Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2664 on Friday, establishing 100-foot protective zones around the entrances of synagogues, churches, mosques and other houses of worship. Within these zones, individuals must stay at least eight feet from a congregant unless given consent before distributing leaflets, holding signs or engaging in protest activity intended to harass, obstruct, threaten or intimidate. Violations carry fines up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail, with steeper penalties for repeat offenses.

The law follows a violent pro-Palestinian protest last December at Los Angeles's Wilshire Boulevard Temple, where demonstrators blocked entry, damaged property and assaulted a security guard. Newsom signed the bill at that same synagogue, calling it part of broader efforts to protect religious communities amid rising antisemitism and hostility toward other faiths. The bill, introduced by Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and backed by Jewish California along with Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Hindu groups, passed with bipartisan majorities. The Council on American-Islamic Relations opposed the measure, arguing it criminalizes peaceful protest and free speech.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed Assembly Bill 2164, which sought to write into law his 2022 executive order shielding California medical providers from extradition for providing abortion care—including mailing medication abortion drugs—to patients in states with stricter bans. The bill, authored by Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, would have also extended those extradition protections to providers of gender-affirming care, amid a wave of state bans targeting such care for minors.

Newsom argued extradition decisions are an "exclusively executive function" and warned against a legislature binding a future governor's authority. Abortion rights groups, including the Guttmacher Institute and Reproductive Freedom for All, sharply criticized the veto, saying it leaves providers vulnerable if a future governor reverses course—a concern amplified by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton's shifting position on extradition. Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra has said he would not extradite providers. The veto follows Louisiana's attempted extradition of a Bay Area doctor earlier this year, which Newsom denied, and comes as nearly two dozen states have enacted their own shield laws on reproductive health or gender-affirming care.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a package of 13 California bills tightening rules for social media platforms and AI companion chatbots to protect minors online. One law requires social media companies to either remove "addictive" features like infinite scroll and autoplay for users under 16 or bar those users entirely, a measure critics including the Electronic Frontier Foundation warn could amount to a de facto ban for teens. Another centerpiece, Adam's Law — named for a California teen whose parents sued OpenAI after his death — imposes time limits for minors, mandates built-in mental health resources and crisis protocols, requires parental notification if a chatbot detects self-harm risk, and opens companies to legal liability for failing to act. OpenAI has voiced support for the measure.

Additional bills impose a four-year moratorium on AI chatbot toys for under-16s, expand platform liability for harm to children, revise age-verification rules, and broaden child sexual abuse material reporting to cover AI-generated content. The package follows Meta's roughly $17 billion settlement with state attorneys general over allegations it knowingly fostered addictive, harmful platform features for teens.