SACRAMENTO – Today, Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez’s (D-Long Beach) Senate Bill 827 was signed into law by Governor Newsom. The bill will ensure local government officials complete ethics training within six months of commencing service, and expand the requirement to include senior-level staff. The bill will also require local government officials to complete fiscal and financial training related to their budgeting, contracting and procurement duties. Together, these trainings will support local officials with the tools and knowledge to uphold ethical standards and be good stewards of public funds.

The legislation is part of Senator Lena Gonzalez’s Good Governance package, which is focused on building public trust in local government by improving training for local government officials and protecting against corrupt activities. 

SB 521, which was signed into law on July 30 this year, will deter corruption and ensure that individuals who have violated public trust are barred from future public service in those same roles. Specifically, SB 521 adds a conflict of interest conviction to the existing list of felonies that trigger a five year prohibition on public employment, and prohibits city managers and city attorneys who are convicted of corruption-related felonies in their capacity as public servants from holding those positions in the future.

“These Good Governance bills strengthen training and accountability to ensure the resources that belong to our communities are managed with the highest ethical and fiscal standards,” said Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez. “Our communities deserve nothing less, and I am thankful to Governor Newsom for signing them into law.”

For decades, Southeast Los Angeles communities have faced a troubling pattern of public corruption, underscoring the need for stronger safeguards to protect these predominantly Latino, working-class, and immigrant neighborhoods. Investigations and convictions have exposed abuses ranging from the misuse of public funds to inflated salaries and contracts marked by conflicts of interest, at times involving officials with prior histories of misconduct in public office.

“One more breach of public trust is one too many. This Good Governance legislation will help build a stronger future rooted in integrity, accountability, and responsible fiscal stewardship for the communities that give so much to our state,” said Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez.

SB 827 and SB 521 go into effect January 1, 2026.  

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Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez proudly represents one million residents in California’s 33rd Senate District, which encompasses Southeast Los Angeles, the City and Port of Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, and Catalina Island. As Senate Majority Leader and Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, she is a dedicated advocate on key priorities that impact Californians from economic development and environmental justice to LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, digital equity and more. Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez has championed major policies, including broadband for all, expanding paid sick leave, advancing clean transportation incentives, and ending neighborhood oil drilling. She lives in Long Beach with her family. To learn more, visit www.sen.ca.gov/gonzalez.