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Amend Key Bills and Sway Floor Votes!

Per AVFCA’s prior legislative update emails this session, AVFCA is supporting many great bills that will ensure health and environmental safety for Californians. Of the 35 bills AVFCA supported and opposed at the start of this legislative session, only 9 are still standing, with most meeting their demise due to lack of budget, stalling in the Appropriations Committees.  

This is the last week of the 2025 legislative session and we want to provide you with an important update on three bills currently moving through the California Legislature and clarify AVFCA’s positions.  Your voice is needed on these bills – please see the Action Alert below for details:

AB495 – Caregiver Affidavit Bill (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB495), also known as the Family Preparedness Act, seeks to expand who can submit a caregiver affidavit, allowing any trusted adult to enroll a child in school and make certain decisions, rather than limiting this authority to close relatives. While the intent is to provide stability for children during sudden parental absences, the current language lacks critical safeguards and could unintentionally put children at risk.

AVFCA’s legislative team has had productive conversations with the author’s staff and sponsors, recommending amendments that would strengthen protections for children — such as requiring schools to first contact a child’s listed emergency contacts and ensuring that a person seeking caregiver authority is not legally prohibited from access.  After the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, an amendment was added stating that caregiver affidavits are not required to be notarized. Unfortunately, the amendments proposed by AVFCA have not been adopted.  The California Department of Finance has also opposed AB 495 due to its $5.4 million cost.  Until meaningful protections are added, AVFCA continues to oppose AB 495.  AB 495 is now on the Senate floor for a full vote. 

Action Alert!

Email your Senator: Use AVFCA's easy https://secure.everyaction.com/06rnV_zkwEWESVEFW2lLuA2 and urge them to oppose AB 495 unless further amended.

AB84 – Charter School Bill (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB84) is a 100+ page proposal that would significantly reshape how charter schools operate in California. While its stated goal is to add oversight and guardrails, AB84 would also restrict flexible, personalized programs that serve students thriving outside traditional classrooms.  Although AB84 falls outside AVFCA’s core mission, we recognize its potential impact on families in our community—many of whom turned to homeschooling over the past decade.

On Friday, September 5th, the author’s office confirmed that AB84 has been made a two-year bill. This means it will not advance this year, but could be amended and move forward in the 2026 legislative session starting in January.

AVFCA has worked closely with the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), A Plus, and A.P.P.L.E., who are leading negotiations on critical amendments. AVFCA is proud to stand alongside them, drawing on a decade of bridge-building and relationships in Sacramento, to oppose this harmful bill.  Also your advocacy made a difference. Thanks to strong action from our AVFCA community, lawmakers heard your voices—one key reason the bill is not moving forward this year.

SB 414 – Charter School Flexibility Bill (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB414) addresses issues of accountability and oversight in charter schools, similar to the concerns raised in AB 84. However, it takes a different approach, aiming to maintain flexibility and preserve innovative programs that many families rely on. The bill has been framed as an effort to improve oversight without impacting enrichment opportunities or limiting educational diversity, which are important considerations for those in the AVFCA community.

The bill proposes changes aimed at strengthening audits, increasing transparency, and preventing fraud through measures such as early warning systems, site visits, and background checks. It is designed to implement oversight mechanisms without directly penalizing high-performing schools or restricting family choice and is sponsored and supported by our allies at California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), A Plus, and A.P.P.L.E.  Because the Charter School Laws sunset in January 2026, a bill is needed to allow Charter Schools to continue to function as they have over the past 10 years, so this bill is likely to move forward and land on the Governor's desk.  SB 414 is on the Assembly floor for a full vote.

AVFCA remains committed to working collaboratively, building relationships across the aisle, and pursuing productive pathways forward. With your support, we are able to shape legislation that protects families, children, and informed choice in California.

Thank you for standing with us. Your voice, your calls, and your commitment truly make a difference.  Because of supporters like you, AVFCA can continue to show up at the Capitol, educate legislators, and defend the rights of families across the state.  

Please forward this email to anyone in California, and ask them to do the same. 

If you found this information helpful and appreciate the work A Voice for Choice Advocacy is doing, please support us by making a donation today.

Together, we can create a freer, healthier future for our children. 

And don't forget to join us for our 10 year Anniversary Gala on October 11th.  But your ticket today!  https://givebutter.com/c/AVFCA2025Gala

C

Christina Hildebrand
President/Founder
A Voice for Choice Advocacy, Inc.
[email protected]
www.AVoiceForChoiceAdvocacy.org