Article Source: CA Secretary of State


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 2, 2026

Contact: SOS Press Office

sospress@sos.ca.gov

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation: Expands Rideshare Companies’ Liability for Passenger Injuries. Initiative Statute.

Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on January 2, 2026.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

EXPANDS RIDESHARE COMPANIES’ LIABILITY FOR PASSENGER INJURIES.

INITIATIVE STATUTE. Classifies rideshare companies as “common carriers” under California law (like taxis, buses, and trains), requiring those companies to exercise a heightened standard of care to avoid harm to passengers. Makes rideshare companies legally responsible for injuries to passengers or the public caused by a rideshare driver’s negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct, regardless of whether the driver is an independent contractor. Voids any contract between a rideshare company and a passenger or independent contractor that purports to waive any of these rights or obligations. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased state court costs ranging from the millions of dollars to the low tens of millions of dollars annually to process increased civil case workload. Increased costs to CPUC in the low millions of dollars annually to develop, implement, and enforce new regulations, to be covered by fees paid by rideshare companies. (25-0028A1.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2004 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0028A1.

The proponent of the measure, James C. Harrison, must collect signatures of 546,651 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than July 1, 2026. The address for the proponent is c/o James C. Harrison and Quentin Barbosa, Olson Remcho, LLP, 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponent may also be contacted at (916) 442-2952, jharrison@olsonremcho.com, and qbarbosa@olsonremcho.com.



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California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. | 1500 11th street | Sacramento , CA 95814 US

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