Changes to California Law Starting Jan 2011

[Xicano]

Californians will welcome 725 new laws on Jan. 1. Here's a glance at some of the laws taking effect when you ring in the new year:

• AB 119 prevents insurance companies from charging different rates for men and women for identical coverage.
  
  
• SB 782 prevents landlords from evicting tenants who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse or stalking.
  
  
• AB 1844—informally known as Chelsea's Law and authored by local Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher—will increase penalties, parole provisions and oversight of sex offenders, including a "one-strike, life-without-parole penalty" for some.
  
  
• AB 1871 allows people to lease out their cars when they are not being used—alleviating the need to purchase additional insurance.
  
  
• AB 537 will make food stamps an acceptable form of payment at farmers markets through an EBT process.
  
  
• SB 1411 makes it a misdemeanor to maliciously impersonate someone via a social media outlet or through e-mails.
  
  
• SB 1317 allows the state to slap parents with a $2,000 fine if their K-8 child misses more than 10 percent of the school year without a valid excuse. It also allows the state to punish parents with up to a year in prison for the misdemeanor.
  
  
• AB 715 makes a change to the California Green Building Standards code. The change will require new California buildings to be energy efficient.
  
  
• SB 1449 makes the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana an infraction with a penalty of a $100 fine.
  
  
• AB 12 allows foster youth to acquire state services until the age of 21.
  
  
• SB 1399 allows California to medically parole state prison inmates with physical incapacitating conditions and ultimately shifts some of the cost of care to the federal government.
  
  
• AB 97 bans the use of trans-fats in food facilities.
  

http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/there-outta-be-a-law-californians-getting-725-new-ones-in-2011

[Posteritatis]

1. What's the story behind SB 782? (nt)

[Xicano]

3. Not sure. I'd have to look that up first.

Still disappointed Prop 19 didn't make this time around. But there'll be more opportunities.


Peace,
Xicano

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. prohibit evictions if it is based on incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking

If you ex trashed the apt, you can not be evicted for it. Don't pay your rent and you can still can be evicted.

[Posteritatis]

5. See, it boggles me that they'd even have to pass a law like that

If my apartment was broken into damaged in a robbery, I wouldn't necesasrily worry about that; if that wasn't the case if my apartment and myself were damaged by a stalker or something like that, I can certainly see that that's a terrible thing that needs to be addressed.

I'm just stunned that that was happening often enough to require specific legislation. I've heard of people being evicted for being assaulted in their homes a few times, scattered across the US and Canada, but not that it was to the point of landlords feeling comfortable enough doing that for the state to have to explain to them how unacceptable it isn't.

I'm absolutely, utterly in favor of such a law, just weirded out and a little depressed that that sort of thing wasn't already taken for granted.

[jeff47]

6. Think about it from the landord's perspective

A crazy guy went and trashed the place because a specific tenant lived there. He's likely to do it again, and if the crazy guy is successful next time in killing the tenant, you're on the hook for the damages.

I can definitely see a lot of landlords thinking like this.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. There are some practical limitations to this, such as if the apt is rendered unliveable

Also the tenant is still responsible for repairs, not the landlord.

[jeff47]

8. My point was if the stalker kills the tenant, the tenant's estate is unlikely to pay (nt)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. This is potentially useful and certainly interesting info...

Thanks for posting!

[OnionPatch]

9. I'm paying more for rolling through a stop sign

a few weeks ago than I would pay for possession of a small amount of pot.

Never thought I would see the day.....Finally, some progress happening somewhere in this decaying country. So glad I live in California. :)