On January 1, California residents will have to accustom themselves to a number of new laws that will be implemented in the state. These are some the laws that will likely have the most profound effect:
SB 172: High school seniors will receive their diploma whether or not they pass or even take an exit exam; the law also applies retroactively to students who have graduated since 2004;
SB 178: Will force law enforcement to obtain search warrants in order to examine citizens’ emails, text messages, Internet search history and other digital data;
SB 199: Airsoft guns will be required to show aspects marking them as toys, such as fluorescent trigger guards;
SB 277: Will require most children to obtain full vaccination by July so they can attend school in September;
SB 549: Allows in-game charity raffles allowing winners to keep 50 percent of ticket sales, rather than the current 10% and the rest going to charity;
SB 588: Permits the California Labor Commissioner to place a lien on an employer’s property to try and recoup the value of wages left unpaid;
SB 707: Bans concealed firearms from college campuses and K-12 school grounds;
AB 202: Cheerleaders for professional sports teams will be regarded as employees;
AB 329: Makes participation in sex education courses mandatory for students unless parents opt-out, would also inculcate the teaching of a fluid gender identity;
AB 359: Forces stores to keep employees for at least 90 days so they cannot be fired as a result of buyouts or mergers;
AB 775: Forces crisis pregnancy centers” to post a sign alerting clients of the existence nearby of public family planning programs, including abortions;
AB 1014: Will permit family members to obtain a restraining order to keep relatives who might commit gun violence from owning a gun;
AB 1100: Will raise the fee for a statewide proposition from $200 to $2,000;
AB 1422: Forces Uber, Lyft, and similar entities to give the California Department of Motor Vehicles access to driver records.