Impacting the State
Supported Legislation
Six California counties will be able to continue a pilot program offering innovative programs designed to reduce intimate partner violence, thanks to a bill supported by the Little Hoover Commission and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Another bill supported by the Commission and signed into law will expand the use of remote technology in the meetings of state boards and commissions, expanding and diversifying the pool of people who can serve.
The intimate partner violence bill, AB 470, was authored by Assemblymember Blanca Rubio. The bill granted a three-year extension to a pilot program offering alternatives for individuals convicted of domestic violence. The program applies to the counties of Napa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Yolo.
In its 2021 report, Beyond the Crisis, A Long-Term Approach to Reduce, Prevent, and Recover from Intimate Partner Violence, the Commission recommended that the state review its requirements for batterer intervention programs to determine if they facilitate rehabilitation. The Commission also recommended that the state begin a process to determine how to tailor rehabilitative services to an individual’s needs.
Ideas for Change
Our Ideas for Change summarizes recommendations generated from the Little Hoover Commission’s research over the past several years, and includes suggestions to streamline government programs, strengthen strategies to address critical issues facing the state, and provide crucial support to the most vulnerable among us.
We encourage you to check back often as we continue our mission of bettering California government and grow this list. We welcome the opportunity to work with the Governor’s Office and members of the Legislature to enact these recommendations. Please contact our office at littlehoover@lhc.ca.gov to discuss how we can help.
Pedro Nava, Chair, Little Hoover Commission
California’s Homeowners Insurance Market
Problem: The Commission began this study in early 2024, with California’s homeowners insurance market in crisis, impacting homeowners and insurers alike. Many homeowners across the state were contending with rising insurance costs. Meanwhile, insurers were cutting back coverage or limiting new policies in the state, citing rising costs, growing wildfire risks, and lengthy regulatory processes. As a result, many homeowners were losing coverage or struggling to find it. An increasing number turned to the state’s safety-net insurance option for “bare bones” coverage; a smaller, but also growing, number opted to go without coverage altogether.