Seven Bills Advance to Governor for Signature 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — 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. 

The package addresses issues ranging from protecting voters from intimidation at the polls to establishing safeguards for the use of artificial intelligence in the legal system and strengthening chemical safety protections following the May 2026 Garden Grove chemical storage incident. 

“These bills are each deeply important to me because they reflect the responsibility we have to make government work for the people we serve,” said Senator Tom Umberg. “At their core, they are about accountability — holding institutions to higher standards, protecting Californians from harm and making our communities safer. I am proud of the work that went into each of these measures and look forward to seeing them signed into law.” 

Authored: 

SB 884 – Protect Our Polls Act: Expands remote and early voting options and prevents immigration enforcement in specified areas during an election in order to protect voters at the polls. 

SB 883 – Preventing Chemical Explosions: Strengthens California's oversight of reactive chemical storage facilities and improves emergency preparedness, public safety and community protections.

SB 574 – Court A.I. Protection Act: Protects clients receiving legal services by establishing rules for the use of A.I. by attorneys and arbitrators. Attorneys using A.I. must ensure confidential information is not entered into the system and must review any work generated or reviewed by A.I. The bill also prohibits arbitrators from delegating decision-making to any A.I. tool.

SB 758 – Substance Control and Retail Integrity Act: Prohibits the sale of nitrous oxide by any retailer with a cigarette and tobacco license. A retailer does not include a grocery store or a general retail merchandise store with a grocery department.

SB 490 – Substance Use Disorder Treatment Safety Act: Establishes timelines for the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to investigate allegations of licensed treatment at unlicensed sober living homes. If DHCS cannot meet these timelines, the bill authorizes cities and counties to request approval to conduct site visits and enforce existing state licensing requirements.

SB 342 – Contractors Licensure Fairness Act: Creates a more balanced approach to contractor licensing by allowing recovery of payment for work completed while licensed, even if a licensure lapse occurs during the project. Contractors remain ineligible to recover pay for any work performed while unlicensed.

SB 96 – CALM Act Modernization: Extends existing consumer protections by prohibiting social media video, music streaming and podcast platforms from playing advertisements louder than the content selected by users.

For questions about the Senator’s 2026 Legislative Package, please contact his Capitol Office at (916) 651-4034.

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 Senator Thomas J. Umberg represents the 34th Senate District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, and East and South Whittier. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former federal prosecutor, and small businessman. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.