Senate Judiciary advances SB 26, a cleanup to California’s lemon law, over consumer objections

The Senate Committee on Judiciary advanced SB 26, a cleanup measure tied to the Song‑Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (California’s “lemon law”), by a 10–1 vote and sent the bill to the Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development.

Senator Redberg, who presented SB 26 to the committee, said the bill implements technical changes tied to last year’s AB 1755 and the governor’s signing message and aims to give consumers additional protections while responding to concerns raised by manufacturers and state officials. “It’s known commonly as the Lehi Law,” Redberg said, describing the measure as a cleanup of recent reforms to the lemon‑law statutes.

The bill drew sharp divisions at the hearing over two central changes: a new requirement that a consumer who has an active lemon‑law claim notify a subsequent buyer, and a process by which manufacturers can choose whether to operate under the post‑AB 1755 procedures or continue under the older law.

Nut graf: Supporters framed SB 26 as a narrow fix to implementation issues in AB 1755 that must take effect before AB 1755’s compliance date; opponents said the draft creates new obstacles for consumers and injects confusing opt‑in/opt‑out choices that could reduce accountability and access to relief.

Support and arguments Nancy Drabble, chief executive officer of Consumer Attorneys of California, told the committee the bill is “a follow‑up to AB 1755 of last year” and that, in her view, the measure preserves strong consumer protections while offering procedural improvements. “From…