Newsom has signed a bill granting Attorney General Rob Bonta premerger review powers, adding California to the growing list of states enacting such laws. Though the law failed to receive an Assembly floor vote last year, it was revived late last month and lawmakers later passed it.

The measure, SB 25 from state Sen. Tom Umberg, an Orange County Democrat, will give the state attorney general access to proposed merger agreements at the same time as federal agencies like the FTC and DOJ. Proponents say this makes it easier for the state AG to scrutinize pending mergers and acquisitions without having to formally request them from the feds.

Bonta’s office supported the bill, writing in a Feb. 5 letter that it will “help facilitate early information-sharing and coordination between state and federal antitrust.”

The proposal was initially met with opposition from various business and tech groups, including the CTIA, the trade association representing the wireless communications industry. The CTIA, however, formally removed its opposition late last month.

The law, like those passed in Washington state and Colorado, is modeled off of the Uniform Antitrust Pre-Merger Notification Act, published in 2024 by the Uniform Law Commission to promote uniformity across the states. Washington’s legislation went into effect in July, and Colorado’s became effective in August. Multiple other states and jurisdictions, including Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, West Virginia, Indiana and DC have introduced similar legislation. — Brock Hrehor

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