Cars crossing the Bay Bridge headed into San Francisco on August 24, 2022. Photo by Carlos Barria, Reuters
In Tuesday’s newsletter, I mentioned some of the new laws California will enact. Now let’s dig into what didn’t make it past the governor’s desk.
At the end of this year’s legislative session, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed 123 out of the 917 total bills lawmakers sent to him — a slightly lower veto rate of 13.4% compared to last year’s 15.7%.
One of the bills he spiked Monday would have raised the cap car dealers can charge to process Department of Motor Vehicles’ and other paperwork from $85 to $260, writes CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow.
In his veto message, the governor said that consumers could be charged “hundreds more for only minutes of data entry” even though there are no new state requirements and DMV processes are getting more streamlined.
Newsom also rejected a handful of bills intended to expand health care coverage, such as ones that would have required health insurers to cover a year’s worth of prescription hormone therapy; treatment for menopause; and behavioral health visits for wildfire victims. In his veto messages, he repeatedly said California lawmakers should avoid enacting policies that would drive up health care costs “at a time when individuals are facing double-digit rate increases in their health care premiums” nationwide.
Other notable bills Newsom vetoed:
Immigration raids and schools: Citing “substantial cost pressures,” Newsom vetoed a bill that would enable schools to avoid defunding due to drops in attendance from “immigration enforcement activity.” The bill was introduced in response to January’s federal immigration raids in Kern County.
Focus on Inland Empire: Each Wednesday, CalMatters Inland Empire reporter Aidan McGloin surveys the big stories from that part of California. Read his newsletter and sign up here to receive it.
🗓️ CalMatters Events in your community
San Jose: Join CalMatters and Alianza News on Friday for a screening of Operation: Return to Sender, a short documentary uncovering what happened during a Border Patrol raid in Bakersfield. After the film, CalMatters’ Sergio Olmos and others will discuss what the team uncovered. Register.
Stockton: Hear from some of the candidates running for governor at the California Economic Summit’s Governor Candidate Forum on Oct. 23. CalMatters, California Forward and 21st Century Alliance are co-hosting the discussion. Register.
Other Stories You Should Know
The clash over CA’s antisemitism prevention measure
Students in a classroom at a high school in California on March 1, 2022. Photo by Salgu Wissmath for CalMatters
One bill Newsom did approve was a highly contentious measure intended to curb antisemitism in schools by restricting what teachers could mention and teach in classrooms. The bill forced many Democratic lawmakers to grapple the needs of Jewish communities, a key voting block, with the intense outrage of a growing pro-Palestinian base, report CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu and Mikhail Zinshteyn.
After several rounds of rewriting, Assembly Bill 715 ultimately bans using professional development materials that violate the state’s anti-discrimination laws. It also requires “factually accurate” instruction that is free of “advocacy, personal opinion, bias, or partisanship.”
Issuing warnings that the measure could censor free speech, some Democratic lawmakers voted to pass the bill nonetheless. Others abstained, including Assemblymember Robert Garcia of Rancho Cucamonga, who said the bill “only reinforces broader national trends of … erasing historically relevant curriculum.”
The issue was so controversial that when the bill arrived in June before the Senate Education Committee, it still had no substantive language, said Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez. The Pasadena Democrat and chairperson of the committee added that some lawmakers told her either to leave it untouched as well, or left it up to her to “take care of it.”
Pérez: “The ball got thrown to me. And people knew that they were doing that.”
Kaiser nurses go on strike
Striking Kaiser Permanente workers hold signs as they march in front of the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland on Oct. 14, 2025. Photo by Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
From CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang:
At 7 a.m. sharp Tuesday, tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees across California walked off the job, starting the largest strike in their union’s history.
The union — United Nurse Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals — represents 31,000 registered nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other health workers.
Many, holding umbrellas and signs saying “Fair Contract NOW,” stood outside medical centers in the pouring rain.
The strike, which Kaiser called “unnecessary and disruptive,” will end Oct. 19.
At issue are salaries, benefits and staffing levels. The union wants a 25% raise over four years and limits on how many patients providers see in a day.
Christopher Pereida, a nurse practitioner in Lancaster: “The strike is about patient care, patient safety and having Kaiser put patients over profits.”
Kaiser argues the union’s demands would force the company to increase premiums for patients.
Twelve thousand Kaiser workers in Oregon and Hawaii are also striking.
And lastly: San Mateo County ousts sheriff, makes history
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus speaks during a press conference in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2023. Photo by Nhat V. Meyer, East Bay Times via Getty Images
On Tuesday San Mateo County’s board of supervisors voted to oust Sheriff Christina Corpus from office — wrapping up what it considered “a tragic, destructive and grossly expensive chapter” in the county’s history. It is the first time California has removed a sheriff from their post. Read more from CalMatters’ Nigel Duara.
Other things worth your time:
For years a race-based medical calculation delayed Black patients access to life-saving kidney transplants // The Markup
It’s hard to find resources while on the transplant list. These sites want to change that // The Markup
Trump fires federal workers in CA as part of shutdown layoffs // The Sacramento Bee
CA ballot design prompts false conspiracy theories that the November election is rigged // Los Angeles Times
Faculty union sues CSU to shield personal information from Trump // San Francisco Chronicle
Campaigning in Spanish takes on new meaning for candidates in CA governor’s race // LAist
CA sets record for zero-emission vehicle sales. But what happens next? // The San Diego Union-Tribune
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Lynn La is the newsletter writer for CalMatters, focusing on California’s top political, policy and Capitol stories every weekday. She produces and curates WhatMatters, CalMatters’ flagship daily newsletter…
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