A contentious housing bill that would have capped rent increases to 5% a year died in the Assembly on Tuesday, a decision greeted with boos and cries of disapproval from spectators packed inside the committee chamber.

Assembly Bill 1157 would have lowered California’s limit on rent increases from 10% to 5% annually and removed a clause that allows the cap to expire in 2030. It also would have extended tenant protections to single-family homes — though the bill’s author, Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San José), offered to nix that provision.

“Millions of Californians are still struggling with the high cost of rent,” Kalra said. “We must do something to address the fact that the current law is not enough for many renters.”

Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) said she was concerned the Legislature was enacting too many mandates and restrictions on property owners. She pointed to a recent law requiring landlords to equip rentals with a refrigerator.

“That sounds nice and humanly caring and all that and warm and fuzzy but someone has to pay,” she said. “There is a cost to humanity and how far do we squeeze the property owners?”

The California Apartment Assn., California Building Industry Assn., California Chamber of Commerce and California Assn. of Realtors spoke against the legislation during Tuesday’s hearing before the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Debra Carlton, spokesperson for the apartment association, said the bill sought to overturn the will of the voters who have rejected several ballot measures that would have imposed rent control.

“Rather than addressing the core issue, which is California’s severe housing shortage, AB 1157 places blame on the rental housing industry,” she said. “It sends a chilling message to investors and builders of housing that they are subject to a reversal of legislation and laws by lawmakers. This instability alone threatens to stall or reverse the great work legislators have done in California in the last several years.”

Supporters of the bill included the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action, a statewide nonprofit that works for economic and social justice. The measure is also sponsored by Housing Now, PICO California, California Public Advocates and Unite Here Local 11.

The legislation failed to collect the votes needed to pass out of committee.

On Monday, proponents rallied outside the Capitol to drum up support. “We are the renters; the mighty mighty renters,” they chanted. “Fighting for justice, affordable housing.”

“My rent is half of my income,” said Claudia Reynolds, who is struggling to make ends meet after a recent hip injury. “I give up a lot of things. I use a cellphone for light; I don’t have heat.”

Lydia Hernandez, a teacher and renter from Claremont, said she used to dream of owning a home. As the first person in her family to obtain a college degree, she thought it was an obtainable goal. But now she worries she won’t even be able to keep up with her apartment’s rent.

Hernandez recalled noticing a woman who had recently become homeless last week on her way to school.

“I started to tear up,” said Hernandez, her voice cracking. “I could see myself in her in my future, where I could spend my retirement years living an unsheltered life.”

After Tuesday’s vote, Anya Svanoe, communications director for ACCE Action, said many of their members felt betrayed.

“While housing production is a very important part of getting us out of this housing crisis, it isn’t enough,” she said. “Families are in dire need of protections right now and we can’t wait for trickle-down housing production.”

In California, 40.6% of households are spending more than 30% of their income on housing, according to an analysis released in 2024 by the Pew Research Center. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households that spend more than 30% of their incomes on housing to be “cost burdened.”

Lake Shasta and California’s other lakes and reservoirs got a big boost from wet holiday storms. Nearly two weeks into 2026, all of the state’s 17 major reservoirs are brimming above their 30-year average after atmospheric rivers dumped heavy rain on much of the state starting the week before Christmas, lasting into Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Both the rain and the rainwater draining from the ground into lakes helped raise reservoir levels, the National Weather Service said.

Lake Shasta waters lapped just short of 29 feet from the top on Jan. 11, after rising about 45 feet since Dec. 18 — the day before the first heavy winter storm of the season rolled over Shasta County, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

Two other major Southern California supply reservoirs were full or near full as of Jan. 11, according to state data.

• Lake Cachuma is 101% full. The reservoir contained 58% more water than its 30-year historic average.
• Lake Casitas is 98% full, 27% more than its average.

Lakes continue to fill for days after storms pass as the heavily saturated soil continues to drain into waterways, said meteorologist Bill Rasch at the weather service’s Sacramento branch.

Based on state water resources department reports, here’s how much water other major reservoirs held on Jan. 11, starting with the three biggest.

How full is Lake Shasta?

Lake Shasta, the biggest state-owned reservoir, was 82% full, according to the state’s latest data. With several months left to go in the area’s rainy season, the lake was 35% more full than its historic average over the past 30 years.

However, Lake Shasta started the water year 4% higher than average on Oct. 1, 2025, after Northern California’s super wet spring.

How full is Lake Oroville?

The state’s second-largest reservoir, Lake Oroville — located 80 miles north of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills — was 78% full and held 39% more water than usual on Jan. 11.

A California mother has been found guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter after the child drowned in the family’s swimming pool while the mom was intoxicated and chatting with men she met on dating apps.

Kelle Anne Brassart, 45, was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder and felony child endangerment in the drowning death of her daughter, Daniellé Pires, at her home in Turlock, according to a statement from the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.

Brassart called 911 around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 12 to report that her daughter was floating in the pool and unresponsive, prosecutors said.

First responders pulled the toddler from the pool and attempted life-saving measures, but she could not be revived.

Surveillance footage later showed the 2-year-old had been left unattended outside for an extended period before falling into the pool, prompting authorities to immediately launch an investigation.

Investigators found that after calling for help, Brassart “remained in the home and never attempted to rescue Daniellé,” District Attorney Jeff Laugero said.

Prosecutors said Brassart spent about 45 minutes on her phone talking to men she met on dating apps while her daughter was left unattended.

Brassart told investigators she was unable to reach her daughter because of a leg injury and claimed she required the use of a wheelchair, Laugero said.

However, evidence presented at trial showed she was able to walk and stand without assistance, including footage showing her driving and attending nail appointments before the drowning.

“Brassart possessed a walking boot and crutches in the home,” Laugero said.

“Video evidence was introduced at trial showing her walking and standing without the use of a wheelchair prior to the drowning.”

Prosecutors also said officers observed signs of impairment at the scene, and empty liquor bottles were found inside the residence.

A subsequent blood alcohol test showed Brassart’s level measured 0.246% at the time of the incident — more than three times California’s legal driving limit.

The child’s father, Daniel Pires, who was at work that day, had allegedly asked Brassart not to consume alcohol while caring for the child, the Turlock Journal reported.

Court records also show she had been ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

“This is a case where the defendant knew, and she didn’t care,” prosecuting Deputy District Attorney Sara Sousa told the court during the trial. “She didn’t care that her daughter was at risk; she didn’t care that she wasn’t watching her, because all she wanted to do was be selfish and get drunk.”

Prosecutors also revealed Brassart was on probation for child abuse at the time of the drowning, and that another child under her care had previously been hospitalized for nearly a week after ingesting medication, according to SFGate.

Following the conviction, Sousa slammed Brassart further for failing “in her duty to care for her child.”

“She not only failed in her duty to care for her child, but she did it in a way that was so reckless and indifferent to human life that her conduct amounted to second-degree murder,” Sousa said.

Brassart is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 5 and faces 15 years to life in prison.