On January 20, 2026, California legislators, advocates, and community members convened in Sacramento to celebrate the passage of 9 Stronger California bills that were signed into law in 2025.
For over a decade, Equal Rights Advocates and more than 65 nonprofit and advocacy organizations have fought alongside the Legislative Women’s Caucus and Stronger CA legislative champions to advance gender, racial, and economic justice. Despite the past year’s mounting threats to our civil and human rights, the Stronger California Advocates Network demonstrated what coordinated action and collective resilience can achieve.
Intended to address “the myriad and overlapping barriers to economic security for women and families,” these policy wins for California residents reached beyond state lines. As shared by Noreen Farrell, Executive Director of Equal Rights Advocates, California bills have “provided a blueprint for other states to follow. We have been proud to support the replication of several Stronger California priority bills in other states across the country.”
Among those leading the charge was Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry, who stressed that policies must recognize and respond to the lived experience of women and survivors. During her remarks, Aguiar-Curry reflected on the passage of AB 250, a bill that extended deadlines for filing sexual assault claims to account for the psychological trauma and fear of retaliation that can delay reporting.
“In the face of rampant sexual abuse, including by those in the highest levels of power in our country, we reaffirm the belief that every survivor deserves to be heard, believed, and supported,” asserted Aguiar-Curry in her speech. Along with AB 250, she marked the success of another Stronger California priority, AB 260, which protects access to medical abortion.
The evening also provided opportunities to celebrate working women including Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, the first woman of color and mother elected to the position. The new Senate leader was introduced by Mariko Yoshihara, Policy Director of the California Employment Lawyers Association, before being honored with an award from Stronger California in recognition of her championing of gender justice issues in the legislature. In her remarks, Pro Tem Limón emphasized the value of supporting women in the workplace including through last year’s passage of SB 642, a bill that strengthens California’s Equal Pay Act.
Attendees also heard from community members directly impacted by Stronger CA’s legislative victories. Parent Voices advocate Quinn Chung spoke to the urgency of affordable childcare, underscoring that accessible care is what allows working parents to remain employed and children to thrive. Community advocate Kalisha Goodwin described how programs like CalWorks, Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and Black Infant Health supported her through school, pregnancy, and early parenthood, making long-term self-sufficiency more attainable. As Goodwin shared, “these programs are not line items in a budget. They are the resources that held me up while I built a stronger life for myself and my children.”
Taken together, these measures affirm that caring for family does not have to come at the expense of financial stability. Craig Pulsipher, Legislative Director at Equality California, discussed the successful passage of SB 590, a Stronger CA–backed bill authored by Senator Durazo that expands the definition of family under California’s Paid Family Leave law. The reform makes benefits more inclusive for LGBTQI+, immigrant, and disability communities who often rely on chosen and extended family, allowing Californians to receive leave benefits while caring for seriously ill loved ones beyond immediate relatives.
Critically, Stronger CA held the line for LGBTQI+ protections in healthcare. At the event, Senator Scott Weiner spoke to SB 497, a bill authored by the Senator that made California a Transgender State of Refuge, keeping medical records confidential and shielding transgender individuals pursuing gender-affirming care from out-of-state legal attacks. Complementing that effort, AB 82, introduced by Assemblymember Ward, strengthens privacy and safety protections around sensitive health services by tightening limits on the disclosure of patient data and increasing safeguards for patients, their families, and the clinicians who provide gender-affirming and reproductive care.
“As the Trump administration seeks to prevent transgender and nonbinary people from accessing essential healthcare, and threats against medical professionals and their patients increase, these new laws ensure that all Californians can safely access and provide critical healthcare,” Pulsipher remarked in recounting the success of SB 497 and AB 82. “We are grateful to Stronger California for lifting up these issues, which are not only basic human rights, but also integral to advancing economic security.”
With the footholds forged by these 2025 policy wins, the Stronger California Advocates Network finds momentum for the upcoming year, and will not relent in pressing for gender and economic justice for all Californians. Convenings like these remind us that our combined voices can and will chart the path forward.
To view all Stronger California bills passed over the past decade, including the 2025 legislative successes, click here.