A package of six bills by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur advanced out of the California State Assembly this week, addressing artificial intelligence disclosures in customer service, rare disease treatment delays, reproductive health care privacy, data center energy costs, workforce training investments, and alternatives to criminal arrest.
Zbur, a Democrat who represents the 51st Assembly District — which includes Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and portions of Hollywood and West Los Angeles — serves as the Democratic Caucus Chair. All six measures now head to the Senate.
Right to Human Customer Service
AB 1609, the Right to Human Customer Service Act, would require large businesses serving California consumers to provide access to a human customer service representative during normal business hours. Under the bill, businesses offering online or telephone customer service must make a good-faith effort to connect consumers with a human representative within 15 minutes of a request.
The measure also requires businesses to clearly disclose when consumers are interacting with an AI-powered customer service system and prohibits companies from representing an artificial intelligence system as a human being.
"Technology should make our lives easier — not trap consumers in endless phone trees, AI chat loops, and hours-long hold times," Zbur said. The bill is sponsored by the Communication Workers of America District Council 9.
Rare Disease Treatment Access
AB 1887 would reduce prior authorization delays and step therapy requirements for Californians living with rare diseases. The bill requires accelerated prior authorization for FDA-approved rare disease therapies and automatically approves requests not acted upon within 30 days. It also prohibits step therapy requirements — which force patients to try and fail on alternative treatments before accessing prescribed medications — for rare disease treatments prescribed by appropriate specialists.
Rare diseases affect an estimated 4 million Californians. According to a 2021 American Medical Association survey, 93% of physicians reported patients experienced delayed care due to prior authorization requirements and 34% reported serious adverse events, including hospitalization, permanent disability, or death. The bill passed with no opposition votes and is sponsored by the California Chronic Care Coalition.
Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protections
AB 1930 strengthens California's shield laws protecting patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming health care. The bill requires California entities to notify the Attorney General within seven days before complying with out-of-state subpoenas seeking information related to legally protected health care services, and mandates a 30-day waiting period before any compliance.
Zbur cited a 2025 U.S. Department of Justice subpoena to Children's Hospital Los Angeles seeking records on more than 3,000 transgender youth, which contributed to the closure of the hospital's gender-affirming care program, as well as efforts by Louisiana officials to target a California physician who provided abortion care to an out-of-state patient. The bill is sponsored by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Equality California.
Data Center Energy Costs
AB 2383 would require the California Public Utilities Commission to establish a new electricity customer classification for large energy users, such as data centers, by 2028. The goal is to ensure those facilities pay the infrastructure costs associated with their energy demand rather than shifting those costs onto residential and small business ratepayers.
The California Energy Commission projects statewide peak electricity demand could exceed 66 gigawatts by 2040, with data centers accounting for approximately 6.7 gigawatts of new demand — roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of more than 4 million households. The bill passed with bipartisan support and is backed by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Little Hoover Commission.
Workforce Training
AB 2634, the High-Road Jobs and Workforce Training Act, would strengthen California's High Road Training Partnership program by directing the state to prioritize grant funding for programs rooted in labor-management collaboration. Supporters say recent investments have shifted toward business-first models with weaker ties to job quality. The bill passed with bipartisan support and is backed by SEIU California, the Building Skills Partnership, and the Hospitality Training Academy.
Alternatives to Arrest
AB 2217 expands California's Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, renaming it "Alternatives to Arrest" and broadening eligibility so law enforcement officers can refer individuals experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges, or substance use disorders to case management and crisis services instead of making an arrest for certain low-level offenses. Newly added eligible offenses include petty theft, second-degree burglary, and trespassing.
A California State University, Long Beach evaluation found that individuals in Los Angeles not referred to the diversion program had felony arrest rates 537% higher than program participants 12 months after implementation. The bill is sponsored by the Drug Policy Alliance and Californians for Safety and Justice.