Feldstein Soto, Rubio win Senate passage of bill closing AI and loopholes in child exploitation law
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto and State Sen. Susan Rubio (D – Baldwin Park, West Covina, El Monte) won unanimous California Senate passage yesterday of SB 1276 — legislation that expands California’s definition of child sexual exploitation to include livestreaming, AI-generated content, and digitally altered material depicting minors being sexually exploited.
The bill closes a significant gap between existing criminal law — which focuses on the creation, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material — and the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), which defines sexual exploitation for purposes of mandatory reporting by professionals required to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
Differences between these definitions have created ambiguity for mandated reporters and posed challenges for prosecutors. SB 1276 aligns the definitions, ensuring that conduct triggering mandatory reporting obligations corresponds directly with the criminal statute addressing sexual exploitation.
“I was proud to sponsor SB 1276 because it not only strengthens protections for our most vulnerable victims, it closes loopholes to ensure that California law keeps pace with evolving technological tactics used by predators,” Feldstein Soto said. “This unanimous vote sends the message that Californians stand united to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse wherever and however it occurs.”
The bill marks the second collaboration between Feldstein Soto and Rubio on child protection legislation — last year the pair partnered on SB 680, which closed gaps in the law that allowed some sexual predators of teenage girls to avoid mandatory registration on California’s sex offender list.
The bill now moves to the California Assembly.
Barger brings back Beach Bus connecting Antelope Valley families to Santa Monica all summer
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R – Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, San Marino, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, portions of the San Gabriel Valley) announced the return of the Beach Bus program for the 2026 summer season — providing affordable direct bus service from Palmdale and Lancaster to Santa Monica Beach beginning Memorial Day and running through Labor Day, September 7.
The round-trip fare is $6 for adults and children, and $2 for senior citizens 60 and older and persons with disabilities with proper identification. Buses operate on Memorial Day, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Labor Day.
“Every family in the Antelope Valley deserves a day at the beach, and the Beach Bus makes that possible,” Barger said. “For just six dollars round trip — or two dollars for seniors and people with disabilities — we’re connecting our communities in Palmdale and Lancaster directly to our cooler coasts.”
Palmdale riders board at the Palmdale Transportation Center at 39000 Clock Tower Plaza Drive, departing at 9 a.m. and arriving at Santa Monica Beach by 10:50 a.m.
Lancaster riders board at Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park on Walt Troth Drive, departing at 8:30 a.m. and arriving at Santa Monica Beach by 10:50 a.m. Both return buses depart Santa Monica Beach at 3 p.m.
Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made up to ten days in advance by calling (626) 458-3909. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Kamlager-Dove reintroduces Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act
U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D, Los Angeles, Culver City, Inglewood) reintroduced the Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act this week — legislation addressing what she calls a fundamental design flaw in America’s prison system, which was built around male incarceration even as the number of women behind bars has increased by more than 600% since 1980.
The bill takes aim at a system that advocates say routinely fails women through harsher sentencing, inadequate healthcare, higher rates of sexual assault in custody, and a near-total lack of gender-responsive programming.
“It’s shameful that most prisons and jails in America were designed with men in mind, despite the number of women interacting with the legal system increasing each year,” Kamlager-Dove said. “Women face harsher sentencing, poorer conditions, and higher rates of sexual assault in a system unequipped to safely house or rehabilitate them. The Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act takes an important step toward righting this wrong.”
The Women in Criminal Justice Reform Act would enact gender-informed arrest and law enforcement practices, prioritize family reunification to reduce recidivism, pursue gender-informed alternatives to incarceration, eliminate discriminatory sentencing practices, implement gender-responsive prison reform, and provide gender-informed reentry support.
The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Hank Johnson, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Joyce Beatty, Lateefah Simon, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Summer Lee, and endorsed by the National Action Network, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the Democratic Women’s Caucus, among others.
Calderon advances legislative package covering insurance, food security, drones, and more
Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D – Whittier, La Puente, Industry) announced last week that seven of her bills are currently on the Assembly Floor while several others have advanced to the Senate — a broad legislative package she says is built around the issues most pressing for California families in 2026.
“This session, my legislative bill package is built around issues that are top of mind for many Californians: insurance reform, food security, disaster preparedness, workers’ rights, clean water, and an affordable energy future,” Calderon said.
Two bills have already advanced to the Senate. AB 1559, the Aerial Imaging Transparency Act, requires insurers to notify homeowners before taking aerial images of their property and prohibits insurers from basing cancellation or non-renewal decisions on aerial images older than 180 days — a direct response to post-fire insurance disputes in which homeowners were blindsided by aerial surveillance they did not know was happening. AB 2043 requires the Office of Emergency Services to develop a statewide strategy protecting mass gatherings, critical infrastructure, and other soft targets from drone attacks.
Five additional bills remain on the Assembly Floor awaiting votes. AB 1940 would add perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause to the Fair Employment and Housing Act’s definition of sex, strengthening workplace protections for employees facing discrimination related to menopause.
AB 2299, the CARET Act, would establish a state-funded food benefits program for Californians who have lost CalFresh benefits during transition periods. AB 2647 would direct the California Energy Commission to complete a comprehensive assessment of advanced nuclear reactor technologies.
AB 2215 would extend the Department of Water Resources’ timeline to develop State Water Project permits to 2046, protecting water reliability for 27 million Californians.
AB 2048 would establish a California-Ireland Commission to advance bilateral trade and investment between the two economies.
