New year, new laws

With the new year comes new laws including changes to where housing can be built, reproductive access, pathways to community college, climate initiatives and protections for children and consumers among other legal changes. 

Hundreds of new and updated laws will take effect in the new year, many on Jan. 1, 2023. Among them are privacy protections for transgender children and teens coming to California for medical care, expansions allowing nurses to provide first-trimester abortions, increased penalties for people who use hateful symbols when committing hate crimes in schools, and greater penalties for companies selling or making illegal firearms in the state or doctors sharing COVID-19 misinformation.

A law put forward by State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, prohibits police officers from citing people suspected of searching for sex work services. Another by Wiener prohibits law enforcement agencies from using the DNA from rape kits to investigate cases unrelated to other unrelated crimes.

San Mateo County representatives, state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, and Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, also saw success with their own legislative objectives. Both tackled access to higher education and affordable housing while Becker took a specific interest in climate initiatives and Berman with elections. 

“Looking back on 2022, I am very excited by the accomplishments we were able to achieve both for my Assembly district and for all Californians,” Berman said in a statement. “I’m excited to get back to Sacramento in January to build upon the progress we’ve made.” 

Three of Berman’s bills focused on promoting fair elections. Assembly Bill 775 prohibits political candidates or committees from automatically enrolling donors in recurring donations without their affirmative consent; AB 972 continues a ban on deepfakes or manipulated media of political candidates within 60 days of an election; and AB 2584 reforms the state’s recall process to ensure it’s not used as a political weapon. 

Additional bills by Berman include AB 2912 — the only Berman bill taking effect July 1 instead of Jan. 1 — which strengthens consumer protection by requiring warranties to begin on the day of delivery instead of the purchase date; and AB 2307, which eases caps on tasking rooms for craft brewers by increasing the number of satellite locations they can have from six to eight. 

He and Becker also turned their attention to higher education. One of Berman’s bills, Assembly Bill 971, requires schools to provide priority registration for student parents, to establish websites just for them and expand awareness on the state’s Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The other, AB 2815, requires California State University campuses and encourages University of California campuses to place one vote-by-mail drop box at each campus. 

Meanwhile, Becker’s Senate Bill 893 launches a pilot program in which the San Mateo County Community College District can use local funds to cover tuition costs for residents. The bill paves the way for thousands of county residents to attend community college for free and was strongly supported by district officials, staff and students. 

“Attending college is more expensive than ever. ... Students fresh out of high school, who have worked so hard throughout their academic careers, are faced with an enormous financial decision,” Becker said. “This law will let the SMCCCD remove a significant number of roadblocks for these students and make their decision to get a quality education a whole lot easier.”

Another piece of legislation Becker took pride in, SB 1345, will allow counties to collect unused, unexpired and unopened prescription medications that typically go to waste and repurpose them by distributing them for free to patients who cannot afford them. Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties are currently working on establishing such pharmacies. 

He also put forward three climate bills — SB 1203, which requires the state to create a plan to electrify its buildings, vehicles and other uses by 2035; SB 1158, which mandates the Pacific Gas and Electric notifies the public of when the electricity grid is running on clean power; and SB 887, which requires energy agencies in the state to provide 15-year projections for energy resources and demands, allowing the state to ensure transmission facility infrastructure meets energy goals. 

His additional bills include SB 1008, which makes phone calls to and from state prisons and juvenile centers free; SB 1117, which allows the state’s Public Defender’s office to support counties with their local programs through grants; SB 1223, which requires defendants to be entered into a mental health program if they’ve been diagnosed with a mental disorder and it is found that the disorder played a significant role in committing the crime; and SB 948, which removes some bureaucratic barriers to developing affordable housing construction and allocates about $40 million in savings toward the development of more affordable units. 

“I was fortunate to have all 14 of the bills I sent to the Governor’s desk signed into law, but batting average alone isn’t everything,” Becker said in a press release. “I’m really proud of what is in each of these measures and how they’ll make a difference in so many people’s lives.”