SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) – Come Monday, changes will be coming to California as a variety of new laws are set to go into effect, including one aimed at banning hidden fees.

“We need to know. We need to know what we’re paying for,” said Kelley Day.

Thanks to Senate Bill 478, consumers will know the price of a product or service from the start — not when they get the bill.

“I feel like it makes it fair for consumers in general. You get what you get. You’re seeing the price and then it makes it so no one can complain,” said Zoe Miller.

Also known as the honest pricing law or hidden fees statute, the bill paves the way for transparency. It applies to the sale of most goods and services including restaurants, hotels, event tickets and food delivery service.

“If consumers see a low price at the beginning, then they are more likely to make a commitment there and then once they’ve made the commitment, they’ll have to put up then with the higher price at the end. It’s kind of a bait and switch,” said Alan Gin, an economics professor at University of San Diego.

Gin says restaurants may be among the most worried to bake the total cost of fees and surcharge into the price of what’s on your plate.

“It’s the restaurant industry particularly that’s complaining about this and they may carve out legislation that says their fees would be OK if they display them prominently on the menu,” Gin added.

Lawmakers are currently contemplating that exemption for restaurants. The law already has exemptions for taxes and things like shipping and delivery charges.

A community of nearly 30,000 residents is set to become California’s newest city. 

Mountain House in San Joaquin County will incorporate on July 1, several months after voters showed overwhelming support for cityhood. 
•Video Above: Coverage of Mountain House cityhood vote (from March 2024)

Mountain House is in the southwestern part of the county, about 30 miles southwest of Stockton and 50 miles east of Oakland.

To celebrate cityhood, Mountain House announced officials are holding a commemoration ceremony as part of a Fourth of July celebration. 

Mountain House is San Joaquin County’s eighth city and California’s 483rd city, as well as the state’s newest since 2011. 

It has about 10,000 registered voters and is a growing community with about 28,000 residents. 

On the same March ballot where voters opted for cityhood, they also decided on a proposed mayor and city council and determined how future elections would work. 

A majority of voters decided on an “at-large” process to determine how city council members will be elected.

An “at-large” election means anyone who lives in the city could run for a city council seat, instead of using a system of districts with one member from each. In Mountain House, the candidates with the most votes will become city council members. 

Prior to the cityhood vote, Mountain House was governed by an elected, five-member community services district board. 

EXCLUSIVE: 20th has landed the rights to a feature adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel California Bear from Duane Swierczynski. Gary Lennon will write the feature alongiside Swierczynski with Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media producing, sources tell Deadline.

Swierczynski’s latest novel is a thriller that follows four unlikely vigilantes whose decision to take justice into their own hands pits them against the villain behind California’s coldest murder case.

California Bear is 20th’s first project with Proximity. Rashonda Joplin, 20th’s Director of Production, and Catherine Hughes, Creative Executive, will be shepherding the project. 20th’s Head of Literary Affairs, Clare Reeth was instrumental in bringing the book into the studio. Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian produce through their company, Proximity Media. Rebecca Cho will exec produce and oversee the project along with Hannah Levy for Proximity Media.

In March, Lennon extended his development deal with Lionsgate Television and was previously under an overall deal at Starz. Currently, he is the showrunner and executive producer of the Power spinoff series Power Book IV: Force continuing his work from Season 2 and is in production on the third and final installment of the Chicago-based crime drama. He was also executive producer of the mothership series for Starz which earned him two NAACP Image Awards. Additionally, he’s partnered with Lionsgate Television on P-Valley and Hightown for Starz and the hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. Lennon is represented by CAA, M88 and attorney Erik Hyman.

Swierczynski is the New York Times bestselling and two-time Edgar-nominated author of 15 novels including Expiration Date, Canary and the forthcoming California Bear, as well as the graphic novels Breakneck and Redhead. Along with James Patterson, he co-created the Audible Original The Guilty and co-wrote the private eye thriller Lion & Lamb. He’s also written more than 250 comic books including Deadpool, The Immortal Iron Fist, Punisher, Birds of Prey and Star Wars: Rogue One. His first short story collection, Lush & Other Tales of Boozy Mayhem, was recently published by Cimarron Street Books. Swierczynski is represented by Story Driven and McKuin, Frankel Whitehead.

Proximity Media’s film projects include two-time Academy Award-winning Judas and the Black Messiah, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Creed III which grossed over $275M theatrically. Upcoming, Proximity is currently in production on Ryan Coogler’s untitled event film for Warner Bros. starring Michael B. Jordan. It’s set for a March 2025 IMAX release. Additionally, the company is in post-production on Marvel’s Ironheart miniseries. Proximity also produced the documentary Homeroom with Hulu, co-produced Stephen Curry: Underrated with Apple Original Films, A24 and Unanimous Media, as well as Anthem, with Onyx Collective as part of the company’s overall deal with Disney Television. They are repped by WME and Jonathan Gardner, Esq.