Newsom Signs AB 144 Into Law: California Doubles Down on Medical Mandates Under the Guise of “Empowerment”
Updated
On September 17, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 144 into law, hailing it as a measure to give California “independent” authority over vaccine recommendations. His office claimed the bill would free the state from what they called the “politicization of the CDC” under the Trump Administration, allowing California to rely on “credible, independent” medical groups instead of federal guidance.
This is not empowerment—it’s a sleight of hand. AB 144 does nothing to restore parental rights or personal choice. Instead, it further entrenches the authority of bureaucrats and industry-aligned organizations to dictate what Californians must inject into their bodies.
California’s Track Record: Restricting Choice, Expanding Mandates
• SB 277 (2015): Stripped away personal belief and religious exemptions for school entry, forcing families into compliance.
• SB 276 & SB 714 (2019): Further narrowed medical exemptions, making it nearly impossible for doctors to grant them without fear of losing their licenses.
• COVID Mandates (2020–22): Imposed sweeping vaccine mandates on workers, students, and healthcare staff, with little recourse for those who objected.
Now, with AB 144, California isn’t loosening its grip—it’s simply shifting the mask it wears. Instead of openly saying “we follow the CDC,” the state now claims it can choose its own “independent” sources. But who defines “credible” and “independent”? Groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics—funded heavily by pharmaceutical companies. This is not liberation, it’s rebranding coercion.
Bait and Switch: How AB 144 Was Sold vs. What It Became
What makes this bill especially concerning is how it was passed.
• Originally Introduced as The Budget Act of 2025: AB 144 was first filed under an entirely different name, giving legislators and the public no indication it would become a landmark health bill.
• Gutted and Amended: Only later in the session, just days before the vote, was the original language stripped out and replaced with sweeping new provisions on vaccine policy.
• Minimal Public Scrutiny: This swap allowed lawmakers to avoid the kind of public hearings and debate such a controversial measure would normally demand.
This isn’t just bad policy—it’s process abuse. The public was denied a fair chance to weigh in on a law that will affect millions of families.
WHY AB 144 Is Dangerous (source: PERK-group.com)
• Centralizes vaccine authority by giving the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) unilateral power to add vaccines, bypassing the legislature.
• Adds language about the HPV vaccine related to the school schedule for 8th grade and recommendation of the CDPH for college students, effective July 1, 2026.
• Rejects CDC and ACIP standards, freezing recommendations as of January 1, 2025, and disregarding future updates.
• Expands liability protections beginning January 1, 2030, shielding anyone administering state-required vaccines to minors from accountability or liability for injury or harm caused.
• Alters insurance and welfare laws without public input.
“This bill strips parents and the public of their voice and hands unchecked power to the unelected body of the California Department of Public Health,” Says Amy Bohn, President of PERK, a parental rights advocacy group with 30 thousand members in California.
Amy Bohn will be appearing on The HighWire to break down this bill, now signed into law, this Thursday, Sept. 17th, 11 am PT (2 pm ET) on thehighwire.com, Rumble, and X.
A New Nightmare For Medical Freedom
From the vantage point of families who have endured California’s mandate regime since SB 277, AB 144 is not a step toward freedom. It’s a hardening of the walls that already boxed out parental choice and individual consent. And it further exposes medically fragile kids to potential harm.
Californians remain one of the only populations in the nation with no personal or religious exemption to school vaccine mandates.
Parents who disagree with the one-size-fits-all schedule must homeschool or leave the state.
Physicians who dare write medical exemptions face investigation and retribution.
AB 144 claims to “empower” the state—but what about empowering the individual? What about the right to say no?
Conclusion
Governor Newsom and his allies are presenting AB 144 as a bold step for independence and transparency. In truth, it cements California’s role as the most restrictive state in the nation when it comes to vaccine mandates.
This law doesn’t empower Californians. It empowers Sacramento bureaucrats and pharma-aligned institutions to dictate medical policy without accountability. For those who believe in informed consent and freedom of choice, AB 144 is not a victory—it is another warning sign that California is deepening its commitment to coercive public health at the expense of liberty.
