California's AB 1776 Would Significantly Expand State Antitrust Law

The California Legislature is currently considering a bill that would substantially expand the scope and enforcement mechanisms of California's antitrust regime. On January 30, 2026, the California Law Revision Commission officially approved a final legislative proposal to broaden the state's antitrust statute, the Cartwright Act, to include single-firm conduct and to allow state enforcers to go beyond the federal Sherman Act. While the bill, AB 1776, remains under consideration in the state Legislature, it reflects a broader trend toward more aggressive antitrust regulation and enforcement at the state level, both in California and nationally.

For example, last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation increasing criminal fines for antitrust violations from $1 million to $6 million and approved a bill outlawing the use of certain shared-pricing algorithms. Last month, Newsom signed legislation requiring merging companies to provide copies of