Entering October, some laws in California are starting to take effect, with some proposals officially becoming laws. Many of these laws involve aspects of people’s daily lives, such as being able to request to speak to a real person when contacting customer service without waiting indefinitely, changing the procedures for installation of residential water heaters and HVAC equipment, and allowing certain car transactions to be canceled within three days.
California residents will encounter several specific changes in their consumption, work, and family life moving forward.
When contacting large corporations’ customer service, people often have to navigate through recordings, automated options, and chatbots, sometimes spending a significant amount of time without reaching a real person.
The new law AB1609 will address these situations: starting from January 1, 2027, large corporations meeting certain criteria must make reasonable efforts to transfer the call to a real person or arrange communication time with the customer within 15 minutes upon request for a live agent.
Corporations can still use chatbots but must clearly disclose to consumers that they are interacting with a bot, not a human. Specific large corporations are also required to list customer service contact information on their websites.
The law does not mandate all businesses to provide phone customer service, and companies that do not have phone customer service originally will not be required to add this service.
The SB766 bill signed in 2025 imposes new restrictions on additional products and services, fees, and price disclosures when purchasing a vehicle from car dealers. This law officially took effect on October 1.
According to the bill, starting immediately, when purchasing a used car below $50,000 from a California dealership, the dealer must offer a three-day cancellation option. However, not all used car transactions are eligible for unconditional returns, provided that the vehicle has not suffered any damage and there is no significant increase in mileage.
The bill also mandates dealerships to disclose all vehicle costs upfront and prohibits bundling unnecessary add-on fees or products that do not benefit the buyer, such as extended warranties. Therefore, consumers should carefully review whether any additional products or services have been included in the car purchase agreement.
Many have likely experienced a situation where the volume suddenly increases during music or podcast ads.
The SB96 bill will restrict these advertising volume spikes. Starting from January 1, 2027, ads played during music streaming and podcast services must not exceed the volume of the content being played. In other words, ads can play as usual but cannot use sudden volume increases to grab attention.
The new law SB222 involves the installation procedures for residential heat pump water heaters and HVAC systems.
Starting from July 1, 2027, qualifying inspections will no longer require both the contractor and inspector to be present simultaneously; a year later, some equipment replacement projects can apply for permits directly online.
However, projects involving electrical boxes or structural modifications in households may still require other permits.
The SB1412 bill introduces a new communication avenue for parents and guardians of public school students to interact with teachers.
This new law, effective from January 1, 2027, allows parents or guardians who cannot physically attend individual meetings at schools to request communication with teachers via phone or online. However, recording or videoing such meetings is strictly prohibited.
These are just some of the new California laws taking effect in October. For more information on laws, you can refer to the official websites of the State Assembly and Senate. This article is for general informational purposes only.