SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Artificial intelligence is having a higher impression on our lives and quite a few new legal guidelines in California goal to verify AI doesn’t develop into a detriment.
They’re simply a number of the lots of of latest legal guidelines taking impact Jan. 1, 2025.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
(SB 926) Deepfakes
Makes it a criminal offense to create and distribute sexually express photos of an actual particular person which might be artificially generated however made to seem genuine with the aim of inflicting that particular person emotional misery.
(SB 981) Sexually Specific Photographs
Requires that social media platforms set up a mechanism for customers who’re California residents to report sexually express photos that had been created or altered digitally however made to seem genuine. Social media corporations should take down the content material whereas they examine the grievance.
(AB 1836 & 2602) Digital Likeness
Protects deceased actors and performers from having their picture, likeness or voice reproduced with out authorization by synthetic intelligence. The regulation requires consent from the actor’s property earlier than their likeness will be digitally replicated. The same regulation (AB 2602) permits performers to again out of present contracts if the language is imprecise sufficient to permit studios to digitally clone their picture or voice sooner or later with out expressed consent.
New legal guidelines are taking impact to start out off 2025. Issues like synthetic intelligence will see more regulation and minimal change will see a change.
ENTERTAINMENT
(SB969) Leisure Zones
Permits native governments to create leisure zones the place bars and eating places can promote alcoholic drinks that clients can drink on public streets and sidewalks. It replaces a regulation that solely allowed outdoors distributors to promote alcohol at festivals and parades. The same regulation that took impact in January of 2024 allowed San Francisco to arrange leisure zones to enhance enterprise at brick and mortar bars and eating places.
(AB 1775) Cannabis Cafes
Cannabis dispensaries are about to get livelier. The regulation will permit licensed cannabis retailers to organize and promote meals and drinks at newly created cafes or lounges. Which means clients should buy and eat cannabis on the enterprise whereas they eat a meal or watch a reside efficiency.
California cannabis dispensaries at the moment are one step nearer to promoting recent meals and drink after a brand new state regulation took impact Wednesday.
ONLINE
(SB 764) Youngster Vloggers
Dad and mom or guardians who earn cash by posting on-line movies that function their youngsters should put aside a share of their earnings in a belief account that advantages the minor. Dad and mom must hold detailed logs of how a lot cash they earned from every publish and what number of minutes their youngsters appeared within the video. Youngsters can sue dad and mom who fail to comply with the regulation.
(AB 1979) Doxxing
Permits victims of doxxing to sue their aggressors for as much as $30,000 in damages. Doxxing is when somebody shares private info like telephone numbers, addresses or delicate supplies about another person with the intent to hurt or embarrass them. A survey by SafeHome.org discovered that 11 million Individuals have been victims of doxxing.
HOUSING
(SB 611) Hire Checks
Prohibits landlord from charging tenants a payment in the event that they pay their hire or safety deposit by examine. Beginning in April, landlords may even have to offer renters with a written assertion in the event that they cost a safety deposit increased than the usual.
(AB 2347) Evictions
Doubles the present deadline that tenants have to answer an eviction discover to 10 days. Beneath California regulation, if a tenant doesn’t reply to an eviction discover throughout the required time they lose the case routinely. Advocates say this may give renters more time to hunt authorized recommendation.
(SB 450) Housing Developments
Makes it simpler to transform single-family properties into duplexes and fourplexes by eradicating loopholes utilized by some native governments to decelerate conversions. The brand new regulation requires native governments to answer housing conversion functions inside 60 days and bars native governments from denying an utility to separate up lots primarily based on the visible impression to the group.
CONSUMERS
(AB 2426) Digital Items
Requires sellers of on-line merchandise like digital films, music, books or video video games to reveal whether or not the buyer is buying unrestricted possession or a revocable license. Sellers will not be allowed to make use of the phrases “purchase” or “buy” if the buyer is barely receiving a license to entry the digital good. It isn’t clear if the regulation applies to non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
(SB 1217) Pet Insurance coverage
Requires pet insurance coverage suppliers to be more clear about whether or not their coverage premiums are primarily based on the age of the pet or the place the pet lives, and if their insurance policies exclude pre-existing situations, hereditary problems, congenital anomalies or persistent situations.
(AB 2863) Automated Renewals
Requires subscription companies to get clear consent from a buyer for computerized renewals and ship annual reminders concerning the computerized renewal or steady service. The regulation, which takes impact on July 1st additionally makes it simpler to cancel a subscription both on-line or by phone.
(AB 2017 & SB 1075) Overdraft Charges
Limits the overdraft charges that banks and credit score unions can cost. The regulation prohibits monetary establishments from charging a buyer a payment for non-sufficient funds if the transaction was declined instantaneously. Beginning in 2026, credit score unions could be prohibited from charging an overdraft payment in extra of $14.
(SB2202) Cleansing Charges
Requires short-term rental like Airbnb to reveal if there will probably be any extra charges or prices that will probably be added if the shopper fails to carry out sure cleansing duties on the finish of their keep. The regulation takes impact on July 1, 2025.
HEALTH
(AB 1817 & AB2771) Chemical compounds in Cosmetics
Bans using PFAS in clothes, textiles and cosmetics. PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) can result in liver injury, thyroid illness, reproductive issues and most cancers. California could be the primary state to impose a ban on PFAS, that are already prohibited within the European Union.
One other regulation taking impact in 2025 bans the manufacture or sale of beauty merchandise with 11 different chemical substances, together with formaldehyde, mercury and methylene glycol.
(SB 540) Cannabis Well being Warnings
Requires the state well being division to create brochures or flyers that designate the dangers related to cannabis use. The paperwork have to be displayed at cannabis retailers by March 1.
(SB 729) Infertility Remedies
Beginning on July 1, 2025, medical health insurance plans are required to cowl the prognosis and therapy of infertility, together with in vitro fertilization (IVF). Non secular employers are excluded from the requirement.
CRIME AND SAFETY
(AB 1394) Sexual Exploitation
Holds social media corporations like Meta and Tik Tok responsible for photos of an individual that seem on sexual exploitation movies or photographs posted on their platforms. Victims of kid intercourse trafficking can sue these corporations for as much as $4 million in the event that they knowingly facilitated the distribution of those photos. The brand new regulation additionally requires social media platforms to determine a course of for intercourse abuse victims to report movies or photographs that embody them. Corporations have 36 hours to take the pictures down from their platforms.
(SB 1414) Intercourse Solicitation
Makes it a felony to solicit a minor beneath the age of 16 for intercourse. If the minor is 16 or 17, the crime will be upgraded to a felony if the teenager is a sufferer of trafficking. The regulation penalizes anybody paying for intercourse with a minor even when the sexual act by no means occurred.
(SB 428) Restraining Orders
Permits employers to acquire a short lived restraining on behalf of an worker who has suffered harassment. The worker can select to not be named within the restraining order petition. A court docket can deny the order if it might prohibit speech or actions protected by the structure or labor regulation.
(SB 2342) Funding sufferer companies
Creates the California Crime Victims Fund, serving to to ensure more constant sources for survivors. It additionally directs fines from company white-collar crimes into this fund – giving victims further help after they want it most.
This 12 months, California is increasing protections for individuals experiencing home violence.
(AB 1978) Sideshows & Road Racing
Governor Newsom signed a number of legal guidelines that impose stricter penalties for individuals taking part in sideshows and road racing. The legal guidelines would make it simpler for regulation enforcement to arrest sideshow contributors and impound autos for unlawful actions taking place on streets, highways or parking heaps.
Stopping sideshows and unlawful road racing is the aim of 4 new California legal guidelines beginning in 2025.
(AB 1960) Smash & Seize Robberies
Creates stiffer penalties for these concerned in smash-and-grab robberies. If the crime induced more than $50,000 in injury to a property, the court docket can impose an extra sentence of 1 12 months. Further years will be added to a sentence if the property loss is increased.
New legal guidelines are taking impact to start out off 2025, and a few of these legal guidelines are geared toward cracking down on retail theft and different crimes. ABC7’s Jory Rand has the small print within the video above.
EMPLOYMENT
Minimal Wage
California’s minimal wage will enhance to $16.50 per hour for all employers. The rise is tied to inflation. Quick meals employees and healthcare facility employees have the next minimal wage.
(AB 2123) Paid Household Depart
Permits an worker to take paid household depart with out utilizing accrued trip time. Beforehand employers may require employees to take as much as 2 weeks of trip time earlier than they may entry California’s Paid Household Depart Program. The regulation applies to staff that must take depart from work to take care of a sick member of the family, bond with a brand new minor baby or as a result of a navy member of the family is on energetic obligation.
(SB 988) Freelance Staff
Requires employers that rent freelance employees for skilled companies price more than $250 to offer a contract in writing that features info on the work that will probably be carried out and cost info. Employers should pay the freelance employees throughout the date specified within the contract or no later than 30 days after the work is accomplished.
(AB 1815) Hairstyles Discrimination
Expands protections in opposition to racial discrimination by widening the definition of race to incorporate traits corresponding to hairstyles and hair textures which might be related to sure races.
(SB 399) Necessary Conferences
Bans employers from requiring that employees attend necessary conferences regarding union organizing, in any other case referred to as ‘captive viewers’ conferences. Additionally prohibits employers from requiring its employees attend conferences or take part in communications whose main goal is to precise the employer’s stance on political issues or non secular leanings. Employers who ignore the regulation can face a $500 penalty per worker for every violation.
(SB 1100) Driver’s License
Employers would not be allowed to require a driver’s license in job postings except the employer moderately expects the job perform to incorporate driving and taking alternate transportation could be a detriment in journey time and price to the employer.
EDUCATION
(AB 1780) Legacy Admissions
Bans legacy admissions for college students making use of to a non-public non-profit college in California. Universities like Stanford and USC would not be allowed to take into consideration whether or not a scholar applicant has ties to a donor or an alumnus. The regulation takes impact in September, so it doesn’t apply to present candidates for the autumn 2025 college 12 months.
(AB 1821) Native Individuals
Requires Ok-12 public faculties within the state to show concerning the therapy and views of Native Individuals throughout the Spanish colonization of California and the Gold Rush durations.
STATE SYMBOLS
A number of legal guidelines have established official state symbols, together with the Dungeness crab because the official state crustacean (AB 1797), the banana slug because the official state slug (AB 1859) and the shell of the black abalone because the official state seashell (AB 2504).
MISCELLANEOUS
(SB 1174) Voter ID Necessities
Prohibits native governments in California from requiring voters to current identification with a purpose to vote. The regulation is in response to an ordinance handed in Huntington Seaside that allowed the town to confirm voter eligibility by means of IDs.
(AB 1810) Menstrual Merchandise
Requires state prisons or jails in California to offer incarcerated individuals with free menstrual merchandise with out the inmate having to ask for them. Earlier than this regulation, inmates needed to ask for sanitary pads or tampons, which legal justice advocates say allowed jail safety to withhold menstrual merchandise as a type of punishment and oppression.
(AB 3162) Octopus Farming
California turns into the second state to make it unlawful to lift octopuses in farms with the intent to promote them for human consumption. The regulation additionally bars companies from promoting octopuses that got here from octopus farms. The regulation nonetheless permits for the fishing of octopuses so long as it doesn’t exceed the day by day restrict.
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