California lawmakers are renewing efforts to ban face coverings for law enforcement officers, including federal agents, operating in the state. Lawmakers say the new bill is in response to the federal court striking down the previous attempt after ruling that the law was applied unevenly.
Senate Bill 1004 seeks to delay the mask ban to Jan. 1, 2027, and to add state law enforcement to the list of agencies prohibited from wearing masks under the No Secret Police Act.
The No Secret Police Act, also known as Senate Bill 627, was a piece of legislation that lawmakers passed and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in September 2025. The law prohibits local and federal law enforcement from using masks to conceal their faces when carrying out their duties in California. It did not include California state law enforcement officers….