Overview

• SB 442 cleared the State Senate on a 26-10 vote and will be reviewed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee after lawmakers return from recess.
• The bill mandates a dedicated employee to monitor every self-checkout station and requires at least one staffed checkout lane at all times.
• It caps self-checkout transactions at 15 items, bans ID-required and anti-theft-tagged products, and imposes $1,000-per-day fines for failing to provide 60-day notice to employees or unions before adding machines.
• California Grocers and Retailers associations warn that the new staffing and compliance rules will drive up grocery prices and are lobbying for alcohol to be allowed at self-checkout.
• Authored by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas with backing from the California Labor Federation and UFCW, the measure reflects labor’s influence in statewide retail regulation.