Validations.

The California Senate Committee on Local Government proposes comprehensive validation of public bodies' legal standing and past actions through the First Validating Act of 2025, which would affirm the legitimacy of state and local government entities' organization, boundaries, and financial instruments.

The legislation validates the legal status and operations of existing public bodies, including state departments, agencies, special districts, and local authorities. It confirms previously established boundaries and retroactively authorizes past organizational changes like annexations, mergers, and dissolutions. The bill also validates bonds and other financial obligations issued by these entities for public purposes.

The Act contains specific limitations on its scope - it excludes community redevelopment agencies and actions currently under legal challenge. Any challenges to validated matters must be filed within six months of the Act taking effect. The bill maintains existing requirements for filing boundary changes that affect taxation and assessment. Through an urgency clause, these provisions would take immediate effect to provide swift legal certainty for public entities' continued operations.