California’s legislature adjourns at 11:59 p.m. tonight, sending roughly two dozen AI bills to Governor Gavin Newsom out of more than 1,200 measures cleared before the gavel. He has 30 days, until September 30, to sign or veto. Signed bills take effect January 1, 2027.
Two of them reshape how small businesses market. SB 1000, Sen. Becker’s rewrite of the California AI Transparency Act that first began August 2, 2026, cleared the Senate 33-1 on May 19 with an urgency clause, passed Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection 15-0 on June 16, Assembly Appropriations 10-0 on July 1, the full Assembly on August 25, and Senate concurrence 39-0 on August 27. SB 1050, Sen. Ashby’s synthetic-performer ad disclosure bill, passed the Senate May 28, cleared Privacy and Consumer Protection 13-2 on June 16, Judiciary 9-0 on June 23, Appropriations 10-1 on July 1, survived a 12-1 suspense-file vote August 13, and was ordered to third reading August 19. It now sits with Newsom.
For any 39-million-resident-facing business running AI-assisted ad creative, either signature triggers consumer-facing disclosure duties on AI-generated or AI-altered marketing.
The volume isn’t accidental. The Transparency Coalition for AI counted 21 AI bills still awaiting full approval as of August 28, three given final approval that week, and, per its July 21 mid-year report, 84 new AI laws across 27 states this year. Asm. Pellerin’s AB 2025 passed the Senate 39-1 on August 24 and Assembly concurrence 78-0 on August 25; AB 2713 was approved 74-0 by the Assembly on May 21 and ordered to Senate third reading August 24.
Federal preemption isn’t coming. Three attempts have failed, and the US Senate stripped a proposed 10-year state AI moratorium 99-1 in July 2025. The compliance sprint is a state game now.