Bill Text: CA AB503 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Bill 503

Bill Title: School facilities: Civic Center Act: direct costs.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2025-10-01 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 156, Statutes of 2025. [AB503 Detail]

Download: California-2025-AB503-Chaptered.html

Assembly Bill No. 503

CHAPTER 156

An act to amend Section 38134 of the Education Code, relating to school facilities, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

[ Approved by Governor October 01, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 01, 2025. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 503, Mark González. School facilities: Civic Center Act: direct costs.

The Civic Center Act authorizes, and in some instances requires, the governing board of a school district to allow the use of school facilities or grounds as a civic center, for specified purposes. The act authorizes or requires, as applicable, the governing board of a school district to charge a fee, not to exceed the school district’s direct costs, as defined, for use of its school facilities or grounds. Existing law, for these purposes, defines “direct costs” to mean the costs of supplies, utilities, janitorial services, services of school district employees, and salaries paid to school district employees directly associated with the administration of this section necessitated by the entity’s use of the school facilities or grounds. Existing law, until January 1, 2025, expanded the definition of direct costs to include a specified share of the operating and maintenance costs proportional to the entity’s use of the school facilities or grounds and a share of the costs for maintenance, repair, restoration, and refurbishment of the school facilities or grounds proportional to that entity’s use of the school facilities or grounds, as specified.

This bill would restore, indefinitely, the above-described expanded definition of direct costs that was repealed as of January 1, 2025. The bill would require funds collected relating to maintenance, repair, restoration, and refurbishment to be deposited into a special fund and to be used only for certain purposes.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Vote: 2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 38134 of the Education Code is amended to read:

38134.

(a) (1) The governing board of a school district shall authorize the use of school facilities or grounds under its control by a nonprofit organization, or by a club or an association organized to promote youth and school activities, including, but not necessarily limited to, any of the following:

(A) The Girl Scouts; the Boy Scouts; Camp Fire USA; or the YMCA.

(B) A parent-teacher association.

(D) A recreational youth sports league that charges participants no more than a nominal fee. As used in this subparagraph, “nominal fee” means an average of no more than sixty dollars ($60) per month.

(2) This subdivision does not apply to a group that uses school facilities or grounds for fundraising activities that are not beneficial to youth or public school activities of the school district, as determined by the governing board of the school district.

(b) Except as otherwise provided by law, a governing board of a school district may charge an amount not to exceed its direct costs for use of its school facilities or grounds pursuant to this section. A governing board of a school district that levies these charges shall first adopt a policy specifying which activities shall be charged an amount not to exceed direct costs.

(c) The governing board of a school district may charge an amount, not to exceed its direct costs for use of its school facilities or grounds by the entity using the school facilities or grounds, including a religious organization or church, that arranges for and supervises sports league activities for youths as described in paragraph (6) of subdivision (b) of Section 38131.

(d) The governing board of a school district that authorizes the use of school facilities or grounds for the purpose specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 38131 shall charge the church or religious organization an amount at least equal to the school district’s direct costs.

(e) In the case of entertainment or a meeting where an admission fee is charged or contributions are solicited, and the net receipts are not expended for the welfare of the pupils of the school district or for charitable purposes, a charge equal to fair rental value shall be levied for the use of the school facilities or grounds.

(f) If the use of school facilities or grounds under this section results in the destruction of school property, the entity using the school facilities or grounds may be charged for an amount necessary to repay the damages, and further use of facilities or grounds by that entity may be denied.

(g) As used in this section:

(1) “Direct costs” to the school district for the use of school facilities or grounds includes all of the following:

(A) The share of the costs of supplies, utilities, janitorial services, services of school district employees, and salaries paid to school district employees directly associated with the administration of this section to operate and maintain school facilities or grounds that is proportional to the entity’s use of the school facilities or grounds under this section.

(B) The share of the costs for maintenance, repair, restoration, and refurbishment, proportional to the use of the school facilities or grounds by the entity using the school facilities or grounds under this section as follows:

(i) For purposes of this subparagraph, “school facilities” shall be limited to only nonclassroom space, and “school grounds” shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, playing fields, athletic fields, track and field venues, tennis courts, and outdoor basketball courts.

(ii) The share of the cost for maintenance, repair, restoration, and refurbishment shall not apply to:

(I) Classroom-based programs that operate after school hours, including, but not necessarily limited to, after school programs, tutoring programs, or child care programs.

(II) Organizations retained by the school or school district to provide instruction or instructional activities to pupils during school hours.

(iii) Funds collected under this subparagraph shall be deposited into a special fund that shall only be used for purposes of this section.

(2) “Fair rental value” means the direct costs to the school district plus the amortized costs of the school facilities or grounds used for the duration of the activity authorized.

(h) (1) A school district authorizing the use of school facilities or grounds under subdivision (a) is liable for an injury resulting from the negligence of the school district in the ownership and maintenance of the school facilities or grounds. An entity using school facilities or grounds under this section is liable for an injury resulting from the negligence of that entity during the use of the school facilities or grounds. The school district and the entity using the school facilities or grounds under this section shall each bear the cost of insuring against its respective risks and shall each bear the costs of defending itself against claims arising from those risks.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law, this subdivision shall not be waived. This subdivision does not limit or affect the immunity or liability of a school district under Division 3.6 (commencing with Section 810) of Title 1 of the Government Code for an injury caused by a dangerous condition of public property.

SEC. 2.

This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

In order for school districts to provide safe and high-quality public spaces as soon as possible, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.