Ahead of the New Year, Attorney General Bonta Highlights DOJ’s Work to Protect and Defend California’s People and Resources in 2024

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today highlighted the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) efforts to uplift Californians and protect the state’s people, resources, and values over the past year. In 2024, DOJ worked to improve the lives of Californians by protecting public health and safety and advancing justice for all by enforcing and defending laws touching nearly all facets of life, including healthcare, the environment, housing, consumer protection, civil rights, and public safety.

“In 2024, the California Department of Justice worked each and every day to protect our people, values, and resources by defending Californians’ rights and taking bold action to hold corporate giants, polluters, and bad actors accountable. We worked to make our communities safer and stronger by tackling head on threats to public health and safety – from fentanyl, to gun violence, to retail theft, and beyond,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I’m proud of the nearly 6,000 DOJ employees who are dedicated to the service of the people of California, and of all that we have accomplished over the past year. As we look ahead to 2025, we stand ready to tenaciously advance and defend Californians' fundamental rights as we continue working toward a better future for all Californians.” 

KEY ACTIONS  

CRACKING DOWN ON FENTANYL: Was “boots on the ground” at the border addressing the fentanyl epidemic with 112 fentanyl-related arrests in 2024

TACKLING THE HOUSING CRISIS: Fought to make California affordable by taking action to compel cities and counties to plan for thousands of new homes, while protecting the rights of tenants and homeowners

DEFENDING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: Filed an important lawsuit against Providence St. Joseph Hospital alleging multiple violations of California law stemming from its refusal to provide emergency abortion care to people experiencing obstetric emergencies

COMBATING CRIME: Protected public safety with 1,751 arrests, including the ringleader of an organized retail crime scheme that spanned 21 counties and involved an estimated $8 million worth of beauty products, as well as multiple members of her organized retail crime ring

ADDRESSING GUN VIOLENCE: Issued a groundbreaking Ghost Gun Report, which outlines how California has addressed the ghost gun crisis through law enforcement actions, litigation against ghost gun companies, working with federal regulators and, issuing local gun safety ordinances

PROTECTING A VIBRANT ECONOMY: Secured the end of the Kroger-Albertsons merger, which threatened to raise grocery prices and leave Californians with limited choices over where to shop and where to work

SAFEGUARDING PUBLIC HEALTH: Sponsored a new law to protect Californians, especially our youth, from flavored tobacco products 

TAKING ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION: Filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit to hold ExxonMobil accountable for misleading the public on plastic’s recyclability, causing harm to California’s environment and communities

PROTECTING CONSUMERS: Sponsored successful legislation to protect Californians’ financial future by banning medical debt on credit reports

Safeguarding Reproductive Freedom and Public Health: Attorney General Bonta remains unwavering in his commitment to fiercely defend and protect the reproductive freedom and rights of Californians, and Americans across the country. In 2024, he took steps to ensure that Californians living in Northern California are able to access the emergency reproductive care to which they are entitled by filing a lawsuit against Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, California, alleging it violated multiple California laws due to its refusal to provide emergency abortion care to people experiencing obstetric emergencies. In October, he announced a first-of-its-kind stipulated judgment that ensures the City of Beverly Hills comes into full compliance with the law and provides a benchmark for local governments to align with state reproductive healthcare laws.  By co-leading briefs to protect access to emergency abortion care and medication abortion, the Attorney General has underscored this simple truth: reproductive healthcare is a fundamental right, and he will continue to be a fearless leader in this critical fight.   

Attorney General Bonta fought for Californians’ rights to affordable, equitable healthcare and protected Californians against threats to the public health. As Californians continue to grapple with the ongoing fallout from the opioid epidemic, the Attorney General secured billions of dollars in nationwide settlements with Publicis Health, LLC and Kroger for their role in the opioid crisis. The settlements are expected to bring in much needed funding to address the needs of California's communities. He also worked to protect the public – particularly youth and vulnerable populations – from harmful and addictive tobacco products by sponsoring legislation, now law, which builds on the implementation of the flavored tobacco ban (SB 793, 2019) by enacting new enforcement efforts from the Attorney General’s office and the establishment of a list of all tobacco products that are unflavored and allowed to be sold in California.

Tackling California's Housing Crisis: As California continues to face a housing shortage and affordability crisis of epic proportions, Attorney General Bonta ramped up his enforcement of California housing laws. He announced settlements with the cities of Fullerton, Malibu, and La Habra Heights to bring them into compliance with our Housing Element Law, which requires every city and county in California to periodically update its housing plan to meet its share of the regional and statewide housing needs. He also filed a lawsuit against the City of Norwalk over its unlawful ban on new housing for California’s most vulnerable residents. 

Attorney General Bonta also secured important housing wins. After filing a lawsuit against the City of Elk Grove last year over its unlawful denial of a supportive housing project for lower-income households at risk of homelessness, he announced a settlement under which Elk Grove agreed to be subject to reporting requirements to monitor its future compliance with state housing law, identify an additional site for low-income housing development, and pay California $150,000 in attorneys’ fees and other costs. In addition, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit emphatically rejected Huntington Beach’s attempt to exempt itself from state housing laws, while a state court found that Huntington Beach violated our Housing Element Law. 

Attorney General Bonta also worked to make sure that Californians are secure in their homes. He announced a settlement with Invitation Homes to resolve allegations that the company violated the California Tenant Protection Act (TPA) and California’s price-gouging law by unlawfully increasing rents on approximately 1,900 homes, and he published two consumer alerts stating the allowable rent increases under the TPA and summarizing local rent stabilization laws throughout California.  

On the legislative front, Attorney General Bonta sponsored Assembly Bill 1893 and Senate Bill 1037, both of which Governor Newsom signed into law. Authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Senate Bill 1037 will enhance the Attorney General’s ability to seek civil penalties in court against local governments that violate state housing law. Authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), Assembly Bill 1893 will facilitate housing production in cities and counties that fail to adopt a compliant housing element on time, close loopholes in the Housing Accountability Act, and increase accountability for unlawful denials of housing development projects.         

Addressing Gun Violence: Attorney General Bonta made advancements in the fight against gun violence, proving his commitment to securing a safer California for all. 2024 began with the launch of a series of roundtable discussions with local leaders centered around the reduction of gun violence across of California. The Attorney General's team worked in the field to take guns out of the hands of those who are no longer legally allowed to possess them and proved through the 2023 APPS Report that Californias’ gun policies are working.

The Attorney General fought in the courtroom to secure vital information sharing with gun violence researchers, banned the sale of firearms on state property, and defended age-based restrictions on purchasing firearms. He held those who violated the law accountable in Fresno, the Bay Area, and internationally. He focused his attention on eliminating the ghost gun epidemic by barring manufacturers and retailers from selling them in California and releasing a first-of-its-kind ghost gun report. He supported survivors of gun violence by highlighting a report on the nine court protection orders and encouraged gun owners to store their firearms appropriately.

Combating Organized Retail Crime and Promoting Public Safety: Attorney General Bonta zeroed in on retail crime rings in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and one that spanned 21 counties. He brought charges against a group of 22 suspects that burglarized cannabis retail stores with a large amount taking place in Santa Cruz. He issued multiple new law enforcement bulletins that advanced strategic and collective policy action to fight organized retail crime. The Attorney General sought to make California a safer place to call home by partnering with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to eradicate criminal street gangs. In 2024, operations took place in Merced and Fresno with hundreds of arrests and firearms seized. Attorney General Bonta took a stand against human trafficking through targeted operations and by supporting survivors.  

Attorney General Bonta also made combating the fentanyl crisis a top priority. Since April 2022, DOJ has seized approximately 13,042,375 fentanyl pills, 6,446 pounds of powder, and made over 374 arrests related to fentanyl. Attorney General Bonta traveled to the border to get a firsthand look at the magnitude of the fentanyl epidemic. He provided critical support to San Diego law enforcement through the Bureau of Investigation and to arrest and apprehend fentanyl dealers and seize fentanyl from communities. 

Taking on Corporate Polluters and Protecting the Environment: In 2024, the Attorney General took on corporate polluters and fought to protect the health and safety of California communities. In September, Attorney General Bonta filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against ExxonMobil for allegedly engaging in a decades-long campaign of deception that caused and exacerbated the global plastics pollution crisis.  He announced settlements with Frontier, Walmart, and Quest Diagnostics for unlawful disposal and mismanagement of hazardous waste.

He continued his ongoing work to combat climate change, amending the complaint in his lawsuit against five of the largest fossil fuel companies in the world to add the disgorgement remedy provided by AB 1366, which was enacted earlier this year and would require the defendants to give up the profits gained through their illegal conduct. He also led a multistate coalition of 23 attorneys general and four cities in filing a motion to intervene to help defend the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles emissions standards for model years 2027-2032.

Recognizing that certain communities endure a disproportionate share of environmental pollution, he helped secure a $372 million settlement with engine manufacturer Cummins, Inc., for implementing "defeat devices" in their diesel engines that bypassed emissions controls. He also secured a $2.5 million settlement with East Oakland Metal Foundry for unlawfully emitting hexavalent chromium — an extremely potent carcinogen — into the air without providing clear and reasonable warnings to residents, in violation of Proposition 65. 

Standing Up for Consumers: In 2024, Attorney General Bonta remained steadfast in consumer protection work that supports Californians’ equitable access to economic opportunities. He protected the financial futures of Californians by sponsoring SB 1061 (Limón), which prohibits medical debt from appearing on credit reports; and warned small banks and credit unions that overdraft fees disproportionally penalize lower-income consumers and consumers of color, and may violate consumer protection laws. 

Attorney General Bonta took on bad actors who go after Californians pocketbooks and privacy rights: he announced a $700 million multistate settlement with Johnson & Johnson for failing to disclose if asbestos was present in its talc products; secured a settlement with ticket reseller StubHub, Inc. for failing to pay timely refunds to Californians for canceled events during the COVID-19 pandemic; announced a settlement with DoorDash for violating California privacy laws by selling its customers’ personal information; and worked with local partners to secure a settlement with a video game developer for illegally collecting and sharing children's data. 

In the last year, Attorney General Bonta continued his work to protect students by securing a decision that upheld a judgment against Ashford University for giving students false or misleading information about career outcomes, cost and financial aid, and transfer credits, as well as a $4.5 million settlement with University of Phoenix for aggressive and unlawful military student recruitment tactics. 

Attorney General Bonta also took action to create a safer internet for children and teens. He filed a lawsuit against TikTok for harming young users and deceiving the public about the social media platform’s dangers; and secured a decision in his lawsuit against Meta that largely denies Meta’s attempt to evade responsibility for their role in the children’s mental health crisis. He supported legislation that would put consumers in control of their relationship with social media, like SB 976 (Skinner), recently enacted legislation which interrupts the ability of social media companies to use addictive design features, and AB 56 (Bauer-Kahan), newly proposed legislation that would require warning labels on social media platforms. 

Attorney General Bonta continued educating and warning consumers about California's price gouging protections after an emergency, and about financially harmful and widespread AI-generated scams, toll booth scams, and package delivery text-based scams; and continued his fight against annoying and illegal robocalls, which are often a vehicle for scams.

Protecting a Competitive Economy: Attorney General Bonta aggressively enforced state and federal antitrust laws and continued to protect a business landscape where competition and innovation can flourish. He joined the federal government in a lawsuit against Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, alleging unlawful conduct that has hampered competition in the ticketing and promotions of live music concerts, against RealPage, for artificially raising the cost of rental housing through a pricing alignment scheme, and another against Apple for stifling innovation and raising consumer prices. Following lawsuits by the Attorney General, a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an unlawful monopoly on internet general search services and general search text ads, and California and the FTC secured the abandonment of the Kroger-Albertsons merger, which threatened to raise grocery prices and leave Californians with limited choices over where to shop and where to work.

The Attorney General continued to hold Big Oil accountable for unlawful price increases and anticompetitive behavior by securing a $50 million settlement with gas trading firms, SK and Vitol, an action that directly put money back into Californians pockets, and by co-sponsoring with Governor Newsom ABX2-1 (Hart & Aguiar-Curry), now-signed legislation that will require oil refineries to have adequate fuel reserves to avoid supply shortages that hike gas prices.

Supporting California Workers: In 2024, Attorney General Bonta defended workers' rights, workplace safety, and California's fair and competitive labor market. He filed 31 criminal charges against US Framing and two employees for wage theft and tax evasion; filed a lawsuit against West Coast Drywall lawsuit for failing to pay employee overtime and wages owed; and secured a $826,000 settlement with Amalfi Stone & Masonry Company, Inc., resolving allegations of unfair competition, payroll tax, and labor violations. He also issued consumer alerts on labor trafficking and unlawful restraints on employee mobility, including no-poach agreements.

Safeguarding the Civil Rights of All: Throughout the year, Attorney General Bonta worked tirelessly to protect the civil rights of people in California and across the country. He secured a stipulated judgment with the Redlands Unified School District to address critical and systemic shortfalls in the District's response to allegations and complaints of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse of students. He announced the end of DOJ’s monitoring of the Stockton Unified School District and its Department of Public Safety, after five years of work to address system-wide violations of the civil and constitutional rights of Black and Latino students and students with disabilities. And he worked to ensure voting rights, securing a stipulated judgment with Kern County following a comprehensive civil rights investigation by DOJ that found the County violated the free-speech rights of a coalition of community-based organizations and a small business.

In response to the President-elect’s threats of mass arrest, detention, and deportation, Attorney General Bonta also released guidances to help California immigrants better understand their rights and protections under the law and avoid immigration scams by those seeking to take advantage of fear and uncertainty ahead of Inauguration Day. The Attorney General also issued updated model policies and recommendations to help public institutions like schools, hospitals, and courts comply with California law limiting state and local participation in immigration enforcement activities. 

Fighting for the Rights of LGBTQ+ Americans: In response to an unprecedented wave of increasing attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, Attorney General Bonta stood up to defend, support, and uplift the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals across California and beyond: securing a final ruling against Chino Valley Unified’s forced outing policy, defending Michigan’s conversion therapy ban for minors, pushing back on efforts to undermine civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ Americans in the workplace, and supporting the U.S. Department of Education’s 2024 Title IX Final Rule amidst several lawsuits seeking to undermine these vital protections. He also defended California’s Transgender Sanctuary State Law and urged the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the health and rights of transgender individuals across the nation to access medically necessary care.

Protecting California’s Elders and Our Medi-Cal Program: In 2024, Attorney General Bonta worked to protect the safety and well-being of California's elder and dependent adults by prosecuting bad actors that abused, neglected, or defrauded them. The Attorney General also protected the integrity of the state's Medi-Cal program by investigating, arresting, and prosecuting medical providers who defrauded Medi-Cal. The Attorney General secured the sentencing of three individuals involved in the neglect and abuse of six severely disabled residents at an unlicensed Riverside care facility and announced the indictment of a Southern California healthcare provider for Medi-Cal Fraud of nearly $60 Million.

He also announced a nearly $2.1 million settlement with Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center after the hospital self-reported that it overbilled Medi-Cal for prescription medication purchased and reimbursed under a federal drug pricing program.

Safeguarding Voting Rights and Free and Fair Elections: Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting the right to vote. He filed a lawsuit against Fresno County challenging Measure A, which amended the county’s charter to move elections for district attorney and sheriff away from the presidential cycle to the gubernatorial cycle. He also filed a lawsuit against Huntington Beach challenging its voter identification law, which amended the city’s charter to purportedly allow the city to impose voter ID requirements at the polls for all municipal elections starting in 2026, and looks forward to filing an appeal in response to a decision by the Orange County Superior Court. 

Attorney General Bonta has stood up for states' rights to keep our elections accessible for voters by joining a multistate coalition defending the voting laws and redistricting processes in states including Delaware, Mississippi, and Louisiana. He filed an amicus brief supporting Delaware’s early voting law and defending a Mississippi law that permits absentee ballots to be counted if postmarked by Election Day and received within five days of Election Day.

He also pushed back against deception and misinformation by sending a letter to executives of the largest social media and AI companies, reminding them that California laws prohibit certain types of voter intimidation, deception, and dissuasion and that those laws may apply to content posted on social media platforms and content generated by AI, as well as joining a coalition of 51 bipartisan attorneys general in issuing a warning letter to a company that allegedly sent New Hampshire residents scam election robocalls during the New Hampshire primary election.