California law fines influencers up to $5,000 for hiding political ad payments
Original: New California law will penalize influencers who don’t disclose political ads
Why This Matters
Paid political influence campaigns on social media now face real financial and legal consequences for the first time in California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1130, which lets regulators fine influencers up to $5,000 per violation for failing to disclose paid political posts. The bill also allows referrals to law enforcement for potential misdemeanors, closing an enforcement gap in existing state disclosure rules.
California already required influencers to disclose when they were paid to post about state or local political races — but until now, violations carried no financial penalty or criminal consequence. AB 1130 changes that. Signed by Governor Newsom as part of a broader package of election-integrity bills, the new law lets regulators levy fines up to $5,000 per violation and refer repeat offenders to law enforcement for potential misdemeanor charges.
The legislation was partly prompted by a concrete case: billionaire Tom Steyer, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination earlier this year, paid dozens of influencers to promote his campaign online. Many did not initially disclose those payments. Bill sponsor Democratic Assemblyman Marc Berman said he introduced AB 1130 after identifying "a bit of ambiguity about the [existing] law and how it's enforced."
Texas also mandates disclosure for paid political content, and several other states are weighing similar measures. Newsom's office framed the package of bills as a safeguard against potential election interference from President Donald Trump.