California’s New Laws
An increased minimum wage, a limit on apartment security deposits, tougher penalties on retail theft, and a parking ticket you may not expect are among the changes in state laws Californians will see in 2025.
Effective January 1, the statewide minimum wage will rise 50 cents to $16 an hour, with some occupations seeing a higher minimum a few months into the year.
Security deposits for those renting an apartment will be limited to one month’s rent, making moving in a little cheaper for some.
A host of laws and a state initiative, Proposition 36, aim to greatly discourage retail theft, which had sometimes become an organized group operation.
And don’t think you can park near a crosswalk without getting fined just because no sign or curb painting tells you otherwise. Fines, which will vary by locality, can now be charged to those parked within 20 feet of a crosswalk, marked or unmarked.
That “daylighting” law, meant to help vehicles and pedestrians see each other better, had been in effect for a year, but only warnings were issued until now.
Castro Valley once banned cars cruising slowly down Castro Valley Boulevard but now promotes an annual cruise night so people can show off cars they’re proud of. AB 436 now bars cities and counties from imposing bans on cruising.
Crime was a big political issue in 2024, and legislators responded with at least 11 major bills to toughen penalties and enforcement of often high-profile crimes.
Governor Gavin Newsom decried “loopholes” that had prevented stricter penalties against those accused of crimes at multiple businesses or in multiple jurisdictions. This often made each offense considered by itself a misdemeanor, which rarely resulted in prison or jail time.
Newsom praised several new laws that let district attorneys and prosecutors combine multiple offenses, even in different jurisdictions , so they can be tried in a single jurisdiction as felonies. Substantial prison terms could be imposed for those convicted.
Other new laws dropped or modified provisions that required car burglary victims to prove they had locked their cars and required police officers to witness a theft personally before they could arrest a suspect.
While laws removed some restrictions on police officers and prosecutors, at least one new law, AB 360, set limits on officers using force against suspects. That law removed “excited delirium” as a medical cause of death or defense for a police officer accused of killing a suspect.
Medical experts debated its existence, but it was the original official cause of death for George Floyd just after his arrest in Minneapolis in 2020. Eyewitness accounts and further investigation resulted instead in a police officer being convicted of murder for choking Floyd to death.
Numerous laws also addressed California’s housing shortage, with at least one stiffening penalties on local governments that do not allow sufficient new housing. Another allows up to eight accessory dwelling units (ADUs, or in-law units) on a property, up from the two allowed until now.
SB 4, or the “Yes in God’s Backyard” law, allows housing to be developed on property owned by churches or some colleges without local governments having a veto.
After many calls for building more facilities to treat the mentally ill or drug users desiring help,
AB 531 would issue bonds to fund 11,150 new behavioral health beds and housing as well as 26,700 outpatient treatment slots throughout the state.
And in the holiday spirit, any parents or grandparents concerned they may be stereotyping children with their gifts might want to know that from now on, AB 1084 requires California retailers to all have a gender-neutral toy section.