Consumer Federation of California Unveils 2026 Affordability Bill Package

March 23, 2026

Nine-bill bipartisan package would crack down on predatory payday lenders and home improvement scams, enhance efforts against monopolies, protect HOA members from massive rate hikes, and rein in medical credit cards, to name a few.  

Monday, March 23, 2026

SACRAMENTO, CA – The Consumer Federation of California (CFC), joined by California Legislators and consumer representatives, today unveiled a nine-bill bipartisan affordability package to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive practices in a wide range of industries.  

“This bipartisan affordability bill package is focused on reforming the various ways in which certain industries relish taking as much as they can out of consumers’ pockets by using every trick in the book,” said Robert Herrell, Executive Director of CFC. “Whether it is relief from junk and hidden fees to limiting predatory practices to cracking down on scams and fraud, every bill in this package shares the goal of helping consumers keep more in their pocketbook. That has been the dedicated work of the Consumer Federation of California and we are focused on making even more progress for consumers with our bipartisan coalition in 2026.”   

The nine-bill California package consists of the following:  

  • AB 1776 by Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D – Winters) – monopoly enforcement/COMPETE Act 
  • SB 29 by Senator John Laird (D – Santa Cruz) – remedies for families seeking justice 
  • SB 784 by Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D – Los Angeles) – home improvement scams 
  • SB 1007 by Senator Caroline Menjivar (D – San Fernando Valley) – HOA fee reforms  
  • SB 1123 by Senator Scott Wiener (D – San Francisco) – “major regs” regulatory reform  
  • AB 2076 by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D – Long Beach) – online marketplace safety  
  • AB 2558 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D – Menlo Park) and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D – Winters) – payday lending reform  
  • AB 2629 by Assemblymember Phillip Chen (R – Yorba Linda) – consumer DMV upcharge cap 
  •  AB 2746 by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D – Chatsworth) – medical credit card reforms 

Additional pro-consumer organizations such as Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA), Economic Security California Actions (ESCA), the California Nurses Association (CNA), the California Low Income Consumers Coalition (CLICC), the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), and the Center for California Homeowner Association Law, joined CFC and the legislators to discuss pieces of the package that they are co-sponsoring.  

“AB 1776 updates the rules, so they match the economy we’re living in. It’s time to protect the 99 percent of businesses who play honestly and ethically from the mega-corporations that use their power to crush them,” said Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). “We all know healthy competition keeps prices down, choices up, and opportunity and innovation alive. AB 1776 helps do that.” 

“Senate Bill 29 ensures California families can continue to seek damages for human suffering when a loved one dies,” said Senator John Laird (D – Santa Cruz). “By preserving the ability to recover damages for pain and suffering, this bill promotes fair settlements and discourages costly delays, thereby helping to ensure families are made whole for the harm their loved one suffered and to resolve cases more quickly.” 

“Too many California homeowners – especially seniors, immigrants, and people of color – are being deceived into loans they never agreed to, for home improvements that were never finished,” said Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D – Los Angeles). “SB 784 closes the loopholes that let predatory lenders and contractors walk away, leaving families stuck repaying debt on such projects. Californians deserve accountability, and that’s exactly what this bill delivers.” 

“For families across California, every dollar counts. When HOA fees rise without warning or justification, it can mean the difference between staying in a home and being forced out. Without proper oversight, these costs can quietly erode affordability across entire regions.” said Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) “SB 1007 ensures that HOA oversight meets homeowners where they are at, have clarity, predictability, and a voice in decisions that affect their financial future, reinforcing that housing stability must remain a top priority.” 

“Young people are disproportionately harmed by recreational nitrous oxide use, yet nothing in current law requires online sellers to verify a buyer’s age before this dangerous gas is delivered to their door,” said Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D – Long Beach). “AB 2076 closes that gap by adding nitrous oxide to California’s existing age verification requirements for online purchases and strengthens enforcement to ensure that when businesses fail to comply, there are real consequences.” 

“The unfortunate but undisputable reality is that payday loans trap Californians living paycheck to paycheck in a cycle of reborrowing – leaving them worse off than when they started and steadily draining them of their hard-earned dollars that could have been spent on rent, groceries, savings, or other needs. It’s time to stop this predatory cycle,” said Assemblymember Berman (D – Menlo Park). “I am proud to author AB 2558 to protect Californians from predatory lending that does not offer a real solution but rather traps them in a perpetual cycle of debt.”

“AB 2629 will prohibit business partners that provide online vehicle registration services from charging excessive fees for the same services offered directly by the DMV by establishing a reasonable cap to prevent Californians from being price gouged,” said Assemblymember Phillip Chen (R – Yorba Linda). “Too many Californians have been unknowingly tricked into paying exorbitant fees for the same service that is currently provided by the DMV at no additional cost. This bill strengthens consumer protections by ensuring Californians are not subjected to deceptive fees when accessing basic vehicle registration services.”  

The bills are now beginning to move through the California Legislature. SB 29 and SB 784 were introduced last year and are already in their second house of the Legislature.  

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