It was a decade ago when California became the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags, ushering in a wave of anti-plastic legislation from coast to coast.

But in the years after California seemingly kicked its plastic grocery sack habit, material recovery facilities and environmental activists noticed a peculiar trend: Plastic bag waste by weight was increasing to unprecedented levels.

The top lawmaker in the California legislature overseeing privacy legislation wants to do more to protect children online and also guard against the harms of artificial intelligence.

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D), the new chair of the state Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, said in an interview that she wants to continue the legislature’s history of being at the forefront of online safety for children. She also intends to play a significant role over AI legislation because any artificial intelligence bills will likely have to pass through her panel.

SACRAMENTO — Some California lawmakers want the state to lead the nation in regulating artificial intelligence, but a looming budget deficit could hamstring their efforts.

They’ve already announced a flurry of AI bills, with more on the way. Their proposals include efforts to require the state to set new safety standards, create an AI research hub and develop protections against deepfake videos and photos that look real but have been digitally altered to mislead the viewer.

Members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, a group of state-level politicians who advocate for issues of concern to the Jewish community, have written an emotional letter to colleagues asking for their “support and solidarity.”

The open letter was released Wednesday, the start of the 2024 legislative session, which was cut short when a protest led by the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace and other organizations prevented the state Assembly from conducting business.

California lawmakers return to work on Wednesday for the start of an election-year legislative session dominated by decisions on artificial intelligence and the state’s struggling budget.

The budget is a big issue every year in California, which is the nation’s most populous state and has an economy larger than that of all but four countries. But this year, lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will have to figure out how to cover an estimated $68 billion deficit — a shortfall that is larger than the entire operating budgets of many states.

The California Capitol will likely see a flurry of attempts to regulate artificial intelligence next year, with two Bay Area lawmakers emerging as leaders on the issue.