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Legislative changes in California set to debut in 2024 will focus on enhanced wages, expanded sick leave provisions, and more affordable options for residential rentals.
Throughout the state, the dawn of a new year also means the commencement of new laws that will impact residents’ personal lives, employment conditions, and recreational activities. Here’s your guide to the new statutes taking effect from January 1, 2024, and onwards.
Assembly Bill 413 seeks to enhance crosswalk safety. Under this legislation, vehicles are prohibited from stopping or parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, whether marked or unmarked, or within 15 feet of a curb extension. Initially, drivers will only receive warnings for violations, but citations will be enforceable starting 2025.
Low riders will be protected in 2024! The implementation of Assembly Bill 436 aims to safeguard the motoring culture. It bars cities and counties from introducing laws that would disallow cruising in city streets, or outlawing the operation of vehicles that have undergone specific height modifications.
Our team is monitoring this one very closely. Using speed cameras as a traffic control mechanism is also a focus for 2024. Assembly Bill 645 authorizes six cities – Glendale, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose – to set up these devices. The new law also enforces the requirement for cities to install signs alerting drivers to reduce their speed as they approach the camera, or risk receiving a ticket. No definite plans announced yet but we’ll be sure to let you know when we hear something.
Recognizing the rights and safety of bicyclists, Assembly Bill 1909 has been in effect for a year. However, as of January 1, 2024, it has a specific provision that enables cyclists to cross a street when a pedestrian signal is activated, instead of having to wait for a green light.
With AB 261, California, which already boasts a state bird (the quail) and a state flower (the poppy), will now welcome an official state mushroom to its symbolic roster. The chosen fungus, Golden California the Chanterelle, is a native species often found flourishing near live oak trees.
First, get ready for a slew of new laws (9) that will effect employers, employees and the workplace in general. These changes to minimum wage and worker’s rights are coming to the state of California in 2024.
On January 1, 2024, the minimum wage in California will see an increase to $16 per hour, in accordance with a law passed in 2016 that connects minimum wage growth to inflation.
Additionally, under the new legislation AB 1228, fast-food workers can expect a rise in their minimum wage to $20 per hour, effective from April. This law makes provision for the formulation of a five-year fast-food council whose function is to decide on future wage increments and labor conditions.
In the health care sector, SB 525 dictates a wage boost for nursing assistants, medical technicians, and janitors to $23 an hour by June 2024. As part of the law, the base wage will experience an annual increase of $1 over the next two years, to eventually reach a minimum of $25 per hour.
SB 616 provides a significant upgrade to the sick time benefits for all California workers, full and part-time alike. Their entitled paid sick leave will be extended from the current three days to a minimum of five days per year. This applies to both hourly and salaried workers.
Senate Bill 848 mandates that employers must grant a five-day leave to employees experiencing reproductive losses, including events such as unsuccessful adoptions, miscarriages, stillbirths, failed embryo transfers or artificial insemination procedures.
Assembly Bill 783 necessitates that all businesses place signs on single-occupancy restrooms indicating that these facilities are open to all genders.
Assembly Bill 1136 introduces a retirement fund specifically for mixed-martial arts fighters. Within California, any MMA fighters who have completed a minimum of 39 rounds in the state qualify for retirement benefits starting when they reach fifty years old.
Assembly Bill 1740 compels childcare facilities and businesses offering pediatric care to display information about human trafficking and slavery. This displayed information must encompass resources accessible to individuals subjected to forced labor.
Under the bill known as AB 2188, it becomes unlawful for businesses to discriminate against or penalize their employees for their legal use of cannabis during non-work hours, off company premises. A related law, SB 700, renders it illegal for potential employers to inquire about a candidate’s history of cannabis usage.
The SB 497 legislation ensures increased wage transparency among employees, by making it illegal for employers to retaliate against workers who file complaints about their pay, discuss salary matters with co-workers, or seek details about another employee’s earnings.
Furthermore, the SB 699 bill broadens the ban on non-compete contracts within California. It renders these agreements unenforceable by employers, even if they were signed outside of the state. In line with this, AB 1076 necessitates that employers inform employees hired post-January 1, 2022, that any non-compete clauses included in their contract are null and void.
Lots of new laws are also coming to the Housing sector. Most seem to be aimed to help give renters more rights and relief in a stressed housing market. Here’s the run down of the new laws that will effect housing.
The newly passed AB 12 legislation has amendments beneficial for tenants. No longer will they need to secure two months’ rent for a security deposit when renting an apartment. The revised law now dictates that landlords can only charge up to one month’s rent as a security deposit.
With the passage of AB 1418, cities and counties have now received a stern prohibition against creating nuisance ordinances. Such regulations must not compel or encourage penalties, even to the point of eviction, should a tenant or one of their family members be in a run-in with law enforcement or come across a criminal conviction.
The SB 4 law, on the other hand, opens up new opportunities for non-profit organizations. By removing specific regulatory obstacles, churches, religious groups, and non-profit colleges have now been granted the liberty to construct affordable housing on their property.
SB 407: This law mandates the California Department of Social Services to revise their foster parent screening procedure. The aim is to ensure that LGBTQ+ youths find placement in homes that are supportive and adhere to their gender preferences.
SB 567: This modification to the state’s “no fault just cause” eviction rule makes it more challenging for landlords to displace tenants. Effective April 1, it requires property owners, or their family members who evict a tenant for ‘owner move-in’ to occupy the property within 90 days and reside there for at least 12 months.
SB 712: With this law, tenants are now permitted to store their electric scooters and bicycles indoors, but the battery must comply with specified safety standards. However, if a battery fails to meet these standards, the tenant may be required to obtain liability insurance or might be forbidden from charging their mobility devices indoors.
Through AB 416, California is opening doors for the sale of the Japanese spirit, Shochu, in establishments permitted to sell beer and wine. The catch here is that the alcohol content of the spirit must not go beyond 24% by volume.
Another significant addition, AB 899, lays out a requirement for baby food manufacturers. Under this law, manufacturers are mandated to test their products for harmful elements like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury on a monthly basis. Starting from 2025, the results of these tests should be readily accessible on the manufacturer’s website.
AB 1200 is a new regulation, set in place under the California Safer Food Packaging Cookware Act, which was initially approved in 2021. Kickstarting in 2024, this law necessitates cookware manufacturers to openly disclose if their non-stick products contain hazardous chemicals such as PTFEs, FEPs, and PFAs. Moreover, it establishes a ban on deceptive advertising in relation to cookware packaging.
Senate Bill 244 (SB 244) aims to simplify and possibly reduce the cost of repairing electronics and domestic appliances such as televisions and cellphones. This new law mandates manufacturers to supply consumers and repair outlets with necessary components, instruments, and guides for troubleshooting or restoring a device. The Right to Repair Act will be implemented starting July.
Under Senate Bill 644 (SB 644), consumers in California will find it more convenient to rescind their hotel or Airbnb bookings. The law now allows consumers to cancel their lodging accommodations without any penalties, provided the cancellation occurs within 24 hours of the reservation confirmation and the booking was made at least 72 hours prior to their check-in time.
Senate Bill 478 (SB 478) aims to eradicate hidden surcharges that only appear at the end of an online purchase process. Beginning on the 1st of July, 2024, this law mandates websites and mobile applications to exhibit the genuine total cost of a service or a product, such as overnight stays, live event tickets, and food delivery charges.
In the Golden State, privacy and transparency are at the forefront of new laws coming into effect in 2024. Updates to previously approved Proposition 24, or the California Consumer Privacy Act, will finally be implemented in March 2024, giving Californian consumers more control over how their personal data is collected, stored, and used. Since the act additionally provides an avenue for consumers to halt the sale and sharing of sensitive personal information, businesses must tune in to these changes.
Another critical legislative development is AB 587, endorsed in 2022, stipulating that social media companies need to be unambiguous about their hate speech and misinformation policies. Starting in January 2024, these digital media companies must submit regular updates to the state, setting out the manner in which they dealt with violations related to their service terms and consequent enforcement initiatives. This has already sparked controversy, with Elon Musk’s X Corp filing a lawsuit against the state in September, citing constitutional violations.
The state also welcomes the SB 60 law, empowering the general public to petition a court to mandate a social media company to retract any content marketing or promising to distribute controlled substances in contradiction of California law.
Scaling new heights in privacy protection, SB 362, also known as the California Delete Act, grants consumers unparalleled authority of their personal data. Expected to be in effect from January, this act obliges data brokers to register themselves with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA). And there’s more in store—by 2026, the CPPA aims to set up a structure enabling consumers to instruct all registered data brokers to erase their personal details.
Senate Bill 76: This law permits cities to designate temporary Entertainment Zones. Within these zones, existing bars and restaurants will be permitted to sell alcohol, given they are situated within the city-sanctioned street festival’s boundaries.
Assembly Bill 618: This legislation intensifies the financial repercussions for individuals who fail to honor their reserved campground bookings at state parks or beaches. If a cancellation is made between two to six days prior to the reservation, the violator will be charged the cost of one day’s lodging. Reservations cancelled within 24 hours, or those who fail to show up altogether, will face the forfeiture of the full reservation cost.
California’s new law AB 607 mandates Community Colleges and State Universities to publicize the anticipated costs of study materials and fees for each course. This law is optional for University of California campuses to follow. Implementation is set to take place from the academic year 2024-2025 onwards.
AB 1138, another novel addition, obligates California’s higher education institutions to offer secure and confidential transportation services to and from sexual assault treatment facilities. These centers provide critical services like medical attention, emergency contraception, and confidential collection of DNA evidence useful in rape litigations.
Introduced under AB 2282 is a stringent law that intensifies penalties for those employing hate symbols, including swastikas, nooses, or defiled crosses. This law firmly outlaws these symbols across various public and private properties, which include schools, cemeteries, places of worship, workplaces, and more.
The SB 808 law binds the California State University system to produce and submit a yearly report pertaining to sexual harassment allegations and their outcomes. The report should provide insights into how many complaints led to investigations and the time duration for each investigation. These reports must be submitted by the 1st of December every year.
California’s AB 1539 has put in place a new law that classifies voting in both a California election and an election in another state on the same date as a misdemeanor offense.
Meanwhile, AB 421 has been introduced to provide clearer language for ballot measures aimed at modifying existing laws. The goal is to make the intent of the measure transparent for voters. Proposed ballot measures are now required to use terms such as “keep the law” or “overturn the law” for better comprehension. Additionally, the law mandates that the leading contributors to any ballot measure be publicly disclosed.
AB 1412 brings forth an addition to the pre-existing list of mental health conditions deemed eligible for pretrial diversion, now including borderline personality disorder. Until now, individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or post-traumatic stress disorder had the option to sidestep jail time in favor of mental health treatment, providing their charges were non-violent.
With the enforcement of SB 43, an expansion on the definition of who qualifies for involuntary mental health holds has been made. Previously, only individuals unable to provide for their basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter due to mental incompetence were eligible. The law now additionally encompasses those struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, or those who cannot ensure their personal safety.
SB 345 provides new legal safeguards for doctors and healthcare practitioners in California who mail abortion pills or gender-affirming treatment to out-of-state patients. Under this law, authorities are barred from cooperating with investigations originating outside of the state. Moreover, bounty hunters are no longer allowed to seize doctors or pharmacists within California for trials in other states.
SB 385 gives the green light to physician’s assistants across California to administer surgical abortions without the requirement of direct supervision from a physician.
AB 360 introduces laws forbidding coroners, physicians, or medical examiners from citing “excited delirium” as the cause of death on official reports. The law, a result of concerted efforts from criminal justice reform activists, aims to cease the usage of this term by law enforcement when justifying in-custody deaths. Officers are now also prohibited from using this term to depict any individual’s behavior.
With AB 452, the clock is stopped for childhood victims of sexual abuse seeking civil claims for attacks happening from January 1, 2024, and onwards. In contrast, cases of sexual assault that took place before this date will continue to adhere to existing stipulations, which block the filing of a claim beyond the victim’s 40th birthday or after five years from the incident’s discovery.
SB 14 constitutes a law that intensifies imprisonment terms for individuals found guilty of trafficking minors for prostitution. The law also stipulates stricter penalties and increased sentences for anyone convicted of sex trafficking.
Lastly, SB 673 establishes an emergency alert system coined as the Ebony Alert to aid in the search for missing Black women and youths, specifically those aged between 12 and 25 years.
Enshrined within AB 28, an 11% tax will be levied on the sale of firearms and ammunition. This newly generated revenue is earmarked for initiatives promoting gun violence prevention and school safety. Anticipate this law to be in full force beginning July 1, 2024.
SB 2 aims to fortify California’s concealed carry weapons statute by imposing restrictions on firearm possession within certain public domains. Furthermore, it enhances the expectations for firearms safety training and sets the lower age limit to 21 for individuals seeking a concealed carry permit.
Senate Bill 831 enables the California Governor to engage in discussions with the U.S. Attorney General’s Office. The objective of these negotiations is to devise a program that offers immigration parole to unauthorized agricultural laborers. This initiative would provide these workers with visas, thereby safeguarding them against deportation. However, it’s crucial to note that the program does not offer a route towards acquiring legal residency.
There you have it. A complete breakdown on the newest laws coming into effect in California starting Jan 1 2024. If you happen to find yourself in a situation that require traffic ticket help in 2024, we hope you’ll think of us.
