Economic Agency
People can see, understand, and contest the technological systems that shape what they can afford, where they can live, how their data is used, and whether they can get ahead.
What this looks like
- Ending surveillance pricing, where what a company knows about you sets what you pay.
- Defending and strengthening data privacy protections.
- Ensuring government acts to safeguard people from unfair algorithmic systems that decide what they can afford and where they can live.
Issues in this focus area
See the issues through one lens
Confronting corporate power is the foundation on which the other two areas rest, because when power concentrates, a handful of companies decide who shares in the wealth technology creates, what people can afford, and which jobs exist and on what terms.
Workers have real power to shape how technology is developed, deployed, and experienced, both in the workplace and across the labor market.
More on WorkPeople can see, understand, and contest the technological systems that shape what they can afford, where they can live, how their data is used, and whether they can get ahead.
More on Economic AgencyThe rules governing corporations, capital, and markets are strengthened and enforced, so that new entrants and new ideas have room to compete, and concentrated tech and financial power is reshaped in the public interest.
More on Corporate Power
Latest research
All Economic Agency research-
How young Californians feel about AI
Big Tech is pouring money into shaping AI policy.
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A win for Californians: Gov. Newsom signs a slate of critical AI and economic fairness protections
September 30, 2026, marked a winning moment for California families, workers, and small businesses.
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A year of AI changed California’s habits, but not its conviction
Californians have settled the question of whether AI needs strong guardrails, and their answer is resoundingly “yes.”
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Hidden in plain sight: What our data work landscape revealed
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How Californians Feel About AI – Findings From the 2026 AI Compass
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How we get a tech future for everyday Californians
Californians are eager to see technology solve pressing social challenges and deliver real benefits for people’s lives.
In the legislature
TechEquity Action’s 2026 bills in this focus area. TechEquity Action leads the legislative work.
| Bill | What it does | Author | Position | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB 1018 | Automated Decisions Safety Act | Bauer-Kahan | Sponsored | No outcome reported |
| AB 2564 | Surveillance Pricing Protection Act | Ward | Sponsored | No outcome reported |
| AB 1159 | California Learner Personal Information Protection Act | Addis | Supported | Signed |
| AB 1542 | California Sensitive Data Privacy Act | Ward | Supported | Vetoed |
| AB 1609 | Right to Human Customer Services Act | Zbur | Supported | Signed |
| AB 1979 | AI tools cannot replace licensed clinical judgement | Bonta | Supported | Signed |
| AB 2575 | Safeguards for AI in health care | Ortega | Supported | Vetoed |
| SB 574 | AI in the legal field | Umberg | Supported | Signed |
| SB 719 | ADS inventory | Cabaldon | Supported | No outcome reported |
| SB 903 | Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act | Padilla | Supported | Vetoed |
| SB 923 | Expanding Privacy Rights Act (EPRA) | Becker | Supported | Signed |
| SB 1050 | AI Advertisement Integrity Act | Ashby | Supported | Signed |
| SB 1159 | Transparency around AI | Cabaldon | Supported | No outcome reported |
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