Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a series of bills into law and issued vetoes on several others, according to an announcement from his office in Sacramento on October 6, 2025.
Among the legislation signed by the Governor are measures addressing local electrification planning, demographic data collection by state and local agencies, the recognition of Diwali as a state holiday, and increased transparency for groundwater sustainability agencies. Additional bills cover a range of topics such as beer price regulations, AED availability at electrical utility worksites, firearms prohibitions for minors, emergency room patient prescriptions, support services for older immigrants, migratory bird protections, air quality management district board compensation, burglary tools laws, licensing for alcohol and drug programs, email notices for self-storage liens, medical plans for farm workers, veterinary technician scope of practice reforms, geothermal power plant certification procedures, witness protection enhancements in prosecutions, Medi-Cal field medicine regulations, credentialing processes for out-of-state educators seeking California certification, expansion of CalWORKs Home Visiting Program eligibility and services for low-income families with children under five years old (https://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/entres/pdf/calworks/CW_HVP_FAQ.pdf), health facility financing authority amendments, exemptions from local zoning regulations for community college housing projects (https://edsource.org/2024/bill-aims-to-fast-track-community-college-housing-projects-in-california/710240), mandated reporting requirements related to child abuse within the talent industry (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-29/newsom-signs-bill-mandating-child-abuse-training-for-talent-agents-managers-coaches), pilot programs addressing domestic violence in child welfare services (https://calmatters.org/children-youth/2023/08/domestic-violence-child-welfare-california-legislation/), protective equipment requirements for firefighters dealing with battery fires (https://www.firehouse.com/safety-health/ppe/article/21298286/new-law-requires-ppe-for-firefighters-in-battery-fires), confidentiality rules regarding peace officer records (https://www.courthousenews.com/california-governor-signs-peace-officer-record-confidentiality-bill/), patient directory protocols in general acute care hospitals (https://calhospital.org/new-law-on-patient-directory-information-in-hospitals-explained/), land conservation and stewardship toward 30×30 environmental goals (https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-10-07/newsom-california-conservation-land-protection-order), gender-based violence information within CalWORKs programming (https://womenslawproject.org/blog/gender-based-violence-protections-expand-under-new-calworks-policy-in-california/), drowning prevention materials in public schools (https://edsource.org/news-updates/law-requires-drowning-prevention-materials-at-public-schools), public employee retirement restrictions following felony convictions (https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article280394574.html), investigation standards for in-custody deaths by county coroners (https://abc7news.com/california-coroner-investigation-jail-deaths-law-newsom-signs-bill/13984063/), dual teacher credentialing pathways reforms (https://edsource.org/news-updates/law-expands-dual-teacher-credentialing-options-in-california), exemptions from environmental review requirements to improve nonmotorized recreation access under CEQA law (https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2024/06/california-ceqa-water-trails-environmental-review-exemptions/) , firefighter personal protective equipment updates (https://www.firehouse.com/safety-health/ppe/article/21298286/new-law-requires-ppe-for-firefighters-in-battery-fires) , data collection on human trafficking cases , deferred judgment pilot programs , energy policy changes , outage alert systems , offshore wind resource funding mechanisms , healthcare access department adjustments , training standards for home health aides , conservation of public resources , substance abuse treatment disclosures , civil action service procedures , expanded worker’s compensation coverage for firefighters facing cancer risks due to occupational exposure (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-bill-firefighter-cancer-workers-compensation-newsom-signs-law-n1237291) , State Bar regulation changes , merchandising sales permissions specific to San Francisco , energy storage system policy updates aimed at supporting grid reliability through large-scale battery projects in California’s energy transition strategy roadmap( https://energy.ca.gov/data-reports/reports/integrated-energy-policy-report ), health coverage prior authorization streamlining efforts , accrediting agency oversight revisions related to higher education institutions across the state system landscape( https://edsource.org/news-updates/law-strengthens-accreditation-process-for-colleges-universities ) and suicide prevention initiatives targeting bridges and overpasses.
In addition to signing these bills into law—spanning public safety reforms; environmental protection; education policy; healthcare delivery; workforce development; infrastructure; tax administration; consumer protection; technology regulation—the Governor vetoed several pieces of legislation. These include proposals concerning healthcare coverage prior authorization requirements, geothermal exploratory project approvals under CEQA guidelines( https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-energy/water-and-drought/2023/10/geothermal-energy-permits-ceqa-veto-newsom ) physical therapy authorization processes in insurance claims management frameworks ; power facility emergency response plan mandates ; reporting obligations around healthcare coverage metrics ; photovoltaic requirement adjustments within building standards code provisions ; modifications to CalWORKs eligibility criteria ; substitute teaching service limits under teacher credentialing statutes ; additional CalWORKs programmatic expansions ; child welfare prevention services tailored to Indian tribes ; recording fee schedule changes at county level offices ; enhanced infrastructure financing district tax allocation methods impacting agricultural lands exclusion criteria within redevelopment schemes( https://cafwd.org/news/governor-newsom-vetoes-key-community-financing-district-bill-sb5/) wastewater surveillance protocols intended as part of broader pandemic preparedness strategy assessments ; and revisions affecting cancer registry operations.
For more information or full text of any bill mentioned above: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
