A number of new laws on topics ranging from housing to hidden fees are set to come into effect in California on July 1.
Here are some of the laws more likely to have a direct impact on the average Californian.
Hidden Fees
Two bills that made it through the legislature last year take aim at hidden fees.
Senate Bill 478 and Assembly Bill 537 essentially require the advertised or displayed price for most goods or services to include all fees and other charges required to make a purchase other than government taxes and fees.
SB 478 covers most types of businesses with a few exceptions for businesses that have different regulations around advertising.
AB 537 is specifically targeted at rates for short-term lodging such as hotels or peer-to-peer platforms like AirBnB.
Drug Testing Kits
Businesses with “on-sale general public premises” alcohol licenses such as bars and restaurants are required to sell drug-testing kits at a price not much higher than what it costs to purchase wholesale.
The business must also post a notice that reads, “Don’t get roofied! Drink spiking drug test kits available here. Ask a staff member for details.”
Menstrual Products for Students
Assembly Bill 230, signed into law last October, takes an existing law that requires public schools that instruct any grade from 6 – 12 to provide free menstrual products in bathrooms and expands it to include grades 3 – 5.
In supporting documentation filed with the law, the bill’s author, Asm. Eloise Reyes, notes that 10% of girls have their first period by the age of 10.
Right to Repair
Senate Bill 244 requires manufacturers of electronics priced at $50 or higher for wholesale to make documentation and spare parts or tools available to repair or maintain a product.
Manufacturers of products priced $100 or more for wholesale must make parts and documentation available for at least seven years after the product was last manufactured.
Housing
Another law coming into effect is Senate Bill 684, which aims to get more housing built by speeding up the approval process for subdivision maps.
The law requires local agencies to approve those maps for projects in urban areas so long as they meet certain requirements including that the project not include more than 10 housing units.
An analysis by the legislature notes that small lot divisions allow for more medium-density housing such as “duplexes, fourplexes, garden apartments, townhomes and so forth.”