California state lawmakers wrapped up their 2025 legislative session on Saturday, sending hundreds of bills to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. The deadline marked the end of a tumultuous period in which the state experienced record breaking devastation during the Los Angeles fires and lawmakers confronted a $12 billion budget deficit. California also waded into the national redistricting debate over the summer, which dominated discourse and proceedings at the Capitol in August and made for an unusual last month of session.
But lawmakers’ final days in Sacramento this year were routine, filled with heated debate lasting into early morning hours and last minute deals made public only days before they were voted on.
Here are some of the notable bills they passed in their final week.
End of Session Energy
Lawmakers approved a package of bills aimed at reducing energy costs and pollution in the state. The “Big Three,” referring to Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, and Governor Gavin Newsom, surfaced a deal on the bills midway through the legislature’s final week after months of negotiating.
“After months of hard work with the Legislature, we have agreed to historic reforms that will save money on your electric bills, stabilize gas supply, and slash toxic air pollution — all while fast-tracking California’s transition to a clean, green job-creating economy,” Newsom said in a statement announcing the deal.
Lawmakers voted to approve the renewal of California’s signature Cap and Trade program. This central piece of the energy bills package limits in-state industry carbon emissions, through 2045. The program was set to expire in 2030.
While Democrats overwhelmingly approved the extension, Republicans criticized them for last-minute deal making and said the program would drive up costs for consumers.
“When billion-dollar policies are jammed through at the last minute with no public process, Californians lose,” said Republican Assemblymember Greg Wallis in a statement shortly after the deal was announced. “We had nine months to work on real affordability solutions. What we got instead was a secret deal that will raise costs on working families.”
The bill package wasn’t solely focused on green energy. Lawmakers also approved a measure to waive certain environmental reviews for oil drilling in Kern County with the goal of boosting in-state oil production. The proposal comes as lawmakers try to strike a balance between meeting the state’s ambitious climate goals and stabilizing its gasoline supply as Phillips 66 and Valero, two of the state’s major refineries, face closures.
“We cannot have these aspirational goals and leave whole communities behind, we have to do both,” said Democratic Assemblymember Lori Wilson whose district includes the refinery town of Benicia.
Though the bill passed handily, some Democrats stood in opposition, saying California should move away from oil reliance.
“It is a regulatory giveaway to Big Oil and the thing we need to focus on is a controlled and managed phase out of fossil fuel,” added Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee from San Jose.
Other bills in the package would allow California to join a regional energy market with other Western states and pour $18 billion into the state’s wildfire fund to backfill costs for utility companies in the event of a large-scale fire disaster.
Combatting antisemitism in schools
Following a lengthy, emotional debate that lasted into the early hours of Saturday, lawmakers approved a measure aimed at preventing antisemitism in California classrooms. The Legislative Jewish Caucus says the goal of Assembly Bill 715 is to mitigate discrimination and hate incidents that have risen following the terror attacks in Israel in 2023.
“As I see my daughter having to face swastikas, flags that were raised to begin the death of my relatives in her own California classroom, I refuse to sit here and let you talk about this not being a crisis,” Democratic Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan said during an Assembly Floor speech.
The bill faced opposition from a number of educational organizations that argued it would censor classroom discourse about Palestine and controversial global conflicts. Their arguments resonated with a handful of lawmakers who didn’t support the bill.
Unionization rights for rideshare drivers
Lawmakers passed a pair of bills that would allow gig-workers who drive for companies like Uber and Lyft to unionize.
Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic leaders announced a deal between the rideshare industry and labor in late August in which lawmakers would push through legislation for drivers to unionize, and in turn support an industry-backed bill to reduce insurance requirements for drivers. The deal gave lawmakers a green light to approve the proposals during the final weeks of session.
The labor-supported AB 1340 would give rideshare drivers the right to unionize. SB 371, which Uber and Lyft sponsored, would remove a requirement for uninsured and underinsured drivers to carry $1 million in insurance. Leaders and industry say it’ll reduce costs for riders.
“This will create the largest pathway for a collective bargaining agreement in the history of California. That’s a very big deal,” said Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Oakland as she presented AB 1340 on the Assembly Floor.
Over 800,000 people drive for rideshare companies in California. Newsom has signaled he’ll sign both proposals into law.
AI and tech guardrails for children
Lawmakers passed a number of measures this session aimed at improving tech safety for kids.
“I sit on the Privacy Committee where it's just moms and dads trying to figure out how to keep our kids safe online,” Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks said during a committee hearing in July.
Wicks authored Assembly Bill 1043, which would require social media platforms to verify a user’s age before allowing access. Social media users under 18 could also soon see a warning label on platforms per a bill by Democratic Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of Orinda.
Senate Bill 243 would impose more safeguards on AI chatbot development to prevent cyberbullying of minors.
The bills overcame strong opposition from Silicon Valley, where advocates argued regulations would be burdensome and stifle innovation.
More housing near public transit
A controversial measure to override local zoning to allow dense housing development near public transit stations is headed to the Governor’s desk. Under SB 79 by Democratic Senator Scott Wiener, developers could build five and six story apartment buildings within a quarter mile of public transit, including light rail stations and bus stops.
It would apply in neighborhoods where local rules restrict new development to single-family homes.
“Decades of overly restrictive policies have driven housing costs to astronomical levels, forcing millions of people away from jobs and transit and into long commutes from the suburbs. Many are being forced out of the state entirely,” Wiener said.
The bill fiercely divided lawmakers — some argued it’s critically needed for the state to meet its development goals as it stares down a massive housing shortage, while others in opposition warned it could drastically change neighborhoods with single-family homes.
“This bill would literally allow a developer to come into a community of one and two single family homes and put a seven story building right next door, think about that,” said Assemblymember Rick Zbur, a Democrat representing Santa Monica.
Last month, The Los Angeles City Council voted to oppose the legislation and numerous members of the legislature’s LA delegation were silent on the bill. It narrowly passed in the end.
Similar legislation proposed by Wiener has failed in recent years.
Transit project costs
Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 71 extends a 2020 law exempting certain transit projects from costly environmental reviews, now covering microtransit, paratransit and ferry terminals.
“There’s no reason to take pro-environment climate action projects and subject them to environmental analysis,” he said. “To delay an improved bus line or a light rail or a bike or pedestrian project, to delay that kind of project harms the environment.”
Supporters, including the California Transit Association, say the exemption has saved agencies millions as they struggle with lower ridership and tight budgets. The bill passed without opposition and now awaits the governor’s signature.
High-speed rail
California’s high-speed rail project is closer to getting a historic windfall of $1 billion a year for the next 20 years, now that lawmakers on Saturday extended the state’s signature Cap and Trade deal through 2045. This is the largest amount of guaranteed funding for the embattled project since it began more than a decade ago.
The project currently stretches from Merced to Bakersfield with long-term plans to connect the Bay Area and Southern California. The Legislature still needs to formally vote on the agreement this weekend before it can reach the governor’s desk.
Immigration enforcement response
Lawmakers also passed several high-profile and contested bills responding to heightened federal immigration actions in California. All are awaiting a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom before they can go into effect.
- No Secret Police Act: Attempts to ban law enforcement from wearing certain masks on duty, with exceptions. Critics questioned whether the state can restrict federal agents, and UC Davis law professor Raquel Aldana noted the bill was weakened by exempting California’s highway patrol officers. Republican lawmakers and police groups oppose it as reckless and unsafe for officers.
- No Vigilantes Act: The companion bill to the No Secret Police Act. It requires officers to display their name or badge number while on duty.
- Family Preparedness Plan Act: Would allow undocumented parents to name a temporary guardian if detained or deported. Supporters argue it offers peace of mind for thousands of families as nearly half of all children in California have at least one immigrant parent.
- Street Vendors Business Protection Act: Bars law enforcement from collecting or sharing vendors’ immigration status or requiring fingerprinting. Any such records already collected must be destroyed by 2026.
Public safety threats
The legislature this session also approved SB 19, which would make it a misdemeanor or felony to threaten violence against schools, workplaces, daycares, houses of worship or medical facilities, even if the threat does not name a specific individual.
“You can say I’m going to shoot the school tomorrow, but because they didn’t say ‘I’m going to shoot this specific person,’ we have DAs that are struggling because they didn’t name the person, so that’s the loophole we’re trying to close,” bill author Senator Susan Rubio said.
The measure comes after recent school violence, including the shooting death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus. It now awaits the governor’s signature.
Transgender Privacy Act
In addition, lawmakers passed The Transgender Privacy Act, which would make confidential all court records related to gender transition. It awaits a signature from Newsom. Currently, adults must petition to seal these records, which advocates say exposes them to harassment.
In California, reported hate crimes against transgender individuals rose by over 10% between 2022 and 2023. If signed, California would join states like Oregon, Washington and New York that have adopted similar protections.
