Tech Oversight California issued the following statement after Governor Newsom’s signature of several important bills the organization supported this year, including: AB 56, California’s social media warning labels bill authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan; AB 316, authored by Assemblymember Maggy Krell, preventing blaming autonomous A.I. for causing harm as a legal defense; AB 853, the California A.I. Transparency Act, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks; and AB 489, Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s bill banning chatbots from presenting themselves as medical professionals – while expressing deep disappointment that Governor Newsom sided with Big Tech lobbyists instead of grieving families in vetoing Bauer-Kahan’s AB 1064, the LEAD for Kids Act, a first-in-the-nation bill that could have created badly-needed, comprehensive guardrails for A.I. chatbot youth safety:
“Throughout this session, we were proud to stand alongside California teen Adam Raine’s mom and dad and parents across the state and country in urging Governor Newsom to sign AB 56, social media warning labels, and AB 1064, the LEAD for Kids Act, into law. The shocking tragedy of Adam’s ChatGPT-driven loss must become a catalyst for decisive action to regulate Big Tech. Unfortunately, after a big-money lobbying campaign by Big Tech targeting AB 1064, we won’t be able to address the threat A.I. chatbots pose to kids and teens in California next year with the urgency the situation requires. Make no mistake: this was the industry’s top-priority bill to kill in California this year and they spared no expense and no scruple in making it happen. Safety should come first, and today it didn’t. Advocates will be back in Sacramento come January stronger than ever as we continue to take on Big Tech and push for stronger A.I. safeguards to protect kids and benefit all Californians,” said Tech Oversight California executive director Sacha Haworth.
Press Coverage
Politico: Parent letters put Newsom in tough position on chatbots (10/7/25)
Sacramento Bee: Newsom faces tidal wave of tech money opposing AI regulation (9/23/25)
Tech Policy Press: Inside the Lobbying Frenzy Over California’s AI Companion Bills (9/23/25)
San Francisco Examiner: State takes steps toward regulating kids’ use of AI chatbots (9/18/25)
Sacramento Bee: ‘Worse than doing nothing’: Online safety advocates slam changes to AI chatbot bill (9/12/25)
Sacramento Bee: Jennifer Siebel Newsom says California is ‘just getting started’ on tech regulation (8/21/25)
NBC San Diego: California lawmakers push to have warning labels on social media (5/12/25)
Our Advocacy
Group letter to Gov. Newsom in support of AB 1064 (9/25/25)
Group letter to Gov. Newsom in support of AB 56 (9/18/25)
Group letter to Gov. Newsom in support of AB 489 (10/8/25)
Tech Oversight CA letter to Gov. Newsom in support of AB 1064 (9/18/25)
Group letter to State Senators in support of AB 1064 (9/8/25)
Tech Oversight CA letter in support of AB 56 (5/21/25)
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