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When California passes major policies, the rest of the country pays attention. This week, laborers, interest groups and lawmakers are waiting to see whether Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign a bill making it easier for farmworkers to hold unionization votes.

In 2021, the governor vetoed a measure that would have allowed farmworkers to vote by mail, saying the bill contained “various inconsistencies and procedural issues related to the collection and review of ballot cards.” The decision disappointed many who had supported the governor during a recall vote.

Last month, farmworkers marched 355 miles in support of a new bill that would likewise allow voting by mail. That bill now awaits Mr. Newsom’s signature. Unions say requiring on-site voting allows for the possibility of voter suppression and retaliation, a topic of heated debate nationally.

Here are a few other bills that have recently passed in California that may serve as bellwethers for other states.

Fast-Food Workers

Amid resistance from fast-food companies, Mr. Newsom on Monday signed a bill that established a council to set a higher minimum wage in the industry and created new safety and anti-discrimination rules.

The council, which includes worker and employer representatives, can raise the industry minimum as high as $22 an hour next year, after which the minimum will be adjusted for inflation. The minimum wage for the rest of California is $15.50.

The legislation is a major step toward so-called sectoral bargaining, in which workers and management negotiate wages and conditions across an entire industry as opposed to at individual companies, often location by location, which is the standard approach in the United States.

Zero-Emissions Vehicles

Regulators in the state approved a plan that essentially banned the sale of gasoline-powered cars. Mr. Newsom described it as the beginning of the end for the combustion engine.

The policy requires that, by 2035, all new cars sold in California be free of greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide. It also sets interim targets: 35 percent of new vehicles must be emissions-free by 2026; that figure climbs to 68 percent by 2030.

The new policy is expected to accelerate the global transition to electric vehicles. Not only is California the largest auto market in the United States, but more than a dozen other states typically follow California’s lead when setting their own auto emissions standards.

If those states adopt similar rules — and most are expected to do so — the restrictions will apply to about a third of the U.S. auto market.

Children’s Privacy Online

State lawmakers last month overwhelmingly passed a bill that would require apps and sites to install guardrails for users under the age of 18. Mr. Newsom has yet to sign the bill, which would be the first of its kind in the United States, or take a stance on the matter.

Several companies have faced criticism for exploiting children’s data. Instagram was found to have promoted content about self-harm and eating disorders to young users. Google and the owners of what is now known as TikTok paid millions in a settlement over accusations that they illegally collected personal information from children.

The new rules would require companies to proactively design products to protect minors, turn on the highest privacy settings by default and track a child’s location only in obvious ways.

The bill, called the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, takes many of its cues from Britain, where regulators established comprehensive protections for minors in 2021. The bill, which would take effect in 2024, could herald a shift in how the tech industry is regulated and prompt some services to introduce nationwide changes.