From a ban on cat declawing procedures to an attempt to protect children from harmful artificial intelligence “companion” chatbots, the California Legislature was busy in its final days of session this year, moving bills along to the governor.

Of the nearly 2,400 bills introduced this session, only about a third of them were passed on to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his final approval, according to veteran Sacramento lobbyist Chris Micheli’s tally.

Newsom has until Oct. 13 to act on those bills sent his way.

Here’s a look at just eight of those bills that made it across the finish line just ahead of the legislative deadline.

De-masking ICE agents

The legislature OK’d a pair of bills to prohibit local and federal law enforcement from concealing their faces with “extreme” masking.

The bills came on the heels of increased immigration enforcement operations, particularly in the Los Angeles area, at the start of the second Trump administration. They were born amid growing concerns that a number of supposed agents in plain clothes are arresting undocumented immigrants, sowing uncertainty among both detainees and witnesses who can’t tell if the individuals are legitimate law enforcement officers.

One bill would require law enforcement officers not to wear face coverings, with few exceptions, including if they are involved in tactical operations where it is required for physical safety or they are actively undercover.

Another bill requires law enforcement officers in California who are not uniformed to visibly display identification, such as a name or badge number, while performing duties. There are narrow exceptions for this bill, as well.

“We have to stand up and say no to the secret police raining fear and intimidation on communities across California,” said Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. “Law enforcement should never be easily confused with the guy in the ski mask robbing a liquor store, yet that’s what’s happening with ICE’s extreme masking.”

These bills did not get Republican support.

AI chatbots safety

Billed as a first-of-its-kind in the nation type of effort, California legislators greenlit a bill that would require AI chatbots to ensure there are safeguards in place to protect those who use it — and to give families legal recourse against developers deemed to be noncompliant and negligent.

The bill from Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, would prohibit these chatbots from exposing children to sexually explicit material and require reminders that the service is generated by AI, not a real person. It would also require the companies to put in place procedures to address suicide, suicidal ideation and self-harm.

“This technology can be a powerful educational and research tool, but left to their own devices, the tech industry is incentivized to capture young people’s attention and hold it at the expense of their real-world relationships,” Padilla said on the Senate floor before the bill’s passage. “These companies have the ability to lead the world in innovation, but it is our responsibility to ensure it doesn’t come at the expense of our children’s health.”

Parents of an Orange County teenager recently sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging that the AI chatbot helped their son die by suicide.

The bill had some bipartisan support.

Combatting antisemitism in schools

With fairly broad bipartisan support, a bill meant to combat antisemitism in California schools was sent to the governor.

The bill — after undergoing many changes in the legislative process — creates a new Office of Civil Rights and establishes an antisemitism prevention coordinator position in that office, who would be responsible for consulting and providing education on antisemitism and how to handle it with educators.

It does not require any specific learning provisions related to Israel or the Israel-Palestine conflict, but it does stipulate that instruction must be factually accurate without any opinion, bias or partisanship.

“This bill is about affirming safe and supportive learning environments consistent with our state’s values,” said Assemblymembers Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, and Rick Chavez Zbur, D-West Hollywood, joint authors of the bill. “The classroom must be a welcoming environment that contributes to the child’s academic well-being.”

The bill counted numerous Jewish organizations among its supporters, as well as the city of Beverly Hills, the Hindu American Foundation and the Los Angeles County Business Federation.

Opposition included the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Culver City Democratic Club and the San Bernardino County Young Democrats.

Protections for mobile home owners

The legislature agreed to a bill meant to help owners of mobile homes in the aftermath of disasters.

From Sen. Brian Jones, R-San Diego, the bill gives mobile home owners the ability to acquire full replacement cost insurance policies for their homes. No insurance company in California offers full cost coverage, according to Jones’ office, and the bill ensures that California’s FAIR Plan provides that full coverage.

“Mobile home owners should not be treated like second-rate citizens when it comes to protecting their property,” said Jones. “A home is a home, and nobody should have to live with the fear that when disaster strikes, they won’t be able to rebuild.”

The bill was backed by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who said there would not be an additional strain on the FAIR Plan’s resources because it’s clarifying that the program provides “the same basic property insurance as other homeowners.”

Funding the high-speed rail project

On the final day of sessions, legislators agreed to allocate $1 billion each year from the state’s cap-and-trade program to fund the high-speed rail project.

“For everyone who has fought to see this project succeed, this long-term funding will provide stability for the project and ensure consistent financing for decades to come,” said Sen. Dave Cortese, a Silicon Valley Democrat and chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Ezra Silk, a spokesperson for U.S. High Speed Rail, a coalition that supports the project, said the funding would enable the completion of an initial segment in the Central Valley and invite private investment. Next up, Silk said, is securing funding to connect the rail to major metropolitan areas.

The Trump administration, which has long derided the rail project, earlier this year pulled about $4 billion in unspent federal money for the project. And a congressional committee in August launched an investigation into the high-speed rail project, probing whether cost and ridership estimates were “misrepresented” in order to secure federal funding.

Legislators reached a deal with Newsom before the session’s end to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program — the effort to reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions — through 2045. Extending the program was one of the more contentious deals of this year’s legislative session.

Healthy meals for children

Receiving broad bipartisan support was legislation from Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, D-San Diego, to require chain restaurants to serve at least one healthy meal for children. Restaurants would designate the healthy option with a symbol on their menus, the bill stipulates.

“I am deeply committed to ensuring that all children in California have access to healthy meals that support their growth and development,” Weber Pierson said in the bill’s analysis. “As a physician, I’ve seen the alarming impact of poor nutrition on children’s health, and as a mother, I know how challenging it can be to find healthy options when dining out.”

The bill counted the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association among its supporters, and it had no opposition on file.

Fines for large social media companies

Large social media companies that do not prevent someone from actively violating California’s civil rights and hate crime laws could be held accountable if the governor OKs legislation from Sen. Henry Stern, D-Los Angeles.

These social media companies could face penalties of up to $1 million, SB 771 stipulates.

The bill “tries to clarify in law that corporations, especially social media platforms, are subject to the same laws when it comes to aiding and abetting hate crimes that regular individual people are,” Stern said during a committee hearing.

He said the bill clarifies that California’s civil rights and hate crimes laws are applicable to large social media platforms and establishes penalties meant “to deter the incitement, aiding and abetting of hate crimes that we know are on the rise.”

The bill passed along party lines, with Republicans either voting against it or not voting at all. It was opposed by free speech groups.

Ban on declawing cats

With bipartisan support, legislators approved a bill that would largely ban declawing cats.

Spearheaded by Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-Milpitas, the bill bans the practice of declawing cats unless a veterinarian deems it medically necessary to protect the animal’s health. Declawing is already prohibited in multiple California cities, according to Lee’s office, including in West Hollywood, and the bill expands the ban statewide.

“Mutilating healthy cats for human convenience is cruel and inhumane,” said Lee. “Cat declawing is a permanent disfiguring surgery that’s equivalent to removing a person’s fingers at the top knuckle, and this barbaric procedure causes lifelong pain.”

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