New laws include employment protections and wage increases
Several new laws will take effect in California during 2024, some as early as today. State Assemblymember Mia Bonta outlined some of these consequential new laws, including a new Traffic Safety Pilot Program in Oakland and six other municipalities, and regulation to prevent abandoned oil wells from polluting the environment. Assemblymember Bonta co-sponsored AB 12, which will limit security deposits to at most one month’s rent for most rental housing units, starting July 1.
Here are some new laws of note:
AB 2188: Discrimination in employment—use of cannabis
Starting today, January 1, AB 2188 will protect most Californians from employment discrimination on the basis of legal, adult use of cannabis. The law states that employers may not refuse to hire, fire, or penalize an employee based on the results of hair or urine tests for marijuana. However, employees are not allowed to be impaired by cannabis on the job and may be subject to an oral swab or blood test.
Federal employees and those in the construction trades are currently exempt from this protection.
AB 1167: Oil and gas acquisition—bonding requirements
Also starting today, AB 1167 will require oil companies that purchase drilling wells to set aside funds to prevent those wells from becoming “orphaned,” posing hazards to nearby communities. If a well is not properly sealed and closed, it may provide a pathway for hydrocarbons or other contaminants to migrate into drinking water or to the surface.
There are more than 38,000 known idle wells in California, and more than 5,300 orphan wells with no responsible solvent operator. The new law will ensure that funds are set aside to mitigate the environmental risk of orphaned wells before any drilling takes place.
AB 645: Speed camera pilot program
Beginning today, AB 645 will allow six California cities—Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Glendale, and Long Beach—to establish a Speed Safety System Pilot Program, using cameras to monitor speed limits in school zones and designated “safety corridors.”
The law outlines procedures for handling violations, including issuing notices, reviews, hearings, and appeals. It also mandates a diversion program for financially challenged individuals caught violating speed rules by the safety system. Cities involved in the pilot program must submit a report assessing how the speed safety system affects street safety and the economic impact where utilized.
AB 12: Security deposit cap
As of July 1, AB 12, co-sponsored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, landlords will no longer be allowed to charge more than one month’s rent as a security deposit for furnished or unfurnished rental property, subject to certain exceptions. Landlords who own no more than two residential rental properties that collectively include no more than four dwelling units offered for rent may ask for a security deposit of up to two months’ rent.
SB 525: Minimum wage raise for healthcare workers
SB 525 will raise the minimum wage for healthcare workers at large public and private health facilities and dialysis clinics in California to $23 per hour by June 1, 2024. Minimum wages at these facilities will continue to rise until reaching $25 per hour by June 1, 2026. This is the nation’s first statewide healthcare worker minimum wage raise at all such facilities and clinics.
AB 1228: Minimum wage raise for fast food workers
AB 1228 establishes a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast-food workers beginning April 1, 2024. It creates a process to develop minimum fast food restaurant employment standards related to wages, working conditions, and training, and allows the wage to be increased annually. The annual wage increase is capped at the lesser of 3.5% or the annual increase in the U.S. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
