SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a sweeping package of new laws addressing slavery reparations, gun safety, artificial intelligence regulation and consumer protections, marking one of California’s most wide-ranging legislative efforts of the year.
One of the bills signed on Friday includes Senate Bill 518, which establishes the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery within the California Department of Justice. The new agency will be responsible for verifying eligibility, processing claims and recommending forms of restitution for descendants of enslaved African Americans. The law also gives Californians whose families were dispossessed of property through racially motivated eminent domain the right to seek compensation under the Government Claims Act. Lawmakers describe the measure as a key step in California’s broader effort to address historical racial injustices and lay the groundwork for future reparations policy.
Several of the newly signed bills modify California’s firearm regulations. Assembly Bill 1344, authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D–Thousand Oaks), creates a pilot program in select counties allowing district attorneys to petition for temporary emergency gun violence restraining orders. Assembly Bill 1078, by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D–Menlo Park), expands enforcement provisions related to firearm possession, while Assembly Bill 1127, by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D–Encino), targets “converter pistols,” or weapons that can be modified to bypass firearm classification laws. Senate Bill 704, introduced by Senator Jesse Arreguín (D–Berkeley), updates state regulations on firearm barrels to address illegal weapon modifications…