California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement today following the signing of Senate Bill 976 (SB 976) into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. Authored by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), SB 976, also known as the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act, aims to restrict social media companies and other website operators from using addictive algorithmic feeds, notifications, and other design features that encourage prolonged use by children and teens. The new law mandates parental consent for these features, allowing families to establish healthy...
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a coalition of 14 attorneys general, has submitted a multi-state letter to congressional leaders advocating for the passage of the Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causes Harm Act (CATCH Act). The letter also encourages Congress to take additional measures to curb the flow of illegally trafficked firearms from the United States into the Caribbean. This influx of illegal arms has contributed to rising gun violence in the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti, where deteriorating security conditions and increased gang violence complicate...
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), released a report on Luis Herrera’s death from an officer-involved shooting in Los Angeles, California, on September 17, 2022. The incident involved officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The report is part of the California Department of Justice's (DOJ) ongoing efforts to provide transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices. The report provides a detailed analysis of the incident and outlines DOJ's findings. After a thorough investigation, DOJ concluded that...
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement today following Governor Gavin Newsom's signing of Senate Bill (SB) 1037 into law. The legislation, authored by Senator Scott Wiener and sponsored by Attorney General Bonta, enhances the Attorney General’s authority to seek civil penalties against local governments that violate state housing laws.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement today following Governor Gavin Newsom's signing of Assembly Bill (AB) 1893 into law. The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) and sponsored by Attorney General Bonta, aims to facilitate housing production in cities and counties that fail to adopt a compliant housing element on time.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement following the conclusion of the preliminary injunction hearing in the state’s lawsuit challenging Kroger’s proposed $24.6 billion purchase of Albertsons.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the grand jury indictment of Southern California healthcare provider Gerardo Santillan, along with seven other individuals, for defrauding the state Medi-Cal program of nearly $60 million through their operation of three home health agencies between 2016 and 2022.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced today the securing of a preliminary injunction against MV Realty, a Florida-based company accused of engaging in predatory practices. The injunction aims to protect nearly 1,500 homeowners who were allegedly misled into signing "Homeowner Benefit Agreements" that locked them into using MV Realty to sell their homes for 40 years or face a penalty of 3% of the home's value. Additionally, MV Realty placed illegal liens on these homes, charging homeowners the penalty to remove the lien.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced today the sentencing of the final four individuals out of a total of twelve defendants involved in a large-scale mortgage fraud scheme. The scheme, which included identity theft and money laundering, resulted in an estimated loss of $15 million over several years. Charges from the April 2021 indictment included conspiracy, mortgage fraud, grand theft, identity theft, forgery, filing false or forged documents, and money laundering.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued revised legal guidance to water providers, reflecting recent changes in the Water Shutoff Protection Act. These revisions aim to support more tenants and homeowners who are behind on their water payments. The updates stem from Senate Bill 3 (SB 3, Dodd), adopted by the Legislature in 2023, which expanded the protections of the 2022 Water Shutoff Protection Act to include smaller water systems. Previously, the Act applied only to systems with over 200 residential service connections.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in an amicus brief supporting a Mississippi voting rights law, which is currently being challenged by the Republican National Committee in the case Republican National Committee v. Wetzel. The brief, filed before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, defends Mississippi's law that allows absentee ballots to be counted if postmarked by Election Day and received within five days thereafter. The coalition argues that this law falls within states' constitutional authority to regulate elections and...
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a coalition of 21 attorneys general, has joined a multistate amicus brief in support of a Colorado law that mandates anyone possessing an unserialized frame or receiver to obtain serialization by January 1, 2024. The law also prohibits the use of 3D printers to create frames or receivers. The case, National Association for Gun Rights v. Polis, is currently under review in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a multistate coalition in a letter requesting the United States Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) to investigate recent raids conducted by the Texas Attorney General’s Office. These raids targeted Latino voting rights organizers, candidates for office, and community volunteers. The investigation aims to determine whether these actions constitute violations of civil rights, including the right to vote.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement following the San Bernardino Superior Court’s ruling in People of the State of California v. Chino Valley Unified School District. The court granted injunctive and declaratory relief against the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education’s mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. This ruling permanently halts enforcement of provisions that required schools to inform parents whenever a student requests to use a name or pronoun, or access facilities or programs, not aligned with their birth certificate...
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a letter to executives at eight major social media and artificial intelligence (AI) companies, urging them to address the spread of election misinformation on their platforms. The letter was sent to Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc., Microsoft, Inc., Open AI, Inc., Reddit Inc., TikTok Inc., X Corp., and YouTube, Inc.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, alongside a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general, has called on Congress to require a surgeon general’s warning on social media platforms. This move aligns with the United States Surgeon General's recent recommendation and aims to address the mental health crisis affecting young people.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with 19 other attorneys general, has submitted a comment letter supporting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) proposed rules on pre-foreclosure mortgage servicing requirements. The proposed regulations aim to provide new foreclosure safeguards for homeowners struggling with mortgage payments and ensure critical information is available in languages borrowers understand.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), released a report on Guillermo De Jesus Medina’s death from an officer-involved shooting in Culver City, California, on December 18, 2022. The incident involved officers from the Culver City Police Department (CCPD). The report is part of the California Department of Justice's (DOJ) ongoing efforts to provide transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices. The report provides a detailed analysis of the incident and outlines DOJ's findings. After a thorough investigation, DOJ...
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert today following Governor Newsom’s declaration of a state of emergency in San Bernardino County due to the Line Fire. The fast-moving fire near the City of Highland has burned over 20,000 acres, prompting evacuations and threatening homes and critical infrastructure.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the case of Food and Drug Administration v. Wages and White Lion Investments, LLC., dba Triton Distribution, et al. The brief supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to deny marketing authorization for certain candy- and fruit-flavored vape products, arguing that these products are not appropriate for public health protection. This action follows a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in January 2024 that favored manufacturers...
