In this article 8 sections
Every September, California’s governor works through a stack of bills the Legislature sent him at the end of its session. Most of the headlines go to the big political fights. But some of the quieter bills change things that matter a great deal if you or someone in your family is hurt: how drunk drivers are punished, who pays when a shared car causes a crash, how your medical records are handled in a lawsuit, and what you have to sign when you file a claim against a city or county.
This post rounds up bills that were signed and chaptered between September 1 and September 27, 2026 and that we think are most relevant to injury victims. We checked each one against the official bill history and chaptered text on the Legislature’s website. One important caveat: under the California Constitution, the governor has until September 30 to act on bills passed before September 1 in the second year of the session. As of this writing, he still has bills on his desk, so this is not a complete list of what will become law this year.
A note on timing: unless a bill says otherwise, the California Constitution provides that a statute enacted at a regular session goes into effect on January 1 following a 90-day period from its enactment. For the bills below, that means January 1, 2027, unless we note a later operative date. None of the bills discussed here are urgency measures that take effect immediately.
The DUI Package: Braun’s Law and Three Companion Bills
On September 25, 2026, the governor signed four bills aimed at impaired and repeat-offender drivers. All four were chaptered that same day.
SB 907 (“Braun’s Law,” Chapter 443). This bill does two main things:
- Hit-and-run penalties. California already makes it a crime to leave the scene of a crash that injures or kills someone. SB 907 makes a hit-and-run causing injury punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony, and increases the felony penalty for a hit-and-run causing death or permanent, serious injury, when the hit-and-run occurred within 10 years of a separate DUI, reckless driving, or gross vehicular manslaughter violation that resulted in a conviction, as specified in the bill.
- Advisement on plea deals. Courts already warn people convicted of DUI that if they drive impaired again and kill someone, they may be charged with murder. Braun’s Law extends that advisement to people who plead guilty or no contest to a different or lesser offense in place of a DUI charge. In announcing the package, the governor’s office said the change helps ensure that drivers whose DUI charges are pled down are made aware that impaired driving is extremely dangerous to human life.
AB 1546 (Chapter 444) increases penalties for repeat DUI offenders. A DUI within 10 years of two prior DUI-related convictions becomes punishable either as a misdemeanor or a felony, and a DUI within 10 years of four or more prior convictions becomes a felony.
AB 1685 (Chapter 445) adds three violation points to a driver’s record for a conviction of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and requires the DMV to disclose those convictions within 10 years of the occurrence. Its provisions become operative January 1, 2031.
AB 1687 (Chapter 446), called Irene’s Law, requires the DMV, starting January 1, 2031, to revoke the license of a person convicted of a DUI that injures someone other than the driver if that person has four or more prior convictions within 10 years for specified offenses. Reinstatement is barred for 72 months and requires, among other things, a certified ignition interlock device for 72 months.
What this means for crash victims
These are criminal and licensing laws. They do not by themselves create a new right to compensation. But for victims, they matter in practical ways. A felony charge and a documented history of prior offenses can shape how a civil case develops, and a hit-and-run driver with a qualifying prior conviction faces more serious penalties under SB 907. If you were hurt by an impaired driver, your civil claim is separate from the criminal case, and you do not have to wait for the prosecution to finish before speaking with a lawyer. Our guide to what to do after a car accident in California covers the first steps.
AB 1588: Tougher Penalties for Sideshows
Signed September 20, 2026 (Chapter 366), AB 1588 broadens the definition of a “sideshow” to include using any motor vehicle, including motorcycles and off-highway vehicles, to block or obstruct traffic. It also increases penalties for an exhibition of speed as part of a sideshow, including higher fines and a mandatory minimum jail sentence, and makes the offense punishable as a misdemeanor or felony when it proximately causes injury to another person.
AB 2361: Higher Liability Minimums for Car-Sharing Programs
Peer-to-peer car sharing lets owners rent out their personal vehicles through an app or program. Signed September 27, 2026 (Chapter 601), AB 2361 amends Insurance Code section 11580.24 to require a personal vehicle sharing program to assume the owner’s liability for bodily injury or property damage to injured third parties resulting from vehicle sharing, in amounts of not less than $250,000 for bodily injury or death to one person, $500,000 for all persons, and $100,000 for property damage. Under existing law, the program’s minimum required coverage is $45,000, $90,000, and $15,000. The bill’s protections do not apply if the vehicle owner acts in concert with a shared-vehicle driver who fails to return the vehicle under the program agreement.
If you are hit by someone driving a shared car, the program’s coverage may be a key source of recovery. Getting the right policy information early matters.
AB 2: A New Damages Rule for Social Media Platforms That Injure Children
Signed September 10, 2026 (Chapter 180), AB 2 adds Civil Code section 1714.02. It provides that a social media platform that violates California’s general duty of ordinary care (Civil Code section 1714(a)) by causing injury to a child under 18 is liable for statutory damages of the larger of:
- $5,000 per violation, up to $1,000,000 per child, or
- three times the child’s actual damages.
The law applies only to platforms that generate more than $100 million a year in gross revenue, voids any waiver, and is set to be repealed on January 1, 2035. The bill also states that it applies only prospectively and does not apply to any case pending on or before January 1, 2027. A family would still have to prove the platform failed to use ordinary care and caused the injury; the new section changes what can be recovered, not what has to be proven.
AB 540: A “First Look” at Your Medical Records
Injury cases almost always involve the other side subpoenaing your medical records. Signed September 18, 2026 (Chapter 263), AB 540 adds Code of Civil Procedure section 2016.100, which creates a “first look” procedure. If all parties stipulate to use it, a person whose medical, psychiatric, addiction-treatment, reproductive-health, or similar records are being sought (or the representative of someone who has died) can review those records before they go to the subpoenaing party, and must log anything withheld so others can evaluate the objection. The review generally must be completed within 30 days of receiving the records, or 7 days in a case with trial preference. A first look notice cannot be served if trial is less than six months away.
Because the procedure depends on agreement among the parties, it will not apply in every case. But it gives injured people a structured way to protect sensitive history that has nothing to do with the crash.
AB 2529: A New Declaration on Claims Against Public Entities
If a city, county, or state agency is responsible for your injury, you generally must first file a government claim, usually within six months, as we explained in our post on the six-month government claims rule. Signed September 27, 2026 (Chapter 618), AB 2529 amends Government Code section 910.2 so that the person signing the claim must declare that, upon information and belief, the contents of the claim are true and correct. The Legislative Counsel’s summary notes that the change expands the definition of a crime, so take care that everything in your claim is accurate.
What We Are Watching
Other bills relevant to injured people were still pending when this post was written, and the governor has until September 30 to sign or veto them. In the meantime, none of the changes above alter the core deadlines in an ordinary injury case: generally two years to file a personal injury lawsuit in California, and six months for most claims against public entities. For more on how we handle crash cases, see our car accident practice page.
Questions About How a New Law Affects You?
New laws can raise more questions than they answer, especially when some parts take effect in 2027 and others not until 2031. If you were hurt and want to understand where you stand, contact Reardon Stodolka for a free consultation at 657.522.7122. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.