California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2409 on September 27, making the state the first to explicitly prohibit public officials from creating, issuing or promoting their own meme coins. The measure passed unanimously, 40-0 in the Senate and 78-0 in the Assembly. Introduced by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia on February 20, 2026, the law covers state and local elected officials, legislators, advisory board members and certain public employees with contracting authority. It is intended to address ethical lapses, prevent investor harm and stop officials from using their positions to profit from crypto assets. Digital asset service providers will also be restricted from listing meme coins associated with public officials. The law does not identify specific tokens or projects and is not a statewide ban on meme coins such as Dogecoin. Enforcement is civil, allowing the California attorney general and local district attorneys to seek injunctions and disgorgement of profits. The law takes effect on January 1, 2027.