14 New California Laws You Should Know About

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media 

Several new laws took effect on Jan. 1 in California that may impact your job, business, finances, privacy, family, and day-to-day life. 

During the last legislative session, lawmakers introduced 4,821 bills (1,530 in the State Senate and 3,291 in the Assembly). 

Of those bills, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 1,017 of them into law and vetoed 189 of them. 

Along with the bills the Governor signed into law, other new laws signed in previous years also took effect on Jan. 1.  

California Black Media combed through our new state laws and highlighted 14 new laws you should definitely be aware of: 

1. AB 2622 – Assemblymember Juan Carrillo (D-Palmdale). Raises dollar limit from $500 to $1000 for home projects that require licensed contractors. 

• AB 413  – Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-Milpitas). Makes it illegal to park a vehicle within 20 feet of any unmarked or marked crosswalk or 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension is present.

• AB 2017 – Sen. Timothy Grayson (D-Concord). Eliminates extra fees for declined transactions. State-chartered banks and credit unions can no longer charge you a fee for declined transactions because your balance is too low.

• SB 1061 – Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara). Protects credit scores from medical debt. This law stops credit agencies from including medical debt on an individual’s credit report and prevents lenders from considering it in credit decisions.

• AB 2863 – Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth).Eliminates subscription traps. Starting July 1, 2025, companies must get clear consent before charging customers after a free trial ends, send annual reminders about recurring charges, and make cancellation as simple as signing up. Customers will receive advance notice of any price changes, allowing time to decide whether to continue the subscription.

• AB 3209  – Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park). Allows retail stores to obtain restraining orders against people sentenced for stealing, vandalizing or assaulting their employees. 

• AB 1779 – Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks). Allows California district attorneys to coordinate with other DAs to consolidate charges for suspects in retail theft crimes that occur across multiple counties.

• AB 1955  – Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego). Prohibits school districts in the state from enacting policies that could force educators to notify parents if students identify as transgender or request to use a different name.

• SB 988  – Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). Increases protections for independent contractors by requiring workers be paid on or before the date specified in their contract, or no later than 30 days after completion of services if no date is specified.

1.  Beginning in 2025, the new state minimum wage has increased to $16.50 an hour. This statewide pay minimum is based on a 2016 law by SB 3 by former Sen Mark Leno (D-San Francisco)signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. 

1.  AB 2347  – Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose). Allows tenants 10 business days to respond to eviction notices instead of the previously mandated 5 business days. 

1.  AB 1825 – Assemblymember Al Muratshchi (D- Torrance). The Freedom to Read Act prohibits public libraries from banning books due to race, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or political affiliation of a book’s subject, author, or intended audience.

1.  SB 1137 – Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles). Clarifies that California laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics, such as race, gender, age, disability and sexual orientation, also apply to intersectional identities, where two or more of the characteristics result in a unique form of discrimination.

1.  AB 1815  – Sen. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego). Expands civil rights by recognizing multiple forms of discrimination and protecting traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles.Weber introduced this bill last year while she was an Assemblymember representing the 79^th District in the greater San Diego area.