7 New CA Laws Target Loud Commercials, Processed Food, Puppy Mills And More

SACRAMENTO, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom is working his way through dozens of bills on his desk — and he has less than two days left to decide which ones will become law.

California’s governor has already signed stacks of new measures in recent weeks, including a landmark bill establishing the nation’s first framework for regulating artificial intelligence and laws aimed at protecting Californians' wallets.

In 2024, Newsom vetoed nearly 16 percent of the roughly 1,200 bills that lawmakers sent him, according to CalMatters — one of the highest rates in recent years. About 18 percent of those vetoes came during the final stretch of last year’s session.

Among the bills he’s recently approved are several aimed at improving the quality of life and health in California. Here are five new laws you need to know about:

SB 576 — No More Loud Commercials

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn't been in this scenario: You're watching your favorite show on Netflix when suddenly a commercial comes on at an ear-splitting volume.

On Oct. 6, Newsom signed a new bill that will hopefully eliminate occurrences like that. Authored by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana), SB 576 prohibits commercials that rise to a level louder than the primary video content being watched.

A law like this one already exists at the federal level. It's called the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, which was passed in 2010 after the FCC received more than 13,000 complaints about commercial volumes. That bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, according to Umberg. However, that law only applied to broadcast and cable TV.

Since the advent of streaming services, companies have been able to operate in a loophole.

Read more about the bill here.

AB 1264 - Schools To Phase Out Ultra-Processed Foods

On Wednesday, Newsom signed a first-of-its-kind law that will define ultra-processed foods and phase them out from being served in California's public school meals. 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.

“California has never waited for Washington or anyone else to lead on kids’ health — we’ve been out front for years, removing harmful additives and improving school nutrition," Newsom said.

The bill will require scientists to work with experts from the University of California to identify "particularly harmful" ultra-processed foods based on scientific research linking them to cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, neurological or behavioral issues and more.

Read more about the bill here.

SB 27 - More Behavioral Services For CA's Most Vulnerable

SB 27, also authored by Umberg, promises to expand behavioral health access to the CARE ACT and provide a pathway out of the justice system.

CARE Court is intended to ensure that judges have a clear role in making sure people get access to treatment for those suffering from untreated and undertreated schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

The new law is meant to enhance that framework by expanding eligibility for CARE, improving court coordination and ensuring county health agencies and courts can intervene when a person's mental health deteriorates.

"The beauty of CARE Court is that it holds both institutions and individuals accountable, ensures individuals get the care they need and gives judges a clear role in overseeing and guiding the process," Umber said. "This bill focuses on implementation by listening to and learning from counties about what’s working and what’s not, in order to meet the goals of the original CARE Court legislation.”

AB 867 - A Law Banning Cat Declawing Has Finally Passed

California just became the largest state to ban cat declawing, following Rhode Island, New York, Maryland and Massachusetts.

The effort, led by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-Milpitas), is a victory long in the making.

Although the American Veterinary Medical Association has discouraged vets from performing the surgeries and more than 30 countries have banned the practice, five different efforts to ban the practice since 2018 have failed.

Still, Lee — who has two cats, Udon and Soba — had hoped the sixth time would be the charm.

“Cat declawing, the amputation of the first knuckle of each cat’s toes, is an outdated, cruel, and unethical surgical procedure that results in lifelong disfigurement and pain,” Lee wrote in a statement. “Many countries have already outlawed this inhumane practice. AB 867 shows the nation and world that California does not endorse surgical mutilation performed electively on healthy cats for human convenience.”

Read more about that effort here.

SB 312, AB 506, AB 519 To Stop Puppy Mill Pipeline

Three more bills that concern animal well-being were just signed into law by Newsom. This time, the lawmakers targeted the deceptive practitioners of the puppy mill industry.

These three laws aim to close loopholes undermining existing state laws and protect Californians from fraudulent breeders.

The bills are a direct response to last year's investigation into the underground puppy market in California by the Los Angeles Times.

Umberg and assemblymembers Steve Bennett (D-Oxnard) and Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) were all authors of the bills.

"Californians will now have more peace of mind when adopting a new companion," Bennett said. "AB 506, in tandem with the other bills in this package, ensures consumer transparency and empowers families to support ethical animal adoption."

In 2019, California became the first state to ban pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits purchased from commercial breeders. But The Times' investigation showed broadly how a network of resellers, which included schemers and ex-cons, replaced stores as middlemen.

Often, puppies brought in from out of state were fraudulently marked as California-bred. In some cases, pet owners faced exorbitant veterinary bills when their new puppies got sick or died, the Times reported.

What's more, the investigation found that truckloads of dogs from profit-driven mass breeders were entering the Golden State every year from the Midwest. Dogs were then resold by people claiming to be small, local home breeders.

Read more about each of those new laws here.

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6 New CA Laws That Will Affect Your Wallet