Looking Ahead: Preparing for the Policy Discussions of 2022.

• Author: Borasi, Matt
• Position: CapitolBeat

In preparation for the new year, CalCPA's government relations team looks to forecast the public policy landscape for the year ahead and anticipate challenges and Opportunities that could materialize. While there are many elements to consider, and the winds of politics and policy priorities can shift quickly, some factors will shape the policy discussions in 2022.

New Year, New Legislature

As a gubernatorial election year, many legislators will have a cautious eye on the campaign trail while conducting their business in Sacramento. The governorship, every Assembly district and the even-numbered Senate districts are up for election in 2022.

Legislators, especially those in swing seats, will be closely watched as they make their votes. However, most political insiders are not projecting significant changes in the Legislature's composition, but tight races can shape the policy priorities legislators engage or avoid.

One of the significant factors that will affect the profile of the state Legislature following next year's election is redistricting. Using data from the 2020 U.S. Census, the once-a-decade process of redrawing the political boundaries for elective offices is done so that the districts correctly reflect the state's population.

Authorized under the VotersFIRST Act, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission is a non-partisan and independent group responsible for drawing the boundaries of California's Congressional,

State Senate, State Assembly and Board of Equalization districts. The outcome of these district maps could force incumbent legislators, many of the same political party, to run against each other in 2022. litis scenario would happen when legislators who live in one district are put into a neighboring district based on the new boundary.

While it's too early to speculate what the new district maps will look like, it's safe to assume there will be some significant adjustments to the district boundaries once the final maps arc released in early 2022.

Legislative Outlook

Each legislative year brings with it its own unique set of issues. However, since the next legislative year will be the final year of the two-year session--and an election year--we expect some issues from 2021 to resurface in 2022.

This could include proposals to address unresolved issues like homelessness, affordable housing, increased government oversight, employer vaccine and testing requirements and climate change. New legislation could address...