A Host of New California Laws that Went into Effect January 1 Affect Pasadena Residents

Pasadena residents will start feeling the effects of hundreds of new laws passed in California, including one which actually allows beauty salons to serve free beer, gender-neutral public bathroom regulations, and one which bars the state from funding of travel for its employees to states that do not support gay rights.

The raft of new laws the state of California added includes more controls on the ownership of firearms, harsher sanctions against crime, extra restrictions on ride-hailing firms that work out of smartphone apps, and the familiar minimum wage hike.

Under Assembly Bill 1322, beauty salons and barbershops are now allowed to offer patrons a free beer or a glass of wine, without a liquor license. But they can’t charge for the drinks without a license.

California public schools are now banned from using the name “Redskins” for sports teams and mascots under AB 30.

On the cybercrime front, it is now a crime to use ransomware, malware or intrusive software injected into a computer or network to hold data hostage, until money is paid.

Public schools are now allowed to expel students proven to be bullying through videoing or sexting. State education officials will be required to publish information on sexual cyberbullying online and encourage schools to teach students about sexting.

To help the state’s housing crisis, it will now be easier for California homeowners to construct additional small units on their properties, whether in their garages or as freestanding second structures.

Here in Pasadena, the City’s Planning and Community Development Department is currently working on a draft to amend the City’s Second Dwelling Unit Ordinance and bring it in compliance with the newly amended State law.

A variety of new laws will certainly affect how you go about your personal daily life in relation to other members of your community.

For one, bathrooms in public buildings with a single toilet must be designated as all-gender or gender-neutral, open to anyone, starting on March 1.

Under AB 1995, community college campuses in the state with shower facilities on campus must allow homeless students who are enrolled, paid and in good standing to use the facilities. Another law requires public and private institutions that offer food services to apply for a state-funded program that provides food for homeless students.

The state can no longer require public employees to travel to states believed to discriminate against lesbians, gays, bisexual or transgender people, and they can no longer fund such travel.

Tobacco smoking or use of electronic cigarettes within 250 feet of any Little League baseball game or other youth sports event is now illegal.

Pasadenans may also have to be more conscious of their commute, as new state laws take effect governing transportation.

Starting January, children younger than two years old must be made to sit in rear-facing car seats.

Anyone convicted of DUI will be required to install a device in their vehicle that will ensure they are sober before they can start the ignition.

The state’s ban on texting while driving has also been expanded to include other distractions. Californians are no longer allowed to use a handheld wireless phone or wireless electronic device while driving, unless the device is visibly mounted on the vehicle windshield or dashboard, in a way that doesn’t hinder the driver’s view. Drivers can’t even swipe or tap on their phones to activate or deactivate a feature while holding the phone.

For motorcyclists, the California Highway Patrol will now establish new rules that will regulate “lane splitting,” or driving a motorcycle between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane.

Ride-hailing companies, including Uber and Lyft, will not be allowed to hire drivers who are registered sex offenders, have been convicted of violent felonies, or have had a DUI conviction within the last seven years. Their drivers also can’t have a blood alcohol content of 0.04 percent or more.

Starting this month, charter bus drivers in the state are required to provide written or video instructions to passengers on how to use the vehicle’s safety equipment and emergency exits.

School districts will be required to improve school bus driver training so students would no longer be left alone; drivers must notify the Department of Motor Vehicles if students are left behind.

For motorists, a program providing electric-car rebates will now only be available to those making $150,000 a year or less.

Also, the cost for lead-acid batteries like those used to start cars and trucks will increase to help pay for cleaning up contaminated sites. Consumers will see a new $1 fee starting in April.

On the crime prevention front, the state has now eliminated statutes of limitations for rape and some other sex crimes. If such a crime happens after December 31, 2016, the victim can report it at any point in the future and see it prosecuted.

Prison time will now be mandatory for those convicted of sexual assault in which the victim was unconscious or not capable of giving consent because of intoxication.

County prosecutors can now pursue felony charges against people caught with date-rape drugs and who also have demonstrated the intent to commit sexual assault. A ban is in place on possession of a synthetic drug called “spice.” The first offense would be an infraction; the second or third offense would be a misdemeanor.

Convicted sex offenders involved in Internet-related crimes are now required to report their email addresses, user names and other Internet identifiers to police.

On the other hand, law enforcement authorities will have a tougher time seizing someone’s cash, cars or property. A criminal conviction is now required before the police can permanently take from a suspect any assets valued under $40,000.

The publication of the addresses of domestic violence victims is now banned by the state.

Under new state laws, children can no longer be charged with prostitution, given the high incidence of human trafficking of people younger than 18. Adults who perform or solicit prostitution would no longer face mandatory minimum sentences.

In an effort to curb violence using firearms and prevent mass shootings, new state law prohibits people from buying semi-automatic rifles that have a “bullet button,” that allows fast removal and replacement of the magazine. After January 1, such weapons are okay to own, but those possessing them will now have to register them with the state.

New state law will now allow police to charge people who falsely report a firearm is lost or stolen with a misdemeanor; they could face a 10-year ban on owning a firearm upon conviction.

In California, licenses to carry a concealed weapon will no longer be different from county to county. State justice department officials will now start the process of creating a uniform license and will announce when they are available.

Also, law enforcement officers and concealed-carry permit holders who leave firearms in cars are now required to lock them in a safe box or in the trunk.

On healthcare related legislation, California businesses and public agencies are now authorized to have on hand medicine designed to combat severe, emergency allergic reactions.

Women can now pick up an entire year’s worth of birth control pills at once, and health plans must cover the cost.

Like a previous law that protects high school student-athletes who may have suffered head injuries, youth sports organizations will now be required to notify the parents or guardians of athletes younger than 17 years old who have been removed from activity because of a suspected concussion.
Athletic organizations are also required to offer concussion and head injury education to coaches and administrators on a yearly basis.

To counter a spike in opioid overdose deaths, prescribers must check a state database to see whether their patients also have received drugs from other physicians.

Terminally ill patients in the state will be allowed to use experimental drugs to decide when they want to end their lives. It authorizes, but does not require, health plans to cover investigational drugs and protects physicians from disciplinary actions if they recommend them, once other treatment options have been exhausted.

On political rights, felons serving sentences in county jails will be able to vote in California elections as part of an effort to speed their transition back into society.

Voters can now legally take a selfie with their completed ballot, and are permitted to legally hand off their sealed ballot to anyone to mail or deliver in person.

More cities and counties can offer public financing of political campaigns, and city councils and county boards of supervisors are required to publicly announce pay and benefit increases for government executives before they are approved by a vote.

In April, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 3 requiring employers to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022. On January 1, the minimum wage rose to $10.50 for business with 26 or more employees. Businesses with fewer than 26 workers have a year to implement a wage increase.
For Pasadena, the minimum wage ordinance raised wages in July last year to $10.50. This will go up to $12 in the middle of this year, and to $13.25 in 2018. The increases will pause in 2019 as the City Council and City staff review the effects of the new wages on the local economy before continuing upward.

Pasadena’s new minimum wage rules were approved prior to the State of California action and while similarities exist, the requirements are different.

On the employment front, employers in the state are prohibited from paying women less than their male counterparts. The state also prohibits unequal wages based on race or ethnicity.

Employers interviewing a job applicant won’t be allowed to ask the applicant to disclose information about an arrest, detention or court case if any of those happened while the person was younger than 18.