CA AB 1079

enacted

Civil appeals: stay of enforcement.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Description

Existing law, the California Voting Rights Act of 2001, prohibits an at-large method of election from being imposed or applied in a manner that impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice, or its ability to influence the outcome of an election, as a result of the dilution or the abridgment of the rights of voters who are members of a protected class. Upon finding such a violation, a court must implement appropriate remedies, as specified, that are tailored to remedy the violation. Existing law, the FAIR MAPS Act of 2023, requires a districting body, as defined, to adopt election district boundaries that comply with the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and federal voting rights laws by specified deadlines. If the districting body fails to timely adopt such election district boundaries, the districting body must immediately petition the superior court in a county in which the local jurisdiction is located for an order adopting election district boundaries. If the districting body fails to bring such a petition within a specified time, any resident of the local jurisdiction is authorized to file that petition. Existing law stays proceedings in the trial court upon the judgment or order appealed from, including enforcement of the judgment or order, upon the perfecting of an appeal. Existing law enumerates specified judgments or orders that are not stayed upon the perfecting of an appeal, if certain conditions are present. This bill would provide that the perfecting of an appeal does not stay enforcement of an order in the trial court, in the absence of an order of the trial court providing otherwise, if the trial court finds that either (1) a party's at-large method of election violates, or is likely to violate, the California Voting Rights Act of 2001, or (2) a party's election district boundaries violate, or are likely to violate, the FAIR MAPS Act of 2023. Notwithstanding that provision, the bill would authorize a trial court to order the stay of a judgment or order under the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 or the FAIR MAPS Act of 2023 upon the perfection of an appeal if the Secretary of State files a certification in the trial court stating that a stay is necessary for the orderly administration of the state's elections. This bill would also require the party found to have violated or found to be likely to violate the acts to reimburse the county elections officials for costs incurred in administering the election that result from enforcement of the trial court's order or the order of a court issued while an appeal is pending. The bill would specify that these provisions do not apply to a judgment or order entered in a proceeding or action commenced on or before January 1, 2026 that asserts at least one cause of action under the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 or the FAIR MAPS Act of 2023.

Introduced: 2025-04-23
Status date: —
Latest action: 2025-10-01 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 178, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Subjects

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2025-02-20
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2025-02-21
From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
2025-03-10
Referred to Coms. on JUD. and ELECTIONS.
referral-committee
2025-03-26
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on ELECTIONS. (Ayes 7. Noes 3.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-04-07
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-04-23
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ELECTIONS. Read second time and amended.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-04-24
Re-referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.
referral-committee
2025-05-05
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 4. Noes 2.) (April 30).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage
2025-05-06
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-05-07
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-05-19
Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-06-04
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 55. Noes 16. Page 2072.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-06-05
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-06-18
Referred to Coms. on JUD. and E. & C.A.
referral-committee
2025-07-02
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on E. & C.A. (Ayes 10. Noes 1.) (July 1).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-07-03
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E. & C.A.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-07-15
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (July 15).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-07-16
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-12
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 25. Noes 13. Page 2984.).
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-09-12
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-13
Joint Rules 61(a)(14) and 51(a)(4) suspended. (Ayes 59. Noes 20. Page 3413.)
2025-09-13
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 56. Noes 17. Page 3474.).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-24
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-01
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2025-10-01
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 178, Statutes of 2025.
became-law

Versions

02/20/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-20Compare
04/23/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-04-23Compare
05/06/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-05-06Compare
05/19/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-05-19Compare
07/03/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-07-03Compare
09/16/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-16Compare
10/01/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-01Compare
AB1079Compare
(document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Elections]
2025-03-25 · pass · 7-3
Member-level votes (12)
- Harabedian: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Papan: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Essayli: no
- Dixon: no
- Sanchez: no
- Zbur: other
- Pacheco: other
Do pass as amended.
2025-04-30 · pass · 4-2
Member-level votes (7)
- Solache: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Berman: yes
- Lackey: no
- Macedo: no
- Bennett: other
AB 1079 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
2025-06-04 · pass · 55-16
Member-level votes (79)
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Krell: yes
- Ward: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Berman: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Haney: yes
- Addis: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Fong: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Bains: yes
- Soria: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Hart: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Patel: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Lee: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Solache: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Lackey: no
- DeMaio: no
- Macedo: no
- Dixon: no
- Alanis: no
- Patterson: no
- Sanchez: no
- Chen: no
- Gallagher: no
- Ellis: no
- Castillo: no
- Hadwick: no
- Tangipa: no
- Wallis: no
- Hoover: no
- Davies: no
- Papan: other
- Flora: other
- Ta: other
- Harabedian: other
- Schultz: other
- Pacheco: other
- Irwin: other
- Jeff Gonzalez: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Elections and Constitutional Amendments]
2025-07-01 · pass · 10-1
Member-level votes (13)
- Durazo: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Stern: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Laird: yes
- Allen: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Niello: no
- Valladares: other
- Wiener: other
Do pass
2025-07-15 · pass · 4-1
Member-level votes (5)
- Limón: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Allen: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Choi: no
3rd Reading AB1079 Ávila Farías By Arreguín
2025-09-12 · pass · 25-13
Member-level votes (40)
- McGuire: yes
- Becker: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Laird: yes
- Stern: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Limón: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Strickland: no
- Cabaldon: no
- Seyarto: no
- Allen: no
- Choi: no
- Niello: no
- Valladares: no
- Jones: no
- Ochoa Bogh: no
- Grove: no
- Wiener: no
- Dahle: no
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Grayson: other
- Gonzalez: other
AB 1079 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
2025-09-13 · pass · 56-17
Member-level votes (80)
- Ahrens: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Addis: yes
- Ward: yes
- Haney: yes
- Hart: yes
- Fong: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Bains: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Soria: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Berman: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Lee: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Solache: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Krell: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Patel: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Johnson: no
- Dixon: no
- Hoover: no
- Hadwick: no
- Tangipa: no
- Lackey: no
- Macedo: no
- Alanis: no
- Gallagher: no
- Sanchez: no
- Chen: no
- Castillo: no
- Ellis: no
- Davies: no
- Wallis: no
- Patterson: no
- DeMaio: no
- Irwin: other
- Papan: other
- Jeff Gonzalez: other
- Pacheco: other
- McKinnor: other
- Flora: other
- Ta: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1079

Attribution

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