Watch out – California’s liberal politicians are imposing a bunch of new laws on you starting January 1, 2026 – with a handful of new laws taking effect July 1, 2026. In fact, nearly 800 new laws were approved by the State Legislature and Governor. We’ve got a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly new laws for 2026.
“These laws are everything wrong with Sacramento: corrupt, elitist, and completely disconnected from reality,” says Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio – who is also a member of the State Assembly.
“While families are struggling to pay their bills, Newsom and his allies are obsessed with rewarding their political donors and pushing their radical social agenda,” DeMaio warns.
THE GOOD
Not much good news to report here. Only a handful of good new laws made it through the state legislature this year. Among the few: AB 379 makes it a felony to purchase 16- or 17-year-old minors for sex. Democrats initially killed this bill in the Assembly – but Republicans forced its passage by creating public outcry.
THE BAD AND UGLY
- Minimum wage: Under SB 3, the minimum wage is set to increase to $16.90 per hour. The threshold for exempt workers will rise to $70,304 per year. Many local laws kick into effect to raise minimum wages even higher – depending on location and job category or industry. While well-intended, these wage hikes will only increase the cost of living and destroy jobs. But hey – politicians get to pretend like they care about working people!
- Job-Killing Laws: A number of new laws will impose costly regulations on employers – making it more expensive to create or even keep jobs in our state. Among the job-killers: AB 692 to discourage employers from investing in job training, SB 642 to force employers to show “pay equity” when hiring (e.g., no more merit- or market-based pay), an increase in payroll taxes per employee because Gavin Newsom grossly mismanaged the unemployment program and allowed $30 billion in fraudulent payouts, etc.
- Higher Taxes: AB 1207 extends California’s costly Cap-and-Trade program to 2046—adding up to 43 cents per gallon at the pump.
- Time off for Crime Victims: CA politicians have repeatedly enacted laws to protect criminals – and the result has been a massive crime wave in our state. Instead of combatting and preventing crime, CA politicians are trying to pretend to care about crime victims by passing AB 406 to let workers use paid sick leave and certain unpaid leave if the worker or a family member is a victim of a crime. How about we prevent them from becoming a crime victim in the first place?
- AI and Technology Laws: California is about to kill the goose trying to lay the golden egg by over-regulating technology innovation – such as AI – with bad bills like SB 53.
- Putting Children at Risk: AB 495 lets strangers assume custody of children without parental consent.
- Putting Police at Risk: SB 627 makes it a crime for officers to wear masks to protect their identity—effectively encouraging doxing and intimidation.
- Propaganda for Politicians: SB 155 creates a slush fund for Newsom to funnel millions in taxpayer money to “friendly” media outlets that praise his policies.
- Taxpayer-Funded Racism: SB 518 sets up a massive new state agency to hand out taxpayer funds based solely on skin color.
- Plastic Bag Ban: SB 1053 bans grocery stores from providing customers with plastic shopping bags. Expect this law to backfire with higher costs, less convenience, and WORSE outcomes for the environment – just like the last plastic bag ban bill.
- There Goes the Neighborhood: SB 79 lets developers bulldoze single-family neighborhoods to build six-story apartment towers – stripping local control.
- No Tax on Tips—Except in CA: While Donald Trump has eliminated the federal tax on tips, Gavin Newsom and CA Democrats killed a bill to eliminate the state tax on tips.
Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio says these policies prove that California needs real reform—not more failed leadership.
“We don’t have to accept decline as the new normal,” DeMaio said. “We can take back our state—but it starts by calling out this insanity and fighting back.”
DeMaio and Reform California are leading statewide efforts to repeal these bad laws and restore accountability in state government—including campaigns to pass a California Voter ID law and recruit common-sense candidates to run for the state legislature.
“We’re exposing corruption, organizing voters, and fighting to put power back where it belongs—with the people,” said DeMaio. “This is a battle for California’s future—and we’re not backing down.”
Join the fight, be part of a movement to restore accountability and common sense in California.
.jpg)
