An executive order signed on September 18 by Gavin Newsom requires laboratories to host independent auditors and instructs the state to design an emergency shutdown mechanism within two months.
The Governor of California signed a decree on September 18, 2026, which pushes two projects in parallel. The first is to require laboratories working on border models to allow independent, certified verification bodies to enter their homes. The second is to design an emergency shutdown mechanism applicable to these same models, which the Californian executive clearly describes as a "switch".
The text convenes a panel of international experts to make recommendations within two months, and entrusts implementation to the Government Operations Agency and the Governor's Emergency Services Office. It also provides for updating the definition of what constitutes a critical safety incident, which is the basis for the reporting obligation.
The decree is in line with SB 53, adopted in 2025 and presented as the first American security law of AI, then SB 813 and AB 1405 in 2026, which set the framework for independent verification. He intervened after the attack on Hugging Face, and the governor's entourage did not deprive itself of targeting Washington, which was deemed inactive on the subject.
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