New Laws
New Year
New law restricts parking to make intersections safer for pedestrians, among a host of other changes
The new year brings new laws. Read on for information about new rules affecting parking, insurance, protections against artificial intelligence, workplace safety and new official state symbols.
Assembly Bill 413: No Parking Here
Commonly known as a “Daylighting Law,” AB 413 took effect across California Jan. 1. It bans drivers from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk to make intersections safer for pedestrians.
The law applies whether the crosswalk is marked or unmarked. The curb does not have to be painted red. California cities have been working to put up signage and paint curbs to make it easier for drivers to navigate the new normal, but they acknowledge not all curbs will be painted in time.
If you’re parking facing a crosswalk, look for the red curb first. If it’s there, respect that distance. If there’s no red paint, leave a space of 20 feet (slightly longer than a large SUV) between your parked car and the intersection.
Assembly Bill 1902: RX Help
AB 1902 requires pharmacies to provide accessible prescription labels to people who are blind, have low vision or are print disabled.
Assembly Bill 2863: Auto Renewal Notifications AB 2863 requires companies offering auto-renewal services to give customers the option to cancel the subscription by the same method they used to subscribe, beginning July 1.
Assembly Bill 375: Food Delivery Services AB 375 requires food delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats to provide customers with the first name and photo of their delivery driver, effective March 1, 2025.
Senate Bill 905: Burglary Loophole Closed Senate Bill 905 eliminates a loophole in California criminal code, which defined burglary to include “entering a vehicle when the doors are locked with the intent to commit grand or petit larceny or a felony.”
“The mere fact that a window was broken into is insufficient. Prosecutors must prove that the door was locked, which requires that victims must physically come out to court to testify as such,” said Sen. Scott Wiener, who authored the bill.
Now, car owners and prosecutors won’t have to prove a car was locked, just that “forcible entry” occurred.
Assembly Bill 3209: Retail Stores Protection AB 3209 allows retail stores to get restraining orders against people sen- tenced for stealing, vandalizing or assaulting an employee at that store.
Assembly Bill 1779: Sweeping Up Crime AB 1779 allows California district attorneys to coordinate with other DAs to consolidate charges for suspects in retail theft crimes that occur across multiple counties.
Assembly Bill 1960: Sentencing Criminals
AB 1960 creates sentencing enhancements for taking, damaging, or destroying property while committing a felony if the property value exceeds $50,000.
Senate Bill 1107: Better Accident Insurance
SB 1107 increases minimum insurance liability limits for when someone is hurt or killed in a crash, or if they suffer property damage.
This means if someone gets into an accident, and he was not at fault, the amount of insurance he’d be entitled to doubles, even if the person has the minimum policy limit.
The bill increases the amount of liability insurance coverage an owner or operator of a motor vehicle is required to maintain.
Before Jan. 1, the payout limits were:
• $15,000 per person for bodily injury or death
• $30,000 per accident for bodily injury or death
• $5,000 for property damage Starting in 2025, the limits will be:
• $30,000 per person for bodily injury or death
• $60,000 per accident for bodily injury or death
• $15,000 for property damage Assembly Bill 2602: Digital Likeness AB 2602 makes it illegal to use artificial intelligence to replicate an actor’s voice or likeness without permission.
It requires informed consent by performers in film, music and other entertainment sectors if studios want to use their digital replicas created through artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Assembly Bill 2455: Whistleblower Protections AB 2455 modernizes the California Whistleblower Protection Act (CWPA) and whistleblower hotline laws. Proposed changes include expanding both the CWPA and whistleblower hotline laws to capture misconduct involving state grant funds, contractors and subcontractors, and allowing local governments to authorize additional individuals to administer the whistleblower hotlines.
This bill was sponsored by the County of Los Angeles.
Assembly Bill 2499: Time Off Expanded for Victims AB 2499 expands the definition of paid sick leave to include when an employee’s family member is a victim of violence or the threat of violence, allowing employees to use sick leave to help family members obtain a restraining order or seek out services related to domestic violence or assault.
Miscellaneous
• Gov. Gavin Newom signed legislation giving the state three new official state symbols: the banana slug (state slug), Dungeness crab (state crustacean) and black abalone (state seashell).
• Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for more than 72.5 million Americans will increase 2.5% in 2025. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $50 per month starting in January. Over the last decade the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase has averaged about 2.6%.
The COLA was 3.2% in 2024.
• California voters rejected Proposition 32, which would have increased the state minimum wage to $18 an hour for large and medium-sized employers and $17 an hour for small employers with 25 or fewer employees.
But the minimum wage will still increase based on the consumer price index.
Beginning in 2025, the new state minimum wage will increase to $16.50 an hour.
