6 High-Stakes CA Laws Newsom Could Soon Sign Or Veto

SACRAMENTO, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom will review and decide the fate of hundreds of bills passed by the California legislature.

Newsom has a little less than two weeks, until Oct. 12, to decide on dozens of bills, including measures on transit housing, reparations and ultraprocessed foods in schools.

The Democratic governor has signed a flurry of measures in recent days, including a consequential bill he green-lit Monday that establishes guardrails for artificial intelligence.

Last year, Newsom rejected about 18 percent of the nearly 1,000 bills sent to him in the session’s final days, and nearly 16 percent of all 1,200 measures passed in 2024, already above his typical veto rate, CalMatters reported.

Each bill that Newsom declines to sign requires a "veto message," in which he explains why he did not approve of the measure.

SEE ALSO: 3 New CA Laws Recently Signed By Newsom

The governor usually cites a handful of reasons for vetoing bills, calling them poor policy, redundant, or too costly for the state’s budget. At times, however, he rejects measures simply because they’re controversial or face strong opposition from powerful interest groups.

Below, we've rounded up five high-stakes bills in the Golden State that Newsom is currently weighing.

Senate Bill 79: Creating Transit-Oriented Housing

SB79, authored by Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco), would clear the way for the construction of apartment buildings up to seven stories-tall within a half-mile walk of major train, light-rail, subway and high-frequency bus stations — even in places where local zoning currently prohibits dense development.

The proposal would also allow transit agencies to build housing on their own property, while requiring developers to reserve a portion of new units for low-income renters. The bill applies only in counties with established passenger rail systems, effectively limiting it to large metropolitan areas.

AB 1264: Ban “Ultra-processed” Foods In Schools

Assembly Bill 1264, authored by Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) is the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. It aims to identify "particularly harmful" ultra-processed foods by next year and require schools to start phasing them out in 2028. By 2035, these foods would be banned entirely if Newsom signs the measure.

California has been at the forefront of the war against ultra-processed foods, which have also been a target of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

RFK Jr. named UPFs in his "Make America Healthy Again" report, which claims that 70 percent of children's calories come from UPFs today. Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in January directing his administration to find ways to "limit the harms" of UFPs.

“The food we eat shouldn’t make us sick,” Newsom wrote in a prior statement. “We’re going to work with the industry, consumers and experts to crack down on ultra-processed foods, and create a healthier future for every Californian.”

AB 1178: Protecting Undercover Cops In Misconduct Cases

Another bill awaiting the governor’s decision, AB 1178, has drawn scrutiny from critics who say it could limit transparency in law enforcement.

The bill would tweak California’s public records rules by giving courts more leeway to keep certain police misconduct files under wraps. Specifically, it tells judges to weigh whether an officer is working undercover and needs anonymity when deciding if releasing records could endanger someone’s safety. Supporters say it protects undercover officers, while critics argue it could make it harder for the public to access misconduct records that are supposed to be open.

“At a time when public trust in law enforcement continues to dwindle, further redactions in police misconduct records is not the right move,” Shayla Wilson, policy and advocacy advisor for La Defensa told the Los Angeles Times recently. “Generally the public is unaware of how often these [police misconduct] violations happen, or how egregious they are.”

SB 437 And SB 518: Two Key Reparations Bills

Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, D-San Diego, authored two major reparations measures stemming from recommendations made by the state’s Reparations Task Force, which was created after the murder of George Floyd.

SB 518 would establish a Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery within the Civil Rights Department, with divisions focused on genealogy, property reclamation and education to build the infrastructure needed for future reparative policies.

The proposal revives an earlier effort by former Sen. Steven Bradford to establish a dedicated state agency.

The second measure, SB 437, would direct up to $6 million to the California State University system to design a process for verifying the lineage of people seeking reparations benefits, such as descendants of enslaved people.

AB 1340: Allow Uber And Lyft Drivers To Unionize

AB 1340, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, would give ride-hailing drivers the right to unionize—making California only the second state to extend collective bargaining rights to gig workers.

Uber and Lyft classify drivers as independent contractors, but Wicks has said that this measure ensures they have “a seat at the table to fight for paid leave, to fight for higher pay, to fight for safety and all the other things that they deserve."

“For almost a decade, thousands of drivers have fought for a better life. A way forward to the middle class,” Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) wrote in a statement. “This agreement represents one of the largest in American history — 800,000 Californians who work behind the wheel will now have a path to higher wages, health benefits, and workplace rights. This a big damn deal, uplifting workers and the Golden State’s economy.”

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