Newsom told reporters on Monday evening the proposal was unsatisfying and the Assembly killed the proposal the following morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past several weeks, we have spent hundreds of hours at the table with Californians from every side of this fight, and the verdict is clear: The proposal before us does not yet deliver the relief, accountability or meaningful reform that Californians deserve,\u201d Democratic Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Rivas told reporters the Assembly was \u201cready to serve\u201d in the event Newsom calls a special session for further legislation to restructure utility liability. Newsom didn\u2019t indicate whether he would call lawmakers back to Sacramento this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reforms in this bill, while important, did not address the underlying structural problems driving this crisis, as the initial market reaction this week demonstrates,\u201d Newsom said in a statement after the proposal died. \u201cSimply put, this measure did not meet the gravity of this moment. The only solution is to return to fix the entire problem, not part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Governor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/090326_newsom_2.jpeg\")
Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters on the final day of the legislative session at the State Capitol in Sacramento. August 31, 2026.Laura Fitzgerald\/CapRadio<\/p>\n
The legislature approved a measure<\/a> to limit sexual assault liability for public agencies as counties and school districts face a slough of lawsuits. The deal was the first attempt to reform a 2019 law<\/a> that extended the timeline survivors have to file a lawsuit about abuse they experienced as children. Los Angeles County alone has had to pay over $6 billion in payouts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bill threads the needle to ensure justice for victims, prevention and protection from future abuse, and and help for local agencies dealing with large settlements resulting from childhood sexual assault cases,\u201d said Democratic Senator John Laird of Santa Cruz, who authored the bill and one of the agreement\u2019s main negotiators.<\/p>\n Independent filmmakers in Hollywood also got a win this session \u2013 lawmakers passed a bill <\/a>exempting the small production companies from a corporate tax credit cap Newsom signed into law earlier this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s more of what lawmakers passed in their final week:<\/p>\n Technology and AI<\/p>\n Lawmakers have sought to tighten regulations for social media platforms in recent sessions in an effort to keep children safe online. This year was no different \u2013 landmark bills sailed off both the Assembly and Senate floors shortly after Meta announced a $17.1 billion settlement in a child safety lawsuit with multiple states last week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure that our kids are healthy and feel good about themselves, can achieve academically, socially, intellectually and are not at risk of harm,\u201d said Democratic Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal of Long Beach. \u201cI can say as a dad of a 16-year-old, a 14-year-old, and a 12-year-old, there’s never more meaningful work than I’m ever going to do in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Lowenthal\u2019s measure<\/a> to make social media companies legally liable for damages in the event their platforms harm children passed with bipartisan support, as did his bill<\/a> banning platforms from offering addictive features to users under 16.<\/p>\n \u201cLegislators from progressives to conservatives all agree that we can\u2019t be giving children addictive social media platforms that keep them on the platform and off of living life,\u201d said Republican Assemblymember Joe Patterson of Roseville.<\/p>\n Social media companies would have to implement age verification for their platforms per another measure<\/a> by Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Oakland.<\/p>\n Lawmakers also approved measures in an attempt to regulate AI chatbots and how they interact with minors. Senate Bill 903<\/a> by Senator Steve Padilla would ban individuals or companies from advertising AI chatbots for use as psychotherapy or mental health services. The Democrat from San Diego also authored a bill<\/a> to implement a four-year ban on the use of AI chatbot companions in kids\u2019 toys and products, which lawmakers approved.<\/p>\n Data centers<\/p>\n As public backlash against data centers surges in city council meetings and community forums across the U.S., lawmakers in California have backed a number of measures aimed at regulating data center construction and the resources the AI powerhouses use.<\/p>\n Senate Bill 886<\/a> and Assembly Bill 2383<\/a> were among the most controversial to require the state to set specific energy rates for data centers. Another key measure<\/a> would ensure data center projects are subject to the state\u2019s flagship environmental review law and offer fast-tracked approvals for projects that meet environmental review standards.<\/p>\n Other bills would require more reporting on data center water usage and identify ways for data center operators to shoulder costs to maintain the electricity grid.\u00a0<\/p>\n Immigration<\/p>\n Democrats in the legislature pushed legislation aiming to regulate federal immigration officials and tactics in response to the Trump administration\u2019s immigration crackdown. Lawmakers introduced a swath of bills in February after federal immigration agents shot and killed American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, MN during immigration protests.<\/p>\n Lawmakers approved an eleventh-hour measure<\/a> to ban the use of wearable shock gloves after reports that federal immigration agents were starting to use them in enforcement actions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAssembly bill 2760 draws a clear line that public safety technology must be proven safe and accountable before it is deployed, not after someone is killed or seriously injured,\u201d said Democratic Assemblymember Lashae Sharp-Collins of San Diego, who authored the bill.<\/p>\n They also passed a bill<\/a> to prevent law enforcement officers from moonlighting as ICE agents. Another measure<\/a> would disqualify someone from public employment as a peace officer if they\u2019ve previously worked as an immigration enforcement official.<\/p>\n
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