Here are 15 new laws that Californians must start following in 2026
CHRONICLE, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved more than 900 new laws this year, including measures aimed at countering the influence of President Donald Trump, lowering drug costs and requiring landlords to maintain refrigerators and stoves in apartments.
Here’s a rundown of 15 notable state laws that California residents, businesses and visitors will need to follow starting next year."
What did California lawmakers talk about this year? These 10 bills sparked hours of debate
CALMATTERS RYAN SABALOW: "Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State.
Most bills in the California Legislature are barely talked about in public before lawmakers take action, often after secret negotiations with lobbyists."
California drops lawsuit seeking to reinstate federal funding for the state’s bullet train
LAT, SOPHIE AUSTIN: "California last week dropped a lawsuit officials filed against the Trump administration over the federal government’s withdrawing of $4 billion for the state’s long-delayed high-speed rail project.
The U.S. Transportation Department slashed funds for the bullet train aimed at connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles in July. The Trump administration has said the California High-Speed Rail Authority had “ no viable plan ” to complete a large segment of the project in the farm-rich Central Valley."
California has sued Trump 52 times this year. Here’s what those suits have accomplished
CHRONICLE, BOB EGELKO: "With little prospect of fending off President Donald Trump’s agenda in Congress or at the ballot box, California has turned, once again, to the courts. With considerable success so far.
In lawsuits filed or joined by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, federal judges have blocked the Trump administration’s freeze on virtually all domestic federal funding and mass layoffs in agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education and the AmeriCorps volunteer............................. program."
California has lost more than a quarter of its immigration judges this year
LAT, ANDREA CASTILLO: "More than a quarter of federal immigration judges in California have been fired, retired or quit since the start of the Trump administration.
The reduction follows a trend in immigration courts nationwide and constitutes, critics say, an attack on the rule of law that will lead to yet more delays in an overburdened court system."
PG&E transformer fire triggers another unplanned power outage in S.F.
CHRONICLE, DAVID HERNANDEZ: "An unplanned Pacific Gas & Electric Co. outage left more than 11,000 customers without power after a transformer caught fire in San Francisco’s Richmond District on Sunday night.
The fire was called in around 7:45 p.m. in the area of 12th Avenue and Balboa Street, fire officials said, adding that firefighters secured the scene until PG&E crews showed up."
Southern California’s wild weather is not over. Wind gusts of up to 65 mph predicted
LAT, SALVADOR HERNANDEZ: ""Last week’s rain won’t be the end of Southern California’s wild weather as strong wind gusts are forecast through the area until Tuesday.
Gusts of up to 65 mph are expected in mountains and valleys throughout the region, with the National Weather Service warning that power outages were possible and that residents should keep an eye out for downed trees and power lines.
Bay Area gets a breather after holiday storms, but rain isn’t done yet
CHRONICLE, GREG PORTER: "What a week it’s been across California. Several rounds of rain and gusty winds made for a messy holiday stretch. While the worst of that activity has moved on, the broader weather pattern that produced it hasn’t fully let go.
You can feel the difference already. After days of deep moisture overhead, the atmosphere over the Bay Area has dried out dramatically. That’s a far cry from where things were last week, when the atmosphere was full of water."
L.A. fire cleanups reports describe repeated violations, illegal dumping allegation
LAT, TONY BRISCOE: "The primary federal contractor entrusted with purging fire debris from the Eaton and Palisades fires may have illegally dumped toxic ash and misused contaminated soil in breach of state policy, according to federal government reports recently obtained by The Times.
The records depict harried disaster workers appearing to take dangerous shortcuts that could leave hazardous pollution and endanger thousands of survivors poised to return to these communities."
Big Tech blocks California data center rules, leaving only a study requirement
CALMATTERS, ALEJANDRO LAZO: "Tools that power artificial intelligence devour energy. But attempts to shield regular Californians from footing the bill in 2025 ended with a law requiring regulators to write a report about the issue by 2027.
If that sounds pretty watered down, it is. Efforts to regulate the energy usage of data centers — the beating heart of AI — ran headlong into Big Tech, business groups and the governor."
Cities can’t punish outreach workers for helping homeless Californians under new law
CALMATTERS, MARISA KENDALL: "Senate Bill 634 would have made a big splash if it survived in the form Pasadena Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez originally intended. She wanted to make it illegal for cities to cite or arrest homeless Californians for sleeping outside. But, faced with intense backlash from cities and law enforcement agencies, the legislator watered down her bill.
Now signed into law and taking effect Jan. 1, it takes aim at an issue that is much less prevalent on the streets of California. It says cities cannot punish outreach workers for helping homeless clients, even if those clients are sleeping in an illegal encampment."
