- Gibson Martucci
- 916-319-3104
- gibson.martucci@asm.ca.gov
SACRAMENTO, CA — Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) helped secure a major victory for California educators as Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2026–2027 state budget includes up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave for TK–12 and community college employees. This reflects years of advocacy for paid pregnancy leave and the intent of Assembly Bill 65 (AB 65), authored by Aguiar-Curry, which is currently pending in the state senate.
“We owe this to our educators. For far too long, we’ve asked California educators to use all their sick leave, then make them actually pay for their substitute. Women educators in our state have been retiring with $100,000 less in benefits because of these terrible policies. I’ve worked on correcting this for years, and I’m so grateful Governor Newsom, Speaker Rivas and Pro Tem Limón included my bill in the final budget,” said Aguiar-Curry. “Now our school employees recovering from pregnancy can take care of themselves and their family while we wait for them to return and care for our kids.”
California educators currently must exhaust accrued sick leave before receiving differential pay while recovering from pregnancy and related health conditions. Because women make up more than 70 percent of the state’s education workforce, this policy contributes to long-term pay and retirement disparities. According to CalSTRS, women educators retire with approximately $100,000 less in benefits than their male counterparts, largely due to unpaid pregnancy leave. The new benefit, beginning January 1, 2027, represents a strategic workforce investment to improve educator recruitment and retention by allowing employees to recover without losing pay or financial stability. Costs are expected to be absorbable within the 1.4-percent discretionary Local Control Funding Formula cost-of-living adjustment. The inclusion of paid pregnancy leave in the governor’s budget also comes as state leaders continue broader negotiations over school funding and long-term investments in public education.
AB 65 bill sponsors had this to say about the inclusion of paid pregnancy leave in the budget:
Secretary-Treasurer Erika Jones, of the California Teachers Association said, “This is a historic win for California educators. For far too long, educators recovering from pregnancy have been forced to drain their sick leave or return to work before they were ready because they couldn’t afford unpaid time off. That changes today. Paid pregnancy leave will be life-changing for hundreds of thousands of school employees across the state, giving them the time they need to recover and care for their families without sacrificing their financial security. We are proud to have fought alongside Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry to make this long-overdue change a reality, and to ensure educators no longer have to choose between their health and their paycheck.”
"The inclusion of up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave for all TK-14 educators in the 2026–2027 state budget is a significant win for California's dedicated school employees. This ensures families will not have to choose between caring for a newborn and maintaining financial security,” said President Adam Weinberger, California School Employees Association. “We thank Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry for her steadfast commitment to advocating for the school employees who serve California’s students and for ensuring they have the support they need during and after pregnancy.”
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Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry represents California’s 4th Assembly District, which includes all of Lake, Colusa, Napa, and Yolo Counties, and part of Sonoma County. She serves as the Assembly Majority Leader and Chair of the California Women’s Legislative Caucus.