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SB-826 • 2026

California Workforce Development Board: port automation.

California Workforce Development Board: port automation.

Budget Labor Technology
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Richardson
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

California Workforce Development Board: Port Automation

This legislation reinstates and expands a process to study how automation affects jobs at California seaports, focusing on national security, cybersecurity, workforce issues, and economic impacts.

What This Bill Does

  • Reinstates the requirement for the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the California Workforce Development Board to oversee a stakeholder process until January 1, 2029.
  • Creates an industry panel with 17 members to inform the stakeholder process.
  • Authorizes the California Workforce Development Board to contract UCLA's Labor Center to help implement policies and programs.
  • Requires annual updates on the stakeholder process at regular meetings of the board.
  • Sets a deadline for issuing findings and recommendations by July 1, 2027.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Labor and Workforce Development Agency
  • The California Workforce Development Board
  • Industry panel members
  • Workers at seaports in California

Terms To Know

Stakeholder process
A method for gathering input from various groups to make decisions.
National security
Measures taken by a government to protect its citizens and interests.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill's provisions are conditional on funding being approved by the Legislature.
  • It does not specify how much money will be needed for implementation.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 California Legislative Information

    Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

  3. 2025-05-16 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 23.

  4. 2025-05-12 California Legislative Information

    May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  5. 2025-05-02 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 12.

  6. 2025-04-30 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 867.) (April 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  7. 2025-04-11 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 30.

  8. 2025-03-12 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.

  9. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    Read first time.

  10. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.

  11. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 826, as introduced, Richardson.
California Workforce Development Board: port automation.
Prior law, until January 1, 2024, required the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the California Workforce Development Board to oversee a stakeholder process to develop recommendations on how best to mitigate the employment impacts of automation at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. That prior law created an industry panel consisting of 10 members, as specified, within the agency to inform the stakeholder process. That prior law authorized the California Workforce Development Board to contract the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Labor Center to facilitate implementation and authorized the UCLA Labor Center to commission expert research and testimony to supplement the stakeholder process. That prior law required the industry panel to provide an annual update on the stakeholder process at a regularly scheduled meeting of the California Workforce
Development Board. That prior law required the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the California Workforce Development Board, upon the completion of the stakeholder process, but not later than July 1, 2023, to issue findings and recommendations on the most effective ways to implement policies and programs to mitigate the employment impacts of automation and the transitioning of seaport operations to low- and zero-emission operations on workers and individuals living in communities adjacent to the ports.
This bill would reinstate the above-described provisions until January 1, 2029, to determine how to best mitigate national security, cybersecurity, workforce, and economic impacts of automation at California seaports. The bill would instead create an industry panel consisting of 17 members, as specified. The bill would require the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the California Workforce Development Board, upon the completion of the stakeholder
process, but not later than July 1, 2027, to issue findings and recommendations, as described above. The bill would condition the implementation of these provisions on an appropriation by the Legislature for this express purpose.

Current Bill Text

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