, that does not make the fear and uncertainty many LGBTQ+ people are feeling right now any less real,” said Assemblymember Chris Ward, Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus. “Across the country, we are seeing growing efforts to erase transgender people, restrict health care, and undermine the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals. In California, we will not stand idly by. Our 2026 legislative priorities respond to this moment – defending Californians from harmful policies while addressing everyday needs: expanding health and mental health care, strengthening protections in education, enhancing public safety, supporting families and veterans, combating hate, and safeguarding sensitive personal data. Together, this package ensures California continues to lead the nation in advancing equality, opportunity, and safety for all.”
“We must continue to stand up for equality, safety, and opportunity for our LGBTQ+ community,” said Senator Sabrina Cervantes, Vice Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus. “Currently, California requires our public colleges and universities to designate confidential LGBTQ+ liaisons on campus – but that protection currently stops at the main campus. SB 1328 closes that gap by requiring the CSU and community college systems to designate a confidential employee at satellite campuses as well. Every college student deserves access to support, no matter where they take classes.”
State legislatures across the nation saw over 600 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in 2025 alone, an increase of nearly 100 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced from 2024. This legislative session, state legislatures are on track to introduce over 600 anti-LGBTQ+ bills again – with nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills already introduced as of early March 2026. In the face of increased anti-LGBTQ+ directives at the federal level as well as rising hate and hostility towards LGBTQ+ community members, especially transgender individuals, it is of vital importance to the LGBTQ Caucus that California remains a leader in upholding the rights, safety, and well-being of all who reside in the state.
Bills in the priority and endorsed packages will be heard across various policy committees this spring.
WHAT OUR CAUCUS MEMBERS ARE SAYING:
“Federal agencies, including but not limited to ICE, are demanding information from states like ours so that they can target, deport, kidnap, and otherwise assault Americans of all types, immigrants and LGBTQ Americans including transgender Americans especially,” said Senator Christopher Cabaldon (D- Yolo). “That is why I am introducing Senate Bill 1114 which will protect that data that is so critical to serving Californians, protect it from being used by the federal government to target us. Privacy is fundamental to dignity, safety, and equality, and SB 1114 helps ensure those protections remain strong for LGBTQ+ communities.”
“Everyone deserves a fair trial based on facts and evidence – not harmful stereotypes about who they are,” said Assemblymember Sade Elhawary (D- South Los Angeles). “Too often, our communities have faced bias in courtrooms where arguments focus on how someone dresses, who they love, or how they express themselves rather than the facts of the case. AB 2014 ensures judges take a closer look before allowing these kinds of assertions into the court so that bias does not influence the outcome of a trial. Our courts should focus on the facts and evidence of what actually happened, not on assumptions about someone’s identity.”
“We have seen decades of hard-fought rights and services rolled back under this federal administration, including access to this proven lifesaving hotline,” said Assemblymember Mark González (D- Los Angeles). “We will not stand by as our youth are pushed into crisis, lost to suicide, and forgotten. With AB 1540, California affirms its commitment and ensures we will not abandon our young people. I stand proudly with my LGBTQ+ Caucus colleagues in putting forward legislation that says enough is enough. California will always stand up for our community, especially in times of darkness and oppression by this federal administration.”
“Our communities continue to face rising hate and hostility, and the language used by public officials can have real-world consequences,” said Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson (D- Moreno Valley). “According to the California Commission on the State of Hate, there is direct correlation between harmful rhetoric and increases in hate crimes. AB 1578 will require elected officials across California to receive training on hate speech and its impacts, ensuring we understand the power of our words and the responsibility that comes with public leadership. It’s time for us to lead by example and help create a safer, more respectful environment for everyone.”
"Forty-one years ago, I was one of six gay men who helped found the Santa Cruz AIDS Project, our local AIDS service agency. When I ran that agency in the early 1990s, there were no effective drug therapies. We were regularly losing clients who were our friends and neighbors," said State Senator John Laird (D- Santa Cruz). "Today, we have powerful tools to prevent HIV, including Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Senate Bill 1023 will help expand access to this lifesaving treatment by reducing administrative burdens and financial barriers for community clinics. The bill ensures that health plans that already cover PrEP also provide reimbursement through the pharmacy benefit system, allowing clinics to offer these medications without having to manage expensive drug inventory or complex billing processes. I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this bill forward and strengthen California’s leadership in HIV prevention.”
“The federal regime seeks to eradicate the LGBTQ+ community by dismantling our civil rights, denying us from public life, and stripping away life-saving medical care. Our existence is under attack like never before,” said Assemblymember Alex Lee (D- San Jose). “The LGBTQ Caucus’ priority and endorsed legislation will ensure that California’s schools, hospitals, and public spaces are safe and inclusive. We’re committed to combating hate and defending access to gender-affirming care. In the face of Trump’s attempts to deprive us of our freedoms, California must lead the nation in protecting every person’s right to live authentically.”
“Public safety must include the safety of women and LGBTQ+ people in every space, including online spaces where many people form connections and build community,” said Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D- Pasadena). “Across the country, we have seen troubling incidents where individuals misuse dating apps to harass, exploit, and physically harm our community members. As part of this year’s LGBTQ Caucus legislative package, we are working to ensure stronger safeguards that protect users from abuse and help hold perpetrators accountable. Everyone deserves to feel safe being themselves, whether that is in their communities or while connecting with others online.”
“As a former school board member, I am proud to have introduced AB 908, the LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Fair Treatment in Schools (LIFT) Act. This measure aims to address the disproportionate challenges our LGBTQ+ students face and safeguard supportive, inclusive environments in our schools,” said Assemblymember José Luis Solache (D- Lynwood). “Our LGBTQ Caucus remains committed to ensuring the safety, wellbeing, and success of all students.”
“Make no mistake: Conversion therapy is psychological torture, and California will always stand strong with LGBTQ youth to protect them from the extremist movement to harm them,” said Senator Scott Wiener (D- San Francisco). “SB 934 provides these safeguards by strengthening the ability of survivors to seek justice and compensation in court through malpractice claims. Survivors struggle with deep scars from this treatment for years and years, and they deserve the right to justice for what has been done to them.”
“Across the country, we are seeing increasing efforts to bully and intimidate patients and providers who deliver or need reproductive health care and gender-affirming care. These efforts have raised serious concerns about privacy and safety, and ultimately contributed to the closure of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Center for TransYouth Health and Development,” said Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D- West Hollywood). “AB 1930 protects transgender patients and patients who receive reproductive health care services and their health care providers. This bill requires business entities in California to notify the California Attorney General before they respond to a subpoena or inquiry regarding legally protected health care activity, and also authorizes the Attorney General to respond and intervene to protect them.”
For questions or to schedule an interview with Chair Ward, contact [email protected] with [email protected] cc’d. For questions or to schedule an interview with Vice Chair Cervantes, contact [email protected] with [email protected] cc’d.
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About the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus
California’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus was formed in 2002 to create a forum for California Legislators to discuss issues that affect LGBTQ Californians and to further the goal of equality and justice for all Californians. California became the first state in the United States to officially form a caucus of openly-LGBTQ state legislators and continues to be a leader of progress for all Americans. In 2025, our membership hit a new milestone of 14 members, maintaining its position as one of the largest LGBTQ Caucus in the Nation, and continues to remain strong. Despite tremendous progress and an unprecedented swell of support for the LGBTQ community worldwide, there is still much work to do to protect and uplift the most vulnerable in our community. The LGBTQ Caucus strives to advocate for diversity and inclusion of all people, including differently abled bodies. Our Caucus is working diligently to support LGBTQ leaders that represent our community at the local, state, and federal levels.
For more information on how to support the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus’s 2026 Priority and Endorsed Bill Package, please visit https://lgbtqcaucus.legislature.ca.gov/legislative-priorities/2026.
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