State Legislation

PRIORITY BILLS IMPACTING OFFICE, INDUSTRIAL, AND RETAIL COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES

This year, BOMA/GLA vetted over 400 bills in the California State Legislature that impact commercial real estate in partnership with BOMA California, our statewide federation. In that process, we determined a legislative agenda that impacts all elements of your building operations: adaptive reuse, building permit processes, collective bargaining, and more.   

Below is a small sampling of the most important bills facing our industry this year, along with our existing positions and their status. For a full list of bills our industry is engaged on click here. 

 

AB 2433 (Quirk-Silva; D-Fullerton) - Tackles the long wait times in the building permit process by creating flexible fee structures and inspection timelines. As well as allowing the use of private professional services under certain conditions. 

Position: Support. 

Status: DEAD after being withdrawn by the author.

 

AB 3196 (Nguyen; D-Elk Grove) - Sets clear timelines for resolving commercial property disputes, reducing delays and costs.  

Position: Support. 

Status: DEAD. Passed the Assembly but then held in Senate appropriations Committee.  

 

AB 3068 (Haney; D-San Francisco) & AB 2910 (Santiago; D-Los Angeles) - Promotes converting commercial spaces into homes or mixed-use areas with financial incentives and simpler permissions.  

Position: Support. 

Status: Both bills were vetoed by the Governor.  

 

AB 1802 (Jones-Sawyer; D - Los Angeles) - Establishes Organized Retail Theft as a crime and makes permanent the California Highway Patrol's property crimes task force.   

Position: Support. 

Status: Signed into law by the Governor.

 

AB 1960 (Rivas; D - Monterey) - Increases penalties for those who take or destroy property while in the process of committing a felony. 

Position: Support. 

Status: Signed into law by the Governor. 

 

SB 982 (Wahab; D – Hayward) - Extends existing laws that criminalize organized retail theft indefinitely. 

Position: Support. 

Status: Signed into law by the Governor.   

 

SB 1416 (Newman; D - Los Angeles) - Adds jail time for those who steal and try to sell more than $50,000 worth of goods. 

Position: Support. 

Status: Signed into law by the Governor.  

 

AB 2943 (Zbur; D – Los Angeles) - Creates a new crime, "criminal deprivation of a retail business opportunity," that can be charged as either a misdemeanor or felony with a maximum sentence of up to three years in county jail. It mainly targets organized crime rings that focus on retail theft. 

Position: Support. 

Status: Signed into law by the Governor. 

 

AB 1990 (Carrillo; D – Los Angeles) - This bill lets police arrest someone for shoplifting without a warrant if they have probable cause, even if they didn't see it happen, and expands existing laws on shoplifting and detaining suspects. 

Position: Support. 

Status: DEAD. Passed Assembly, but was then held in the Senate Public Safety Committee.  

 

SB 1103 (Menjivar; D–Van Nuys) - Imposes costly mandates on landlords, including translation requirements and limits on expense recovery, potentially raising rents and reducing leasing flexibility.  

Position: Oppose. 

Status: Signed into law by the Governor.

 

AB 2364 (Rivas; D-Los Angeles) - Would create a council (like the Fast-Food Council) that then would be empowered to set regulations around workplace conditions, undermining the collective bargaining process.  

Position: Oppose. 

Status: Signed into law by the Governor. 

 

AB 2374 (Haney; D-San Francisco) - Extends the time janitors must be kept after losing their jobs to 90 days and requires preferential hiring based on seniority, potentially raising operating costs for properties and tenants due to the retention of extra employees.  

Position: Oppose. 

Status: DEAD. Passed Assembly and held in the Senate Judiciary Committee.