PD Editorial: California’s news laws for the new year

Welcome to 2017.

For many people, this is a day for reflections and resolutions and maybe a little football. New Year’s Day also is the effective date for nearly 900 new state laws.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to memorize them all. In fact, it isn’t much of a stretch to say that many of these laws will be forgotten as soon as they’re added to the state code books.

Others, however, will affect people’s work, their homes, their health, even their driving habits.

Anyone working a minimum-wage job for a company with more than 25 employees gets a small pay raise - 50 cents an hour - effective today. The state’s minimum wage is now $10.50 an hour, and it will gradually increase to $15 an hour over the next five years.

Nearly 7 million workers whose employment benefits don’t include retirement plans will be automatically enrolled in Secure Choice, a payroll deduction program that directs money into a 401(k)-style saving plan. Employees can opt out, but they probably shouldn’t.

California continues to tighten its cellphone laws as drivers discover new distractions. Hands-free phones are mandatory for chatting and texting, but a loophole in the law allowed other uses, such as taking photos, shooting video and searching for directions. Drivers are now limited to one-touch and voice-activated features. They also can simply drive. It’s safer, and no law is required.

Community colleges must open their shower facilities to homeless students who are properly enrolled and in good standing.

California now has a “right-to-try law,” which allows terminally ill residents to obtain and use experimental drugs even if they aren’t accepted into a clinical trial - and so long as they have exhausted treatments sanctioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A new law intended to deter opioid abuse and “doctor shopping” requires physicians and other health care providers to check a state database before prescribing opioid painkillers.

The new restrictions that produced a run on assault rifles in the final weeks of 2016 go into effect today, along with a common-sense law requiring that anyone who leaves a firearm in an unattended vehicle must ensure that the vehicle is locked.

The next time you get your hair cut, your barber or stylist can serve you a complimentary glass of wine or beer without a state alcohol license. However, it’s now illegal for anyone to make, sell or possess powdered alcohol. Who knew there was such a thing?

When the next election rolls around, you will be free to take a selfie of your ballot and post it online. You also may allow someone else to drop off your ballot.

Uber drivers must now pass a background check, and registered sex offenders and violent felons are no longer eligible to drive for ride-sharing services.

Motorcycle lane-splitting, an accepted practice on busy California freeways and surface streets for many years, is now officially sanctioned by the state.

And finally, your favorite old blue jeans have been conscripted. North Bay Assemblyman Marc Levine’s AB 501 made denim the “official fabric” of California. Will casual day ever be the same?

Lawmakers reconvene Wednesday to begin working on a new crop of laws for 2018. If you’ve got an idea for one, or maybe one that you want repealed, let us know at letters@pressdemocrat.com.