Newsom signs bills to curb loud ads, require human customer service and speed heat pump permits

The governor’s office said the new laws require large companies to try to connect a customer to a human within 15 minutes, ban podcast and streaming commercials that are louder than the content, allow 16- and 17-year-olds to get library cards without a parent, eliminate certain physician fees for paid family and medical leave forms and streamline permitting for heat pumps.

By Kyle LangfordPublished September 28, 2026 at 8:07 PM PDT2 min read

Gov. signed a package of bills aimed at easing everyday hassles for Californians, the governor’s office said Sept. 28, 2026.

The office described the main changes: large companies must make a good-faith effort to connect a customer to a human within 15 minutes after the customer requests it, or schedule a human appointment; companies must disclose when a customer is interacting with a chatbot; podcast and music-streaming commercials cannot be louder than the surrounding content; physicians may no longer charge unnecessary fees to complete forms required for paid family or medical leave; 16- and 17-year-olds may obtain a public library card without a parent present; and the state will create automated, streamlined permitting for standard heat pump water heaters and heat pump HVAC installations to speed residential upgrades.

The governor’s office listed the bills by number and author: AB 1609 (), AB 2292 (Chris ), SB 96 (), SB 222 (), SB 965 () and SB 1412 ().

Practical effect for readers is direct. If you ask for a human on the phone or online from a covered large company, the company must try to get you to a person within 15 minutes or set an appointment; the law also requires companies to say when you are talking to a chatbot. Podcasts and music-streaming services must keep commercials at or below the program volume. Californians applying for paid family or medical leave should not face extra physician fees for required paperwork. Teens aged 16 and 17 can sign up for a public library card on their own. Homeowners pursuing certain heat-pump and water-heater installs should see shorter permitting steps for standard systems.

The release did not specify how the customer-service or advertising limits will be enforced or what penalties, if any, will apply for noncompliance. That detail will matter for how quickly companies change behavior. The governor’s announcement presented the package as a continuation of prior consumer and convenience measures the administration has pursued since 2019, listing earlier actions such as moving DMV services online and banning junk fees.

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