Culver City, California

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 2599, the Truth in Disclosure Act, making California the first state to require large companies to disclose whether they or their corporate predecessors profited from chattel slavery. Authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and backed by the California Legislative Black Caucus, the law applies to companies with more than $100 million in annual worldwide gross receipts that existed, or had a predecessor that existed, on or before December 1964. Sworn disclosures, subject to perjury penalties, must be filed by January 15, 2029, and will be posted in a searchable public database maintained by the state's Civil Rights Department.

Supporters say the measure, likely to affect banks, insurers, and agricultural firms, will help researchers and advocates trace links between modern corporate wealth and the slave economy. Some insurers opposed the bill, citing an existing 2000 disclosure law. The measure follows California's 2023 reparations task force report, which recommended over 100 remedies and estimated hundreds of billions owed to Black residents, though broader reparations legislation has stalled.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1349, a bipartisan measure targeting "ghost tickets" — listings for concert and sporting event access sold by people who don't yet own the underlying ticket. The law bans the sale of tickets not yet owned by the seller and prohibits software used to bypass venues' purchasing limits, requiring resellers to take "reasonable measures" against speculative sales. Violations can bring misdemeanor charges and penalties.

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan introduced the bill after encountering inflated, pre-sale ticket listings for a Hollywood Bowl show. The bill's final version shifted late in the legislative session: Live Nation initially backed it, but StubHub, which spent heavily lobbying against earlier drafts, ended up supporting the final text after amendments appeared to exempt resale marketplaces like itself. Newsom flagged that carve-out as a concern in his signing statement, urging further negotiation. The National Independent Venue Association opposed the final bill, warning it burdens small venues while leaving resale platforms less accountable. A related bill capping resale markups at 10% stalled earlier in the Senate.

California's new AB 1349 law bans "ghost ticket" sales for concerts and events, though critics say it exempts platforms like StubHub.

Records obtained by LAist show the L.A. Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) continued awarding contracts worth millions to the nonprofit Abundant Blessings even after its own compliance team labeled the group "High-Risk" in May 2024. The nonprofit's leader, Alex Soofer, was charged earlier this year with fraud; prosecutors allege he diverted at least $10 million in homelessness funds through the nonprofit and a related for-profit company, spending it on a Westwood house, a Range Rover, private jet travel and luxury goods. Soofer has pleaded not guilty and agreed to repay LAHSA $1.25 million without admitting wrongdoing.

Despite red flags, LAHSA finalized new contracts totaling over $3 million in mid-2024, and Mayor Karen Bass's office directed additional funding for a homeless services program a month after the warning. Auditors found LAHSA took eight months to report the suspected fraud to federal officials as required by law. County supervisors have since pulled funding from LAHSA, and federal officials briefly suspended funds to the agency, citing the case among broader oversight failures. Separately, records show Bass has skipped more than half of LAHSA Commission meetings since appointing herself to the board in 2023, raising further questions about oversight of the agency. Soofer's trial is scheduled for November 10.