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<br /> <br />1127 11TH STREET, SUITE 300, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • 916.974.9270 • PUBLICPOLICYGROUP.COM PAGE 1 <br />Date: July 10, 2026 <br />To: Patrick Heisinger, City Manager  <br />Michelle Flaherty, Assistant City Manager  <br />City of Redwood City  <br />  <br />From: Dane Hutchings  <br />Founder + CEO  <br />California Public Policy Group  <br /> <br />Re: SB 1164 (Cervantes), as amended in Assembly July 2, 2026; cost and liability exposure to <br />local governments <br />__________________________________________________________________________ <br />SB 1164 HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW <br />Bill SB 1164 (Cervantes, D-Riverside) <br />Subject Repeals and replaces the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 with the <br />California Voting Rights Act of 2026 <br />Sponsor California Democracy Partnership; broad civil-rights and labor coalition in <br />support; no formal opposition was on file as of the Senate Floor analysis <br />(local-government positions developing) <br />Version analyzed Amended in Assembly July 2, 2026 (verified current; all stricken text <br />excluded) <br />Status Passed Senate 29-9 on May 20, 2026. Passed Assembly Judiciary on June <br />23 and Assembly Elections July 1, 2026; now pending in the Assembly <br />Appropriations Committee <br /> <br />SB 1164 repeals the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 and enacts the California Voting Rights Act <br />of 2026 in its place. Authored by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D, Riverside) and sponsored by the <br />California Democracy Partnership, the bill is the Legislature's response to the U.S. Supreme Court's <br />April 29, 2026 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which sharply narrowed Section 2 of the federal Voting <br />Rights Act. The bill passed the Senate 29 to 9 on May 20, 2026, cleared the Assembly policy <br />committees, and was amended in the Assembly on June 24 and again on July 2, 2026. More than 30 <br />civil-rights, voting-rights, and labor organizations support the bill. Given the breadth of the coalition <br />and the current posture between Sacramento and the federal administration, CPPG continues to <br />assess that some version of this bill will reach the Governor and be signed. <br />CURRENT LAW <br />The CVRA of 2001 (Elections Code 14025-14032) prohibits a political subdivision from imposing an <br />at-large method of election that impairs a protected class's ability to elect candidates of its choice <br />or influence elections. Its reach is limited to at-large systems: a jurisdiction that converts to district- <br />7.D. - Page 7 of 17 <br />295