# Newsom signs meme coin ban for public officials Author: Hatice Ertaş Language: English Published: 2026-09-27T23:20:18+03:00 Updated: 2026-09-27T23:20:18+03:00 ![Gavin Newsom with an AB 2409 document and a meme coin prohibition symbol in a California editorial composition.](https://kriptometa.com/uploads/newsom-imzaladi-kamu-gorevlilerine-meme-coin-yasagi-1023_article.webp) ## Key takeaways - AB 2409, signed by Newsom on September 27, bars defined public officers and employees from issuing meme coins. - The listing provision targets tokens issued on or after January 1, 2027 and offered by, or in partnership with, public officials. - Platform restrictions concern services to California residents, rather than every token that displays a politician’s image. California has enacted AB 2409 to bar public officials from issuing meme coins. A separate platform restriction targets certain tokens issued from 2027 and services provided to California residents. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2409 on September 27, barring public officials from issuing meme coins. The law targets the overlap between public office and income from token launches. A separate restriction on digital asset platforms covers certain newly issued tokens tied to public officials and services provided to California residents. In the governor’s [signing announcement](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/27/the-opposite-of-trump-governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-crack-down-on-corruption-including-meme-coins-by-public-officials/), Newsom put the rationale plainly: > “No official should profit off their office” > > Gavin Newsom, September 27, 2026 ## The ban reaches beyond elected office The legislation, introduced by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, covers elected and appointed officers in state and local government. Legislators and members of public boards and advisory committees also fall within its definition. For public employees, the scope is narrower: it covers those with decision-making authority over bids and contracts. The [enrolled bill text](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2409) does not limit issuance to a conventional token sale. Making a meme coin available to the public for purchase, donation or an exchange of anything of value also counts. Giving the transaction a different name would therefore not, by itself, put it outside the definition. ## Platforms face a 2027 cutoff and a partnership test The platform provision combines two conditions: a meme coin must have been issued on or after January 1, 2027, and it must be offered by, or in partnership with, a federal, state or local public official. Digital asset service providers are barred from listing those tokens for sale on behalf of California residents or for purchase by them. **A politician’s image is not enough:** The text does not automatically ban every token using a public official’s name or likeness. The issuance date, the person offering the token or partnership involved, and the service to a California resident matter together. January 1, 2027 is the token-issuance cutoff in that listing provision. It does not mean all existing meme coins must immediately disappear from exchanges. The news concerns a legal framework for platforms, rather than a delisting action announced by a particular exchange. ## Enforcement runs through the courts California’s Attorney General can bring a civil action to stop a violation and seek a court order requiring the return of gains. District attorneys, city attorneys and county counsel receive similar powers for the provision barring officials from issuing tokens. Their authority under this section does not extend to the platform restriction. US [crypto regulation](https://kriptometa.com/en/news/regulation) is assigning separate obligations to different activities. While the [Fed’s stablecoin reserve proposals](https://kriptometa.com/en/fed-stablecoin-full-backing-barr-redemption) address issuers’ financial safeguards, California’s signed law narrows the intersection of public office and meme coin revenue. The former remains open for comment; the latter is a signed state law.