CA SB 771
vetoedPersonal rights: liability: social media platforms.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper
Quick answers
Did CA SB 771 pass?
No. CA SB 771 passed the legislature but was vetoed on 2026-03-02. Latest recorded action (2026-03-02): Veto sustained.
What is CA SB 771 about?
Existing law generally regulates social media platforms, including by requiring a social media company to post terms of service for each social media platform owned or operated by the company in a manner reasonably designed to inform all users of the social media platform of the existence and contents of the terms of service, as prescribed. Existing law generally prohibits a person from using violence or intimidation to interfere with another person's enjoyment of certain rights or because of certain attributes of that person, including the person's political affiliation, race, or sexual orientation, and punishes violations of that law with certain civil penalties or as misdemeanors, as prescribed. This bill would make a social media platform, as defined, that violates the above-referenced provisions of law relating to personal rights through its algorithms that relay content to users or aids, abets, acts in concert, or conspires in violation of those laws, or is a joint tortfeasor in an action alleging a violation of those laws, liable for specified civil penalties. The bill would declare its provisions to be severable and would declare attempted waiver of its provisions to be void and unenforceable. This bill would become operative on January 1, 2027.
Who sponsors CA SB 771?
Stern is the primary sponsor of CA SB 771, joined by 8 cosponsors.
Description
Existing law generally regulates social media platforms, including by requiring a social media company to post terms of service for each social media platform owned or operated by the company in a manner reasonably designed to inform all users of the social media platform of the existence and contents of the terms of service, as prescribed. Existing law generally prohibits a person from using violence or intimidation to interfere with another person's enjoyment of certain rights or because of certain attributes of that person, including the person's political affiliation, race, or sexual orientation, and punishes violations of that law with certain civil penalties or as misdemeanors, as prescribed. This bill would make a social media platform, as defined, that violates the above-referenced provisions of law relating to personal rights through its algorithms that relay content to users or aids, abets, acts in concert, or conspires in violation of those laws, or is a joint tortfeasor in an action alleging a violation of those laws, liable for specified civil penalties. The bill would declare its provisions to be severable and would declare attempted waiver of its provisions to be void and unenforceable. This bill would become operative on January 1, 2027.
- Introduced
- 2025-02-21
- Latest action
- 2026-03-02 — Veto sustained.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Sternauthor
- Bryancoauthor
- Harabediancoauthor
- Kalracoauthor
- Lowenthalcoauthor
- Ortegacoauthor
- Pellerincoauthor
- Stefanicoauthor
- Zburcoauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2025-02-21
Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,referral-committee
2025-02-24
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.
2025-02-24
Read first time.
reading-1
2025-03-12
Referred to Com. on ED.
referral-committee
2025-03-24
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-03-25
Withdrawn from committee.
withdrawal
2025-03-25
Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
referral-committee
2025-04-02
Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
referral-committee
2025-04-22
Set for hearing April 29.
2025-04-30
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 943.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-05-02
Set for hearing May 12.
2025-05-12
May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-16
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-23
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 1212.) (May 23).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-23
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-05-27
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-06-04
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 29. Noes 4. Page 1519.) Ordered to the Assembly.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-06-05
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
reading-1
2025-06-16
Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-06-19
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-06-25
Coauthors revised.
2025-06-25
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-09
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 8).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-10
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-08-20
August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-08-29
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (August 29).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-02
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-09-03
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-10
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 51. Noes 2. Page 3238.) Ordered to the Senate.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-09-11
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 8. Page 2919.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-11
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-22
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-13
Vetoed by the Governor.
executive-veto
2025-10-13
In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
2026-03-02
Stricken from file.
2026-03-02
Veto sustained.
Versions
- 02/21/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-21Compare
- 03/24/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-03-24Compare
- 05/23/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-05-23Compare
- 06/19/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-06-19Compare
- 07/10/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-07-10Compare
- 09/02/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-09-02Compare
- 09/16/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-16Compare
- SB771Compare
- (document, no version)Compare
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Votes
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-29 · pass · 10-0
Member-level votes (13)
- Arreguín: yes
- Allen: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Laird: yes
- Stern: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Valladares: other
- Niello: other
- Wahab: other
Placed on suspense file
2025-05-12 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Wahab: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Caballero: yes
Do pass as amended
2025-05-23 · pass · 4-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Cabaldon: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Dahle: other
- Seyarto: other
- Wahab: other
3rd Reading
2025-06-04 · pass · 29-4
Member-level votes (40)
- Durazo: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Limón: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Allen: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Stern: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Becker: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Laird: yes
- Choi: no
- Strickland: no
- Jones: no
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Reyes: other
- Valladares: other
- Grove: other
- Seyarto: other
- Ochoa Bogh: other
- Dahle: other
- Niello: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-06-24 · pass · 11-1
Member-level votes (15)
- Ward: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Bennett: yes
- DeMaio: no
- Patterson: other
- Hoover: other
- Petrie-Norris: other
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-07-08 · pass · 11-0
Member-level votes (12)
- Bryan: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Papan: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Hart: yes
- Macedo: other
Do pass as amended.
2025-08-29 · pass · 11-1
Member-level votes (15)
- Elhawary: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Fong: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Solache: yes
- Tangipa: no
- Sanchez: other
- Ta: other
- Dixon: other
SB 771 Stern Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
2025-09-11 · pass · 51-2
Member-level votes (80)
- Ahrens: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Addis: yes
- Ward: yes
- Haney: yes
- Hart: yes
- Fong: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Bains: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Berman: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Papan: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Solache: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Zbur: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Krell: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Patel: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Ellis: no
- DeMaio: no
- Johnson: other
- Quirk-Silva: other
- Dixon: other
- Elhawary: other
- Soria: other
- Michelle Rodriguez: other
- Valencia: other
- Jeff Gonzalez: other
- Lee: other
- Castillo: other
- Alanis: other
- Wallis: other
- Patterson: other
- Ta: other
- Caloza: other
- Hoover: other
- Petrie-Norris: other
- Gallagher: other
- Macedo: other
- Davies: other
- Hadwick: other
- Tangipa: other
- Lackey: other
- Ramos: other
- Sanchez: other
- Chen: other
- Flora: other
Unfinished Business SB771 Stern et al. Concurrence
2025-09-11 · pass · 30-8
Member-level votes (40)
- Umberg: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Reyes: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Allen: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Limón: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Laird: yes
- Stern: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Becker: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Ochoa Bogh: no
- Seyarto: no
- Jones: no
- Grove: no
- Strickland: no
- Dahle: no
- Choi: no
- Valladares: other
- Niello: other
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z
Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:
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