New California Laws 2026
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obtaining possession of real property: procedural requirements. Modifies the court’s authority to set a hearing date later than the one prescribed by law. Permits the court to order the hearing held on a lat- er date upon the written stipulation of the parties or upon good cause shown in the case of a residential or commercial tenancy, not to exceed 10 court days after the first date set for a hearing on the motion in the case of a commercial tenancy. An act to amend Section 1170 of the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to civil actions. AB 1523, Committee on Judiciary. Court-ordered mediation. Increases the amount in controversy limit for court ordered mediation in civil actions to $75,000 and adopts procedural guidelines regarding when a matter can be referred to mediation. An act to amend, repeal, and add Section 1775.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to civil pro- cedure. 2025 Senate Civil Laws SB 22, Laird. Gift certificates. This bill provides that a gift certificate with a cash value less than $15 must be redeemable in cash, increasing that thresh- old from $10, but exempting application of the re- demption right for donated gift certificates. An act to amend Section 1749.45 of, and to amend, repeal, and add Section 1749.5 of, the Civil Code, re- lating to consumer protection. SB 26, Umberg. Civil actions: restitution for or re- placement of a new motor vehicle. This bill makes changes to the recently amended California “Lemon Law” to establish a mechanism for manufacturers to opt in to this new process. This bill restricts a con- sumer from seeking civil penalties in such actions unless the consumer provides written notice to a prospective buyer or recipient, as provided. This bill delays the effective date of newly enacted procedural guidelines for such cases. An act to amend Sections 871.20 and 871.24 of, and to add Sections 871.29 and 871.30 to, the Code of Civ- il Procedure, relating to civil actions, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. SB 61, Cortese. Private works of improvement: retention payments. Imposes limits on the amount an owner can withhold from a direct contractor, or a contractor from a subcontractor, for a private work of improvement to five percent or less. An act to add Section 8811 to the Civil Code, relat- ing to works of improvement. SB 66, Umberg. Civil discovery. Removes the sun- set date on provisions that require certain initial dis- closures in specified civil act. An act to amend and repeal Section 2016.090 of the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to civil actions. SB 82, Umberg. Contracts: consumer goods and services: dispute resolution provisions. Prohibits dis- pute resolution terms and conditions of a consumer use agreement from extending beyond the use, pay- ment, or provision of the good, service, money, or credit provided by the agreement. An act to add Section 1670.15 to the Civil Code, re-
documentation of service, and enhancing access to post-judgment relief when service was unlawful. An act to amend, repeal, and add Section 22355 of the Business and Professions Code, and to amend, repeal, and add Sections 415.20, 415.45, 417.10, 417.40, 473, 473.5, 585, and 1166 of, and to add Sec- tion 473.2 to, the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to service of process. AB 774, Bauer-Kahan. Civil actions: enforcement of judgments. Clarifies and refines address verifica- tion and post-judgment enforcement procedures for debt collection actions. An act to amend Sections 684.130, 703.520, 703.570, 706.021, 706.022, 706.105, and 706.126 of, and to add Sections 697.420 and 697.680 to, the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to civil actions. AB 1043, Wicks. Age verification signals: software applications and online services. Establishes the Digital Age Assurance Act, which creates a signal- ing infrastructure that allows developers to rely on a real-time, secure indicator of a user’s age bracket for purposes of complying with other California laws that require age verification. An act to add Title 1.81.9 (commencing with Sec- tion 1798.500) to Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code, relating to consumer protection. AB 1079, Ávila Farías. Civil appeals: stay of en- forcement. Maintains the enforcement of a superior court order in cases involving the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 and the Fair and Inclusive Redis- tricting for Municipalities and Political Subdivisions Act of 2023, despite a pending appeal, in cases filed after January 1, 2026. An act to amend Section 916 of, and to add Section 917.10 to, the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to civil actions. AB 1197, Calderon. Rental passenger vehicles: electronic surveillance technology: renter liability for loss due to theft. Clarifies renter liability for theft of a rental vehicle and expands the circumstances under which rental car companies may use geofence technology to recover unreturned or abandoned ve- hicles. An act to amend Sections 1939.03 and 1939.23 of the Civil Code, relating to rental passenger vehicles. AB 1327, Aguiar-Curry. Home improvement and home solicitation: right to cancel contracts: notice. This bill would enable consumers to cancel home solicitation contracts, home improvement contracts, and seminar sales contracts via email alongside tra- ditional mail. This bill further requires that the seller of one of these contracts must provide the email ad- dress that the consumer can send their cancellations in the contract as well as a phone number that con- sumers can call for support in completing a notice of cancellation. An act to amend Sections 7159 and 17511.5 of the Business and Professions Code, and to amend Sec- tions 1689.6, 1689.7, 1689.20, and 1689.21 of the Civil Code, relating to contracts. AB 1384, Nguyen. Summary proceedings for
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