California enacts 13 AI laws; Kern County employers face new rules
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 13 AI bills on Sept. 30, adding human review for firings, new layoff disclosures, limits on workplace surveillance, and deepfake protections.
California enacts 13 AI laws; Kern County employers face new rules
Key Takeaways
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 13 AI-related bills on Sept. 30 covering work, health care, transparency, and fraud.
- Employers can’t rely only on AI to discipline or fire workers under SB 947, the “No Robo Bosses” law.
- WARN-style layoff notices must say if AI or automation played a substantial role under SB 951.
- AB 1331 and AB 1883 curb certain workplace surveillance, including in bathrooms.
- CSU and UC campuses, including CSU Bakersfield, must add AI procurement standards and training.
Thirteen. That’s how many AI bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The package touches who can be fired and how, what shows up in your layoff notice, and where cameras or tracking tools can follow you at work. It also reaches campuses like CSU Bakersfield, which now must add AI training and procurement rules.
"We’re putting people at the center," Newsom said at the Capitol. He also signed an order that standardizes the term “Artificial Intelligence” across state government. The moves matter in Kern County where warehouses, hospitals and logistics firms use software to schedule, rate and sometimes discipline workers.
What the new laws do
SB 947 says an employer can’t rely only on an automated decision system to discipline or terminate an employee. A human has to review the call before someone loses a shift or a job. SB 951 updates layoff notices to disclose when AI or automation substantially contributed to a mass layoff or relocation, adding clarity for workers who want to know why the floor is shrinking.
Two surveillance bills move in parallel. AB 1331 restricts employer surveillance in bathrooms and sets limits on bringing required badges or alarms into those spaces. AB 1883 draws lines around tools that infer protected traits or emotions, while carving room for safety and compliance uses. For warehouse managers, a rewrite.
Health care didn’t get left out. AB 1979 and SB 503 affirm that licensed providers can rely on their own judgment even when clinical decision tools are in the room, and tell developers to reduce known or predictable bias. That applies to hospitals across the Valley, including Kern Medical and Community Regional in Fresno.
What this means in the Valley
Public campuses must get to work. AB 2392 requires training and procurement standards for generative AI systems at CSU and UC, so CSU Bakersfield and Fresno State will need to brief students and staff and set buying rules for software. Bakersfield’s City Hall and county boards will also see clearer rules on synthetic content, since the package tightens transparency around AI-generated material and public comments.
Deepfake measures expand civil and criminal tools against impersonation and explicit fakes made without consent. The state also targeted online fraud and strengthened watermark and metadata provisions so people can tell what’s real. It isn’t flashy policy, but it shows up when a fake video lands in a campaign inbox.
Quotes and timing
Labor leaders cheered the workplace pieces. "By signing these four first-in-the-nation bills, Governor Newsom has shown the country how we can begin to put guardrails on AI at work," California Labor Federation President Lorena Gonzalez said. She added that unions will push for more next year.
Some provisions take effect next year, and agencies will publish guidance. Employers with operations in Kern County should review discipline workflows, WARN templates, and any camera or badge policies now, then train supervisors. A dusty hard hat sat on the dash outside a Lamont loading dock on Saturday.
"We all have a voice in the decisions shaping our future," Newsom said.
Central Valley AI is produced by the CVAI Newsdesk team and developed by Kaweah Tech, a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.