One bill that Democratic lawmakers are eager to get over the finish line would allow pharmacists to dispense abortion drugs without the names and addresses of the patient, pharmacy, or doctor on the label. The bill, introduced by Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-CA), is in direct response to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to reevaluate federal approvals of abortion medication. 

“[Assembly Bill] 260 is about ensuring Californians have the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies without fear or interference from political agendas,” Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry said. “It safeguards providers, strengthens access through telehealth, and ensures Mifepristone—a safe, [Food and Drug Administration]-approved medication for over 20 years—remains legal and available throughout California, especially for those in rural and underserved areas.”

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade, many states have enacted strict abortion bans. California has done the opposite.

“AB 260 positions California as a bulwark against these changes, ensuring state-level protections remain intact amid federal uncertainty,” Aguiar-Curry said, adding that the bill would also shield abortion medication providers from civil penalties, criminal prosecution, and professional discipline. 

Newsom called Kennedy’s plan to reevaluate federal approvals of abortion medication “another attack on women’s reproductive freedom and scientifically-reviewed health care.”

“California will continue to protect every person’s right to make their own medical decisions and help ensure that Mifepristone is available to those who need it,” Newsom said in a statement.

AB54 builds on AB260 by protecting healthcare providers from criminal prosecution by other states for prescribing or dispensing abortion drugs, including through the mail. AB54, called the Access to Safe Abortion Care Act, would reaffirm that it is lawful to mail, ship, take, receive, or otherwise transport any drug, medicine, or instrument that can be designed or adapted to produce an abortion that is lawful in California. 

California Democrats are also taking aim at Trump’s immigration policies and his plan to carry out mass deportations.

Trump and Newsom have gone head-to-head over the president’s decision to send in federalized soldiers and Marines to fight crime in California over the objections of state and local leaders. Earlier Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled Trump had broken federal law when he turned nearly 5,000 soldiers into a national police force. 

Many of the bills making their way through the legislature are seeking to counter Trump’s crackdown on immigration and would limit federal officers’ movements and anonymity in the state. 

Senate Bill 627, for example, would prohibit law enforcement agents from covering their faces to obscure their identity, carving out exceptions for SWAT teams and undercover officers. Another bill, SB805, would require officers to display their IDs with their name and badge numbers and limit the instances in which bounty hunters can get involved with immigration enforcement. 

“In a normal world, this legislation would be unnecessary and unheard of,” state Sen. Sasha Renée Péres (D-CA), the bill’s author, said in a statement. “With the rise in impersonation claims and the ensuing fear and confusion being created, there is a clear need for strong, more consistent standards for law enforcement identification. This legislation is not just raising the issue; it aims to directly address it by reaffirming the state’s role under its policing powers.” 

Other bills, such as AB1303, SB635, and SB81, would shield the public’s information from being shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Others, such as SB580 and SB294, would provide guidance to local agencies on protecting sensitive data and database management and, separately, would require employers to notify their workers of their rights related to immigration raids. 

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There is also a heavy emphasis in the state legislature to protect schools from handing over information to federal immigration authorities unless they have a court order or warrant. Other bills require schools to inform parents that their children are entitled to free public education regardless of immigration status and that the schools must notify them when immigration officers are on site. 

While Republicans in the state legislature have sponsored a number of bills, most of their recent efforts were funneled into unsuccessfully stopping their Democratic counterparts from passing two bills that would redraw the congressional district maps and another that would give the governor the ability to call a Nov. 4 special election.