#california-legislation

#california-legislation

Introduced by California Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Tom Umberg, a Democratic state senator from Santa Ana, California, the new bill codifies many guidelines for the use of AI in the practice of law that were published by the State Bar of California's Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct in 2023, according to Law.com. Among its provisions, it requires attorneys to remove confidential personal identifying information from AI systems and to verify the accuracy of AI-produced material.

The law was part of a state senate bill that called for the amendment of the California Retail Food Code. The bill was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2025 and it comes into effect this July. That means from this summer forward, Californians can expect to see milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, sesame, and soybeans listed as an ingredient on major restaurant menus.

A mental health diversion granted to a former Kern County politician is coming under fire from numerous California lawmakers and child welfare advocates, who say a repeatedly amended state law is allowing an accused child abuser to avoid prosecution and possible jail time. Zack Scrivner, a former Kern County supervisor, was charged with felony child abuse in February after he was accused of inappropriately touching one of his children in 2024. But because of a Dec. 19 ruling by a judge, he will avoid a trial and instead be funneled into a mental health diversion program - an initiative aimed at helping defendants with mental health disorders get treatment instead of imprisonment for certain crimes.

Efforts to ban PFAS statewide have advanced this year: in October, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1881, introduced by San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, which banned the use of PFAS in firefighting equipment for all California firefighters. And across the U.S., other departments have begun to make the transition: earlier this year, Providence, Rhode Island, rolled out new gear, and in 2024, Massachusetts passed a ban on the use of PFAS in firefighting PPE, set to take effect in 2027.

As technology has advanced, so too has the range of what can be classified as a car key - which can increasingly refer to a device capable of operating with a keyless ignition system. The idea of being able to start a car just by pressing a button has its own appeal, but it can also come at a significant (and literal) cost.

The picturesque wedding swan can now be legally shot in California year-round, without a license. Under a bill signed into law this month by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the mute swan has been added to the list of nongame birds that can taken or possessed at any time. Assembly Bill 764, by Jeff Gonzalez, R-Coachella, takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, and expires after five years.

A law that allowed the sharing of limitless amounts of personal data across the state to find people eligible for CalFresh was rescinded this week. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 593 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat from Oakland, that forbids state and local departments from sharing sensitive personal data to increase food stamp enrollment. RELATED: Gov. Newsom signs 'Safe Schools Act' taking unprecedented action against ICE in schools But only a year ago, it was Wicks who introduced that same data sharing initiative, to get more people enrolled in CalFresh, the state's federally funded food assistance program.

ICE: Senate Bill 627, the "No Secret Police Act," by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, bans law enforcement officers from wearing face masks, except clear shields and other limited exceptions. The ACLU and other supporters say secret masked police are common in authoritarian countries, not democracies. Opponents, led by police groups, say masks are needed to protect officers from death threats. The Trump administration has told ICE to ignore the law, which may end up in court.

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed and vetoed the last of a slew of bills passed by the state legislature this year. Out of nearly a thousand measures awaiting his signature, Newsom signed 794 into law and vetoed 123. About the same ratio applied to bills designed to shore up state protections for transgender rights and the LGBTQ+ community, as the Trump administration's crusade against LGBTQ+ identity presses on.

California has enacted new legislation that aims to limit companies from charging consumers "exorbitant" fees to cancel fixed-term contracts.

A lot of the videos produced for Streetsblog California focused on what the governor has, and hasn't, signed into law. They include a push for the governor to sign red-light camera reforms, a look at the bills we're still waiting for the governor to sign or veto, and announcements of the signing of a pair of controversial bills. Also, if you haven't voted on Prop. 50 just yet, Streetsblog breaks down how to do that and encourages a "yes" vote.

The bill would have banned companies from making AI chatbots available to anyone under 18 years old unless the businesses could ensure the technology couldn't engage in sexual conversations or encourage self-harm. While I strongly support the author's goal of establishing necessary safeguards for the safe use of AI by minors, (the bill) imposes such broad restrictions on the use of conversational AI tools that it may unintentionally lead to a total ban on the use of these products by minors," Newsom said.

The law mandates that device operating systems and app stores require users to enter their age or date of birth when setting up a new phone or computer. The new rules are slated to take effect on January 1st, 2027, and for devices set up prior to that date, the OS provider - like Apple or Google - must come up with a way for users to enter their ages by July 1st that year.

The FAIR Plan is an insurance pool that provides policies to people who can't get private insurance because their properties are deemed too risky to insure. The number of homeowners forced onto the FAIR Plan has skyrocketed. With high premiums and basic coverage, the plan is designed as a temporary option until homeowners can find permanent coverage. But more Californians are relying on it than ever as increasingly devastating and destructive fires spark across the state, including in densely populated areas.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Tuesday aimed at preventing sexual abuse in K-12 schools in the state. The legislation was triggered by Business Insider's 2023 investigation into a California high school. The Safe Learning Environments Act, sponsored by state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez of Pasadena, will require public and private schools in California to revise their comprehensive safety plans to specifically address sexual abuse and employee sexual misconduct.

grant access to the confidential personnel records of peace officers and custodial officers ... to civilian law enforcement oversight boards or commissions during investigations

We are also immensely grateful to Gov. Newsom, Pro Tem Mike McGuire, Speaker Robert Rivas and to so many of our non-Jewish colleagues of both political parties who have stood as staunch allies in the fight against hate. Together, we will continue to fight to ensure that students of all faiths and backgrounds are safe, welcome, and can thrive in our schools.

A California bill now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) signature would set a pathway to eliminate the state's trailblazing moratorium on pipelines used to transport carbon dioxide. The fossil fuel industry lobbied to shape the Democrat-sponsored legislation, which could allow such pipelines to be constructed without strict distance requirements around communities and sensitive wildlife habitats - raising fears that leaks or ruptures of the asphyxiant gas could occur close to people's homes.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that will create new transparency measures for large AI companies, including public disclosure of security protocols and reports of critical safety incidents. Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said Senate Bill 53 will create "commonsense guardrails" to ensure groundbreaking innovations don't sacrifice safety and transparency amid the rapid growth of AI technologies.

Keller's husband is Zach Keller, legislative director for Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana). Last year, when the pair became new - and newly exhausted - parents, their reprieve was watching a TV show on a streaming service while their daughter napped. Even though the TV and the baby were in separate rooms, a random commercial would "blare so loudly that it would startle [the baby] and wake her up," Keller told The Times.

The bill aims to reduce the cost of rideshare services for Californians by removing the requirement that rideshare drivers carry $1 million in coverage for accidents caused by other drivers who are uninsured or under-insured - a cost that today is passed on to riders in fees. The bill will lower the requirement to $60,000 in uninsured motorist coverage per individual and $300,000 per accident.

In howling winds and choking smoke during the January fires that devastated Altadena and Pacific Palisades, more than 1,100 incarcerated firefighters cleared brush and dug fire lines, some for wages of less than $30 per day. Those firefighters could soon see a major raise. On Thursday, California lawmakers unanimously approved a plan to pay incarcerated firefighters the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour while assigned to an active fire, a raise of more than 700%.