New California Laws Signed Advance Equity and Opportunity for California’s Women and Girls 

Sacramento, CA (October 9, 2026) – The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) proudly celebrates a suite of co-sponsored and supported bills that advance gender equity in the workplace, promote economic opportunity, and push for the educational, health and safety needs of women and girls across California, which were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. 

“These new laws are hard‑fought for wins for women and girls in California, and we aren’t slowing down,” said Executive Director of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Darcy Totten. “While we continue to make progress to protect the rights of women and girls, the road to true gender equity remains challenging. Today we take a moment to celebrate these victories and thank our co‑sponsors, advocates, and supporters, before we get back to work. Real change takes all of us, and together we are going to level the playing field for women and girls in our lifetimes.” 

“These legislative victories are a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Commission, our partners, and advocates statewide,” said Dr. Rita Gallardo Good, Chair of California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. “Together, we have advanced bold policies that protect rights, expand opportunity, and foster equity for women and girls in every corner of California. These wins remind us that real change is possible when we unite our voices and efforts. Today, we celebrate progress, and tomorrow, we continue the work to ensure every woman and girl can thrive.” 

Among the Commission’s legislative priorities signed into law: 

AB 1267 (Pellerin): Prohibits anyone under 18 from being issued a marriage license or establishing a domestic partnership in California and repeals all exceptions previously allowing minors to marry with parental consent or court order. 

AB 1626 (Gabriel): Requires youth sports coaches to receive training on mental health topics, including trauma-informed care and strategies for fostering positive team culture with training overseen by California Department of Education.  

AB 1980 (Caloza) – Establishes the Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program to increase equitable access to construction career pathways for women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations. 

SB 99 (Blakespear) – This bill authorizes a court to consider a past military protective order when determining whether to issue a protective order. 

Commission-supported bills were also signed into law, including: 

• AB 1581 (Ramos) requires the Department of Education to annually post on their website, statewide aggregate educational outcome data for the prior school year for pupils who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native.
• AB 1657 (Rogers) prohibits a court from requiring that notice or explanation be provided to the party to be restrained in advance of accepting a filing for, or deciding, an application for an ex parte restraining order.
• AB 1705 (Bauer-Kahan) requires a user of a pornographic internet website, before uploading sexually explicit content, to submit specific information to the operator, including that each individual depicted in the content meets certain criteria.
• AB 1766 (Krell) encourages the Instructional Quality Commission to consider including information on preventing human trafficking, exploitation, and online safety.
• AB 1775 (Ward) requires the Department of Consumer Affairs to prioritize veteran recipients in services whose less than honorable characterization of service and discharge was connected to their sexual orientation and gender identity.
• AB 1784 (Pellerin) prohibits discrimination against students based on pregnancy-related conditions and requires institutions to provide reasonable accommodations.
• AB 1792 (Rodriguez) encourages the Instructional Quality Commission to consider incorporating and recommending specific sexual health instruction content educating students about dating abuse and digital violence.
• AB 1876 (Addis) prohibits individuals from being excluded enrollment, denied benefits, or not given healthcare on the basis of sex, with sex being inclusive of sex characteristics, intersex traits, pregnancy, and gender identity.
• AB 1906 (Aguiar-Curry) mandates health insurance coverage for at-home cervical cancer screening kits without imposing cost-sharing.
• AB 2030 (Lowenthal) prohibits the sale of over‑the‑counter (OTC) diet pills and weight‑loss or muscle‑building supplements to anyone under 18 in California without an identification check. 
• AB 2160 (Rodriguez) clarifies Medi-Cal coverage for breastfeeding and lactation services.
• AB 2212 (Bauer-Kahan) updates California’s Equity in Higher Education Act to define technology-facilitated sexual harassment, digitized sexually explicit material, and affirmative consent.
• AB 2540 (Stefani) extends the state’s existing medication abortion mandate to include California community colleges and requires CSU/UC health centers to actively promote these services.
• AB 2660 (Alvarez) codifies the Cal‑Bridge and ENLACE programs to create a coordinated, statewide STEM pathway from high school through PhD and industry leadership, increasing diversity in California’s STEM workforce.
• SB 1237 (Blakespear) strengthens pay equity enforcement and transparency by increasing penalties for employers who repeatedly fail to submit mandatory pay data reports and requiring annual reporting on the Civil Rights Enforcement and Litigation Fund.

“The trajectory for legislation to become law isn’t always a clean, straight line and you have to be ready to play the long game, that was exactly how AB 1267 (Pellerin) finally came to be signed into law after almost a decade,” said Alex Zucco, Director of Policy and Legislation at the California Commission on the Status of Women on Girls. “Each year, as we focus on the Commission’s policy priorities, we must leverage every tool at our disposal to root out inequities for women and girls baked into society. These wins give us momentum and energy to continue the progress in building equitable systems for women and girls.” 

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About the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls 
For 60 years, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls has identified and worked to eliminate inequities in state laws, practices, and conditions that affect California’s women and girls. Established as a state agency with 17 appointed commissioners in 1965, the Commission regularly assesses gender equity in health, safety, employment, education, and equal representation in the military and the media.