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The California 2025 legislative session came to a close on October 13, with Governor Newsom completing his signing and vetoing bills for the year. As we do each fall, the BluePath Health team is reflecting on developments that will shape California’s health and human services landscape.
This year, key areas of focus included data sharing, privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), the future of Medi-Cal and affordability, and continued efforts to strengthen coordination, improve access to care, and support whole-person health.
Data Sharing
Senate Bill 660 (Menjivar) was signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 3, 2025, making changes to California’s Data Exchange Framework (DxF) to strengthen secure data sharing across health and social services. The bill advances the state’s goals of improving affordability, transforming care, and promoting health equity by providing greater clarity on participant roles and requirements. Under the new stewardship of the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), implementation of the DxF continues to progress. SB 660 also strengthens privacy protections by establishing that the DxF does not require the exchange of information related to abortion, gender-affirming care, and immigration status.
Privacy
Several bills were signed into law addressing how sensitive information is protected and shared across health and social service settings. Specifically, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 81 (Arreguín), which prohibits many health care providers from granting immigration enforcement access to patients or nonpublic areas, including hospitals. Assembly Bill 593 (Wicks), which forbids state and local departments from sharing sensitive personal data to increase food stamp enrollment, was also approved to help protect vulnerable populations from the weaponized use of information.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerged as a prominent theme in the 2025 legislative session, with multiple bills reaching the Governor’s desk. Among them was Senate Bill 53 (Wiener), which aims to strengthen oversight and advance responsible innovation as California continues to shape its approach to AI governance. AB 489 (Bonta) was also signed, which prohibits AI technology from falsely implying the possession of a health care professional license or that advice provided is from a licensed professional. The passage of these bills highlights growing emphasis in Sacramento on ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness in automated decision-making.
Looking Ahead
2026 will be the second year of a two-year legislative cycle, meaning that some bills that did not advance out of the legislature this year can be heard again. As the legislature reconvenes in January 2026, legislators will also have the opportunity to introduce new bills ahead of a February deadline.