The new California's Bilingual Teacher Performance Expectations (BTPE), adopted in 2021, are set to be implemented during the 2023-2024 academic year. Since the approval of the Bilingual Education Act in the 1960s, bilingual education in California has navigated its -- sometimes dramatically -- swaying state policies. Being one of the most influential states due to its size and scope, the implementation of these new standards will shape the teacher education programs in the next decades. By extension, the instructional quality that millions of emerging bilingual students will receive is at stake, as well as the ramifications in the bilingual education field as a whole. This article analyzes the opportunities and challenges of this new framework and its implications for the preparation of bilingual teachers in California and beyond.