California Lawmakers Set to Take Up Expanded Antitrust Proposals After Commission Vote

The California Law Revision Commission, which is tasked with studying and proposing changes to state statutes, approved the package in a unanimous 6-0 vote, sending it to the Legislature for consideration. According a statement released following the vote, the commission concluded that existing law no longer adequately addresses the range of business practices that can harm competition in modern markets.

At the center of the proposal is a significant rewrite of the Cartwright Act, California’s primary antitrust law. Currently, the statute is focused mainly on collusion or coordinated conduct between two or more companies. Under the commission’s plan, however, the law would also apply to a single company that uses its market power to stifle competition on its own. Per a statement accompanying the recommendations, the goal is to bring state law more in line with evolving understandings of how dominant firms can shape markets without necessarily working in concert with rivals.

Supporters of the change argue that many of today’s most powerful corporations can influence prices, limit consumer choice, or block new entrants through unilateral actions that fall outside the traditional scope of antitrust enforcement. According a statement from the commission’s materials, this gap has become more visible as industries have consolidated and digital platforms have grown more dominant.

The commission itself is not a regulatory or enforcement body. Instead, it serves as an advisory agency that studies legal issues and proposes updates for lawmakers to consider. Its recommendations do not become law unless the Legislature passes them and the governor signs them, but they often carry weight because of the commission’s technical expertise and detailed research.
The vote to advance the proposal came with little debate among commissioners, reflecting broad agreement that a revision was warranted. Per a statement summarizing the meeting, the commissioners finalized the package after years of study and public input, signaling that the matter is now ready for political consideration rather than further technical review.

If lawmakers take up the proposal, it could mark one of the most consequential changes to California’s antitrust framework in decades. By extending the Cartwright Act to cover unilateral conduct, the state would give regulators and private plaintiffs a new legal tool to challenge dominant firms that allegedly misuse their market position, even in the absence of explicit collusion.

The recommendations will now be reviewed by legislators, who will decide whether to introduce bills based on the commission’s work. According a statement from the commission’s leadership, the intent is not to target successful businesses simply for being large, but to ensure that competitive markets are preserved and that consumers and smaller companies are protected from unfair practices.

Source: News Bgov