As California lawmakers prepare to return for the final legislative push of the year, several critical bills are set to take center stage. From landfill safety measures to antitrust legislation, the upcoming session promises to be a battleground for significant policy changes. Here’s a look at the key issues on the horizon.
The legislative session kicks off with a focus on landfill safety, driven by the ongoing crisis at the Chiquita Canyon landfill in Los Angeles County. The 639-acre facility, operated by Texas-based Waste Connections, has been the site of a persistent underground fire since, causing severe health issues for nearby residents in Castaic and Val Verde.
Landfill Safety: Preventing Future Disasters
Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) has introduced AB 28 a bill aimed at preventing future landfill disasters like the one at Chiquita Canyon. The legislation requires landfill operators to monitor underground temperatures and report to regulators when temperatures reach critical levels. Specifically, landfills must notify the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery when “a subsurface elevated temperature event occurs,” defined as temperatures persistently exceeding 131 degrees Fahrenheit over a substantial area.
Under AB 28, landfill operators facing such conditions would be required to develop and implement a correction action plan or face fines of up to $100,000 per day. These fines would go into a special fund to mitigate harm to affected communities. Schiavo emphasized the bill’s importance, stating, “AB 28 is about putting people first. It’s about ensuring that residents have the support and resources and protections that they deserve when their health and quality of life is threatened.”
The Chiquita Canyon Controversy
Despite the bill’s intentions, there is significant disagreement over the nature of the Chiquita Canyon incident. Waste Connections maintains that independent toxicologists have found no expected short- or long-term health effects from the site. The company disputes the characterization of the event as a “fire,” instead describing it as an “Elevated Temperature Landfill” caused by a rare chemical reaction.
Experts, however, argue that predicting and preventing such events requires more than just temperature readings. Tung Le, executive director of the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association, highlighted the need to consider oxygen and moisture content of landfill wells, as well as the amount of waste held at each facility. He noted that even with comprehensive data, identifying problem landfills like Chiquita Canyon remains challenging due to the complex interplay of conditions and oversight practices.
Antitrust Legislation: The COMPETE Act
In another significant development, the California Chamber of Commerce has launched a multimillion-dollar campaign opposing AB 1776 also known as the COMPETE Act. Introduced by Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), the bill seeks to expand the Cartwright Act, California’s primary antitrust law, to include anticompetitive conduct by a single company. Currently, the Cartwright Act only addresses anticompetitive conduct by two or more companies.
Proponents of AB 1776 argue that the current law allows for single-firm monopolization and monopsonization, leading to higher prices and fewer options for consumers. However, the California Chamber of Commerce contends that the bill would “raise prices, kill customer discounts and price matching programs, and create substantial compliance burdens that could bankrupt small business owners and wipe out jobs in communities across the state.” The chamber cited an analysis estimating that AB 1776 could result in a loss of approximately $1 trillion GDP and 1.6 million jobs after the first decade.
Aguiar-Curry responded to the opposition, stating that the claims about the bill “just don’t match the facts.” She clarified that the bill has been amended in collaboration with antitrust experts, businesses, and opponents, and disputed the notion that it removes consumer discounts or exposes businesses to frivolous lawsuits. “The bill is, and has always been, about making sure businesses succeed because they offer a better product or service—not because they’re using their size and market power to squeeze out everyone else,” she wrote.
Additional Legislative Highlights
Beyond landfill safety and antitrust legislation, several other bills are set to shape California’s legislative landscape. AB 1709 introduced by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), initially aimed to ban children under 16 from holding social media accounts. After pushback, the bill shifted focus to requiring platforms to remove addictive features like infinite scroll and autoplay for younger users. Big Tech companies remain skeptical, warning that the proposal gives regulators broad discretion to define future “addictive” features.
SB 887 authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), seeks to expedite the environmental review process for qualifying data center projects through the state’s Environmental Leadership Development Project program. Supporters argue that the measure provides a predictable path for developing AI infrastructure, while critics question whether it gives large data center developers preferential treatment.
Additionally, AB 2026 also introduced by Aguiar-Curry, aims to streamline permitting for groundwater recharge projects by expanding opportunities to divert flood flows into underground aquifers. Supporters say the bill removes bureaucratic hurdles that can cause California to miss opportunities to store water, while critics warn that speeding projects through environmental review could come at the expense of adequate oversight and protections for waterways and nearby communities.
