New cabinet-level consumer agency begins work
Pleasanton, California — Governor Gavin Newsom swore in Rohit Chopra on July 1 as the first secretary of California's newly established Business and Consumer Services Agency, a cabinet-level department created to consolidate the state's scattered consumer protection and business oversight functions under one roof.
The new agency brings together dozens of boards, bureaus, and departments that had operated separately, including the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Real Estate, the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and the Department of Cannabis Control. Newsom's office said consolidating them aims to improve coordination and enforcement across sectors that touch daily life, from financial services and health care to retail, hospitality, and real estate.
Chopra previously served as director of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2021 to 2025, where the agency's recovered nearly $10 billion in refunds and penalties, and as a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission. State officials framed his appointment as a step to strengthen oversight as federal consumer protections are rolled back.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new agency's first secretary and advance efforts toward a fair, competitive, and entrepreneurial economy," Chopra said. "California consumers and small businesses are paying the price for harmful and corrupt practices. The new agency will sharpen and accelerate work to promote economic growth and protect the public from abuses."
