Bill Text: CA SB702 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Senate Bill 702

Bill Title: Legislative and gubernatorial appointments: report.

Sponsorship: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-1)

Status: (Passed) 2025-10-06 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 423, Statutes of 2025. [SB702 Detail]

Download: California-2025-SB702-Chaptered.html

Senate Bill No. 702

CHAPTER 423

An act to add Sections 1305 and 1306 to the Government Code, relating to state government.

[ Approved by Governor October 06, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 06, 2025. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 702, Limón. Legislative and gubernatorial appointments: report.

Existing law establishes various boards and commissions in state government with specified duties and responsibilities. Existing law generally provides for legislative oversight of state board formation, which includes, among other things, any administrative or regulatory board, commission, and committee, whose members are appointed by the Governor, the Legislature, or both. Existing law requires the Governor to appoint every officer whose mode of appointment is not prescribed by law.

This bill would require the office of the Governor, commencing January 1, 2027, to maintain on its internet website a list of each state board and commission and the membership list, stated purpose, duties, meeting frequency, internet website, and vacancies in the membership for each board or commission. The bill would require the office of the Governor, on or before January 31, 2028, and annually on January 31 thereafter, to create and publish on its internet website a report containing aggregate demographic information, as defined, of appointments made by the office during the prior calendar year, as specified.

The bill would require the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, commencing January 1, 2027, to maintain on their respective internet websites, or to include a link on their respective internet websites to any available resources that contain, a list of each state board or commission that each house has appointment authority over and the membership list, stated purpose, duties, meeting frequency, internet website, and any vacancies in the membership for that board or commission. The bill would also require the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, on or before January 31, 2028, and annually on January 31 thereafter, to publish on their respective internet websites, to the extent available, aggregate demographic information, as defined, on their respective legislative appointments, made during the prior calendar year, as specified. The bill would require the aggregate demographic information to only include legislative appointments created by statute, and prohibit the information from including ex officio appointments of members of the Senate and the Assembly.

The bill would require the above-described published aggregate demographic information on gubernatorial or legislative appointments to, among other things, be published on the respective entity’s internet websites in a prescribed manner for purposes of ensuring the anonymity of the appointed individuals.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

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

SECTION 1.

Section 1305 is added to the Government Code, immediately following Section 1304, to read:

1305.

(a) Commencing January 1, 2027, the office of the Governor shall maintain on its internet website a list of each state board or commission, as well as the board or commission’s membership list, stated purpose, duties, meeting frequency, internet website, and any vacancies in its membership.

(b) (1) On or before January 31, 2028, and annually on January 31 thereafter, the office of the Governor shall create and publish on its internet website a report that contains aggregate demographic information, to the extent available, of appointments by the office of the Governor from January 1 to December 31, inclusive, of the previous year.

(2) (A) The aggregate demographic information shall be published in a manner that does not disclose any personal information and ensures the anonymity of the appointed individuals.

(B) (i) The aggregate demographic information shall include the following disclaimer: “Reporting of demographic information by appointed individuals is not required. Therefore, this information only includes voluntarily reported data and does not accurately reflect the demographics of all appointments.”

(ii) Any organization or individual that utilizes or republishes the aggregate demographic information is encouraged to include the disclaimer described in clause (i).

(c) For purposes of this section, “demographic information” includes the voluntarily self-reported ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, county of residence, party affiliation, and military service of the appointed individuals.

SEC. 2.

Section 1306 is added to the Government Code, immediately following Section 1305, to read:

1306.

(a) Commencing January 1, 2027, the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly shall maintain on their respective internet websites, or include a link on their respective internet websites to any available resources that contain, a list of each state board or commission that each house has appointment authority over, as well as the board or commission’s membership list, stated purpose, duties, meeting frequency, internet website, and any vacancies in its membership.

(b) (1) On or before January 31, 2028, and annually on January 31 thereafter, the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly shall publish on their respective internet websites, to the extent available, aggregate demographic information on the respective legislative appointments of each house, made from January 1 to December 31, inclusive, of the previous calendar year.

(2) (A) The aggregate demographic information shall only include legislative appointments created by statute, and shall not include ex officio appointments of members of the Senate and the Assembly.

(B) The aggregate demographic information shall be published in a manner that does not disclose any personal information and ensures the anonymity of the appointed individuals.

(C) (i) The aggregate demographic information shall include the following disclaimer: “Reporting of demographic information by appointed individuals is not required. Therefore, this information only includes voluntarily reported data and does not accurately reflect the demographics of all legislative appointments.”

(ii) Any organization or individual that utilizes or republishes the aggregate demographic information is encouraged to include the disclaimer described in clause (i).