725 New California Laws Now On The Books

Effective Jan. 1, Californians have 725 new laws on the books. So for those not up on all the latest legislative change, here's a quick glance:

• AB 119 prevents insurance companies from charging different rates for men and women for identical coverage.
• SB 782 prevents landlords from evicting tenants who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse or stalking.
• AB 1844—informally known as Chelsea's Law and authored by local Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher—will increase penalties, parole provisions and oversight of sex offenders, including a "one-strike, life-without-parole penalty" for some. _
• AB 1871 allows people to lease out their cars when they are not being used—alleviating the need to purchase additional insurance.
• AB 537 will make food stamps an acceptable form of payment at farmers markets through an EBT process.
• SB 1411 makes it a misdemeanor to maliciously impersonate someone via a social media outlet or through e-mails._
• SB 1317 allows the state to slap parents with a $2,000 fine if their K-8 child misses more than 10 percent of the school year without a valid excuse. It also allows the state to punish parents with up to a year in prison for the misdemeanor_._
• AB 715 makes a change to the California Green Building Standards code. The change will require new California buildings to be energy efficient.
• SB 1449 makes the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana an infraction with a penalty of a $100 fine.
• AB 12 allows foster youth to acquire state services until the age of 21.
• SB 1399 allows California to medically parole state prison inmates with physical incapacitating conditions and ultimately_ shifts some of the cost of care to the federal government.
• AB 97 bans the use of trans-fats in food facilities.___

For more information on California laws, visit the LegInfo.Ca.Gov/_