California is home to much of the country’s and the world’s technology industry. With no comprehensive federal regulatory frameworks in place for many of today’s rapidly advancing technologies, rules set by state governments, such as California’s, often become the national default.
California’s 2025-26 legislative session includes technology-related bills that would regulate artificial intelligence, data privacy, cybersecurity, child online safety, consumer protection, public safety, and government operations, among others.
The guide below examines the state legislation under consideration in California’s technology policy committees this session and provides policymakers with a guide on the necessary amendments introduced. This overview does not include other bills that involve technology policy outside these committees.
For each bill, the guide summarizes what it does, what compliance would require in practice, and Reason Foundation’s technology policy team’s assessment of whether the measure fosters innovation, competition, and consumer choice. This page is updated as these California bills advance.
Reason Foundation’s Technology Policy Project provides pro bono consulting to public officials and stakeholders to help design and implement policies on artificial intelligence (AI), digital free speech, data security and privacy, child online safety, and competition in the tech industry. Our team brings practical, market-oriented strategies to foster innovation, competition, and consumer choice through effective technology policies. If you’re interested in more information, please email Caden Rosenbaum, Reason Foundation’s managing director of technology policy.