AB 189 Summary

• Renames the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to the Civil Rights Department and updates all related references throughout state code.

• Establishes a Chief Equity Officer position within the Government Operations Agency to improve equity and inclusion across state government operations.

• Creates the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications within the Office of Planning and Research to coordinate statewide public awareness and community outreach campaigns with a focus on reaching underserved populations.

• Increases California Victim Compensation Board payment limits: relocation assistance from $2,000 to $3,418, funeral/burial expenses from $7,500 to $12,818, and crime scene cleanup from $1,000 to $1,709.

• Establishes the County Assessors' Grant Program (2022-2025) to provide funding for technology investments in property assessment, and creates the Seismic Retrofitting Program for Soft Story Multifamily Housing with $250 million in funding from the 2023-24 Budget Act.