Hundreds of new California laws will take effect on New Years Day - including many that will affect Californians' daily lives. In the workplace, California will have a higher minimum wage, stronger equal pay and wage theft protections, and the ability for parents to take time off to find childcare for their kids or watch them do a school presentation. Law enforcement agencies will begin enforcing new gun control laws, but will no longer be able to search or mine data from cell phones and electronic communications without a warrant. And Californians who enjoy alcoholic beverages will have new opportunities to consume them.

In this series, we've chosen to focus on laws that will have a tangible impact on Californians' lives right away. Note that some of the most controversial measures that became law this year, such as vaccine and end-of-life legislation, either will not take effect or will not affect Californians' daily lives until later this year.