California Democrats took aim at Trump, social media giants this year

California lawmakers passed a series of bills targeting the Trump administration's immigration policies and social media giants before the legislative session ended, including AB 1633, which would impose a 25% tax on private detention center operators, and AB 2760, the first nationwide ban on electric shock gloves for law enforcement. The legislature also passed Senate Bill 1119, known as Adam's Law, which regulates AI chatbots' interactions with children, requiring age verification and risk assessments to prevent harm.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...California lawmakers delivered Gov. Gavin Newsom a slew of bills before the legislative session officially ended this week. The outgoing governor has until the end of the month to sign or veto the bills as he cements his legacy and lays the groundwork for a likely presidential run in 2028. https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/03/17/newsom-cant-be-president-because-he-has-learning-disability/ State Democrats, who have enough votes to bypass Republicans in the legislature, passed bills intended to slow the Trump administration’s efforts to deport more immigrants, expand offshore oil drilling and finalize an export terminal in Oakland that would transport coal. Lawmakers also passed guardrails on how technology companies can target kids. They also passed a measure making Sept. 25, or 9/25, Dolly Parton Day to honor country singer icon Dolly Parton, who died last month, and her famous working woman’s anthem 9 to 5. Here are the major bills that passed this session: Immigration Democrats passed twin bills shortly before the Monday deadline to curb U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement work in the state. AB 1633 would impose an annual 25% tax on the gross annual incomes of private detention center operators. It comes as federal immigration officials seek to build a new detention facility in Gilroy https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/16/ice-facility-gilroy-federal-government-10-detainees/ . It’s unclear whether the tax would apply to that proposed detention center, since the federal government has not announced whether a private contractor would run the facility. San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, a Democrat, authored the bill in response to reports of poor conditions at private immigration detention facilities across the state. Money from the tax, which would start in July 2028, would fund immigration services. Opponents of the bill, including Republican lawmakers, say it would force detention centers to close and return immigrants, some of whom they say have criminal backgrounds, into local communities. On Monday, the state Legislature also passed a bill to immediately ban law enforcement officers from using electric shock gloves https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/11/immigration-ice-shock-gloves/ , the first such legislation nationwide. AB 2760 is a response to the Trump administration’s plan to spend up to $20 million on the devices for federal immigration agents. The bill, authored by Milpitas Assemblymember Alex Lee, a Democrat, and opposed by Republicans, also seeks to prevent local law enforcement from deploying electroshock gloves. It is unclear whether any Bay Area agencies have used the devices. Bill supporters, including immigrant advocates, say the gloves are dangerous and untested, while opponents, including some police agencies, describe them as a de-escalation tool. The Department of Homeland Security has said it would not comply with the bill, saying it’s unconstitutional for state lawmakers to regulate federal law enforcement. Digital life Senate Bill 1119, to regulate artificial intelligence chatbots’ interactions with children https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/09/30/south-bay-teens-say-ai-needs-more-guardrails-to-protect-youth/ , is called Adam’s Law in memory of Southern California teenager Adam Raine https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/10/23/parents-claim-openai-weakened-chatbot-anti-suicide-teens-death/ , who was allegedly coached through his suicide by a chatbot in 2025. The law would require companies operating “companion” chatbots — bots with human-like features — to verify users’ ages. Then, companies would have to notify underage users they’re interacting with AI. The bill would require that companies perform risk assessments and take measures to reduce potential harm to kids. Bots would be prohibited from making statements promoting suicide or self-harm. Consumer advocacy groups supported the bill, and associations representing Silicon Valley tech giants opposed it. Assembly Bill 1709 would ban social media companies from providing “addictive” features to kids under 16. https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/18/meta-hid-the-truth-about-harms-to-children-california-says-as-oakland-trial-opens/ Companies would have to verify ages before serving addictive content. The legislation says social media companies intentionally design their platforms to maximize user engagement https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/18/she-died-by-design-grieving-mothers-condemn-meta-as-trial-begins-in-oakland/ through features including content recommendations, infinite scrolling, automatically playing videos and notifications, all of which “mirror known behavioral reinforcement systems associated with addiction.” The platforms are “engineered to encourage compulsive use,” often without regard to users’ well-being, leading to “population-level” effects on mental health, the legislation said. Fines of up to $50,000 could be levied against companies for every violation related to a minor. The bill had support from some child-advocacy groups, but was opposed by many privacy organizations. Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Oakland introduced the bill with other lawmakers. Environment Lawmakers passed SB 868 by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, which would legalize small-scale portable “ balcony solar https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/28/you-may-soon-be-able-to-put-a-solar-panel-on-your-apartment-balcony-in-california/ ” systems that plug in to regular 120V household outlets, exempting them from utility permitting rules. PG&E and the California Municipal Utilities Association opposed the measure. Another bill, AB 1448, is intended to block efforts by the Trump administration to build new offshore oil rigs along California’s coast https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/01/23/california-offshore-oil-lawsuit/ . Written by Assemblyman Gregg Hart, D-Santa Barbara, it would prohibit the use of existing pipelines and other infrastructure in state waters out to three miles for new federal drilling. “It’s time to move past this destructive industry and make it clear that California will not stand for new drilling in our waters,” said Linda Krop, chief counsel for the Environmental Defense Center in Santa Barbara. The California Independent Petroleum Association opposed the bill. A long-running proposal to build a coal export terminal at the former Oakland https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/04/oakland-coal-trump/ Army Base in West Oakland — which city attorneys fought unsuccessfully and the Trump administration supported with a $75 million grant — would be slowed if Newsom signs SB 40 by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, D-Oakland. It requires a new and thorough environmental impact report EIR before any public agency can approve large-scale coal facilities. Finally, lawmakers revised a landmark law Newsom signed last year, which reduced environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act for new apartments in urban areas, daycare centers, renewable energy projects, wildfire risk efforts and other projects. This year’s bill, SB 954, by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, limits the type of advanced manufacturing plants eligible for waivers, addressing environmentalists’ concerns that last year’s law could have green-lit strip mining and other heavily polluting projects. Many business groups opposed the measure. Aging Lawmakers also passed a bill to make it easier for families to learn about abuse at residential care facilities for seniors. SB 991, by Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-San Fernando Valley, requires the California Department of Social Services to categorize substantiated abuse — including physical and financial abuse, neglect, abandonment, isolation and mental suffering — in its public-facing database. Currently, said Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez, R-Coachella, a patient with a bedsore is categorized the same as a patient who is assaulted. Education Lawmakers struggled to balance the rights of victims of childhood molestation at schools and other public agencies while also providing buffers for cash-strapped institutions, as they amended a 2019 law that had extended the statute of limitations for bringing childhood sexual assault claims. The bill awaiting Newsom’s signature, SB 577, is the result of two years of negotiation that started after districts were hit with claims dating back decades. “No county in the state has been more impacted than Los Angeles County, which last year announced a $4 billion settlement for more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims dated back to 1959,” Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, said as the bill was being debated. “We shouldn’t have to choose between finding justice for victims and protecting the solvency of our public agencies.” The bill adds a $25,000 penalty for attorneys who file cases in bad faith and raises the legal standard for filing lawsuits on assault claims that occurred before Jan. 1, 2024, to someone who is now 40 years old or older. Some survivors’ groups were unhappy with the compromise. “If the Legislature passes this immoral bill, we call upon Governor Newsom to protect survivors and hold abusers accountable by vetoing SB 577,” wrote five groups in a statement on the legislation.