By KAREN VELIE
The new year brings hundreds of new laws with major consequences to Californians. Here’s a summary of seven new laws taking effect in 2023.
Jaywalking is no longer a crime, well sort of
Under a new law, law enforcement can only ticket someone for jaywalking if their action created an “immediate danger of a collision.”
Ban on “pink tax” gender-based price discrimination
It is no longer legal to charge more for a product that is targeted to women. Companies often charge more for a pink razor than for the same razor in black. Over a woman’s lifetime, it is estimated she will spend $188,000 for a product that is priced higher then the masculine equivalent.
Law requiring drivers to change lanes when a bicyclist is nearby, but only sometimes
While the law still requires a driver to keep a three-feet distance from bicyclists, they now must change lanes “with due regard for safety and traffic conditions, if practicable and not prohibited by law.”
Businesses must disclose pay scales when advertising open positions, unless exempt
All companies with 15 or more employees are now required to provide pay scales in job postings. For companies with more than 100 employees, employers must also include “the median and mean hourly rate for each combination of race, ethnicity, and sex within each job category,” in reports to the state.
Another increase in California’s minimum wage
California’s minimum wage is increasing from $15 an hour to $15.50 an hour. This increase follows a bill in 2016 that required the then $10 an hour minimum wage to increase to $15 an hour by 2022.
California adds four new state holidays
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed four new state holidays into law: April 24 as Genocide Remembrance Day, June 19 as Juneteenth, Sept. 4 as Native American Day, and the second or third new moon following the winter solstice as Lunar New Year.
California adds the Feather Alert System
A new law creates the Feather Alert System, similar to an Amber Alert for indigenous people who have gone missing “under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.”