California COMPETE Act Signed, Expanding Cartwright Act Reach
A firm alert reports Newsom signed AB 1776 on Sept. 30, 2026, a COMPETE Act that would materially widen California Cartwright Act coverage.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner reports that on September 30, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1776, the California COMPETE Act, which the firm describes as one of the most significant expansions of the Cartwright Act since the statute was adopted in 1907, and which — per the excerpt — for the first time extends Cartwright Act reach in some respect not previously covered. The cluster is truncated, so the specific new obligations, covered conduct, thresholds, penalties, and enforcement mechanics are not confirmed here and should be verified against the enrolled bill text before any reliance.
Why sophisticated counsel should care: a statutory expansion of California's principal antitrust law changes the exposure baseline for any company doing business in the state, potentially reaching conduct previously analyzed only under federal Sherman and Clayton doctrine, and may alter how unilateral conduct, information-sharing, and coordination risk is assessed. Clients with California operations, distribution, hiring, pricing, or standard-setting practices may need refreshed conduct protocols, training, and document-handling discipline, and should reconcile the new statute against existing agreements and compliance programs.
Action: obtain the enrolled text and the full firm alert, map affected business models, and monitor California Attorney General and agency guidance plus any early challenges to the law.