Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
Starting January 1, 2020, several new laws will go into effect addressing issues like housing, gun ownership, healthcare, and more in California.
Here’s a look at new state laws to know at the start of the new year:
Consumer Protection
AB 375: Data privacy for consumers
The state’s sweeping new consumer data privacy law gives Californians the right to learn what companies like Facebook and Google know about them — and to stop the sharing or selling of their data. They will also be able to sue over data breaches if companies fail to adequately protect their data.
AB 539: Predatory lending
Caps the interest that can be charged on loans between $2,500-$10,000.
Criminal Justice
AB 218: Statute of limitations: Childhood sexual abuse
Extends statute of limitations for adult victims of childhood sexual abuse to report their abusers from age 26 to age 40.
AB 602: Deepfake pornography
Allows a victim of nonconsensual deepfake pornography to sue for damages.
SB 273: Statute of limitations: Domestic violence
Extends statute of limitations for domestic violence felonies from 3 years to 5.
SB 310: Felons serving on juries
Convicted felons who have completed their sentences, parole, probation and supervision will no longer be disqualified from serving as jurors.
SB 439: Prosecution of children under 12
Ends the prosecution of children under age 12 who commit crimes other than murder and forcible sexual assault.
Domestic Partnership
SB 30: Domestic partnership expansion
Opens up domestic partnerships to all Californians, regardless of age or sexual identity. Until now, they’ve been restricted to same-sex couples, or opposite-sex couples aged 62 and up (for social security reasons).
Elections
AB 1707: Smart phones in polling places
Allows voters to use handheld electronic devices to help them cast their ballots at polling places, as long as they don’t violate other election laws.
AB 2188: Campaign finance disclosure: Digital ads
Requires digital ads to clearly display “Who funded this ad?” and link to a website that contains such disclosures.
SB 47: Campaign finance disclosure: Ballot measure petitions
Requires signature petitions for initiatives, referenda and recalls to list their campaigns’ top contributors.
Environment
SB 1249: Animal testing ban: Cosmetic products
Bans sale of cosmetic products with ingredients that were tested on animals on or after January 1, 2020.
SB 8: Smoking ban: State parks and beaches
Bans smoking at state parks and beaches. It comes with a caveat: people can still smoke on paved surfaces like parking lots.
Food
AB 205: Definition of ‘beer’
Expands the definition of beer to include alcoholic beverages fermented with fruit, honey, herbs and other newly approved ingredients.
AB 619: Reusable food containers
Allows restaurant customers to bring — and eat with/from — their own food containers and silverware. It also allows food vendors at fairs, festivals, and farmers markets to use reusable items, which has been against the code until now.
SB 677: Foodserver latex glove ban
Prohibits the use of latex gloves in food facilities and retail food establishments and requires food employees to use nonlatex utensils, including nonlatex gloves.
Health
AB 577: Maternal mental health coverage
Ensures that mothers diagnosed with a maternal mental health disorder whose providers leave their insurance network can still see that provider and be fully covered for up to 12 months. A separate change in the budget extends Medi-Cal coverage to moms with mental health disorders to one year, up from the current 60 days.
State Budget: Health insurance mandate
Californians who go without health insurance in 2020 will have to pay a penalty on their 2021 tax returns, under a new state-imposed mandate. Gov. Newsom has proposed using revenue from this mandate to fund premium assistance for low and middle income Covered California enrollees.
State Budget: Medi-Cal benefits
Allows adults enrolled in Medi-Cal to obtain several optional benefits that were eliminated during the recession. Among them: audiology, incontinence creams and washes, eyeglasses, podiatry, speech therapy.
State Budget: Health coverage for undocumented young adults
Expands Medi-Cal coverage to income-eligible undocumented young adults ages 19-25.
Housing
AB 1482: Rent cap and tenant protections
Caps annual rent increases at 5% plus inflation, and prohibits landlords from evicting tenants without just cause.
AB 68: Accessory dwelling units
Makes it cheaper and faster for Californians to build granny-flats on their property, considered a way to address state’s housing crisis.
SB 329: Housing voucher discrimination
Prohibits landlords from issuing blanket denials against the 300,000 low-income Californians who receive Section 8 housing vouchers.
Pets
AB 588: Dog bite disclosure
Requires public and private animal shelters to disclose a dog’s biting history to a potential new owner if a dog has broken a human’s skin at age 4 months or older.
Workplace
AB 5: Independent contractor rules
Codifies California Supreme Court decision that established a new test for classifying workers as independent contractors, while providing exemptions for a number of industries.
AB 9: Workplace harassment complaints
Extends time limit to file complaint of workplace harassment or discrimination with the state Dept. of Fair Employment & Housing from 1 year to 3.
SB 1343: Sexual harassment training
Requires employers to provide sexual harassment training to all employees. Under current law, only supervisors at most employers have to receive training.
SB 142: Lactation rooms at work
Expands requirements for lactation rooms in workplaces and requires employers provide female workers a break each time they need to express milk.
SB 188: CROWN Act: Hair-based discrimination
Known as the CROWN Act, prevents discrimination in workplaces and schools based on traits historically associated with race, including certain hairstyles such as braids, twists and locks.
Firearms
The bill extends the prohibition from buying more than one handgun a month to include semiautomatic rifles as well.
The law that prohibits people from purchasing more than a handgun a month would be extended to those who want to buy a long gun as well. The law would also restrict people under the age of 21 from buying a gun.
Prohibits a person from owning a gun for life if they’ve been admitted into a health facility more than once within a one-year.
A person who is admitted because they were either a danger to themselves or others would have a lifetime ban from owning a gun. That person would be able to request a court hearing to prove that they will be able to use a firearm safely. The burden would fall on the district attorney to show strong evidence that the person in question would use a gun on themselves or others.
This law extends the amount of time before a person can buy a gun to five years, if they have a gun violence restraining order placed against them.
The new law would allow a law enforcement officer to file for a gun violence restraining order on behalf of their agency. The bill would also change how long a restraining order and the renewal to from one to five years.
The court would determine how long the restraining order would last by considering how long that person would remain a threat. If someone has a restraining order against them, they could try once a year to submit a request to terminate the restraining order.
Police Use of Force
The California Act to Save Lives, introduced this year by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), redefines the Police Use of Force by:
- Use of lethal force would be authorized only when necessary to prevent imminent and serious bodily injury or death.
- Police departments can discipline or fire officers who use unnecessary deadly force.
- Officers could face criminal charges where the use of force was not in self-defense or in defense of another person.
- Officers should use warnings, verbal persuasion, or other nonlethal methods of resolution or de-escalation where the use of deadly force is not deemed necessary.
(The majority of the list was compiled by Capital Public Radio)
Watch out for those state mandated penalties for those who decline way over priced insurance while the state gives away free insurance to the undocumented. When will the revolution begin?
If you aren’t getting health insurance you probably aren’t filing tax returns either, lol. Who’s going to walk through the creeks and freeway offramps collecting IOU’s from the homeless? Joking aside, how does this sort of scenario work itself out?
And these new laws, at least many of them, are only going to make it worse.
CA is such an oppressive state to live in if you are a normal, working person or someone who owns a business. It really is starting to feel more and more like a communist government here. I don’t care if CA is the 6th largest economy – that’s just b/c of AG and Tech – live here awhile and you’ll find its oppressive, heavy handed and awful. I choose freedom, and my stay here definitely has an expiration date. We need to vote out these incumbents who are ruining the state.
I thought the SCOTUS ruled that the individual mandate is unconstitutional? By issuing a penalty, that is in essence a mandate in a roundabout way. How can they get away with this?
SHASTA GUY the revolution has begun – check out the Walk Away Campaign. There is an individual CA Walk Away group on FB as well, that you can join.
ALSO as part of the revolution, there is a recall effort to get Newsom out. There is someone local in Goleta who has the mandated petitions – check out the RANAF fund website for location where you can pick up as many as 3 or have them mailed. Join the revolution!
Felons on juries. Neat.
Hope you find your new location to your liking.
Yes. Please walk away and make more room for the rest of us. Thanks ever so much.
Hooray for the Environment laws. Ban animal testing and ban public smoking. Why allow smoking on paved surfaces, though? Boo. And——-yes to bringing your own “to go” containers to restaurants. We’ve been doing that for over a decade.
AB-5 is a serious blow to many successful, self-employed and independent contractors that I know. They pay for their own insurances, put money aside into retirement accounts, pay social security, and now will be penalized for living in California.
I believe Labor Unions are the biggest proponent of AB-5, to the detriment of otherwise independent business men and women.
Cue up the self-important, all-knowing, open-minded folks who spew, insult, shut down, regulate, and hate those who disagree with them. Only people who have too much can afford to expend all that energy on half the country. Help the homeless. Help the elderly. Help the child who does not have enough to eat. There is so much need out there, no need to spend all that time focusing on the hate. Life is too short. Enjoy and co-exist, as the bumper sticker reads, with everyone….even the folks you hate.
Hope you enjoy your stay here, especially when eventually all the hard working normal people are gone and all you have left is the takers and slackers living off the government , which will include you when you cannot find a job b/c businesses went elsewhere.
California has the most vibrant economy in the nation. If you can’t make it here, you’re incompetent.
These folks are really good at making toothless, superfluous laws arent they? I wonder if they ever look back at the mounds of errors in previous legislation or is it all about forging their own personal legacy… So many ways to tell us how to live and so few ways to fix the myriad of other, real problems. Talking at you Hannah Beth (taxin’) Jackson.
I realize most of the regressive whiners here are immune to facts, but:
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https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer/2416/#methodology
ADAMVANT — Hey, who’s more qualified?
If you are a legal, U.S. Citizen, over 18, you will be penalized for not having medical insurance… If you are an illegal foriegn citizen, no worries in California, we are so rich, you have FREE Med-Cal until you are 25 yrs old…
WOW- Just WOW…!
AB-5 is going to turn many liberal minded people into walkaways who vote republican. It’s going to shut down the gig economy, then they’ll be fined for not buying a Care California health plan.
I prefer Trump’s policy of remove 3 regulations for every 1 new one. Worst are: 1 felons voting 2 ADU law creates costs rica zoning 3 children 12 and under can commit any crimes they want besides murder and rape they’ll be exploited by gangs.
If the state is so worried about climate change why pass a law that’ll double housing in short order and therefore double water use? When the next drought hits watch out.
More instrusive government. More busybodies. More scolding. More finger-wagging. Neat.
Hair discrimination. LOL. We don’t have a housing crisis. It’s an affordability crisis due to the exorbitant taxes and regulations in this state.
Guns SUCK. No one needs a gun. We should outlaw them entirely. So SICK of the gun worship in this country. I’ve gotten even more extreme with my views on guns as I watch the destruction in the path of it. Sickening. I vote for the most strict gun controls I can. Screw your Second Amendment. a cache of guns will NEVER stop the government from invading or arresting you if they want to. The police and the American government are militarized to the Nth degree, they have night vision, thermal weapons, technology that your stupid guns won’t save you from. All guns are good for is killing. And I hate it.
NO, it won’t. This Republican party is shameful and has no ethics. NOTHING will ever make me vote Republican. It would take a miracle at this point. That party has lost all of it’s class, values, goodness and decency.
HOORAY for no more animal testing!! About time! No fur either!
Still waiting….
BUS: No need to be afraid of firearms.
Let me guess… an employed peasant with full benefits that has no clue to what the costs are for a self employed individual? Dude, I make decent money and cannot afford health insurance… so I take this personally.
A vibrant economy does not rely on the top 1% paying 50% of the taxes; nor having one third of the population live in statistical poverty. A vibrant economy does not continue to have a #45 ranked school system while spending 50% of all general tax revenues off the top for public education. A vibrant economy does not carry a one trillion dollar unfunded public pension liability it has foisted on to generations to taxpayers who were not even born when this public debt obligation was created. Look who #5 and #7 are when you brag California is the 6th largest global economy- because this is by no measure a vibrant economy; it is a very lop-sided and precarious one. Unless you are a current government employee who is absconding with all the state’s revenues for themselves.
Gee, BUS, I guess this means you won’t be renewing your membership in the NRA. CA sounds like the perfect state for you, though.
Hey BUS, and outlawing guns does NOT mean that guns will go away. It means only criminals will have them. How safe is that? Drugs are illegal yet I can get any kind of drug I want with a phone call or text.
I thought Trump’s policy was to break or ignore 3 laws for each one he follows, then to verbally attack those who point this out to him.
CA already has about 100,000 more laws and mandates than the next closest state (NY) – almost 400,000 on the books compared to under 300,000 for NY. But every year the elites in Sacramento keep adding more in an attempt to control how we live our lives. It’s a sad situation that is unlikely to change.
Gee, Edhat, no mention of the new restrictive gun laws that will do absolutely nothing to curtail firearm crimes but will continue to tax law abiding citizens? And with all these hundreds of new laws now in effect, I wonder how many laws each of us break every day without even knowing it? Thank goodness the legislature also didn’t pass a new law requiring you to disclose that your dog may lick people – my poor guy would have to be put be in doggie prison. I can hardly wait to see what fabulous new laws will be introduced in 2020. And praise be to Newsom and Becerra to use our tax dollars to continue initiating unconstitutional lawsuits against the federal government on our behalf. You’ve just gotta love this wonderful state and it’s one-party dictatorship.
Please name 3 laws he has broken, then let Congress know because after ten of millions of dollars and three years they weren’t able to come up with a single law he’s broken.
Most of these are good laws (with the exception of AB5) … no wonder right wingers are against them.
Yes, JQB, and left-wingers just keep wanting more taxes and restrictions on individual freedoms. Gotta keep all the rats living in the box known as Kalifornia under control, you know.
no fur? Dude…humans have used fur since the dawn of time. That’s not going to change. It’s called being resourceful. Go buy a faux leather jacket and boots and let the rest of us do as we will.
@142 find me a lefty that wants more taxes and more government control. while you are at it, find me a republican politician that is actually a conservative (lol)
@722, so you think with new gun laws, that only criminals will have them? my my…you right wingers live in a constant fear of criminals and good presidents.
hey BUS i’m with you. guns are lame and our government and politians are just as lame and just aking money to keep the gun thing alive. it’s too much. we’re a few steps away from impressing El Salvador with our constant shootings and gun related murders and school shootings. The right wingers are just marching along doing what their government convinces them to do, ignoring facts and reality. I’ve travelled to a lot of countries with NO guns at all allowed, and those countries are great. Safe. Active. Flourishing. We just constantly look over our back worried that someone’s going to shoot us. A bit much and a bit obnoxious for the right side to ignore kids being shot just for going to school….
@142 that is because we are also the most populated state in the nation. More people = more laws. That’s just how it goes. I’ve been here 49 years and our laws don’t hinder my life, livliehood, fun, adventure, etc.
wait how is felons being able to vote a bad thing? you think because someone has a felony that they are a bad human and shouldn’t be allowed to vote? They sure as f**K pay taxes, so they can vote. I have a felony. I also work a professional job, raised two kids, mentor two other kids and chip in at any community event that is near myself or family. I know people without felonies that shouldn’t have a voter registration card, in fact most non felons i know shouldn’t be able to vote. Just to squash questions, mine was for carrying a concealed butterfly knife. Same as carrying a sawed off shotgun. A butterfly knife you can open with one hand. Sure give me a felony at 18 for a 4″ knife, but it’s the same offense as a sawed off shotgun. Of course i had it removed and expunged and I vote. I hope that wrecks your day.
obstruction of justice/congress, abuse of powers. those are two that he was convicted of. the list of bad things and tasteless things and his bullying, rudeness, embarassing comments, etc well that list just goes on and on and on. You righty’s sure love to vote in presidents that end up being corrupt…*thinks of 75% of the regan admin that were arrested*
Hey Adam, explain to us why a felon on a jury is a bad thing or why a felon allowed to vote is bad. I’m a felon, and i’ve been on many juries and have voted for decades. I’ve had my lame felon expunged from my record, but still a felon who votes and does more great things. I hope that ruins your day.
if any of you find it so darned difficult to be and survive in California because of our crazy laws and crazy wacky ways…please….please go to Kansas and set up camp. The more of you that leave, the better for the rest of us.
So true Zero. And think about the process by which this fake stuff is made. Using petroleum based polyurethane. Must be toxic to the environment all the way down the line.
Unfact – What a crock!
The top 10% own 80% of the wealth but account 68% of the income taxes collected, however… Payroll taxes account for 34 percent of federal revenues. They only apply to income earned on the job – not income from capital gains on investments, which make up a much greater share of the income of the top 10 percent. And payroll taxes for Social Security are capped at $106,800 and the wealthiest 10 percent only pay 25 percent of all payroll taxes which further reduces their share of the Federal tax burden to around 50%. So, in the real world, your beloved Aristocracy controls 80% of the nation’s wealth and pays 50% of the taxes.
Here’s some actual data for California and the nation, in addition to the already cited WalletHub Information:
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https://itep.org/whopays-map/
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https://itep.org/whopays/california/
Sorry Zerohawk, not only has he not been convicted (yet, and won’t), 1) there is no “abuse of power” criminal statue and 2) Trump refusing to let staff testify / respond to congressional subpoenas by claiming Executive Privilege (fully within his powers) does not equal obstruction of Congress. See, here in the US the Executive and the Legislative are both SEPARATE BUT EQUAL branches. Executive Privilege is a perfectly good reason to refuse a Congressional subpoena. Had Congress gone to the third branch, the Judicial, and the Judicial ruled that in this case Executive Privilege did not apply and the Executive Branch should comply with the Legislative branch’s subpoena, and then the Trump administration didn’t, that would be obstruction of congress. As this is all political theater congress didn’t seek a ruling from the Judicial branch so no obstruction. Do take this as me supporting Trump, just correcting your inaccurate statements. Still waiting on a crime Trump has committed….
Zerohawk, Trump has been “convicted” of nothing, as SAM THE DOG points out, among other fallacies perpetrated by “journalists” like Rachel Maddow and other numerous members of the MSM, who seem to influence a great many people who have an intense hatred of this elected President. He was “impeached”, which means “to bring charges against” – again, it does not mean “convicted”. He could have been impeached for wearing a black suit instead of green on St. Patrick’s day if the Democrats wanted to do so, and that would have more weight than the current charges. In addition, the “impeachment” will not be an impeachment if the House does not submit their partisan articles to the Senate. We will see how this circus plays out in 2020, but I suspect there’s going to be a lot more crying and gnashing of teeth coming from the Left on November 5.
That second to last line should read “Don’t take this as me …” but I think people understood.
AB 5 definitely NOT good. A vast majority of gig workers are semi-retired or students who want flexible hours. They already have health insurance (which is “affordable” now). Also, “gig” is really a SMALL BUSINESS. A 1099 is filed by company and “gig” workers are responsible for paying their own taxes, on PROFITS…minus business expenses. That is a real benefit of having your own business. Paying people by the hour won’t work . People like to do personal errands, study, care-take family members, etc in between deliveries/rides and the companies don’t want to pay people for stand-by.
I’m normally a Democrat, but NO THANKS for this mess ! Lots of people are going to lose income, and it will increase costs to consumers !! The small fraction of people that WANT this…should get a job with the Post Office etc.
Apparently there is a new draconian water use law, 55 gal per person per day. https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/just-the-facts-about-californias-new-household-water-rationing-law/ **** I didn’t know about until I ran across the story. There apparently is. $1,000 fine associated with it. It looks like CA is going to everybody for everything.
I meant to say CA is going to fine everybody for everything.
Here’s another link about this draconian water usage law: https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/01/02/california-media-discuss-new-water-usage-laws-in-effect-55-gallons-per-day-or-1000-fine/
55 gallons per person per day is Draconian??? Maybe if you’ve got a big Montecito lawn.
That comes out to 4.4 HCF per month for a two person household. That’s twice what our family uses in a month. Doesn’t sound very Draconian to me. Conservation is a good idea.
“I’ve travelled to a lot of countries with NO guns at all allowed, and those countries are great. Safe. Active. Flourishing.” ……………………I also took a Disney Ship to Disney Island and at Disney food and danced with the Disney cast members and had safe water and safe food and safe everything………….. My goodness, what a boring way to travel. Yelp Review by safe traveller types with bank: “The tea cakes were faaaaabuuuuuulussss; the staff members were soooooo attentive we gave an extra 1% tip; we loved the white-glove treatment; our vegan meals were prepared by the locals who bathed daily, which surprised us; the mints on our pillows were delicious.” Save travel = boring travel. Get out to the real world and do it, otherwise, stick to your safe/clean/antiseptic/boring travels. Can’t wait to tell you that we’re busy when you invite us over to view the boring pics….we have plans to watch re-runs of ‘The Price Is Right’ on the telly.
Then why would you think such a restriction was unreasonable, or “Draconian”. Our world has limits on what we can consume, despite the NeoCon attacks on environmental protections.
Looks more to me like California is going to fine people with sociopathic behavior. Win-win.
Some more info on this water law. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/correct-information-california-water-efficiency-222625943.html *** Sacramento knows what’s best for you. Who knows what the unintended consequences will be.
And you think the law is unreasonable because??
OK, I’ll interpret your silence: You saw a flap and squawk misinterpretation of the law on a right-wing “news” site, with the facts twisted in a way that would inflame true believers. You didn’t realize that even that interpretation allowed *each person* 2 HCF per month. Then you finally stumbled upon the actual provisions of the law, which have nothing to do with individual limits, and are meant to encourage conservation by regional water providers, and are totally reasonable, and have punted to muttering about “unintended consequences”.
It takes one to know one?
AB-5 was needed because too many employers (especially Gig economy) have been screwing workers on fair wages, OT, benefits, workers comp, etc… just so they can reap more profit.
“Water-wise” except that a great many homeowners and businesses seem to allow their “gardeners” to do whatever, however, whenever. I have actually heard people say they are “afraid” to tell their gardeners what to do——-afraid the guys will quit. There have always been a faction of UN-water-wise gardeners hosing down sidewalks and driveways. Get a little rain and a lot of us lapse back to water wasteful habits. But more important is the fact that many of these yard maintenance guys *never* got the water conservation message in the first place. They should be taught that water is not only too ex$pensive, but also too precious to waste.
Sad fact of life: A great many people won’t do the right thing unless they are forced to do the right thing. Hence all these laws.
All the while we’ll keep pumping the last of our groundwater to grow crops in the middle of a desert.
@ 563. nope. wrong. this is all clear and the house made it CRYSTAL clear that he has abused power of office for personal gain as well as obstruction of justice. there is A LOT more. deny all you like, just like the climate change deniers, you’ll be proven wrong in the end. Fact is fact. You can put a twist on words all you want, but the evidence is there.
Sam, no. Being a president doesn’t give you the right to ignore a congressional subpoena. Claiming Executive Priv when you’re on the hot seat, shows the entire world you are guilty as can be. Otherwise, why not show up and present the facts to the powers that be? Why hide? Because he’s guilty and he knows it. I bet you also felt Regan was a good president…or Nixon. Trump has abused more powers and has commited more crimes in office than Regan and Nixon and Clinton combined. History will show this and time will prove it. Meanwhile, i’ll be eating popcorn and watching the show. Clearly you do know your stuff and have done some reading, which i fully appreciate. i hate discussing this topic with people that aren’t educated on it, such as you are. So thanks for actually looking into this before posting. But I still firmly disagree, so we will have to agree to disagree on this one man…
Zero, follow you own words. The act of claiming executive privilege means it wasn’t ignored. i stated how if this was anything but political theater they would have gotten a judge to rule on the matter and force the witnesses to testify (the fact that this wasn’t done should be telling). I’ll also disagree with your idea that him claiming executive privilege shows the world he’s guilty. With how the democratic politicians have openly stated they would impeach the president the second he was inaugurated, before he even had the chance to commit “treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors”, how they lied to the american people for years “we have proof Trump colluded with the Russians”,(really? where? Muller spent months and tens of millions and couldn’t find any), how the liberal media has spun and twisted his comments ( see https://www.walkawaycampaign.com among others), why on God’s earth would he ever agree to participate in this partisan political theater? Your comment on Trump abusing his power and committing more crimes than Nixon, Regan, and Clinton is based purely on emotion and not on any factual basis. If there are any facts to support he “has committed more crimes in office than..” you bet your a$s the democrats would have uncovered them.
JOEG, You are correct , It is time to elect the lunatics out of office, it is not so much local offcials as it is at the top with the governor and top law makers in this state. They will say anything to get re-elected, but never think anything through when they go pass a bill or new law. Sad.