(SACRAMENTO, CA, Aug. 28, 2026) - Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) released the following statement today:

"AB 1776 is a strong step forward for antitrust enforcement here in California. The bill gives our public enforcers an important tool to address monopoly behavior while maintaining strong protections for our workers, consumers, and small businesses."

"The latest amendments are about clarifying how the public enforcement piece works and that enforcement mechanism is specifically limited to Section 16731. It does not apply to the rest of Cartwright or to any of our other antitrust laws here in California. We made that clear in the same set of amendments to the bill. The other changes are minor technical clarifications."

"As for anything removed from the bill, it is a normal part of the legislative process and does not mean the Legislature's support or opposition to a particular provision. When time is short, sometimes it is better to remove language-especially when you believe the case law supports your position-than it is to hurry amendments to very complex legal language."

"We must take this opportunity to make meaningful progress on antitrust protections here in California; history has already taught us that. The last major attempt was about 20 years ago, and we can't wait another 20 years while mega-corporations destroy our main streets across the state. Waiting longer only makes those problems harder to solve. And you can't flip a switch and bring back our small businesses, the pillars of every community, once they close their doors. For antitrust efforts in California, we must act now. So, I will not allow the perfect to be the enemy of making good progress."

"As for CalChamber removing AB 1776 from its 2026 Cost Drivers list, it never should have been on the list. The list is supposed to identify bills that drive up costs for businesses, and that is what market consolidation does. AB 1776 protects small businesses-the majority of CalChamber's members-from becoming the victims of predatory corporate practices that thrive on market concentration."

"At the end of the day, AB 1776 is about making sure California is not sitting on the sidelines while corporate consolidation continues to grow. We have an opportunity to move antitrust enforcement forward right now, and we're taking it."

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Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curryrepresents California's 4th Assembly District, which includes all of Lake, Colusa, Napa, and Yolo Counties, and part of Sonoma County. She serves as the Assembly Majority Leader and Chair of the California Women's Legislative Caucus.