- “America should never be a country where masked ‘secret police’ grab people off the streets and throw them into unmarked vans and speed away.” – Governor Gavin Newsom
LOS ANGELES — Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed Senate Bill 627, the “No Secret Police Act,” making California the first state in the nation to prohibit law enforcement officers from concealing their identities with ski masks or other face coverings while carrying out official duties.
“We cannot have masked men terrorizing our communities without identifying themselves,” Newsom said in his signing message.
The governor tied the measure directly to federal raids under President Trump, where immigration agents concealed their identities and operated in secrecy.
The new law, authored by Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco, bars federal and local officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing masks or face coverings that hide their identity, with limited exemptions for SWAT teams, undercover assignments, safety helmets, and protective gear.
It requires law enforcement agencies to adopt policies by July 1, 2026, restricting unnecessary use of masks. A violation of the law can result in penalties, including misdemeanors and civil liability if an officer commits misconduct while wearing a mask in violation of the statute.
In his letter to the Legislature, Newsom said America must not allow law enforcement to operate like secret police forces.
“America should never be a country where masked ‘secret police’ grab people off the streets and throw them into unmarked vans and speed away,” Newsom wrote. “It is unacceptable that government agents, guns in hand, have seized our neighbors while wearing masks under the pretense of protecting themselves when they are, in fact, hiding from public accountability and sowing fear to intimidate the American people.” He added that for the safety of both the public and law enforcement, Californians must know they are interacting with legitimate law enforcement officers, not “masked vigilantes.”
Newsom acknowledged that more work is needed to refine the law. His signing message called for “follow-up legislation” to clarify rules on motorcycle helmets, sunglasses, and other safety gear not designed to hide an officer’s identity, and to provide additional exemptions for legitimate enforcement operations.
“With these changes, Californians will be provided with the transparency required of law enforcement in any free society, while allowing them to effectively perform their duties,” Newsom wrote.
Senator Wiener praised Newsom’s decision, framing the law as a necessary response to authoritarian tactics.
“As this authoritarian regime seeks to demolish our constitutional rights and engages in a straight up terror campaign, California is meeting the Trump Administration’s secret police tactics with strength and defiance,” Wiener said. “The No Secret Police Act is a bold step that builds on a remarkable record of leadership defending our immigrant communities and democracy itself.”
Wiener said the law confronts “ICE’s secret police tactics, under Trump and Stephen Miller, [which] are raining fear and aggression down on California and requiring us to adapt in real time.” He pledged to work with the governor’s office to refine the bill in the next legislative session to ensure it remains workable for law enforcement officers who operate in good faith. “No one wants masked officers roaming their communities and kidnapping people with impunity,” Wiener said. “As this authoritarian regime expands its reach into every aspect of daily life — including terrorizing people where they work, where they live, where they go to school, where they shop, where they seek health care — California will continue to stand for the rule of law and for basic freedoms.”
Supporters of SB 627 included a wide coalition of immigrant rights, labor, and civil rights groups.
“By signing SB 627, Governor Newsom has made every Californian safer,” said Cristine Soto DeBerry, executive director of Prosecutors Alliance Action. “Our state is now the first in the nation to draw a clear line between legitimate law enforcement and secret police tactics. This is a victory for transparency, accountability, and community trust.”
Hector Villagra, vice president of policy advocacy and community education at MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), said the law represents an important stand against fear. “By signing SB 627, the Governor has shown that California is not powerless in the face of unprecedented law enforcement overreach that tramples individual rights and threatens public safety,” Villagra said. “SB 627 not only sends a powerful message about California’s commitment to democratic values, but also protects residents from the fear and confusion caused by masked, unidentified individuals snatching people off our sidewalks.”
Hector Pereyra, political manager for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, said the legislation provides lifesaving protections for Californians who live in fear of federal raids. “Today, Governor Newsom has made it clear: there will be no secret police in California,” Pereyra said. “By signing SB 627 into law, the Governor has delivered lifesaving protections for millions of Californians who live in constant fear of the violence and abuses under the Trump regime. In recent months, we’ve witnessed firsthand the brutality and inhumanity of federal immigration enforcement. We’ve seen community members assaulted, parents torn from their children, and innocent families subjected to gunfire, all at the hands of masked, unidentified federal agents. With this bill, California becomes the first state in the nation to take a bold stand and say: Enough is enough.”
Newsom’s move came just days after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, led by Secretary Kristi Noem, urged him to veto the measure. The Trump administration argued California lacked authority to restrict federal immigration officers. But Newsom rejected those calls, framing the issue as one of accountability and public safety.
Opposition to SB 627 was led by the Peace Officers Research Association of California, which represents more than 87,000 law enforcement members. Its president, Brian Marvel, issued a blistering statement denouncing the new law.
“I am outraged by the passage of SB 627. In my decades serving as a peace officer, I have never seen a bill that so blatantly lies to the public,” Marvel said.
He accused Wiener of misleading lawmakers and said the legislation unfairly punishes local law enforcement while doing nothing to stop federal immigration enforcement.
“This issue is too important to get it wrong, but this bill was created through a rushed and convoluted process that unfairly punishes local law enforcement and weakens our ability to protect California’s communities,” Marvel said. He also warned that the rollback of immunity protections for officers would undermine recruitment and morale, calling it “a troubling betrayal that California’s local law enforcement community will not soon forget.”
Supporters countered that impersonation of federal officers had already become a growing problem due to masked raids, citing cases in multiple states where individuals dressed as ICE officers kidnapped or assaulted residents. They argued that banning extreme masking is both a deterrent against abuses and a safeguard against impersonation.
SB 627 was part of a broader legislative package Newsom signed to protect Californians from federal immigration enforcement overreach. Assembly Bill 49 requires notification and protections around student records when immigration enforcement comes onto school campuses.
SB 81 restricts immigration enforcement access in nonpublic areas of hospitals and clarifies that immigration-related information collected by health care providers is protected as medical data.
SB 98 strengthens protections for students across K–12 and higher education by requiring warrants or court orders for enforcement activity.
SB 805 addresses related criminal penalties for violations.
Together, the bills aim to keep schools and hospitals off limits to raids and to guarantee that law enforcement officers in California are identifiable by name or badge number.
In his remarks, Newsom tied the legislative package to public trust. “Public safety depends on trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve — but Trump and Miller have shattered that trust and spread fear across America. California is putting an end to it and making sure schools and hospitals remain what they should be: places of care, not chaos.”
First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom also highlighted the impact on families.
“Our places of learning and healing must never be turned into the hunting grounds this federal administration has tried to make them out to be,” she said. “I have sat with mothers who are afraid to send their children to school, and with farmworker families who live every day with the fear of being torn apart. No family should ever have to carry that weight. California is choosing true public safety. We are implementing the strongest laws in the nation to protect our residents and rejecting this despicable fear. I could not be more proud.”
With the governor’s signature, California has drawn a sharp line against masked federal raids and expanded its own protections around schools and hospitals.
Newsom said he views SB 627 and the package of bills as essential to safeguarding democratic values in the face of authoritarian tactics.
“For the safety of both the public and law enforcement, Californians must know that they are interacting with legitimate law enforcement officers, rather than masked vigilantes,” he said.
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“Opposition to SB 627 was led by the Peace Officers Research Association of California, which represents more than 87,000 law enforcement members.”
– Is Chief Henry a member? If so, did he oppose that opposition?
I don’t believe police chiefs are members of PORAC