The information in this newsletter is being distributed among allied associations that form the California Alliance for Golf (CAG), the organization that speaks with one voice in the Capitol regarding legislative and regulatory issues of statewide scope.
SB 51 (Permanent Standard Time) died in the Senate Appropriations Suspense hearing Friday morning. It won't make it to a floor vote in the Senate this year, let alone move over to the Assembly for that body's consideration. However, this year's version of the bill made it one step further than last year's version and given the fact that the proponents of permanent standard time are passionate, organized, and to some degree funded, we should expect another run in 2026. It is almost a sure thing that the sponsor and the author tried to secure a Democratic co-sponsor this year but failed. No doubt, they will work to secure one for what, again, we should anticipate will be another run at this in 2026. Should they succeed in doing that, the bill will have a much better chance in 2026.
But for now, those after-work and twilight rounds that would have been put in jeopardy had SB 51 continued to move in the 2025, are safe. And the compaction that the loss of that extra hour of light at the end of the day would have caused, particularly in terms of accommodating California’s high school golf teams and junior programs, has been avoided. CAG and its constituent organizations worked diligently to protect those rounds and avoid that compaction.
Two (2) bills that the Alliance strongly supported, one of them involving access to recycled water (SB 31) and another involving the establishment of water supply targets (SB 72), moved off Suspense Friday morning. They will be moving to floor votes sometime after the Memorial Day Holiday, and we have reason to believe that both will win the majority votes necessary to move to the Assembly.
The 2025 legislative session has been a much quieter one for golf than recent sessions. And with the bills golf supported continuing to move forward and the one bill the game directly opposed having now died, suffice it to say that thus far 2025 has been a good year for golf in Sacramento.
Then again, just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water, well, you know the rest.
