New California laws taking effect July 1, 2026

LOS ANGELES - Effective July 1, California will implement new laws requiring widespread sector compliance. 

Key changes include mandatory menu allergen disclosures, standardized food date labeling, volume limits on streaming ads, and a ban on certain semi-automatic pistols. 

Additionally, the measures allow autonomous vehicles to be ticketed, promote dense transit housing, and mandate that schools restrict smartphones, provide gender-neutral restrooms, and feature LGBTQ+ hotline info on student IDs.

What we know:

Here's a look at the new legislation.

CONSUMER RIGHTS & EVERYDAY WALLET

SB-68: Food allergens

Known as the Allergen Disclosure for Dining Experiences (ADDE) Act, Senate Bill 68 is a first-of-its-kind law requiring chain restaurants to provide clear, written notifications of major food allergens contained in their menu items. 

Fully implemented on July 1, the mandate applies to any restaurant group, franchise, or ghost kitchen operating under the same brand name with 20 or more locations nationwide. 

Covered facilities must disclose the presence of nine major allergens—including milk, peanuts, and newly added sesame—either directly on their physical menus or via accessible digital alternatives like QR codes and allergen grids.

AB-660: Food labeling

Assembly Bill 660 is a consumer protection law enacted to drastically reduce food waste by standardizing date labels on packaged foods across the state. 

Fully implemented by July 1, the law completely bans confusing, consumer-facing "sell-by" dates that often lead to households prematurely throwing away perfectly good grocery items. Instead, manufacturers must use uniform terminology, requiring "BEST if Used by" for peak product quality and "USE by" strictly for public food safety. 

This streamlined labeling system aims to save families money and keep billions of pounds of unspoiled food out of California landfills.

SB-576: Video streaming ads

Senate Bill 576 bans streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu from playing advertisements substantially louder than the programming they accompany.

The law makes streaming platforms comply with the same standards as a 15-year-old federal law that limits how loud television and cable broadcasters can make their advertisements.

WORKPLACE, HEALTHCARE & THE ECONOMY

Minimum wage increases

Local city and county increases: The hourly minimum wage rate will increase in many cities and counties, including, for example: Los Angeles ($18.42), County of Los Angeles ($18.47), Malibu ($17.91), Pasadena ($18.57), and Santa Monica ($18.47). 

>> Tap or click here to see a list of city and county minimum wages in California <<

Industry-specific special rates: Starting July 1, healthcare employees at large hospital systems (with 10,000 or more full-time equivalents) or dialysis clinics will officially see their minimum wage rise to $25 per hour. Smaller facilities, community clinics, and skilled nursing homes will also see their respective phased minimums bump up (for example, general clinics jump to $23.00/hour).

Additionally, cities like Glendale, Los Angeles, and Long Beach are raising their specific hotel and hospitality worker minimum wages up to $25 or $26.50 per hour on July 1. Neighboring cities like Santa Monica automatically match the City of Los Angeles' hotel minimum wage structures, forcing a parallel increase for local coastal hospitality workers on July 1.

Check the local government websites where you work for further details, including any industry-specific local wage rates.

SB-669: Perinatal services in rural hospitals

Senate Bill 669 tackles the rural healthcare crisis by creating a 10-year pilot program that allows up to five qualified "critical access" rural hospitals to establish standby perinatal (maternity) units. 

The law aims to combat expanding "maternity deserts" by giving pregnant women in isolated regions access to local, hospital-affiliated birthing assistance rather than forcing them to drive hours while in labor.

The pilot will launch its first two sites at nonprofit hospitals in Humboldt and Plumas counties.

PUBLIC SAFETY & TECH REGULATION

SB-79: Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act

Senate Bill 79 overrides restrictive local zoning laws to allow high-density, multi-family housing development within a half-mile of major public transit stops. 

The the law sets statewide minimums for height and density based on transit proximity while mandating strict on-site affordability and tenant anti-displacement protections. 

To ease implementation, local cities are granted alternative compliance pathways to phase in these zoning changes or temporarily exempt certain high-risk wildfire zones and historic districts.

AB-1777: Autonomous vehicles

Assembly Bill 1777 is a traffic safety law that cracks down on driverless robotaxis. 

The law closes a legal loophole by allowing police to officially cite autonomous vehicle (AV) companies for traffic violations, just like human drivers.

Also, AV companies must provide emergency workers with a 24/7 priority phone line and equip cars with two-way communication systems, so officers can talk directly to remote operators.

Additionally, if a robotaxi blocks an emergency or disaster scene, first responders can drop a digital "geofence" boundary. The company must force the vehicle to leave or detour within two minutes.

AB-1127: Glock ban

Assembly Bill 1127 requires licensed firearm dealers to stop the sale of certain semiautomatic pistols, most notably Glock-style handguns. The bill re-classifies them as "machinegun-convertible pistols," due to a specific trigger mechanism that can be easily converted into an automatic weapon.

The ban only applies to commercial sales of new inventory; it does not ban possession, and private party transfers remain legal.

SCHOOLS & PERSONAL PRIVACY

SB-760: All-gender restrooms

Senate Bill 760 requires all K-12 public, charter, and private schools to provide at least one easily accessible, unlocked all-gender restroom for student use. 

The law aims to create safe, non-discriminatory spaces for LGBTQ+ and non-binary students. 

To minimize costs, school districts are allowed to meet this mandate by simply converting existing single-stall restrooms with updated signage.

AB-3216: Cell phones

Also known as the Phone-Free Schools Act, Assembly Bill 3216 requires all public school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education to adopt policies that limit or prohibit student smartphone use during the school day. 

It was signed into law to address growing concerns surrounding classroom distraction, cyberbullying, and student mental health. 

While districts are given the flexibility to design their own specific rules with community input, the law mandates standard exemptions for emergencies, medical necessity, or specialized education plans.

Once established, school boards are legally required to review and update these phone policies every five years to ensure they continue to meet student needs.

AB-1084: Change of name and gender

Assembly Bill 1084 streamlines the process for updating legal names and vital records to match gender identity. For adults, and for minors with the consent of all living parents, courts must grant the name change without a hearing within six weeks of filing; outside objections for adults are entirely eliminated. 

If a minor's petition lacks unanimous parental consent, the non-signing parent must be served, and a hearing will only be scheduled if they file a timely objection based on good cause.

Additionally, the bill removes the administrative requirement that petitioners must file their official court judgment for gender identifier changes with the State Registrar or county clerk within 30 days of issuance.

AB-727: Crisis hotlines

Assembly Bill 727 requires student ID cards in California’s public middle schools, high schools, and colleges to include the phone number for The Trevor Project, a leading crisis and suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ youth.

AB 727 builds on California’s 2018 suicide prevention ID card law by adding a targeted, affirming resource for LGBTQ students – many of whom face elevated risk for mental health challenges due to verbal, physical, and online harassment. 

SB-848: Expanded child abuse prevention procedures

Senate Bill 848 is a sweeping student-safety law enacted to prevent child abuse and crack down on school employee misconduct across both public and private K-12 campuses. 

The law drastically expands the definition of a school "mandated reporter" to include contractors, board members, and parent volunteers who interact with students outside direct parental supervision.

By July 1, all affected schools must adopt strict written policies regarding adult-student professional boundaries and provide annual, mandatory child abuse prevention training to all staff and volunteers. 

Additionally, the legislation blocks schools from hiring anyone convicted of specific minor-targeted felonies and initiates a statewide database to track complaints and investigations of egregious employee misconduct.

SB-59: Transgender Privacy Act

Also known as the Transgender Privacy Act, the bill expands critical confidentiality protections for individuals petitioning the court to legally change their name, gender, or sex identifier to match their gender identity. 

While existing law only kept these court records confidential for minors, this bill extends those same privacy protections to all petitioners regardless of age, and it bars any outside individual or private entity from publicly posting these records online.

The law allows past and future petitioners to keep their records private, establishes that a transgender person's identity is intimate personal information protected by the right to privacy, and permits individuals to sue private parties for damages and legal fees if their confidential records are wrongfully disclosed.