The most interesting new 2023 California laws

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In 2022, the California Legislature handed almost 1,200 payments — and almost 1,000 grew to become legislation with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature.   

Most of the new legal guidelines are minor fixes to legal guidelines that legislators and the governor beforehand enacted. 

Others are slightly slender or particular to a sure trade. Nonetheless others might be phased in over time.   

Newsom has highlighted a number of, together with a legislation limiting prosecutors from utilizing rap lyrics and music movies in court docket and one other requiring oil corporations to publicly publish their income (the governor has additionally referred to as a particular session on his plan to impose a penalty on oil refiners for extra income.)   

After which there is a choose group of latest legal guidelines that took impact on Jan. 1, 2023 — and that might have a noticeable impression on the every day lives of Californians, or on the coverage route of the state.   

Listed below are 9 of them: 

Will this legislation cease gender bias in costs?   

Buyers might have seen that shampoos and different private care merchandise marketed to girls generally value greater than very related variations for males.     Now not. With this legislation, shops might be banned from charging a special worth based mostly on gender — and could possibly be within the crosshairs of the legal professional normal’s workplace for any violations. Advocacy teams say that ending the “pink tax” is one other step in the reason for gender fairness.   

How a lot does that job pay?   

It is hit-and-miss how a lot candidates can discover out about how a lot a job pays. And advocates say that enables for unfair disparities in salaries.     

This new legislation will convey somewhat extra transparency to California workplaces by requiring corporations with at the least 15 workers to place wage ranges into job postings. However intense enterprise opposition blocked provisions that will have meant publication of pay knowledge damaged down by place, gender and race. And a few specialists query how a lot distinction the legislation will make.       

Is that this a return to Wild West bounties?   

Again within the 1800s, the U.S. authorities provided bounties to cease the Union Military from getting cheated. In 2021, Texas handed a legislation limiting abortions and dangled $10,000 per violation to anybody who sued to assist implement it.   

To not be outdone, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature handed this new legislation that enables personal residents to gather $10,000 by suing those that make or promote unlawful “ghost weapons” or assault-style weapons. The U.S. Supreme Courtroom, nevertheless, might throw out the Texas legislation and ones prefer it, together with California’s. However that will be simply fantastic with the governor and lawmakers.         

Will this legislation cease unfold of COVID lies?   

In our COVID world, considered one of many issues is disinformation that may have harmful, even lethal, penalties. Even some docs have unfold myths or lies in regards to the virus and the way finest to deal with it.   This legislation, supported by California’s medical institution, makes it simpler for the state medical board to punish physicians who intentionally unfold misinformation. However some docs have already sued to cease the legislation, saying it violates their free speech rights.           

May this legislation right state historical past?   

The historical past of California is sophisticated, not least as a result of it is such a various state of immigrants, but in addition dwelling to Native American tribes right here nicely earlier than European explorers or the Gold Rush.   This legislation encourages faculty districts to work with tribes to develop historical past classes to provide college students a fuller understanding. The laws additionally goals to lift the commencement charge and shut the achievement hole for Native American college students.       

Will this legislation assist cease intercourse trafficking?   

Lawmakers took their newest steps of their combat in opposition to human trafficking by focusing on what legislation enforcement says are frequent locations the place it occurs. Civil liberties teams, nevertheless, say extra legislation enforcement is the improper method.   

One new legislation requires fines and civil penalties in opposition to inns if supervisors find out about intercourse trafficking however fail to inform legislation enforcement, a nationwide hotline or sufferer advocacy group. One other new legislation provides magnificence, hair and nail salons to these companies, in addition to airports and bus stations, that should publish info on human trafficking, together with how one can contact nonprofits within the subject.     

May this legislation empty dying row?   

California hasn’t executed anybody since 2006. Though voters need to preserve the dying penalty, a 2019 moratorium imposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom prevents executions.   Advocates are additionally in search of to restrict when capital punishment is utilized. This legislation goals on the 674 inmates already on dying row, giving them a technique to problem their dying sentences as racially biased. A disproportionate variety of the condemned inmates are Black.       

Does housing trump setting?   

California has a extreme and chronic scarcity of reasonably priced housing — what Gov. Newsom even calls the state’s “authentic sin.”   These legal guidelines are designed to extend the availability, partially by bypassing some environmental critiques. One permits improvement alongside strip malls, so long as development staff get union wages. A second is designed to ease the scholar housing crunch by exempting dorms from the California Environmental High quality Act.         

Will extra abortion protections matter?   

In giant measure in response to the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturning Roe v. Wade, California lawmakers handed a slew of extra safeguards for abortion entry, in addition to placing a constitutional modification on the November poll, which voters overwhelmingly authorized.   A headliner among the many new legal guidelines is one which shields girls from prosecution in the event that they finish a being pregnant, even when it is self-induced or outdoors the medical system. The brand new legislation additionally ends the requirement that coroners examine stillbirths, after two Kings County girls have been charged after testing constructive for medication.