Civil actions: mediation.

Chapter number 135 was assigned and the governor approval date of August 27, 2026 was added to the document header.

Legislative process tracking lines (Assembly passage date, Senate passage date, Chief Clerk and Secretary signature lines, Governor receipt date line) were removed as they are no longer needed once the bill is chaptered.

The legislative counsel's digest was moved from before the statutory text to after it, matching the standard format for chaptered laws.

The legislative counsel's digest removed the phrase 'as amended' from the bill description, changing it from 'AB 1950, as amended, Harabedian' to 'AB 1950, Harabedian.'

Added procedural markings reflecting passage: 'Passed the Assembly May 22, 2026,' 'Passed the Senate August 10, 2026,' and a Governor's approval line with blank date fields.

Removed earlier amendment dates (March 9 and March 18, 2026) and the original introduction date (February 13, 2026) from the header.

Authority to order mediation was changed from 'the presiding judge of the Superior Court' issuing an order authorizing the court, to the 'Superior Court of the County of Los Angeles' directly ordering any case into mediation. This broadens who can initiate the process beyond a single judge.

A new subdivision (d) was added stating that mediation ordered under this section shall not delay or serve as grounds to continue the trial date, nor delay or continue any expedited procedures, including but not limited to procedures pursuant to Section 36. This is a significant anti-delay safeguard.

Subdivisions were renumbered (old d through f became e through g) to accommodate the new subdivision (d). A minor typo in the report requirement was also corrected ('ordered to mediation. mediation pursuant to this section' became 'ordered to mediation pursuant to this section').

All cases ordered into mediation are now entitled to up to three hours of no-cost mediation services provided by a court-sanctioned mediation program.

Parties in mediation may now appear remotely, expanding access for those who cannot attend in person.

A new Section 2 adds legislative findings and declarations stating that a special statute is necessary because the Los Angeles Superior Court has robust court-sanctioned mediation resources to handle a 67 percent increase in civil filings since 2022. This satisfies the constitutional requirement for local legislation.

Subdivisions were renumbered: original (c) through (e) shifted to (d) through (f) to make room for the new subdivision (c). Minor wording adjustments were made throughout, such as changing 'presiding judge' to 'presiding judge of the court' and specifying 'pursuant to this section' in the reporting provision.