SACRAMENTO – As Donald Trump enriches himself at the American people’s expense, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation to combat corruption by public officials, protect consumers, and hold crypto fraudsters accountable.

California is creating stronger accountability and standing up for consumers: 

✅ Preventing any California public officials from issuing meme coins, along with preventing companies from listing any meme coin that uses the likeness or image of a public official. A meme coin is a type of cryptocurrency built around an internet joke, celebrity, or trend. Its price is usually driven by hype and speculation rather than an underlying business or practical use. President Trump launched his own meme coin in 2025. Recent reporting shows that the nearly 1 million people who bought Trump’s meme coin have lost more than $3 billion, while the sitting President walked away with a profit of roughly $636 million. 

✅ Targeting crypto fraud and money laundering. Helps people get their money back if they were a victim of a crypto crime — establishes clear guidelines to ensure restitution for victims of crypto scams and frauds. 

✅ Establishing a clear legal process for seizing crypto assets from transnational criminal networks. Protects Californians who use cryptocurrency by supporting enforcement against bad actors and putting guardrails in place to keep people’s money in their pockets. 

✅ Requiring full refunds for canceled, postponed, or rescheduled events and banning speculative tickets sales. Protects Californians from predatory price markups of tickets, updates regulations on bot sales, and places restrictions on deceptive websites and advertising practices. 

✅ Prohibiting unauthorized third parties from selling restaurant and tee time reservations for a profit. Protects consumers from exploitation of online reservation systems and ensures a fair, transparent reservation process for all.

✅ Strengthens consumer control of their online data and personal information. Expands consumers’ right to delete their personal information, prohibits operating systems or apps from undoing a user’s configuration of a privacy setting without their consent, and establishes new rules for how insurers and related companies collect, process, retain, and share personal information.

Legislation signed today to increase accountability, and protect consumers: 

• Assembly Bill 2409 by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) — Digital assets: meme coins.

• Assembly Bill 1349 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) — Consumer protection: ticket sellers. A signing message can be found here.

• Assembly Bill 1640 by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) — California Restaurant Reservation AntiPiracy Act.

• Assembly Bill 1954 by Assemblymember Ward (D-San Diego) — Municipal golf courses: reservations.

• Assembly Bill 1789 by Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas) — Political Reform Act of 1974: candidate trainings.

• Assembly Bill 2561 by Assemblymember Valencia (D-Anaheim) — Operating systems and applications: privacy settings.

• Assembly Bill 2592 by Blanca Pacheco (D-Downey) — Lobbyist ethics.

• Assembly Bill 2691 by Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) — Elections: elective office: felony conviction. 

• Senate Bill 354 by Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) — Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act.

• Senate Bill 923 by Senator Josh Becker (D‑Menlo Park) — Consumer privacy requests: deletion request records and request submission methods.

• Senate Bill 1208 by Senator Tim Grayson (D-Concord) — Money laundering: digital assets.

Fighting fraud

California fights fraud on all fronts. From securing refunds for mortgage fraud victims to cracking down on deceptive practices by businesses, California is both protecting consumers from fraud and addressing fraud against the government.

See fraud? Report It. 

Californians can learn more about California’s efforts to combat government fraud, waste, and abuse and report it directly through stopfraud.ca.gov.

Expanding on previous actions to stop corruption 

Since 2019, Governor Newsom and the legislature have worked together to increase accountability of public officials :

• Setting default contribution limits for city and county candidates in jurisdictions without locally adopted limits, while allowing local governments to establish their own limits.
• Barring campaign and legal-defense funds from paying penalties, judgments or settlements arising from sexual assault, sexual abuse or sexual harassment and required reimbursement when covered legal costs were paid and the official was later held liable.
• Extending California’s prohibition on contributions and expenditures by foreign governments, foreign principals and nationals from ballot measures to state and local candidate elections.
• Directing the Fair Political Practices Commission, in consultation with the Attorney General, to create and maintain an ethics-training course for local officials.
• Making public officials disclose cryptocurrency and other digital financial assets to the investments that may create a disqualifying financial interest.
• Requiring specified public officials to disclose accepted prospective employment, including the position, employer, acceptance date and general nature of the employer’s business.
• Barring legislators from entering into or requesting nondisclosure agreements concerning the drafting, negotiation or discussion of proposed legislation, with limited exceptions for trade secrets, financial information and proprietary information.

• Prohibited Governor’s Office appointees from using nonpublic information obtained through public service to profit in prediction markets or to help a relative, former business partner or any other person profit.

Building a competitive world-leading economy

Since Governor Newsom took office, California’s annual GDP has grown by more than $1.18 trillion, reaching $4.25 trillion in 2025. First-quarter 2026 economic output reached an annualized $4.4 trillion, following annual GDP gains exceeding $200 billion in each of the previous two years. 

California also remains home to more small businesses than Texas or Florida, and continues to be America’s startup capital — with more than 4.3 million small businesses employing 7.6 million Californians.

As the world’s fourth largest economy, California continues to lead the nation where it matters most — creating new businesses, attracting venture capital, driving technological innovation, expanding advanced manufacturing, growing high-tech industries, and producing more than any other state. In fact, The Golden State continues to be: #1 state for new business starts, #1 state for high-tech business, #1 state for agriculture, #1 state for venture capital.

SACRAMENTO – As Donald Trump enriches himself at the American people’s expense, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation to combat corruption by public officials, protect consumers, and hold crypto fraudsters accountable.

California is creating stronger accountability and standing up for consumers:

✅ Preventing any California public officials from issuing meme coins, along with preventing companies from listing any meme coin that uses the likeness or image of a public official. A meme coin is a type of cryptocurrency built around an internet joke, celebrity, or trend. Its price is usually driven by hype and speculation rather than an underlying business or practical use. President Trump launched his own meme coin in 2025. Recent reporting shows that the nearly 1 million people who bought Trump’s meme coin have lost more than $3 billion, while the sitting President walked away with a profit of roughly $636 million.

✅ Targeting crypto fraud and money laundering. Helps people get their money back if they were a victim of a crypto crime — establishes clear guidelines to ensure restitution for victims of crypto scams and frauds.

✅ Establishing a clear legal process for seizing crypto assets from transnational criminal networks. Protects Californians who use cryptocurrency by supporting enforcement against bad actors and putting guardrails in place to keep people’s money in their pockets.

✅ Requiring full refunds for canceled, postponed, or rescheduled events and banning speculative tickets sales. Protects Californians from predatory price markups of tickets, updates regulations on bot sales, and places restrictions on deceptive websites and advertising practices.

✅ Prohibiting unauthorized third parties from selling restaurant and tee time reservations for a profit. Protects consumers from exploitation of online reservation systems and ensures a fair, transparent reservation process for all.

✅ Strengthens consumer control of their online data and personal information. Expands consumers’ right to delete their personal information, prohibits operating systems or apps from undoing a user’s configuration of a privacy setting without their consent, and establishes new rules for how insurers and related companies collect, process, retain, and share personal information.

Legislation signed today to increase accountability, and protect consumers:

• Assembly Bill 2409 by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) — Digital assets: meme coins.
• Assembly Bill 1349 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) — Consumer protection: ticket sellers. A signing message can be found here.
• Assembly Bill 1640 by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) — California Restaurant Reservation AntiPiracy Act.
• Assembly Bill 1954 by Assemblymember Ward (D-San Diego) — Municipal golf courses: reservations.
• Assembly Bill 1789 by Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas) — Political Reform Act of 1974: candidate trainings.
• Assembly Bill 2561 by Assemblymember Valencia (D-Anaheim) — Operating systems and applications: privacy settings.
• Assembly Bill 2592 by Blanca Pacheco (D-Downey) — Lobbyist ethics.
• Assembly Bill 2691 by Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) — Elections: elective office: felony conviction.
• Senate Bill 354 by Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) — Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act.
• Senate Bill 923 by Senator Josh Becker (D‑Menlo Park) — Consumer privacy requests: deletion request records and request submission methods.
• Senate Bill 1208 by Senator Tim Grayson (D-Concord) — Money laundering: digital assets.

Fighting fraud

California fights fraud on all fronts. From securing refunds for mortgage fraud victims to cracking down on deceptive practices by businesses, California is both protecting consumers from fraud and addressing fraud against the government.

See fraud? Report It. 

Californians can learn more about California’s efforts to combat government fraud, waste, and abuse and report it directly through stopfraud.ca.gov.

Expanding on previous actions to stop corruption 

Since 2019, Governor Newsom and the legislature have worked together to increase accountability of public officials :

• Setting default contribution limits for city and county candidates in jurisdictions without locally adopted limits, while allowing local governments to establish their own limits.
• Barring campaign and legal-defense funds from paying penalties, judgments or settlements arising from sexual assault, sexual abuse or sexual harassment and required reimbursement when covered legal costs were paid and the official was later held liable.
• Extending California’s prohibition on contributions and expenditures by foreign governments, foreign principals and nationals from ballot measures to state and local candidate elections.
• Directing the Fair Political Practices Commission, in consultation with the Attorney General, to create and maintain an ethics-training course for local officials.
• Making public officials disclose cryptocurrency and other digital financial assets to the investments that may create a disqualifying financial interest.
• Requiring specified public officials to disclose accepted prospective employment, including the position, employer, acceptance date and general nature of the employer’s business.
• Barring legislators from entering into or requesting nondisclosure agreements concerning the drafting, negotiation or discussion of proposed legislation, with limited exceptions for trade secrets, financial information and proprietary information.

• Prohibited Governor’s Office appointees from using nonpublic information obtained through public service to profit in prediction markets or to help a relative, former business partner or any other person profit.

Building a competitive world-leading economy

Since Governor Newsom took office, California’s annual GDP has grown by more than $1.18 trillion, reaching $4.25 trillion in 2025. First-quarter 2026 economic output reached an annualized $4.4 trillion, following annual GDP gains exceeding $200 billion in each of the previous two years.

California also remains home to more small businesses than Texas or Florida, and continues to be America’s startup capital — with more than 4.3 million small businesses employing 7.6 million Californians.

As the world’s fourth largest economy, California continues to lead the nation where it matters most — creating new businesses, attracting venture capital, driving technological innovation, expanding advanced manufacturing, growing high-tech industries, and producing more than any other state. In fact, The Golden State continues to be: #1 state for new business starts, #1 state for high-tech business, #1 state for agriculture, #1 state for venture capital.