IMPORTANT NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS IN 2023

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

By Miriam Raftery

January 3, 2023 (Sacramento) – Hundreds of new laws take effect in California starting in 2023. Here are some of the most consequential new laws impacting Californians.

BUSINESS AND LABOR

Minimum wage raise:  California’s minimum wage went up to $15.50 on January 1st, as a result of legislation enacted in 2016 that gradually raised the rate.

Salary transparency:  Senate Bill (SB) 1162 requires employers with at least 15 employees to post salary ranges in job postings, to provide transparency.  However, business lobbyists blocked other provisions that would have required publishing pay data broken down by position, race and gender.

Safe workplace:  An employer is prohibited from taking or threatening negative action against any worker who leaves or refuses to come to work due to a reasonable belief that the work site is unsafe, such as during a natural disaster, crime or evacuation orders, under SB 1044. The bill excludes pandemics, however.

CONSUMERS

Gender-bias in pricing: Products marketed to women have often been priced higher than similar products marketed to men.  AB 1287 aims to eliminate this “pink tax” by banning gender-based pricing on products.

PFAS banned in food packaging:  SB 1200 bans food packaging containing toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS or “forever chemicals” that have been found in many water supplies and are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Fur sales banned:  To protect animals, you can’t buy new fur clothing or accessories anymore under AB 44 passed in 2019, though you can still by used fur products, leather, cowhide, faux (imitation) fur, and shearling. 

HEALTH

COVID misinformation: AB 2098 would declare it unprofessional conduct for a doctor to intentionally distribute misinformation about COVID-19 to a patient under their care. However, the new law is being challenged in court by some doctors, who claim it violates their free speech rights.

Abortion and birth control access: After the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade and allowed states to outlaw or restrict abortion, California enacted several laws to protect access here as long as Congress keeps abortion legal at the national level.  The legislature put Prop 1 on the ballot, which voters overwhelmingly approved to create state constitutional protection for abortion and birth control access. AB 2223 protects women and girls from criminal prosecution or civil liabilities if they have a miscarriage or abortion. AB 2626 protects licenses for doctors, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners and midwives who perform abortions. AB 2091 bars disclosure of abortion-related medical information to out-of-state law enforcement agencies.

Transgender health: SB 107 protects transgender people, including minors and their parents, from legal action by other states if the family seeks transgender surgery or other gender-affirming care in California.

 CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Sex trafficking:  Two new laws aim to help stop sex trafficking.  AB 1788 imposes fines and civil penalties on hotels if supervisors know that sex trafficking is going on in their hotels, but fail to notify law enforcement, a national hotline, or a victims’ advocacy group.  AB 1661  would require airports and bus stations, as well as beauty, hair and nail salons to post information on human trafficking and how to get help.

Rape victim protection:  Law enforcement agencies can’t use rape victims’ DNA collected in rape kits to investigate unrelated crimes under SB 1228.

Jail calls:  Inmates and youths in state prisons, county jails and youth detention facilities will be allowed free voice communications under SB 1008. The bill reflects the range of new options such as video conferencing as well as phone calls, to lessen the financial burden on often poor families who have paid costs of long-distance calls in the past.

Illegal gun lawsuit bounties:  Senate Bill 1327 lets any private citizen collect a $10,000 bounty by suing people who make or sell illegal “ghost guns” or assault style weapons, a measure adopted in California after Texas enacted a similar bounty law for anyone suing to enforce its abortion ban.  However, the Supreme Court is slated to rule on the Texas bounty law, which could determine the constitutionality or California’s gun bounty measure.

TRAFFIC AND ROADWAY SAFETY

The California Highway Patrol has provided descriptions of new laws impacting motorists, pedestrians and roadway safety, which ECM has previously published here.

 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.