SACRAMENTO — Dozens of new state laws take effect today that could make things tougher for gang members, smokers and kangaroos while providing new protections for nursing home residents, shoppers and misbehaving celebrities.
In addition, California workers who earn the minimum wage will get a raise from $7.50 to $8 per hour starting today, tying California with Massachusetts for the highest state minimum wage in the nation. That change, affecting 1.4 million California workers, is the result of a bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.
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Los Angeles Times Friday, January 04, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 39 words Type of Material: Correction
Wages: An article in Tuesday's California section about state laws taking effect this year said the state's new $8-per-hour minimum wage tied it with Massachusetts for the highest in the nation. Washington state's minimum wage is higher, at $8.07.
And annual car fees will rise July 1, partly to help pay for energy and clean-air programs.
In 2007, Schwarzenegger signed 750 bills, but many of the new laws won't kick in for months or even years.
For instance, the governor signed a pioneering measure that requires new semiautomatic pistols to have technology for stamping tiny identifying marks on cartridge casings, starting in 2010.
Another new law prohibits the manufacture, sale and distribution of toys intended for children younger than 3 that contain certain chemicals, but the ban does not begin until Jan. 1, 2009.
A law signed last year that bans minors from using cellphones and text-messaging devices while driving takes effect July 1, as does a companion measure requiring adults to use hands-free devices if they talk on a phone while behind the wheel.
The laws taking effect today include a ban on smoking in cars where minors are present, punishable by a fine of up to $100. Police officers cannot pull motorists over for smoking, however. Officers can cite adult smokers only if that offense is discovered in conjunction with another violation such as speeding.
Don't expect any grace period, said Fran Clader, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol. "If any of our officers see it they will enforce the law," Clader said.
A series of anti-gang measures, passed in response to violence in Los Angeles and other big cities, was signed by the governor. One allows prosecutors in Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, Oakland and Sacramento to bring eviction actions against tenants for illegal weapons possession if the landlord is unwilling or afraid to act.
That law is aimed, in part, at preventing gang members from using apartment buildings as unofficial gang headquarters.
A related measure allows judges who sentence juvenile gang offenders to order the parents to attend classes to learn how to keep their children from engaging in gang violence. The curriculum would include a meeting between the parents and families of victims of gang violence.
Another new law legalizes the importing of kangaroo products harvested from non-endangered kangaroo species in Australia through 2010. Soccer shoes and other sports footwear made from kangaroo hide are popular among professional athletes.
Misbehaving celebrities could get a break from a measure that makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000, for any law enforcement or court employee to disclose, for financial gain, information obtained in a criminal investigation or any photo of a person in custody.
In another area, shoppers will get some help from a new law that requires retailers to redeem unused or partly used gift cards for cash if the amount is less than $10.
Here are some other laws that take effect today. More information: www.leginfo.ca.gov.
Air board: Allows the South Coast Air Quality Management District to extend the term of its chairman, William Burke, who would have been removed from the leadership post by term limits this month. (SB 886)
Car fees: Increases the smog abatement fee that many car owners pay from $12 to $20 starting July 1, to help fund alternative-fuel development. Also raises registration fees by $3 a year on all vehicles. (AB 118)
Celebrity wills: Allows celebrities to retain the right to control use of their names, voices and images as dictated in their wills, regardless of when they died. Addresses a dispute in court over publicity rights associated with actress Marilyn Monroe. (SB 771)
Citizenship checks: Prohibits cities and counties from adopting ordinances requiring landlords to ask the residency status of tenants as a way of identifying illegal immigrants. (AB 976)
Condors: Bans the use of lead ammunition in the habitat of endangered California condors. Cites concern that 11 of the birds have been taken for treatment to the Los Angeles Zoo with lead poisoning since February. (AB 821)
Cord blood: Requires that information on cord blood donation be provided to pregnant women. (SB 962) Related law requires establishment of an umbilical cord blood collection program and creates a special account for federal funds and donations to public cord blood banks starting in 2010. (AB 34)
