Newsom signs three bills authored by Elk Grove Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed three bills authored by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D - Elk Grove) addressing firearms used by probation officers, consumer protections for travelers and the relocation of outdoor advertising displays.

Newsom announced Monday, Sept. 14, that he signed Assembly Bills 1615, 1758 and 2024, all introduced by the Elk Grove Democrat. The three measures were among dozens of bills approved by the governor. The governor’s office did not provide individual statements explaining his approval of the measures.

The new laws are:

• AB 1615 — Firearms and county probation officers: The law allows county probation peace officers who carry handguns not included on California’s roster of approved handguns to meet training requirements by completing the firearms portion of a state-prescribed training course. Those officers must qualify with the weapon at least once every three months.
• AB 1758 — Sellers of travel: The law increases the maximum annual operations assessment charged to registered sellers of travel from $35 to $60 and raises the limit to $70 beginning Jan. 1, 2031. It also permits annual increases tied to the California Consumer Price Index and took effect immediately as a tax levy.
• AB 2024 — Outdoor advertising displays: The law prevents the California Department of Transportation from delaying the review or processing of certain billboard permit applications along newly aligned highways that are already open to traffic. It also establishes procedures for compensating billboard owners when displays are removed along landscaped freeways or allowing the signs to be relocated without compensation. The enrolled legislation permits governmental agencies to enter relocation agreements but prohibits a net statewide increase in nonconforming displays next to landscaped freeway segments.

Of the three bills, AB 1758 directly increases an assessment paid by businesses. Because the Legislature classified that increase as a tax under the California Constitution, the measure required approval from two-thirds of the membership of each legislative chamber.

AB 1615 makes a relatively narrow change to the rules governing county probation officers who carry firearms classified by California as “unsafe handguns.” That legal designation generally applies to handguns not listed on the state’s roster and does not necessarily mean a particular weapon has been determined to be mechanically defective.

Nguyen is seeking a third two-year term representing Assembly District 10 in the Nov. 3 general election. She faces Republican Vinaya Singh, a retired engineer whom she defeated in 2024.

Nguyen entered the Assembly after winning election in 2022 and was reelected in 2024 with 67.6% of the vote against Singh. She also finished substantially ahead of Singh in the June 2026 primary, receiving 67.6% to Singh’s 32.4%.