On March 25, members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), alongside the California Legislative Women’s Caucus (LWC), unveiled a legislative package for 2026 focused on advancing economic and social equity for families across California.
The proposed measures are designed to support women, caregivers, and survivors of violence while addressing economic inequality, strengthening social safety nets, and expanding access to health care.
Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), a member of the CLBC, highlighted the leadership role women lawmakers play in developing policies that strengthen families. Bonta introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 2434, which seeks to improve transparency and safeguard the rights of families visiting incarcerated loved ones in California.
“Women in this legislature and across this state are the ones who hold things together,” Bonta said. “We show up, and we do our work even when the system falls short.”
The legislative package is built around six key priorities: affordability, child care and education, public safety and gender-based violence, health care access, support for vulnerable communities, and workplace and economic equity.
Bonta joined fellow CLBC members Assemblymembers Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton), LaShae Sharp-Collins (D-La Mesa), Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City), and Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) at a news conference announcing the proposals.
Expanding Health Care and Economic Support
Among the featured measures is AB 1570, introduced by Wilson, which would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging.
Wilson, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2023 during her first full year in office and later announced she was cancer-free, said her experience inspired her commitment to addressing health care disparities.
“In 2023, while fighting breast cancer, I was fortunate enough to receive quality care. I saw others with similar diagnoses face different outcomes,” Wilson said. “So, I made it my mission as part of a bill package every year that I would address these disparities.”
Sharp-Collins introduced AB 1755, a proposal to remove the “100-hour rule” in California’s CalWORKs program. The current policy reduces or eliminates benefits when a parent works 100 or more hours per month. Supporters say ending the rule would prevent families from losing critical assistance as they increase their work hours and earnings.
“With rising costs, people are still struggling to survive. If we truly value families, we must end this outdated policy and build a CalWORKs system that supports women, protects children, and recognizes the realities of today’s economy,” Sharp-Collins said.
The package has also received support from several lawmakers outside the CLBC, including Assemblymembers Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay), Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), Michelle Rodriguez, Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz), and Sens. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward), and LWC Vice Chair Caroline Menjivar (D-Burbank).
Protecting Survivors of Domestic Violence
Another key proposal is Senate Bill (SB) 1192, known as the Reclaim Act, introduced by Sen. Susan Rubio. The bill aims to protect domestic violence survivors from “litigation abuse” by allowing courts to issue prefiling orders that prevent abusers from filing frivolous lawsuits intended to harass, intimidate, or financially burden victims.
“Too many survivors are retraumatized when the court system is used as a weapon against them,” Rubio said. “The Reclaim Act is about restoring dignity, safety, and freedom—and making sure the justice system protects survivors, not their abusers. Survivors should never have to choose between their safety and their right to justice.”
LWC Chair and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) said the legislative package reflects broad support among lawmakers and was approved through a vote of the caucus’s 14 members, representing the larger 59-member bipartisan body.
Describing the package as practical and results-oriented, Aguiar-Curry said the proposals are intended to address the evolving challenges facing women and families throughout California.
“This year’s legislative package reflects both the diversity of our state and the complexity of the barriers that still exist for women and their families in California,” Aguiar-Curry said. “Our mission here at LWC is to make sure policy keeps pace with the realities and stresses of modern life.”