From bans on declawing cats and plastic grocery bags to new anti-discrimination protections for students and cheaper insulin, a raft of new California laws takes effect Jan. 1, with others rolling out through 2026.
The measures survived months of negotiations in the state Legislature and scrutiny from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has shown a willingness to veto bills he opposes — even with Democrats holding supermajorities. Some proposals drew opposition or support from powerful business and labor interests.
Here are the highlights:
Ban on cat declawing
Cat lovers across California should take notice of Assembly Bill 867, which bans the practice of declawing cats. Newsom signed the law in October, and it goes into effect Jan. 1.
The law prohibits veterinarians from declawing cats except when medically necessary. Newsom sided with animal welfare advocates who say the practice goes far beyond trimming claws, instead involving the amputation of a cat’s toes — a procedure that can cause pain and long-term health problems.
East Bay Assemblymember Alex Lee, who owns two cats, sponsored the bill. A leading veterinary group opposed it, arguing politicians should not dictate which medical procedures veterinarians can perform. The California Veterinary Medical Board may suspend or revoke the license of any veterinarian who violates the new law.
California caps insulin costs
Millions of Californians with diabetes depend on regular doses of insulin to regulate their blood sugar — medication that has become a symbol of unaffordable health care in the United States.
Starting Jan. 1, SB 40 limits health insurance co-pays and deductibles for all types of insulin to $35 a month. The law was sponsored by San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener and Sen. Aisha Wahab of the East Bay and Silicon Valley, both Democrats.
Most other states already cap insulin cost-sharing for insured patients. Newsom vetoed an earlier version of the bill in 2023 as his administration planned to sell California’s own insulin. That effort is now coming to fruition: one type of “CalRx” insulin is expected to hit pharmacy shelves in January.
Law enforcement mask ban
A new law, SB 627, limits when law enforcement officers can wear face coverings while on duty, making it a crime in most circumstances for officers to conceal their identities with masks. The law applies to state and local agencies and purports to cover federal officers operating in California, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who have worn masks during recent neighborhood enforcement actions. Officers found to have intentionally broken the law will face an infraction or a misdemeanor.
The law contains exemptions for officers working undercover or in “tactical operations” and for “protection of identity during prosecution.”
Trump administration officials slammed the law and said they would ignore it. When Newsom signed the bill in September, questions remained about how California could enforce it against federal agents. In a November court challenge, the U.S. Department of Justice argued the law is unconstitutional.
Bay Area lawmakers Jesse Arreguin, Aisha Wahab and Wiener helped carry the bill. State and local law enforcement agencies must update their official policies by July to comply with the law.
End of plastic grocery bags
A combination of laws and legal settlements will effectively end the use of plastic grocery bags in California in 2026 — a long-sought goal for environmental advocates. Paper bags will still be on offer.
In October, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a settlement with plastic bag manufacturers requiring them to stop selling the bags in California and pay $1.7 million in penalties for marketing products that were not recyclable as advertised. Separately, a 2024 law signed by Newsom had already set plastic grocery bags on a path to being phased out statewide by 2026.
Limiting or banning phones in schools
Citing concerns about cyberbullying, student anxiety and academic performance, state lawmakers and Newsom are forcing school districts to curb students’ smartphone use — or ban phones outright.
Under the Phone-Free Schools Act, signed in 2024, school boards must adopt policies by July limiting or prohibiting student smartphone use during the school day.
According to Education Week, 32 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted similar laws. Bay Area school districts are split on how aggressively to restrict phones, and some education researchers caution that blanket bans can have unintended consequences. In 2024, Bay Area News Group reported that many local school districts already limited smartphone use, including at San Mateo High School, which banned use in 2019, and in the Fremont Unified School District, which gave teachers the power to limit or ban phones in individual classrooms.
The California Teachers Association supported the bill. The California School Boards Association opposed it, arguing that state law already allowed districts to regulate phone use if they chose.
Cracking down on discrimination in schools
Following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, members of the Legislature’s Jewish caucus pushed to strengthen protections for Jewish students in California, amid rising concerns about harassment and antisemitism.
Early proposals included limits on how Israel and Palestine could be discussed in certain classroom settings — ideas that were scaled back after opposition from teachers’ unions and Muslim-American advocacy groups.
The final compromise, AB 715, expands anti-discrimination protections for all students while declaring the Legislature’s intent to specifically protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment. The law also requires TK-12 schools to investigate and address discriminatory content used in classrooms or staff training. It takes effect Jan. 1.
That bill and a companion measure, SB 48, create new state-level anti-discrimination coordinators tasked with tracking and preventing bias against students based on identity. Schools teaching antisemitic content will be required to craft an “improvement plan” with the state antisemitism coordinator.
Not all parties were satisfied. The California Teachers Association remained opposed, warning the law could chill free speech and threaten academic freedom.
Gun storage law
Starting Jan. 1, gun owners will be required to store firearms in a gun safe or use a certified safety device such as a cable lock under SB 53, which lawmakers passed last year.
The law will be difficult for police to enforce, and misdemeanor charges apply only after three violations. Unloaded antique firearms are exempt. Supporters say safe-storage laws reduce gun deaths, including suicides, and help prevent children from accessing firearms.
California law already criminalizes unsafe gun storage in certain situations, including when a child accesses a firearm and injures or kills someone.
Minimum wage increase
Workers earning the minimum wage will see a modest raise in 2026. The statewide minimum wage will increase from $16.50 to $16.90 an hour Jan. 1. That applies to workers who receive tips and those who do not.
Many Bay Area cities and counties, however, set higher local minimum wages. In 2026, Cupertino’s will rise to $18.70 an hour, San Jose’s to $18.45, Oakland’s to $17.34 and Richmond’s to $19.18.