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SB-352 • 2026

Environmental justice: Department of Justice: Bureau of Environmental Justice: community air monitoring.

Environmental justice: Department of Justice: Bureau of Environmental Justice: community air monitoring.

Education
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Reyes (S) , Bryan
Last action
2025-09-19
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 120, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how monitoring costs will be covered or exact amounts.

Environmental Justice: Community Air Monitoring

This law establishes a Bureau of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice and requires long-term air monitoring in selected locations around California.

What This Bill Does

  • Continues the existence of a Bureau of Environmental Justice inside the Department of Justice.
  • Requires that once an area is chosen for air quality monitoring, it must be monitored for at least five years unless extended by agreement between state and local agencies.
  • Needs the State Air Resources Board to update its plan about air monitoring every five years starting in 2026.
  • Asks the board to report yearly on how well they are following these rules to certain groups in the government.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Justice
  • State Air Resources Board
  • Local air pollution control districts

Terms To Know

Bureau of Environmental Justice
A part of the California Department of Justice that works on protecting natural resources from pollution.
State-mandated local program
When the state government tells local areas what they must do, and pays for some or all of the costs.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only works if there is enough money to pay for it.
  • It does not specify how much monitoring will cost or who will pay for it.
  • Local areas might have additional work due to this law, but the state will help cover those costs.

Bill History

  1. 2025-09-19 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 120, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-09-19 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-15 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

  4. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 6. Page 3055.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  6. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 55. Noes 19. Page 3489.) Ordered to the Senate.

  7. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    Joint Rule 61(a)(14) and 51(a)(4) suspended. (Ayes 59. Noes 20. Page 3413.)

  8. 2025-09-12 California Legislative Information

    Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 57. Noes 20. Page 3441.)

  9. 2025-09-12 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 10. Noes 4.) (September 12).

  10. 2025-09-12 California Legislative Information

    Coauthors revised.

  11. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Joint Rule 61 and 62(a) suspended. (Ayes 31. Noes 9. Page 2801.)

  12. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Joint Rule 62(a) suspended.

  13. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2.

  14. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to third reading.

  15. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended.

  16. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Joint Rule 61(a)13 suspended. (Ayes 68. Noes 0. Page 3191.)

  17. 2025-09-05 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to third reading.

  18. 2025-09-05 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended.

  19. 2025-09-03 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  20. 2025-09-02 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  21. 2025-08-29 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (August 29).

  22. 2025-08-20 California Legislative Information

    August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  23. 2025-07-15 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  24. 2025-06-25 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on E.M with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on E.M.

  25. 2025-06-05 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on AGING & L.T.C and E.M.

  26. 2025-05-29 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  27. 2025-05-29 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 1325.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  28. 2025-05-27 California Legislative Information

    Ordered to special consent calendar.

  29. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  30. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1197.) (May 23).

  31. 2025-05-16 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 23.

  32. 2025-05-05 California Legislative Information

    May 5 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  33. 2025-04-25 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 5.

  34. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0. Page 830.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  35. 2025-04-10 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 22.

  36. 2025-04-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on G.O. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 682.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on G.O.

  37. 2025-04-02 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Coms. on HUMAN S. and G.O.

  38. 2025-04-01 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 7 in HUMAN S. pending receipt.

  39. 2025-03-26 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  40. 2025-02-19 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on RLS.

  41. 2025-02-13 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 15.

  42. 2025-02-12 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 352, Reyes.
Environmental justice: Department of Justice: Bureau of Environmental Justice: community air monitoring.
Existing provisions of the California Constitution make the Attorney General, subject to the powers and duties of the Governor, the chief law officer of the state. Under existing law, the Attorney General may maintain an action for equitable relief in the name of the people of the State of California against any person for the protection of the natural resources of the state from pollution, impairment, or destruction.
This bill would continue in existence in the Department of Justice a Bureau of Environmental Justice.
Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to prepare, in consultation with specified entities, a monitoring plan regarding the availability and effectiveness
of toxic air contaminant and criteria air pollutant advanced sensing monitoring technologies and existing community air monitoring systems, as specified, and based on the findings and recommendations of that plan, select, in consultation with the air pollution control districts and air quality management districts, the highest priority locations around the state to deploy community air monitoring systems, as provided.
This bill would require monitoring in a location selected by the state board to remain active for no fewer than 5 years, with an option for the air district and the state board to agree to extend active monitoring for additional 5-year periods, as necessary. The bill would require the state board to update the above-described monitoring plan by July 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter. The bill would require the update to be considered and approved by the state board before it is implemented. The bill would subject these
requirement to available funding. The bill would require, by March 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the state board, in consultation with the air districts, to report to specified committees of the Legislature about the progress the state board and the air districts have made in implementing these and other provisions, as specified. The bill would require the chair of the state board and the executive directors or air pollution control officers of the relevant air districts to appear before the relevant policy committees of the Legislature to present on the progress in implementing those requirements. By imposing additional requirements on air districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs
mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Current Bill Text

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