Californians can expect a wave of changes this summer, from classroom policies to grocery store shelves, as a slate of new laws takes effect.
Most state laws typically go into effect at the start of a new year, but oftentimes, lawmakers will push the start date to July 1 to help agencies prepare to enforce and implement them in line with the new fiscal year.
Here are some of the biggest changes coming in July.
New California education laws for 2026
AB 3216 Cell Phone Ban: The Phone-Free Schools Act requires all school districts to adopt policies that limit or prohibit student smartphone use during the school day. The law comes as policymakers across the country look to limit the impacts of phones on children’s mental health.
AB 727 LGBTQ Hotline: This law requires student ID cards in California to include the phone number for The Trevor Project, a leading crisis and suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ youth. However, conservatives have criticized the state’s push toward the nonprofit.
SB 760 All-Gender Restrooms: All schools will provide at least one easily accessible, unlocked all-gender restroom for student use. Schools can convert existing single-stall restrooms with updated signage.
New California public safety laws for 2026
SB 79 Housing Near Transit: Lawmakers pushed a controversial measure aimed at boosting housing construction to address the state’s housing crisis. It overrides local zoning ordinances to allow for high-density and multi-family developments near public transit stops.
AB 1777 Autonomous Vehicles: Self-driving vehicles have caused mayhem in San Francisco and other California cities, so lawmakers closed one loophole. Soon, police will officially be able to cite AV companies for traffic violations just like human drivers.
New California business laws for 2026
AB 660 Food Labels: By July 1, all stores should have no more “sell-by” food expiration labels that some claim causes people to throw food away prematurely. Instead, “best if used by” labels shall be used for peak product quality and “use by” labels are strictly for public food safety.
SB 576 Video Streaming Ads: California will ban streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu from playing advertisements substantially louder than the movie or show being played.
Minimum wage increases
The hourly minimum wage is currently $16.90 per hour in the state. But next month, many California cities and counties will see their own bumps. For example, Los Angeles will be at $18.42 hourly and San Francisco will be at $19.61. Cities surrounding those two major cities will also see minimum wage bumps.
Healthcare employees at large hospital systems (with 10,000 or more full-time equivalents) or dialysis clinics will officially see their minimum wage rise to $25 per hour. Other health systems will also see increases; for example, rural health centers will begin to pay at least $22 per hour.