Yes it's illegal to throw away any of your electronics into the trash in California.
Throwing away your electronics in California into the trash is illegal in California because when the electronics are thrown into the trash they go to the landfill.
Then as the electronics sit in the landfill the electronics can leech hazardous and toxic chemicals etc into the soil and water table.
That can then pollute the drinking water that you have to drink and bathe with or use.
So California has made it illegal to throw electronics away in their state.
According to California Law it's illegal to throw away your electronics which include things such as your old TVs, computers, batteries and more into the trash.
E Waste that you cannot throw away in California are other things as well such as televisions, computers, laptops, printers, cables, VCRs, cell phones, copiers, fax machines, stereos and other electronic games etc.
Electronics must be disposed of properly and sent to a recycling center where the components in the electronics can be recycled.
A lot of electronics such as cell phones and computers have gold in them that is a very precious metal and some places you can even make some money off of selling your old electronics.