California Kills 10% Ticket Resale Price Cap After StubHub's Record $3.4M Lobbying Push
A California bill that would have capped concert ticket resale prices at 10% above face value is dead, killed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, August 13, 2026, after a year of fierce opposition from secondary ticketing platforms — and a record lobbying spend by StubHub.
The California Fans First Act, formally AB 1720, was introduced in February 2026 by San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney. It would have limited resale prices for concert and live event tickets to no more than 10% above face value, with the ceiling covering fees, and would have capped the fees that resale marketplaces themselves charge. StubHub spent $3.4 million on California lobbying in 2026 while opposing the bill — a record-high figure for the company's state lobbying, according to Music Business Worldwide.
The bill did not go down without a fight from its supporters. AB 1720 was backed by the National Independent Venue Association, the National Independent Talent Organization, the Future of Music Coalition, and Live Nation Entertainment. The Music Artists Coalition, led by executive director Ron Gubitz, also campaigned for it, as The Hollywood Reporter noted.
By May 2026, the bill had already been narrowed by amendment to limit its reach to independent venues with capacities of 3,000 or fewer, plus certain nonprofit venues. Under the amended text, an independent venue was defined as a space that derives a majority of its revenue from ticket events, is not majority owned by a publicly traded company, and does not operate venues in more than 10 states. Professional sports and a range of other athletic events were exempt entirely.
Even in its trimmed form, the bill faced resistance that proved fatal. The California Department of Finance opposed AB 1720 at an August 3 Appropriations hearing, citing enforcement costs and the potential burden on state courts. The California Department of Justice estimated enforcement would cost roughly $1.6 million in fiscal year 2026-27, dropping to $1 million the following year, $812,000 in 2028-29, and about $582,000 annually thereafter.
By holding AB 1720 on its suspense file — the procedural mechanism committees use to shelve bills with fiscal impacts they consider too high — the Appropriations Committee effectively killed it. The two-year legislative session has ended, so the bill cannot carry over. Haney would need to introduce an entirely new bill when the Legislature reconvenes in December 2026.
A companion ticketing measure, AB 1349, fared better. It was released from the same suspense file at the August 13 hearing and could proceed to a Senate vote.
For fans who have watched resale prices for popular tours climb into the hundreds or thousands above face value, the death of AB 1720 means California's secondary ticketing market will operate without a statutory price ceiling for now. The coalition that backed the bill — independent venues, artist advocacy groups, and the world's largest live entertainment promoter — now faces the question of whether a new version can survive the same opposition and the same fiscal scrutiny when lawmakers return.
