Consumer Protection

Limits early termination fees to 20% of the total contract cost for installment payment agreements starting in 2026. Requires contracts to clearly display the total termination fee or calculation formula upfront. Mandates that termination fee disclosures be visible without clicking additional links or tooltips. Exempts broadband providers who comply with federal consumer labeling requirements from these rules.

Expands the California FAIR Plan Association's governing committee to include the Assembly Speaker and Senate Rules Committee Chair as nonvoting members to increase oversight of last-resort property insurance. Takes effect immediately as an urgency measure to address the growing unavailability of property insurance coverage due to catastrophic wildfires. Maintains the FAIR Plan's authority to assess member insurance companies for operational costs and set coverage limits to ensure financial stability.

Establishes a new opt-in system for auto manufacturers to follow specific vehicle restitution procedures starting July 2025. Requires consumers to notify manufacturers 30 days before seeking civil penalties for defective vehicles. Mandates consumers provide written notice to buyers about pending warranty claims before selling defective vehicles. Creates a public list of participating manufacturers on the Arbitration Certification Program website.

Caps public insurance adjuster fees at 15% of insurance payouts during disasters and emergencies. Prohibits adjusters from soliciting clients during active disasters or between 6 PM and 8 AM. Extends contract cancellation period to 5 days for disaster victims. Requires detailed written contracts specifying services and fees for property insurance claims.

Expands the legal definition of beer to include fermentation with any grain type, not just barley and malt. Permits brewers to use honey, fruits, herbs, and spices as additional ingredients in beer production. Clarifies that beer aged in used wine or spirit barrels remains classified solely as beer. Requires the use of drinkable water in the beer fermentation process.

Expands online disclosure requirements for licensed professionals to include hydrolysis and funeral facilities. Requires fingerprinting for State Board of Chiropractic Examiners license applicants to enhance public safety. Updates distance education rules to focus on faculty-student location separation rather than institution location. Streamlines licensing fees and requirements across multiple professional boards and educational institutions.

Requires veterinarians seeking license reinstatement to submit fingerprints for criminal background checks. Mandates a three-year waiting period before applying for reinstatement of a revoked veterinary license. Initiates a comprehensive review of the California Veterinary Medical Board's effectiveness.

Requires California to accept digital financial assets as payment for state fees and services by 2026. Mandates the Department of Financial Protection to create regulations for accepting cryptocurrency payments. Requires a comprehensive report to the Legislature by January 2028 on cryptocurrency payment implementation. Automatically expires in January 2031 unless extended by future legislation.

Establishes new civil penalties for social media platforms that enable hate crimes or discrimination. Imposes fines of up to three months of platform revenue for intentional violations. Holds platforms legally responsible for harmful content delivered by their algorithms. Doubles penalties when violations affect minors on social media platforms.

Bans the sale of seven common consumer products containing PFAS chemicals starting January 1, 2027. Authorizes regulators to ban additional product categories when safer alternatives are available at similar costs. Exempts medical devices, pesticides, and products containing essential fluoropolymers from the restrictions. Requires an 18-month transition period before new product bans can take effect.

Exempts businesses from privacy laws when collecting personal data for commercial purposes. Allows companies to intercept communications if consumers have opt-out rights. Blocks consumers from suing companies over data collection done for business purposes. Applies retroactively to all pending cases as of January 1, 2026.

Prohibits credit agencies from reporting property sales caused by wildfire damage in declared emergency areas. Prevents lenders from using wildfire-related property sales as a negative factor in credit decisions. Applies to properties damaged beyond repair by wildfires occurring after January 7, 2025.

Expands rental car companies' ability to use GPS tracking when vehicles are stolen or moved to unauthorized locations. Removes the requirement for rental companies to prove renter negligence in theft cases with clear evidence. Requires rental companies to notify customers 24 hours before activating vehicle tracking technology. Prohibits rental companies from using tracking data to impose fines or surcharges on renters.

Requires home improvement and solicitation contracts to allow cancellation notices via email and provide support line assistance. Mandates contractors include their email address and support line phone number on all contracts. Extends cancellation period to 5 business days for senior citizens on home improvement contracts. Maintains 3-day cancellation rights for standard contracts and 7 days for disaster repair contracts.

Authorizes local governments to set their own fines for abandoned shopping carts instead of the previous $50 limit. Requires cities to provide proof of notification to cart owners before impounding abandoned shopping carts. Allows immediate cart removal during emergencies with 24-hour notice to owners. Permits local governments to recover actual costs for retrieving and returning shopping carts to retailers.

Strengthens privacy protections for low-income phone service program participants by restricting data sharing. Prohibits sharing applicant information with government agencies without a court order. Makes providing Social Security Numbers optional for program participation. Allows use of anonymized data for program analysis and reporting purposes.

Prohibits the sale of charged-off consumer debt after one year from the charge-off date. Requires creditors to notify consumers when their debt is sold to a debt buyer. Limits debt buyers to one year after charge-off to take legal action for debt collection. Mandates creditors to pursue debt collection within 90 days of charging off the debt.

Increases the maximum document processing fee that car dealers can charge to up to $500 or 1% of vehicle price. Maintains existing fee caps of $85 for DMV partner dealers and $70 for other dealers as minimum thresholds. Requires document processing charges to be clearly disclosed as dealer fees rather than government fees. Restricts electronic filing charges to actual costs charged by authorized service providers.

Requires ticket sellers to deliver electronic tickets within 24 hours of purchase or provide full refunds. Mandates venues to publicly disclose total ticket quantities and pricing details for all sales and pre-sales. Guarantees full refunds within 30 days for counterfeit tickets or those that fail to grant event entry. Exempts small venues under 2,500 capacity from new disclosure requirements.

Prohibits third-party platforms from listing restaurant reservations without written agreements from establishments. Authorizes the Attorney General to impose civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation. Creates a state fund from collected penalties to enforce restaurant reservation regulations. Allows restaurants and authorized reservation services to sue unauthorized platforms for damages.

Expands California's unclaimed property law to include digital financial assets like cryptocurrency. Requires businesses to notify owners 6-12 months before digital assets are transferred to the state. Mandates transfer of unclaimed digital assets to the state after three years of inactivity. Allows the State Controller to decline custody of digital assets if not in the state's interest.

Increases penalties for social media platforms that violate cyberbullying prevention rules to $50,000 per violation. Establishes that each day of non-compliance counts as a separate violation for penalty purposes. Authorizes courts to order platforms to comply and award attorney fees to successful plaintiffs.

Expands tax preparer registration exemptions to include licensed accountants and their firms starting January 2025. Requires exempt employees' tax returns to be reviewed and signed by qualified supervisors. Clarifies that tax return preparation includes computer data entry activities.

Expands state financial regulators' authority to enforce rules against deceptive practices by licensed entities. Maintains existing licensing exemptions while adding consumer protection enforcement oversight. Allows regulators to investigate financial misconduct regardless of an entity's license status.

Expands debt settlement protections to include commercial financing recipients who borrow up to $500,000. Requires debt settlement providers to give detailed disclosures and monthly account statements to all clients. Mandates a 3-day review period before contracts can be signed and allows cancellation without penalties. Authorizes legal action with damages up to $5,000 per violation plus attorney fees for illegal practices.