Today, the California State Senate passed the Legislative version of the 2026-27 budget. The Senate and the Assembly will now enter negotiations with the Governor to reach a final version of the budget. This vote brings us one step closer to finalizing a responsible spending plan that puts Californians first.
Today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced the launch of Hands Off Our Elections, a new initiative aimed at protecting California voters and defending the state’s authority to administer free, fair, and secure elections.
Today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced new legislation in response to the nearly catastrophic chemical plant incident that occurred in Garden Grove last month.
May was a challenging month for many families in our district as the Garden Grove chemical emergency forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes and brought daily life across the community to a standstill.
For six days over a holiday weekend, a chemical tank in an Orange County aerospace plant threatened to explode, and more than 50,000 people had to leave while crews figured out how to stop it. The tank kept getting hotter. A valve in the tank’s cooling system had failed. Officials used drones to read the tank’s temperature from the outside. Ground crews set up an “unmanned ground monitor” — a portable water cannon — blasting water across the tank’s side.
New law takes effect immediately and strengthens protections for voters, ballots and election infrastructure
Gov. Gavin Newsom said California officials are starting to review safety records of the aerospace firm whose pressurized tank in Garden Grove nearly exploded with a toxic chemical over the Memorial Day weekend, as well as other similar chemical plants.