Can CAAs practice in California?
Not authorized
No — CAAs cannot currently practice in California.
California does not license CAAs and has no delegation pathway; the 2025 Anesthesiologist Assistant Practice Act (AB 985) passed the Assembly but was gut-and-amended in the Senate, killing the CAA provisions.
- Legal authority
- None — no statute or delegation pathway
- Effective
- —
- Last verified
- 2026-08-12
Notes
AB 985 as introduced (2/20/2025) required on-premises anesthesiologist supervision and NCCAA certification. After Assembly passage the Senate repurposed the bill number; CSA says legislative activity is 'currently paused' and it remains committed to CAA licensure. No replacement CAA bill found as of Aug 2026.
Active legislation
-
AB 985 Passed Assembly 64-1 on 6/3/2025; Senate amendments (6/23/2025) replaced contents with unrelated landfill tax provisions — CAA content dead
Anesthesiologist Assistant Practice Act (Ahrens; CSA-sponsored)
Last action: 2025-10-01 Chaptered as unrelated Chiquita Canyon Landfill act (Ch. 174, Stats. 2025)