Policy is where ideas meet power. It’s the bridge between the world we have and the one we want. As we work to dismantle systems of oppression, we are also advancing policy ideas that protect our communities today and laying the foundation for just and loving systems.
That’s why I want to highlight four new bills coming out of the 2025 Solís Policy Institute, a program that brings together grassroots organizers and policymakers to co-create legislation that tackles some of the toughest issues facing Californians today. These bills aren’t just ideas—they’re blueprints for a more just economy, housing system, criminal justice system, and health care system.
- Economic Security
AB 969 – CalWORKs: Family Violence Option and Gender-Based Violence Information
Author: Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez
Survivors of gender-based violence often face an impossible choice: safety or economic stability. AB 969 fixes that by making it easier to access CalWORKs benefits, ensuring survivors can support themselves and their families without unnecessary barriers.
- Sheltering Survivors
AB 878 – Victims of Abuse or Violence: Reasonable Accommodations
Author: Assemblymember Ash Kalra
Housing isn’t just about shelter—it’s about safety. AB 878 ensures that survivors of violence can get the accommodations they need without risking eviction or retaliation from landlords. - Criminal Justice Reform
SB 498 – County Detention: Commissary
Author: Senator Josh Becker
Poverty should not be punitive. Right now, people in county jails and juvenile detention centers have to pay for basic hygiene products, often taking on debt to afford necessities. SB 498 establishes a uniform indigence threshold, ensuring that no one is denied basic hygiene because they can’t afford it. - Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice
SB 418 – Health Care Coverage: Nondiscrimination
Author: Senator Caroline Menjivar
Health care discrimination is often invisible—until it happens to you. SB 418 explicitly bans discrimination in health insurance coverage based on race, gender identity, pregnancy status, and more, ensuring no one is denied care because of who they are.
These bills don’t solve every problem, but they represent a serious commitment to making California a place where economic security, housing, justice, and health care are rights, not privileges. If that’s a future you believe in, I hope you’ll follow along and support these efforts as they move forward.