SALARY INFORMATION (Assembly Bill No. 168): Under the new bill employers are prohibited from asking salary information of an applicant. Employers are also prohibited from relying on salary history as a factor in determining salary for a new employee.
EMPLOYERS BANNED FROM ASKING CRIMINAL HISTORY ON APPLICATIONS (Assembly Bill No. 1008): This new law bans employers, state agencies, and public utilities with five or more workers from including, on any application, any questions about an applicant’s conviction history. Employers are not to consider a person’s criminal background until the applicant has received an offer. And if an employer then decides to take back the offer, the employer is required to notify the applicant in writing, with specific information, as to why the offer is being rescinded. Applicant is allowed to challenge, and the employer is required to review that challenge.
AMMUNITION SALES (Assembly Bill No. 693): Under this law all ammunition sales and transfers has to be made in person through a licensed vendor – approved by the State’s Department of Justice. Out of state purchases and internet purchases must also go through a vendor. The law does not apply to police officers, and law enforcement officers of a city, county, city and county, and state or federal government.
WORK SITE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AND PROTECTIONS (Assembly Bill No. 450): This law protects workers from immigration enforcement while on the job. An employer or someone acting on behalf of an employer is not allowed to let an immigration agent enter non-public areas of a work place unless the agent has a warrant. Public and private employers can face fines up to $10,000 for each violations.
LGBT RIGHTS FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY (Senate Bill No. 219): This new law strengthens an existing law and makes it unlawful for a facility to act against an individual on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or their HIV status. Facilities cannot deny admission, transfer, refuse transfer, discharge or evict LGBT residents. Facilities must use a resident’s preferred name or pronouns.
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA: The legal use of recreational marijuana goes into effect Jan. 1. While it’s up to individual cities to create their own rules, the state has some broad rules, such as pot shops have to be at least 600 feet away from schools and must close by 10 p.m. The state’s website is under construction, but there is some information on there – check out the “Marijuana goes legal in California on Jan. 1 — what you need to know.” View the website here.
PEDESTRIAN CROSSING SIGNALS Assembly Bill 390 allows pedestrians to start crossing through an intersection when the traffic signal displays a flashing "Don't Walk" or "upraised hand," if the signal shows a countdown timer and the pedestrian can finish safely crossing before the flashing orange signal becomes steady. This law basically seeks to clarify to what point pedestrians can cross at a traffic light.
BUS SEAT BELTS: CHP also noted one additional law, Senate Bill 20, that does not become effective until July 1. The law stipulates that the driver and passengers in a tour bus must wear seat belts if they are provided on the vehicle. Additionally, the driver has to ensure the safety devices are working and must inform passengers of the legal requirement to wear their seat belt.
The law excludes school and transit buses.
PARKING: Two new laws relate to parking, including Assembly Bill 1625, which reenacts a law that essentially prohibits local authorities from barring parking at a meter that isn't working. However, local jurisdictions can restrict the amount of time a vehicle can be parked at inoperable meters to four hours, so long as there are signs notifying the driver.
And under Assembly Bill 503, low-income individuals can have their parking citation debt reduced and they'll also be able to pay it over time.