With the 2026 legislative session behind us, I’m proud of our accomplishments for Orange County and California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom late last week signed three bills from Democratic Southern California state senators intended to shield state elections from interference.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping package of election-security bills Saturday, vowing California will block any attempts by Donald Trump and law enforcement allies to meddle with November’s vote. New laws make it a felony to seize ballots or voting machines, restrict police activity near polling places, and expand early ballot drop-off locations and multilingual voting materials statewide.

Today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 884, the Protect Our Polls Act. The new law takes effect immediately, establishing safeguards against voter intimidation and arrests by federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), at polling places ahead of the November general election.

California lawmakers have passed a first-in-the-nation piece of legislation establishing ethical requirements for attorneys and arbitrators using generative artificial intelligence, sending the bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for his signature.

Angels owner Arte Moreno has agreed to sell his Major League Baseball team to Rams owner Stan Kroenke more than four years after a corruption scandal rocked Anaheim City Hall and imploded a deal to sell Angel Stadium to Moreno and the ballclub.

Today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that seven bills from his 2026 legislative package have passed the Legislature and are headed to the Governor’s desk.

State Senator Tom Umberg, who called for an audit on the Angel Stadium with State Assemblyman Avelino Valencia, said he isn’t an expert on property evaluations, but it should be completed quickly so the property can be sold.