Consumer Federation of California

Continuing its mission to protect consumers, CFC delivers major wins for California families.

For immediate release: Monday, October 6, 2025

Sacramento, CA –Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed five bills sponsored or co-sponsored by the Consumer Federation of California (CFC) into law, delivering stronger consumer protections across key areas and marking a major victory for California consumers.

“These are challenging times for consumers everywhere. By signing these bills, California has stepped up and continues to lead the way on consumer protections,” said CFC Executive Director Robert Herrell. “These five bills go a long way toward ensuring that consumers don’t get ripped off, scammed, or taken advantage of. We thank the bills’ authors and Governor for signing these important bills and for helping us take another important step in our mission to protect consumers.”

The five bills signed by the Governor today are: 

Assembly Bill 1374 (Berman) – Strengthens consumer price transparency in car rentals by ensuring that, after selecting the location, dates, and vehicle type, renters see the complete cost up front, whether booking directly through a rental car company or via third-party platforms such as Priceline or Booking.

Senate Bill 82 (Umberg) – Limits forced arbitration clauses to only the specific product or service to be covered. 

Senate Bill 709 (Menjivar) – Brings consumer transparency to the self-storage industry, notorious for bait and switch practices, by requiring facilities to clearly disclose to consumers key information, including the maximum rate a tenant could face over the next year. 

Senate Bill 766 (Allen)* – Provides consumers a three-day cooling off period for used cars. Also allows consumers to return faulty vehicles, improve car pricing transparency, and prohibit unnecessary and costly add-ons to their cars.  

Senate Bill 825 (Limón & Grayson) – Clarifies the authority of the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), to fully enforce California’s consumer financial protection laws and protect consumers from bad actors.

CFC is currently awaiting the signing or veto of two additional bills, AB 656 (Schiavo) and SB 771 (Stern). The Governor has until October 13 to take action on all bills. To view the full announcement by the Governor, click here. 

About Consumer Federation of California The Consumer Federation of California is a nonprofit advocacy organization that, since 1960, has been a powerful voice for consumer rights. CFC campaigns for laws and regulations that place consumer protection ahead of corporate profit, either in front of the California Legislature or before state agencies in support of consumer regulations. 

(*Author Sponsored)

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Tags: arbitration, Auto, Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, DFPI, legislation, Rental Cars, Self-storage