VIDEO: ‘2026 Is About Affordability, Accountability and the Fight. Let’s Go!’

January is in the books and the California Assembly is full-speed ahead executing its legislative priorities for the year. In a new video, Speaker Rivas discusses his commitment to protecting taxpayers from rising costs, federal overreach and economic un

• Nick Miller
• Communications Director
• 916-319-2029
• [email protected]

SACRAMENTO - January is in the books and Speaker Rivas and the California State Assembly are full-speed ahead advancing legislative priorities for 2026.

Watch the following video from Speaker Robert Rivas, who discusses the Assembly's top priorities, including protecting California's progress and taxpayers from hostile action by the Trump administration, and advancing solutions that sustain health care access and essential services and programs:

In 2025, Assembly Democrats delivered on issues that have long been considered intractable or impossible, setting the tone and the pace for tackling affordability - and marking the most productive Assembly session in two decades.

Building on that momentum, Speaker Rivas got straight to work in January, underscoring the urgency of the Legislature's work and the importance of delivering results for Californians in the year ahead.

The following are some of the Assembly's top priorities for this legislative year:

Protecting California's Hard-Earned Dollars

• Why It Matters
  • California taxpayers contribute billions more to the federal government than they receive back - yet time and again, Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration have treated California as a political target rather than a partner.
  • From threats to freeze child careand health care funding, to attacks on food assistance, disaster relief, and immigrant communitiesthat power our economy, federal actions have placed California families, businesses, and local governments directly in the crossfire of Donald Trump's dysfunction.
• What the Assembly has Accomplished
  • In the first weeks of the current Trump Administration, the Legislature allocated $25 millionto the California Department of Justice to protect taxpayers and the state's economy from hostile action in Washington.
  • One year in, the state has filed 54 lawsuits, winning rulings in the vast majority. Most importantly, the lawsuits have protected an approximate $188 billion in funding that Californians depend on.
• What We're Working on Now
  • Speaker Rivas and the Assembly will continue to use every tool available - legislative, budgetary, and legal - to defend the programs Californians already paid for and rely on every day.
  • When Washington fails to act, the Legislature will step in to shield residents and keep the state moving forward.

Protecting Health Care Is a Win for Affordability

• Why It Matters
  • Ensuring Californians can afford to see a doctor remains central to the Assembly's agenda.
  • Millions of families are facing sharply higher costs because Trump and Congressional Republicans refused to extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits before they expired at the end of last year.
  • As of January 2026, the nearly 2 million Californians enrolled in Covered California saw their premiums jump, and many are weighing whether they can keep their coverage at all.
• What the Assembly has Accomplished
  • The state budget includes $195 million for Covered California subsidies, allowing the lowest-income Californians to access plans with zero monthly premiums.
  • California invested over $140 million to protect Planned Parenthood and safeguard reproductive care amid GOP defunding.
  • The Legislature's Distressed Hospital Loan Program has already helped keep hospitals open and preserve access in underserved areas.
• What We're Working on Now
  • While state action cannot fully blunt federal harm, Assembly Democrats remain focused on what can be doneto reduce costs, preserve coverage, and prevent families from being forced to choose between their health and their household budgets.
  • The Legislature is working toward an early budget actionthat would strengthen Planned Parenthood and protect women's health clinics and services.

Building Homes Faster, Improving Housing Affordability

• Why It Matters
  • We know housing affordability is the No. 1 challenge that families face in California.
  • Increasing housing supply is the only path out of California's affordability crisis.
• What the Assembly has Accomplished
  • In 2025, the Assembly delivered landmark housing lawsthat fundamentally reshapehow housing is built in California by making it easier and less costly to build homes.
  • These are structural reforms designed to change the state's housing trajectoryand bring real relief, lower costs and expand housing options for working families, renters, and first-time homebuyers.
• What We're Working on Now
  • The Assembly will continue to streamline permitting, reduce bureaucratic delays, and accelerate housing production - especially near the jobs, schools, transit, and communities where Californians live and work.
  • Continued focus will be on turning these landmark reforms into on-the-ground results. That means ensuring new laws are implemented as intended, holding agencies and local governments accountable, and continuing to refine policies that help housing projects break ground faster.
  • This is how California builds its way out of the housing crisis - with urgency, accountability, and a clear focus on results.

Growing the Economy and Creating Good-Paying Jobs

• Why It Matters
  • When Californians are working in stable, well-compensated jobs, families can better afford housing, health care, child care, and the rising costs of daily life.
  • California must continue to advance economic growth even as Washington policies create uncertainty and headwinds.
  • From tariffs that raise costs for businesses and consumers, to federal inaction that undermines workforce stability, California cannot afford to let failed federal decisions stall opportunity.
• What the Assembly has Accomplished
  • We passed landmark energy affordability and climate legislationlast year that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs statewide while saving Californians money on their utility bills.
• What We're Working on Now
  • Under Speaker Rivas' leadership, the Legislature will focus on policies that responsibly accelerate growth in California's most dynamic and job-creating sectors: clean energy, artificial intelligence, agriculture, and entertainment and tourism.

Strengthening Connection Between Farms and Food Assistance Programs

• Why It Matters
  • The strength of California's agricultural sector depends on a stable workforce and a reliable food system. But federal actions like ICE raids that disrupt the labor force, tariffs and economic uncertainty that raise food costs statewide have put unnecessary strain on farms, families, and grocery prices.
  • In the fall of 2025, President Trump and Congressional Republicans refused to act to restore federal funding for core nutrition programs, causing even more uncertainty for Californians. Over 5.5 million Californians, including children, seniors, veterans, and working families temporarily lost their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (CalFresh) benefitsthat helped them afford groceries and allowed them to put food on the table.
• What the Assembly has Accomplished
  • Facing a crisis last year, the Legislature and Governor moved quickly to fast-track tens of millions of dollars to local food banks, partner with community organizations and food distribution networksand even deployed the National Guard to assist with heightened demand at food distribution centers. These efforts have helped keep food flowing to families in need as federal assistance lagged.
• What We're Working on Now
  • Speaker Rivas is committed to strengthening the connection between California's world-leading agricultural industry and the families who depend on it.
  • That means advocating for federal policies that stabilize the workforce, protect farmers and farmworkers, and ensure vital food assistance benefits continue to be distributed across the state.
  • It also includes expanding state investments in food banks and nutrition programs, and working with community partners to build a food system that is resilient, equitable, and affordable.

Standing-Up Against Heartless ICE Raids

• Why It Matters
  • Donald Trump's heartless ICE raids have terrorized our communities and wreaked havoc on local economies. And their secret police tactics have only gotten worse.
  • Immigration enforcement last summer led to 742,492 fewer Californians with jobs, according to UC Merced.
• What the Assembly has Accomplished
  • In 2025, the Legislature passed a package of new laws protecting Californians from secret police tactics.
  • Officers engaged in immigration enforcement in California are required to clearly identify themselves, and are barred from warrantless enforcement on school campuses and in hospitals.
• What We're Working on Now
  • Assembly lawmakers are currently introducing legislationand solutions to hold ICE agents and the Trump administration accountable for violence and chaos.

Doubling-Down on Accountability & Oversight

• Why It Matters
  • Speaker Rivas has prioritized oversight since Day One.
  • The Assembly has a duty to ensure that government is working as intended and that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and effectively.
• What the Assembly has Accomplished
  • Oversight has always been a core function of legislative work, particularly within the state budget process, including the creation of Budget Subcommittee 7, which focuses on oversight, including this past week on Trump administration funding cuts to child care
  • More than 30% of all Budget hearings involve oversight of state departments and agencies.
• What We're Working on Now
  • For the first time, Assembly members will have access to a new legislative oversight tooldesigned to assess, review and improve implementation of enacted laws that they have authored or championed.
  • Budget subcommittees will also conduct dozens of public oversight hearings to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used effectively.