Nearly 900 new laws will go into effect in California starting next year. Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed only 156 of the 1,046 bills that reached his desk this legislative session. Several measures will be first-in-the-nation efforts, including the Ebony Alert system specifically aimed at finding missing black children and girls. Newsom has approved several bills aimed at making housing more affordable in California, including one that would limit renters’ security deposits to no more than one month’s rent.
On this week’s “In Focus SoCal,” host Tanya McRae takes a closer look at some of California’s new laws. State Sen. Anthony Portantino joins the conversation to discuss new gun safety measures, one of which would strengthen the state’s public carry regulations.
“Being able to carry a gun is a responsibility just like driving,” Portantino said.
SB 2 ensures that those who carry firearms in public are responsible, law-abiding citizens who do not pose a danger to themselves or others. The law also identifies certain public places where guns may not be carried.
Portantino also discussed SB 786, which allows health care providers and pharmacies to continue providing high-quality affordable care, affordable drugs, and services to low-income and uninsured people. patients.
“What we’ve done is we’ve streamlined the process to make sure that the middle class, the middle class, are not getting the prescription benefits,” he said. “Many of the drug manufacturers are offering rebates and offering opportunities to reduce prices. Middlemen take the cuts but don’t pass the savings on to the clinics.
Laurel Rosenhall, the Sacramento bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, also joined the show this week to discuss other landmark bills the governor signed into law. SB 616 guarantees employees five paid sick days per year, up from three now.
“A few years ago, it was a controversial issue in the Capitol when California passed a law requiring three paid sick days,” Rosenhall said. “This year, lawmakers came back and proposed increasing up to seven paid sick days as a minimum requirement, and through the course of negotiations, they settled on five.”
Newsom also approved a historic legislative package that would overhaul California’s mental health system. One part expands the definition of “severe disability” with the addition of substance use disorder. SB 54 would allow more opportunities to hold someone against their will.
“It’s controversial because some people see it as restricting people’s civil rights as potentially, you know, discriminating against people based on a disability,” Rosenhall said. “On the other hand, there are many lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who really feel that the visible reality in many cities in California is that people are walking around with untreated mental health and untreated substance abuse issues, became very serious. .”
