Top Priorities
- Healthcare System in Jeopardy: We urge the state to develop a clear plan to address potential Medicaid funding cuts and reassess OHCA’s cost growth targets. As OHCA determines an implementation strategy, we call for a thoughtful, collaborative approach that slows down the process and leverages the expertise of Hospital Association members and healthcare providers in the field.
- Judicial Crisis: The need for a new physical court space for the High Desert is a true emergency and must be addressed right away. This need has already existed for 27 years as the building was found insufficient in 1998. The current building provides an unsafe environment. In addition, SB 75 created additional judgeships for both San Bernardino and Riverside counties subject to appropriation. Unfortunately, that appropriation has yet to be provided, with 27 judge positions needed in San Bernardino County and 22 potions in Riverside County. We ask that these positions be funded.
- Prioritize Transportation Infrastructure by Preserving SB1 Funding & Planning for Future Funding: A strong, modern, and safe transportation system is the basis of a thriving economy and only helps chart the path for installation of much needed clean energy infrastructure. To achieve this goal, a gas tax alternative solution must be identified and SB1 funding preserved. Any alternative to the gas tax as a funding source for transportation projects needs to be equitable for low-income residents and those living in rural areas and communities with more affordable housing options. In addition, the original intent of SB1 must be preserved by ensuring the CAPTI guidelines under development account for the need to continue to advance safety and freight related projects without adding mitigation requirements that would make these critical projects cost prohibited.
- Support proposed legislation that provides clarity, allows flexibility, and minimizes unintended negative outcomes for businesses, municipalities, and the environment: Inland Action is appreciative of the legislature’s recognition that as we move towards implementation of AB 98, there is a need to clarify some of the language in that law. Municipalities and businesses alike need legislation that is free from ambiguity and that provides well-defined terms and timelines regarding implementation and consequences. Companion legislation AB 735 (Carrillo) and SB 415 (Reyes) begin to address these needs. Inland Action recommends additional amendments as supported by California Business Properties Association Coalition dated April 6, 2025, for the list of clean-up priorities identified jointly by the California League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties, and for the recommended changes proposed jointly by San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and Western Riverside Council of Governments.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- Support proposed legislation that provides clarity, allows flexibility, and minimizes unintended negative outcomes for businesses, municipalities, and the environment as put forth by AB 98 including proposed legislation AB 735 (Carrillo) and SB 415 (Reyes) with recommended amendments.
- Support legislation to address the property insurance crisis facing Californians.
- Invest in programs with demonstrated success producing and preserving affordable housing through the State Budget and proposed Wicks/Cabaldon Housing Bond (AB 736 and SB 417).
- Support and ask our Inland Empire regional caucus to begin and lead solution-based discussions to find a strategy to address unpaid debt owed to the federal government for funds borrowed during COVID to keep unemployment insurance funds solvent.
EDUCATION
- Support CSU and UC funding requests to avoid further budget cuts as identified in the Governor’s January budget and restore state compact funding to the CSU and UC systems in the May budget revision.
- Restore the Cal Grant award to $9,708 as supported by AICCU and extend Cal Grant Portability to Nontraditional Transfer Students at ICCUs.
ENVIRONMENT
- Support for increased funding for water supply, water quality, and water storage projects including diverse sources of water supplies, increased water storage capacity and enhanced resilience to drought. Inland Action supports actions to implement measures that improve California’s water reliability and drought preparedness via several current projects and bills:
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- Support for SB 72 (Caballero) – The California Water Plan
- Support for Delta Conveyance Project
- Support for Sites Reservoir Project
- Support for Efforts to Streamline and Reform CEQA via several current bills:
- AB 35 (Alvarez) – California Environmental Quality Act: clean hydrogen transportation projects
- AB 941 (Zbur) – California Environmental Quality Act: electrical infrastructure projects
- AB 295 (Macedo) – California Environmental Quality Act: environmental leadership development projects: water storage, water conveyance, and groundwater recharge projects: streamlined review
- AB 1456 (Bryan) – California Environmental Quality Act: California Vegetation Treatment Program
HEALTHCARE
- Healthcare: System in Jeopardy – Nearly half of all California’s hospitals operate at a loss. Hospitals are facing unprecedented financial strain due to OHCA’s proposed spending caps, looming federal Medicaid cuts, seismic retrofitting mandates, and the new $25/hour healthcare minimum wage. Thoughtful action needed via:
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- Delay of OHCA cost growth target implementation.
- Re-evaluate unfunded 2030 seismic mandates.
- Protect federal Medi-Cal funding and increase base reimbursement rates.
- Engage hospital leaders in crafting sustainable, patient-centered solutions.
JUDICIARY
- Funding of Judicial Positions as Identified for Both San Bernardino and Riverside Counties is Critical with 27 judge positions needed in SB and 22 in Riverside. SB 75 created these necessary positions but were not funded. We ask that these positions be funded.
- High Desert Justice Center is a true emergency and must be addressed right away. This need has already existed for 27 years as the building was found insufficient in 1998. The current building provides an unsafe and inadequate environment. Nothing less than basic access to justice for millions of people in San Bernardino County – one of the fastest-growing areas of the State, is at stake.
TRANSPORTATION
- Proactively identify a gas tax alternative solution. The gas tax is a diminishing source due to the State’s goal of decarbonizing mobility. While revenues have not been severely affected to date, the ban on the sale of internal combustion engines is only a decade away. Any alternative needs to be equitable for low-income residents and those living in rural areas and communities with more affordable housing options.
- Preserve the original intent of the SB1 funding for transportation infrastructure. The Inland Empire region of Southern California is now the 12th largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and is expected to add over 1 million people in the next twenty-five years. Large, multi-year transportation projects rely upon the continued availability of critical SB1 funding.
- AB 914 (Garcia) – Air Pollution: Indirect Sources and Toxic Air Contaminants: Oppose as this bill adds a new statewide layer of indirect source regulations and fees that duplicate existing programs, create conflicting compliance obligations, and divert or redirect transportation funds and resources away from critical safety and sustainability projects. Inland Action supports collaborative strategies with input from transportation providers and agencies that can achieve meaningful reductions with positive outcomes for people, goods, and services that need to keep moving.
Details for the 2025 State Issues are included in the link: