In 2023, California Governor Newsom signed 890 bills, and in 2024 a series of new laws will be on the road, covering:Wages, housing, transportation, food, consumption, networking, education, justice, guns, and many other fields.
Here's a list of new California laws that will go into effect in 2024 from ABC News.
Workplace
Effective January 1, 2024, California's minimum wage will increase to $16 per hour.
1.AB 1228: Starting in April 2024, the minimum wage for fast food workers will be raised to $20 per hour, while the bill also establishes the Fast Food Commission, which will operate for five years to determine future wage increases and working conditions.
2.SB 525: In June 2024, the minimum wage for healthcare workers will be raised to $23 per hour. This law applies to nursing assistants. Medical technicians and cleaners. Over the next two years, the minimum wage will increase by $1 per year to $25 per hour.
3.SB 616: Sick time increased from 3 days to at least 5 paid sick days for all full-time and part-time California workers. Both hourly and salaried employees are eligible.
4.SB 848: Requires employers to provide five days of leave to employees who have suffered birth losses such as failed adoption, miscarriage, stillbirth, embryo transfer or artificial insemination.
5.AB 783: Require businesses to have signage on single-occupancy restrooms indicating that toilet facilities are accessible to all genders.
6.AB 1136: Establishment of Retirement for California Mixed Martial Arts Fighters**. Any mixed martial artist who has competed in at least 39 bouts in the state is eligible for retirement benefits starting at age 50.
7.AB 1740: Requires child care facilities and other businesses that provide pediatric care to post information about human trafficking and slavery. The information must include the provision of relevant resources to those who are forced to work.
8.AB 2188: Provides that employers may not discriminate against or penalize employees for using ** outside of work and outside the workplace. A similar law, SB 700, makes it illegal for employers to ask job applicants if they have smoked**.
9.SB 497: Prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who complain about wages, discuss wages with colleagues, or ask about other workers' wages.
10.SB 699: Expands California's prohibition on non-compete contracts by prohibiting employers from enforcing them. This even applies to agreements signed in other states. A similar law, AB 1076, requires employers to notify employees hired after January 1, 2022, that their non-compete clauses are invalid.
Housing
11.AB 12: It is stipulated that the landlord can only collect one month's rent as a deposit.
12.AB 1418: Cities will be prohibited from passing draconian crime-free housing policies. Under the proposal, the city cannot require landlords to use criminal background checks to screen tenants, and cannot evict tenants suspected of committing a crime without a felony conviction, or evicting an entire family because one of the family members has committed a felony.
13.SB 4: Churches are allowed. Religious organizations and non-profit colleges that build affordable housing on their land.
14.SB 407: Directs the California Department of Social Services to revise its process for vetting foster parents to ensure that LGBTQ youth are placed in foster homes that support gender identity.
15.SB 567: Amend the state's "no-fault" eviction law to make it harder for landlords to evict tenants. Starting April 1, 2024, the law requires that if a tenant is evicted because of a landlord's move-in, the real estate owner, or a family member, must move into the property within 90 days and live there for at least 12 months.
16.SB 712: Tenants are allowed to store e-scooters and bicycles in their apartments, as long as the batteries meet specific safety standards. If the battery does not meet safety standards, then the tenant may need to take out liability insurance or may be prohibited from charging mobile devices indoors.
Transportation
17.AB 413: Improve pedestrian safety by prohibiting vehicles from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, or within 15 feet of a curb extension. Drivers will only receive a warning for now, but starting in 2025, a summons can be issued.
18.AB 436: Prohibit cities and counties from passing laws prohibiting cruising on urban roads or driving modified vehicles to a certain height.
19.AB 645: Speed cameras are allowed in six cities: Glendale, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. The law requires cities to erect signs warning drivers that they may receive a ticket if they do not slow down before approaching a speed camera. Speed cameras will automatically issue tickets to drivers who exceed the speed limit by at least 11 miles.
20.AB 1909: The law has been in force for a year, but from January 1, 2024, a provision has come into force that allows cyclists to cross the road when the pedestrian signal is activated without waiting for a green light.
Food
21.AB 416: Bars and restaurants that sell beer and wine are allowed to sell Japanese shochu. The alcohol content of soju must not exceed 24%.
22.AB 899: Requires manufacturers of baby food to administer arsenic to their products once a month. Cadmium. Lead and mercury testing. From 2025 onwards, test results must be published on the manufacturer's **.
23.AB 1200: This law is part of the California Safer Food Packaged Cookware Act, approved in 2021. Starting in 2024, it will require cookware manufacturers to disclose whether their nonstick products contain certain harmful chemicals, such as PTFEFEP and PFA. The bill also prohibits misleading advertising on cookware packaging.
Consumers
24.SB 244: Making Television Sets. Repairs for mobile phones and other electronics and home appliances have become easier and potentially cheaper. This law requires manufacturers to provide consumers and repair shops with the parts they need. Tools and documentation for the maintenance or repair of equipment. The Right to Repair Act will come into force in July next year.
25.SB 644: Allows consumers to cancel hotel or short-term rental bookings within 24 hours without penalty. Reservations must be made at least 72 hours prior to check-in.
26.SB 478: Hidden Fees for Prohibited Online Purchases, Effective July 1, 2024, Requiring Purchases to Demonstrate the True Cost of Goods or Services, such as Accommodation, Tickets to Live Events, and Food Delivery.
Internet & Social**
27.Proposition 24: California Consumer Privacy Act, originally approved in 2020, will go into effect in March 2024. The Act sets out standards for the collection, retention, and use of personal data, and allows consumers to block businesses**, or share sensitive consumer data.
28.AB 587: The law, approved in 2022 and enforced in January 2024, requires social companies to disclose their policies on how to deal with hate speech and misinformation to authorities.
29.SB 60: Allows the public to apply to the court for a social injunction to remove content that violates state law** or provides or gives away controlled substances.
30.SB 362: The California Deletion Act will give consumers more control over their personal data. Beginning in January, the law required data brokers to register with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA). By 2026, the California Privacy Protection Agency will establish a mechanism that consumers can use to delete personal information.
Entertainment
31.SB 76: Cities are allowed to set up temporary entertainment areas, allowing restaurants and bars to sell alcohol within the boundaries of street festivals.
32.AB 618: Strengthened economic sanctions for not arriving on time at state parks, or beach reservations. Cancellations made between 2 and 6 days of booking will incur a charge for one day's accommodation. Those who cancel within 24 hours of booking or do not show up will forfeit the full amount paid for the booking.
Education
33.AB 607: Require California Community Colleges and California State Universities to display their course materials and cost estimates. The University of California campus voluntarily complied. The law will go into effect for the 2024-2025 school year.
34.AB 1138: Requires California colleges and universities to provide free anonymous transportation to and from student centers that provide forensic examinations. Services may include medical care. emergency contraception, and the collection of DNA evidence that can be used to prosecute ** cases.
35.AB 2282: Aggravated use of the Nazi emblem. Punishment for those who are gallows or desecrate signs of hatred such as crosses. The bill also prohibits schooling. Cemetery. Places of worship. WorkplacePrivate property. These symbols are used in public places and facilities.
36.SB 808: Requires the California State University system to submit a report of investigation and findings on sexual harassment complaints. The report must include how many complaints led to the investigation and how long it took for the investigation to be concluded. The report should be submitted by 1 December of each year.
Elections
37.AB 1539: Requires a misdemeanor to vote on the same day in an election in California and other states.
38.AB 421: Ballot wording designed to clarify the proposal to change the existing law. These proposals would need to use precise wording, such as "keep the law" or "overturn the law", to clearly explain the intent. The law also requires that the most important funder of the ballot proposal be listed.
Healthcare
39.AB 1412: Inclusion of borderline personality disorder on the list of psychiatric illnesses eligible for pretrial triage. Suffering from bipolar disorder. People with psychosis or PTSD who have been charged with a non-violent crime can already avoid jail time and embrace mental health instead.
40.SB 43: Expanding the definition of involuntary mental illness respite**. At present, people who are mentally incapacitated or unable to take care of their own food, clothing, shelter and transportation can be compulsorily accepted**. The new law now includes people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol or who are unable to guarantee their personal safety.
41.SB 345: Provides legal protections for physicians and health care practitioners who reside in California and mail abortion pills or gender affirmations** to patients in other states. The law prohibits authorities from cooperating with out-of-state investigations, and prohibits bounty hunters from arresting doctors or pharmacists in California for trial in other states.
42.SB 385: Allows California physician assistants to perform surgical abortions without direct physician supervision.
Justice
43.AB 360: Coroners are prohibited. Medical examiners and doctors listed "excitatory delirium" as the cause of death. Criminal justice reform activists say law enforcement officials have used the term to exonerate people who died in custody. Law enforcement officials are also prohibited from using the term to describe someone's behavior.
44.AB 452: Removal of the time limit for civil compensation for violations committed on or after January 1, 2024. Cases that occurred before this date are still subject to a time limit, i.e. a ban on filing claims after the victim's 40th birthday, or within five years of becoming aware of the violation.
45.SB 14: Increased conviction and sentencing for trafficking in minors for the purpose of **. The bill also imposes harsher penalties and heavier sentences on those convicted of sex trafficking.
46.Proposition 673: Create an "ebony alert" to help locate missing black women and youth between the ages of 12 and 25.
47.SB 365: Proceedings in the California Court of First Instance are not automatically stayed while appealing an order dismissing or denying a petition for compelling arbitration. The new law allows the court to decide for itself whether the case can continue to be heard while on appeal.
48.AB 701: Under this law, people convicted of dealing or attempting to trade in more than a kilogram of fentanyl face longer prison terms, which increases penalties for deadly drug dealers.
Firearms
49.AB 28: 11% tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition. The proceeds will be used for gun violence prevention and school safety programs. The law will come into force on July 1, 2024.
50.SB 2: Strengthening California's concealed carrying** law by restricting the possession of firearms in certain public places. The bill also calls for enhanced firearm safety training and sets the minimum age for a concealed carry permit at 21.
Immigration
51.SB 831: Authorization for the Governor to negotiate with the U.S. Attorney General's Office a program to grant immigration parole to undocumented agricultural workers. The program will issue work visas to undocumented workers and protect them from deportation. The program does not provide a path to legal residency.
Naturally
52.AB 261: California Chancellorelles officially became the official mushroom of California, a fungus native to California that grows near live oak trees.