California to Politicians: Your Memecoins Are Now a Crime Scene 🚨

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation barring state and local public officials from issuing memecoins, as Newsom criticized US President Donald Trump's crypto ventures. Newsom on Sunday signed Assembly Bill 2409, introduced by Assembly Member Avelino Valencia on Feb. 20, 2026. The law also prohibits digital asset service providers from offering certain memecoins issued by or in partnership with federal, state or local public officials to California residents and applies to tokens issued on or after Jan. 1, 2027.

"No official should profit off their office — and we're putting stronger protections in place to ensure it doesn't happen in our state," Newsom said Sunday as he slammed Trump's launch of a memecoin in 2025. Existing California law already prohibits state officers and employees from engaging in employment activity or enterprise that is inconsistent with their duties. AB 2409 adds a ban on issuing memecoins to the Government Code and authorizes California's attorney general, a district attorney, a city attorney or county counsel to enforce the prohibitions by filing a civil action.

Newsom on Sunday also signed Senate Bill 1208, which expands California's existing money laundering statutes to include illicit transactions made using digital assets. SB 1208 broadly authorizes law enforcement to freeze, seize and forfeit digital assets linked to crimes. The dual signings position California as one of the more aggressive US states in regulating political crypto activity, with enforcement tools covering both memecoin issuance and digital asset-related financial crimes.