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California 20252026

AB 686

Elections: deceptive audio or visual media.

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Source: Open States / PluralUpdated 2026-09-12 13:12:55 UTC.

Official record

Measure details

Jurisdiction
California
Session
20252026
Chamber
lower
Classification
bill
Subjects
Elections, deceptiveaudioorvisualmedia
Introduced / first action
2025-02-14 00:00:00

Alternate titles

  • Cannabis: appointees: prohibited activities.

Source-supplied abstracts

Existing law, until January 1, 2027, prohibits a person, committee, or other entity, within 60 days of an election at which a candidate for elective office will appear on the ballot, from distributing with actual malice materially deceptive audio or visual media of the candidate with the intent to injure the candidate's reputation or to deceive a voter into voting for or against the candidate, unless the media includes a disclosure stating that the media has been manipulated, subject to specified exemptions. Existing law, until January 1, 2027, authorizes a candidate for elective office whose voice or likeness appears in audio or visual media distributed in violation of this section to seek injunctive or other equitable relief prohibiting the distribution of the deceptive audio or visual media; authorizes a candidate whose voice or likeness appears in the deceptive audio or visual media to bring an action for general or special damages against the person, committee, or other entity that distributed the media; and authorizes the court to award a prevailing party reasonable attorney's fees and costs. A court is required to place such proceedings on the calendar in the order of their date of filing and give them precedence. This bill would extend the repeal date of these provisions to January 1, 2031.

Sponsors

Source-supplied history

Actions

  1. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 1 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  2. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 63. Noes 14.).

    amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  3. From committee: That the Senate amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (August 28).

    committee-passage

  4. Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended.

  5. Re-referred to Com. on ELECTIONS. pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2.

    referral-committee

  6. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  7. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 30. Noes 6.).

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  8. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  9. Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  10. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (August 13).

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage

  11. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  12. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  13. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  14. Re-referred to Coms. on E. & C.A., JUD., and APPR.

    referral-committee

  15. Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(c).

    referral-committee

  16. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  17. Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  18. Ordered to second reading.

    reading-1, reading-2

  19. From inactive file.

  20. Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Laird.

  21. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  22. From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

    committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  23. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  24. Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.

    referral-committee

  25. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1, referral-committee

  26. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 1740.)

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  27. Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1, reading-2

  28. From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 21).

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  29. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  30. Referred to Com. on B. & P.

    referral-committee

  31. From printer. May be heard in committee March 17.

  32. Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

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