Consumer Federation of California

The Consumer Federation of California (CFC) is enacting a comprehensive state policy agenda to protect consumers in various areas. In 2024, CFC’s legislative agenda is as ambitious as ever. This year, CFC is sponsoring a total of seven bills, co-sponsoring three, and taking positions of support or opposition on other key measures pertinent to consumer protections. Our legislative packet seeks to tackle an array of issues, including but not limited to cracking down on junk and hidden fees, taking on monopoly giant Live Nation/Ticketmaster, ensuring equity and financial protection for consumers in the homeownership space, and establishing financial reform by limiting nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees.

SPONSORED BILLS

SB 611 (Menjivar) – Residential rental properties: fees and advertisements. [Loc: Asm. Judiciary]

A 2-year bill authored by Senator Caroline Menjivar (D – San Fernando Valley/ Burbank), which seeks to increase housing and financial stability by requiring transparency in California’s rental housing market.

AB 2017 (Grayson) – Banks and credit unions: nonsufficient funds fees. [Loc: Second House Policy]

Authored by Assemblymember Timothy Grayson (D – Concord), AB 2017 will rein in junk fees and protect financially vulnerable consumers from charges that they cannot afford by prohibiting a financial institution from charging a consumer a NSF fee when the consumer’s attempt to initiate a transaction is declined instantaneously or near-instantaneously due to nonsufficient funds. 

AB 2424 (Schiavo) – Mortgages: foreclosure. [Loc: Second House Policy]

Authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D – Chatsworth), AB 2424 will increase chances that consumers at risk of losing their home 1) get sufficient time to sell it, and 2) receive their equity gains from the property, as opposed to the bank or a corporate flipper. 

AB 2808 (Wicks) – Ticketing and Live Entertainment Monopoly. [A-DEAD]

Authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D – Oakland), AB 2808 would have cracked down on anti-consumer tactics by the Live Nation/Ticketmaster monopoly under federal antitrust investigation to open up the ticketing, live entertainment and sporting event industries. 

AB 2863 (Schiavo) – Automatic Renewal and Continuous Service Offers. [Loc: Second House Policy]

Authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D – Chatsworth), AB 2863 enacts so-called “click-to-cancel” law based on pending federal rules relating to automatic subscriptions and renewals. Ensures that canceling subscriptions is as simple as signing up for them. 

AB 3108 (Jones-Sawyer) – Mortgage Fraud [Loc: Second House Policy]

Authored by Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D- Los Angeles), AB 3108 clarified rules on predatory mortgage fraud, particularly when at-risk consumers are converted to inappropriate commercial or bridge loans. 

AB 3139 (Weber) – Vehicle Manufacturers: Remote Vehicle Technology [Loc: Second House Policy]

Authored by Dr. Akilah Weber (D – San Diego), AB 3139 requires auto manufacturers to turn off tracking technology in cars when requested by domestic violence (DV) survivors meeting certain criteria. 

CO-SPONSORED BILLS: 

SB 1061 (Limón) – Medical Debt. [Loc: Second House Policy]

Authored by Senator Monique Limón (D – Santa Barbara), SB 1061 prohibits a credit reporting agency from including specified medical debt in a consumer’s credit report. 

SB 1286 (Min) – Expanding Debt Collection Protection to Small Businesses. [Loc: Second House Policy]

Authored by Senator Dave Min (D – Irvine), SB 1286 explicitly adds small businesses into the scope of California’s debt collection law (Rosenthal Act) so that debt collectors must meet minimum standards when attempting to collect a debt and not harass or bully small businesses. 

AB 3061 (Haney) – Autonomous Vehicles and Incident Reports. [Loc: Second House Policy]

Authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D – San Francisco), AB 3061 increases data reporting relating to autonomous vehicle (AV) incidents. 

SUPPORT

SB 1075 (Bradford) Credit Unions: Overdraft fees; consumer right to cure

SB 1089 (Smallwood-Cuevas) Notification of Grocery and Pharmacy store closures

SB 1272 (Laird) Gift Certificates; Increase in Consumer Protection Limit

SB 1446 (Smallwood-Cuevas) Grocery Self Check-Out Safety Measures

AB 1900 (Weber) Consumer Refunds: Nondisclosure Agreements

AB 1961 (Wicks) End Hunger California Act of 2024

AB 2286 (Aguiar-Curry) Supervision of Autonomous Large Trucks

AB 2491 (Lee) Cosmetic Products; minors; consumer protection

AB 2837 (Bauer-Kahan) Civil Actions: Enforcement of Money Judgments

AB 2993 (Grayson) Home Improvement Home Solicitation Loans

OPPOSE

SB 263 (Dodd) Insurance: Annuities and Life Insurance Policies. 

SB 1470 (Glazer) Construction Defect Cases. 

AB 1883 (Calderon) Insurance: Home Protection Contracts.

AB 2120 (Chen) Trespass.

Tags: Legislative Agenda