A very happy new year to all! Here’s a roundup of the latest stories in California that caught our eye this week…
New Year welcomed with a rainy Rose Parade
The 137th Rose Parade, SoCal’s beloved celebration of floral smugness, took place on a rainy New Year’s Day. It’s the first time it’s rained on the parade since 2006, but the glorious display of flower-covered floats, ebullient marching bands and equestrian units powered through the puddles.
The theme for 2026 was “The Magic in Teamwork,” a nod to Grand Marshal Magic Johnson. This year marked the first-ever TikTok livestream of the Rose Parade, plus the unfortunate grounding of the planned B-2 bomber flyover. Hundreds of thousands attend live and millions watched on TV.
(Watch KTLA 5’s Rose Parade coverage on YouTube)
Notable new California laws for 2026
Governor Newsom signed 794 bills into law in 2025. Here are just a handful of the more notable laws that took effect on Jan. 1, 2026:
AI Regulations
California is enacting a number of laws around AI safety and digital rights. These include the first-in-the nation Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act (SB 53 – Wiener) which requires major AI companies to disclose security and safety protocols and provides protections for whistleblowers. Companion Chatbots (SB 243 – Padilla) mandates safeguards for AI chatbots. It bans chatbots from misrepresentation as medical professionals and requires protocols for users expressing suicidal thoughts. Deepfake Pornography (AB 621 – Bauer-Kahan) strengthens protections against the creation and distribution of AI-generated sexual content. Law Enforcement Agencies (SB 524 – Arreguin) requires law enforcement agencies to disclose use of AI to generate reports.
Ban on cat declawing
Non-therapeutic cat declawing is now banned statewide, per AB 867 – Lee. The procedure will only be allowed when it’s medically necessary and performed by a licensed veterinarian.
Protections for victims of violence
The Strengthening Safe Leave Act (AB 406 – Schiavo) ensures that survivors of violence may take time off from work to attend court proceedings related to the alleged crime or violence, without retaliation by their employer.
Diwali recognized as an official state holiday
Governor Newsom signed AB 268 – Kalra into law, making Diwali, or the Hindu Festival of Lights, an official state holiday as of Jan. 1, 2026. The festival is of cultural significance to Indian Americans and South Asian Americans and is one of the world’s oldest religious holidays. California is home to the largest South Asian population in the United States.
Diacritics added to vital records
The Name Accuracy Act (AB 64 – Pacheco) requires California’s vital records, which include birth and death certificates, marriage licenses etc. to include accents, tildes and other diacritical marks in a person’s name. Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, who authored the bill, stated “I’m carrying Assembly Bill 64, the Name Accuracy Act, because “our tremendous state should record the actual names of residents, reflecting parental and individual rights, preserving cultural and artistic identity as expressed in names and restoring the historic guarantee of free speech that was eliminated in 1986.”
(Sources: Los Angeles Daily News, New York Times, Calmatters & gov.ca.gov)
Folic acid fortification for tortillas
Corn masa flour and wet corn masa products: folic acid fortification (AB 1830 – Arambula) requires folic acid to be added to most tortillas and corn masa products sold in California. Latinas in California are at higher risk of having a baby born with neural tube defects, which can be significantly reduced by consumption of folic acid. The bill includes exemptions for small-batch producers such as restaurants that make tortillas from scratch.
California minimum wage increases
The minimum wage in California increased to $16.90 per hour on Jan. 1, 2026. This represents an increase of 40 cents per hour. Cities and counties in California can set their own minimum wages. The highest minimum wage in California is in West Hollywood, which raised its minimum wage to $20.25.
New CalPrivacy website launched
Starting on Jan. 1, 2026, Californians have access to the new website from CalPrivacy — the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP). The platform was required by 2023’s California Delete Act, which directed the state to develop a “one-stop shop” where Californians can get all their information deleted from all 500-plus data brokers in the state.
(Source: thepublicinterestnetwork)
Do your children have CalKIDS scholarship funds?
The California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) provides scholarship accounts that can help pay for college or career training. Every child born in California on or after July 1, 2022 automatically receives a CalKIDS Scholarship Account at birth worth up to $175, giving families an early opportunity to start planning for higher education. In addition, eligible public school students in grades 2–12 may have CalKIDS Scholarship funds available worth up to $1,500.
Claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship takes only a few minutes. Families are encouraged to check if they have a CalKIDS Scholarship Account available to claim this holiday season by visiting CalKIDS.org.
Super-rare fish spotted off Monterey
On Dec. 30, Ted Judah swam out from McAbee Beach to go scuba diving in Monterey Bay. In the unusually clear water, he spotted a creature almost never seen alive by humans — a juvenile king-of-the-salmon fish. Judah filmed the curious and mesmerizing species, iridescent and blade-shaped with fine, feathery fins, while his wife took photographs. The fish was later identified by a marine biologist from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It typically spends time around 3,000 feet, so very few humans have seen the fish alive. Japanese legend links its sighting to earthquakes and tsunamis. Check out the awesome photographs of the fish at the link below!
(Source: SFGate)