New year, new laws for San Mateo County

“2024 is an important year for the implementation of some of the most impactful bills I’ve authored during my tenure in the Assembly,” Berman said in a press release.

Additional legislation authored by Berman and taking effect next year includes AB 2006, requiring three state agencies to enter into an agreement meant to better monitor affordable housing development.

Three laws on higher education will also take effect next year. AB 789 removes barriers for students to keep their financial aid and petition to have their aid reinstated if it’s been revoked and to regain that aid after they’ve unenrolled and re-enrolled.

A key provision under AB 928, the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act of 2021, will also take effect next year requiring institutions to place students looking to transfer on an associate degree for transfer path, guaranteeing admissions to California State Universities and participating schools. And AB 111 will require community colleges to create a uniform course numbering system.

“In addition, 2024 will also bring a number of timely new laws focused on addressing some of the biggest issues of our time, including ending gun violence, improving elections security and accessibility, and capping prescription costs,” Berman said.

AB 1420 ensures the Department of Justice has the right to inspect and issue citations for any violations concerning the sale, transfer and storage of firearms.

AB 1219 updates ballots to be more user-friendly while AB 1037 will allow county elections officers to offer voters the option of curing their vote by mail ballot electronically and AB 1539 prohibits someone from voting in California and another state in elections that occur on the same day.

AB 948 will permanently extend a prescription drug pricing cap and protections that were set to expire in 2024, and AB 1130 replaces the term “addict” with “person with substance use disorder” in state laws, a move Berman said will reduce stigma for individuals with the disorder.

Laws from Assemblymember Phil Ting

Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, whose district extends into San Bruno, also saw success in passing housing-related laws this year; of which, eight take effect at the start of 2024. Ting’s bills include AB 480 which updates the Surplus Lands Act to make developing affordable housing on public land easier and two laws governing accessory dwelling units — AB 976 that removes a requirement that ADUs be owner-occupied and AB 1033 that makes it so ADUs can be sold as condominiums.

A major piece of housing legislation passed by Ting was AB 1633. The law clarifies that the California Environmental Quality Act can’t be used as a tool to delay or block housing development when all other legal requirements have been met.

“We cannot afford to keep projects in limbo after they have already gone through the mandatory environmental review. This new law puts plans on a faster track to completion and will help ease the housing shortage that keeps prices high and families out of homes,” Ting said in a press release.

Additional legislation passed by Ting includes AB 264, allowing Lunar New Year to be observed by community colleges as a state holiday; AB 579, which requires school districts to purchase or lease zero-emissions school buses beginning in 2035 while rural districts have until 2045 to comply; AB 783, which requires local jurisdictions to inform business licenses applications that all single-user restrooms must be labeled as all-gender; and AB 1200, which requires cookware to include labels specifying the item was made with PFAS, a type of chemicals known to cause health problems.

Legislation from state Sen. Josh Becker

State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, put forward multiple bills that also take effect in 2024. On climate, one of his top priorities, there’s Senate Bill 410, dubbed the Powering Up California Act, which calls for electricity providers like Pacific Gas and Electric to adopt more reasonable timelines when connecting utilities to the power grid; SB 48, which requires the California Energy Commission to create a strategy for reducing water and energy use in existing buildings using existing data; and SB 49, which calls for the state to use tax incentives to encourage the installation of solar panels above parking lots.

SB 474 will also take effect at the start of the year, eliminating price markups on prison canteen costs, and alleviating burdens on inmates and their families. As will SB 362: legislation that creates a central agency where data brokers must register, report and pay fees, and consumers can request to have their data deleted or limit how it’s shared; and SB 448, a law that prohibits courts from basing their decision to detain a minor on their county of residents and granting judges the authority to place minors on home supervision with or without an electronic monitor.

Also taking effect in the new year is Becker’s SB 341 that frees up funds for affordable housing development and SB 485 that protects elections workers and volunteers from harassment.

Legal changes from Assemblymember Diane Papan

Most laws authored by Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, will either take effect in future years or extend existing laws including legislation removing harmful chemicals from menstrual products.

But AB 893 will take effect next year, requiring that local and state fees be paid by those renting cars on third-party platforms, “support[ing] vital public services” while “place[ing] peer-to-peer platforms on equal ground with the more traditional car rental services.” AB 755 aims to create a more equitable water rate structure by requiring public water utility providers to identify and focus on root causes of increasing rates.