It's the Law: Smokers may fume as others toast new laws

At the stroke of midnight, as confetti flew, Californians' lives changed in hundreds of ways this morning.

Happy New Year?

Not so fast.

California's lowest-paid workers will see a 50-cent jump in the minimum wage, to $8 per hour, stemming from legislation signed in 2006.

Consumers eager to buy kangaroo shoes have reason to celebrate today, too, because prospects just got brighter.

But if you're a smoker, you can be fined $100 now for lighting up while driving with a minor.

And parents whose sons or daughters commit a gang-related crime can be sentenced by juvenile court to parenting classes.

New Year's Day brings a spate of new laws targeting everything from gift cards to microchip implants to celebrity photos.

Changes may be fresh in voters' minds next month when they cast ballots on whether to alter the state's term limits for legislators.

But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers failed to reach agreement on three of the thorniest issues: expanding health care, increasing water supply and stripping the Legislature of authority to draw its own districts.

The Republican governor signed 750 bills and vetoed 214, including proposals to conduct an advisory election on the Iraq war, allow distribution of condoms in prison, legalize same-sex marriage, and require restaurant chains to post nutritional information about menu items.

Most new laws take effect today, but some were delayed until July 1, including a hike in vehicle registration and smog-abatement fees to fund clean-air projects, and a prohibition against using lead ammunition while hunting in condor country.

Midyear also is when adult drivers will be prohibited from using hand-held cellular phones, a measure adopted in 2006. Minors will be banned from using any type of cellular phone or text messaging device while behind the wheel under newly signed legislation that takes effect in six months.

California must wait even longer, until 2009, before it enforces new restrictions on the use of trans fats in school foods and a ban on chemical phthalates in toys for young children. In 2010, new semiautomatic pistols must begin stamping their make and model number onto cartridges fired.

Residents of the flood-prone Sacramento area could benefit from Schwarzenegger's signing of a six-bill package, with varying implementation dates, that is designed to force cities and counties to consider flood risks in their planning process without imposing a strict building moratorium.

Notable new laws that take effect today, by subject area, include:

Business

• Senate Bill 250 – Requires merchants to redeem a gift card with money, if requested, once the card's balance falls below $10.

• Senate Bill 624 – Increases fines for selling tobacco to minors, and allows local law enforcement agencies to inspect stores and assess penalties.

• Assembly Bill 801 – Prohibits sale of products designed to help motorists evade red-light cameras and toll booth payment.

• Assembly Bill 221 – Bans the state's teachers and public employees' retirement systems from investing in companies with ties to Iranian terrorist, defense or energy operations.

Civil rights

• Senate Bill 362 – Makes it illegal to compel someone to have a microchip or other identification device implanted under the skin.

• Assembly Bill 976 – Prohibits landlords from checking the citizenship status of an occupant or prospective tenant.

• Senate Bill 777 – Bans classroom instruction or any school-sponsored activity that "promotes a discriminatory bias" against a person's sexual orientation, sex, race, religion or various other characteristics.

Consumers

• Senate Bill 880 – Legalizes the sale of kangaroo products, such as soccer shoes.

• Assembly Bill 1470 – Encourages installation of solar water heaters through a 10-year, $250 million subsidy program bankrolled by imposing a surcharge on natural gas.

• Assembly Bill 1168 – Restricts the use of Social Security numbers in public records.

About the writer:

• Call Jim Sanders, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5538.