California lawmakers rush to pass bills on final day of session

California's Legislature spent its final two weeks before the Sept. 1 deadline racing through hundreds of bills, including a 74-0 vote on Assembly Bill 1709 restricting addictive social media features for users under 16 and creating an e-Safety Advisory Commission. Other measures included stricter elderly parole standards for sex offenders, a smog-check exemption for classic cars backed by Jay Leno, and a $7.5 billion science and health research bond aimed partly at offsetting federal research cuts.

More contentious bills split along party lines, including a ban on police electroshock devices introduced after the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to spend up to $20 million on electroshock gloves for immigration agents, and Senator Scott Wiener's 'No Kings Act' allowing lawsuits against federal agents. A federal prosecutor publicly dismissed the electroshock bill as legally dead on arrival, arguing states can't dictate federal law enforcement tools.

Additional bills add state agencies to California's law enforcement mask ban and require anti-profiling provisions in interagency policing agreements, both responses to friction with federal immigration enforcement. The session's rhythm — hours-long floor sessions stretching into overtime as the deadline nears — repeats every year regardless of how much legislation is actually urgent.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.