Attorney General Bonta Celebrates Signing of COMPETE Act into Law: An Important, Additional Tool for Antitrust Enforcement
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra - Press Releases ·
September 30, 2026 Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) today issued the following statements in response to Governor Gavin Newsom signing into law Assembly Bill 1776, also known as the COMPETE Act. The legislation, supported by Attorney General Bonta, bolsters California’s efforts to strengthen antitrust enforcement by updating California’s Cartwright Act to prohibit single-firm anticompetitive conduct. “My office is grateful to Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry for introducing the COMPETE Act and to Governor Newsom for signing it. Vigorous antitrust enforcement is vital to safeguard California's competitive economy and the economic well-being of all Californians,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The COMPETE Act will arm my office with a new, important tool to go after anticompetitive conduct by a single firm and protect workers, consumers, and small businesses. Especially amid a crisis of affordability, states have proven to be a formidable and important line of defense against antitrust violations that raise costs for consumers, and the COMPETE Act bolsters California’s ability to continue delivering.” “California should be a place where our small businesses, workers, and entrepreneurs get a fair shot, and where consumers aren’t held hostage by companies that have crushed their competition and can now raise prices unchecked. I celebrate successful businesses, big and small. But when a corporation stops competing by offering the best product or service and instead uses its power to crush competitors, government has a responsibility to step in,” said Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry . “Thank you to Governor Newsom for signing the COMPETE Act, and thank you to Attorney General Bonta for his support and the expert assistance of the Department of Justice’s Office of Legislative Affairs and Antitrust Law Section. With the passage of AB 1776, California’s public enforcers now have more tools to protect our small businesses, workers, and consumers from those who turn to predatory business practices to profit instead of competing on the merits.” For more than a century, the Cartwright Act has prohibited anticompetitive conduct only when two or more companies are involved. As such, prosecutors are often forced to bring challenges to illegal monopolies in federal court as opposed to state court. However, as the California Law Revision Commission (CLRC) recognized, a single dominant company can undermine competition on its own, significantly harming California consumers, workers, and small businesses. The COMPETE Act allows monopolization and monopsonization claims to be brought in state court under decades of related Cartwright Act case law, rather than relying on federal Sherman Act precedent. Antitrust enforcement protects consumers and businesses by ensuring that markets remain competitive. When companies collude or obtain or maintain market power through unlawful anticompetitive practices, they face less pressure to keep prices competitive and may be able to raise prices without the risk of losing customers to competitors. Vigorous antitrust enforcement promotes fair prices, meaningful consumer choice, quality goods and services, and continued innovation. As part of the Attorney General’s commitment to enforce antitrust laws, the California Department of Justice has launched an Antitrust Complaint Form , where Californians can report anticompetitive conduct that potentially violates the antitrust laws. Attorney General Bonta has made robust antitrust enforcement a top priority, leading the charge within the state and across the country to hold violators accountable. In April, after more than two years of litigation, Attorney General Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general secured a historic jury verdict finding Live Nation/Ticketmaster liable for anticompetitive conduct that harmed the music industry and overcharging consumers. In 2025, he announced the beginning of the notice process for consumers to receive payment in the $700 million Google Play Store antitrust settlement , secured after Google took advantage of Android phone customers by limiting consumer choice, inflating prices on in-app purchases, and creating an unfair marketplace. And in July 2024, the Attorney General announced a $50 million s ettlement with gas trading firms, resolving allegations that the firms secretly worked together to tamper with and manipulate spot market prices for California gasoline, and returning money to the pockets of consumers. Currently, the California Department of Justice is in ongoing litigation with broadcasting giants Nexstar/Tegna , retail behemoth Amazon , and software company RealPage , for anticompetitive behavior threatening to harm workers, consumers, tenants, and California’s economy. Tags: Legislation
September 30, 2026 Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) today issued the following statements in response to Governor Gavin Newsom signing into law Assembly Bill 1776, also known as the COMPETE Act. The legislation, supported by Attorney General Bonta, bolsters California’s efforts to strengthen antitrust enforcement by updating California’s Cartwright Act to prohibit single-firm anticompetitive conduct. “My office is grateful to Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry for introducing the COMPETE Act and to Governor Newsom for signing it. Vigorous antitrust enforcement is vital to safeguard California's competitive economy and the economic well-being of all Californians,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The COMPETE Act will arm my office with a new, important tool to go after anticompetitive conduct by a single firm and protect workers, consumers, and small businesses. Especially amid a crisis of affordability, states have proven to be a formidable and important line of defense against antitrust violations that raise costs for consumers, and the COMPETE Act bolsters California’s ability to continue delivering.” “California should be a place where our small businesses, workers, and entrepreneurs get a fair shot, and where consumers aren’t held hostage by companies that have crushed their competition and can now raise prices unchecked. I celebrate successful businesses, big and small. But when a corporation stops competing by offering the best product or service and instead uses its power to crush competitors, government has a responsibility to step in,” said Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry . “Thank you to Governor Newsom for signing the COMPETE Act, and thank you to Attorney General Bonta for his support and the expert assistance of the Department of Justice’s Office of Legislative Affairs and Antitrust Law Section. With the passage of AB 1776, California’s public enforcers now have more tools to protect our small businesses, workers, and consumers from those who turn to predatory business practices to profit instead of competing on the merits.” For more than a century, the Cartwright Act has prohibited anticompetitive conduct only when two or more companies are involved. As such, prosecutors are often forced to bring challenges to illegal monopolies in federal court as opposed to state court. However, as the California Law Revision Commission (CLRC) recognized, a single dominant company can undermine competition on its own, significantly harming California consumers, workers, and small businesses. The COMPETE Act allows monopolization and monopsonization claims to be brought in state court under decades of related Cartwright Act case law, rather than relying on federal Sherman Act precedent. Antitrust enforcement protects consumers and businesses by ensuring that markets remain competitive. When companies collude or obtain or maintain market power through unlawful anticompetitive practices, they face less pressure to keep prices competitive and may be able to raise prices without the risk of losing customers to competitors. Vigorous antitrust enforcement promotes fair prices, meaningful consumer choice, quality goods and services, and continued innovation. As part of the Attorney General’s commitment to enforce antitrust laws, the California Department of Justice has launched an Antitrust Complaint Form , where Californians can report anticompetitive conduct that potentially violates the antitrust laws. Attorney General Bonta has made robust antitrust enforcement a top priority, leading the charge within the state and across the country to hold violators accountable. In April, after more than two years of litigation, Attorney General Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general secured a historic jury verdict finding Live Nation/Ticketmaster liable for anticompetitive conduct that harmed the music industry and overcharging consumers. In 2025, he announced the beginning of the notice process for consumers to receive payment in the $700 million Google Play Store antitrust settlement , secured after Google took advantage of Android phone customers by limiting consumer choice, inflating prices on in-app purchases, and creating an unfair marketplace. And in July 2024, the Attorney General announced a $50 million s ettlement with gas trading firms, resolving allegations that the firms secretly worked together to tamper with and manipulate spot market prices for California gasoline, and returning money to the pockets of consumers. Currently, the California Department of Justice is in ongoing litigation with broadcasting giants Nexstar/Tegna , retail behemoth Amazon , and software company RealPage , for anticompetitive behavior threatening to harm workers, consumers, tenants, and California’s economy. Tags: Legislation
Источник: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra - Press Releases