Editor's Note: This is a look at laws taking effect in 2019. For a look at laws passed in 2019, see our roundup here.
Every year hundreds of new California laws take effect Jan. 1. Many of them won't have much effect on your daily life. Here's a closer look at some that might in 2019.
We'll be posting more stories throughout December, so check back to learn more about the impacts of each law.
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January 2, 2019 | Randol White
California is changing the rules for who can access the state’s carpool lanes, and the new law will affect more than 200,000 drivers of Clean Air Vehicles.
January 2, 2019
A California law that took effect Jan. 1 allows public access to police records in use-of-force cases, and to sustained investigations into on-the-job dishonesty or sexual assault.
December 31, 2018 | Ezra David Romero
California will be the first state to prohibit sit-down restaurants from serving drinks with plastic straws, though diners will still be able to request them.
December 28, 2018 | Julia Mitric
California will limit the kinds of rules and punishments local governments can impose on sidewalk vendors under a law going into effect Jan. 1.
December 21, 2018 | Julia Mitric
California will expand overtime rules for farmworkers starting in 2019, but other changes will be phased in gradually.
December 21, 2018 | Steve Milne
Under the new law, 14-and-15-year-old defendants will be held in juvenile facilities instead of adult prison. District attorneys argue the judicial system needs to adequately punish the most heinous criminals, regardless of their age.
December 21, 2018 | Ezra David Romero
It's not usual to buy food from a friend that they make in their own kitchen. That's illegal in California, but a new law may change that.
December 20, 2018 | Chris Nichols
Drivers convicted of first-time DUI offenses that lead to an injury, plus repeat offenders, will be subject to the new law.
December 20, 2018 | Nadine Sebai
A new law taking effect Jan. 1 aims to protect California workers from being sued for defamation when they accuse someone of inappropriate behavior, as long as they do so in good faith.
December 19, 2018 | Bob Moffitt
Several agencies — including the Sacramento and Los Angeles police departments — have been releasing these records for some time.
