California orders study of AI kill switch for frontier models

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-9-26 on September 18, 2026, directing GovOps, Cal OES, and national experts to recommend by November 16, 2026 whether state law should require a frontier AI kill switch with independently verified efficacy, onsite independent verification in labs, verified safety disclosures, and expanded loss-of-control incident reporting. The order also accelerates SB 813 and AB 1405 implementation deadlines; it does not itself create a binding kill-switch mandate today. More at ainewspaper.org.