The new year brings an assortment of new laws for California residents, and the following are some of the notable ones for 2025.
Laws for Drivers
Some of the incoming laws affect California drivers.
Assembly Bill 413 makes it illegal to park within 20 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk or within 15 feet of a crosswalk with a curb extension.
Senate Bill 905 closes a loophole with which prosecutors were forced to prove a car door was locked when a burglary occurred. Supporters say the law allows prosecutors to do more to address car thefts.
Job postings requiring a valid driver’s license now are illegal under SB 1100.
Another law about which the California DMV reminds residents is the need for a REAL ID. The federal law will go into effect on May. REAL IDs (or another federally approved travel document, like a passport) will be a requirement to fly within the United States and to enter secure federal facilities.
Consumer Laws
Under AB 2863, companies that offer automatic renewal for services must allow consumers to cancel their subscriptions the same way that they signed up.
AB 375 requires food delivery companies such as Uber Eats or DoorDash to provide the first name and photos of delivery drivers to customers. The law is set to go into effect March 1.
Alcohol and Cannabis
Beginning Jan. 1, some cities can sell alcohol and cannabis in areas labeled as “entertainment zones.”
The change is related to two new laws.
The first is SB 969, which allows bars and restaurants to sell alcohol for people to drink on public streets and sidewalks. The law allows local governments to label designated areas as entertainment zones.
The goal of the law is to help increase foot traffic in areas that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A similar bill was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, but the law was limited to San Francisco. That city experimented with an entertainment zone for its 2024 Oktoberfest and saw foot traffic increase by more than 10 times of the 2023 event.
AB 1775 legalizes cannabis cafes and allows existing cannabis retailers and lounges to sell non-cannabis food and drinks.
A similar bill was vetoed by Newsom in 2022, but AB 1775 includes safety measures to protect workers from secondhand smoke.
Laws on Crimes
Other news laws implement harsher penalties for crimes.
AB 3209 allows retailers to obtain restraining orders against people who have been sentenced for vandalizing, stealing, or assaulting an employee.
AB 1779 allows district attorneys to combine charges for retail crimes if they were committed across multiple counties.
AB 1960 creates harsher sentencing guidelines for stealing, damaging or destroying property if done while committing a felony and the damage exceeds $50,000.
SB 1242 makes setting a fire in a building during an organized retail theft an aggravating factor and increases sentences for anyone convicted.
SB 1414 increases the crime of buying sex from a minor under 16 from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Changes to Education
Some of the laws being enacted will have effects on educators and schools from the elementary to college levels.
AB 1955 prohibits school districts from passing ordinances that require teachers to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender or requests to be referred to by a different name.
Additionally, AB 1825, or Freedom to Read Act, prevents libraries from banning books based on race, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or the book’s political affiliation, author or intended audience.
A new law labeled AB 1821 requires public schools to teach the impact of the Mission period and Gold Rush on California native populations.
AB 1780 bans legacy admissions for universities that receive state funding.
Labor Laws and Wages
A series of laws for workers also go into effect to start 2025.
The minimum wage across the state increases to $16.50 starting in January.
SB 988 provides more protections for contract workers by requiring that they are paid on or before the date specified in their contract. If no date is specified, the employer has 30 days after completion of services to pay.
Under SB 1105, farmworkers now can use paid sick days to avoid working outdoors in hazardous conditions, such as smoke or extreme heat.
Workers now can use paid family leave before using vacation hours under AB 2123.
AB 2499 expands the definition of sick leave to allow workers to use paid leave when a family member is the victim of violence or under the threat of violence. That will let employees use sick leave to help their family members obtain a restraining order or other services for victims of domestic violence or assault.
AB 399 protects workers from retaliation if they choose not to attend an employer-sponsored meeting related to religious matters or politics, or whether to support a union.
Firearms
AB 2917 allows courts to consider threats against a group or location when deciding whether to issue a restraining order preventing someone from purchasing or possessing guns or ammunition.
AB 574 requires that the register or record of sale include paperwork by the recipient or purchaser that they have confirmed every firearm they have owned or possessed within the past 30 days.
AB 1483 eliminates the exemption for private sales from the prohibition of buying more than one firearm within a 30-day period.
Beginning in 2025, AB 1598 requires licensed gun retailers to include safety pamphlets with every sale and transfer. The pamphlet must include details about gun safety and the dangers of owning a gun.
Housing Laws
Under SB 450, local governments must drop specific ordinances so it becomes easier for homeowners to divide their homes into separate units.
The Interim Housing Act, or SB 1395, makes it easier for cities to build tiny homes for homeless residents.
Beginning in 2025, AB 2347 gives tenants up to 10 business days to respond to eviction notices. The previous number was five.
Health
New health laws expand access to different medical treatments and offer new protections.
AB 2515 prohibits the sale of tampons and other menstrual products that could contain toxic chemicals.
Under SB 729, insurance companies are required to cover treatments for in vitro fertilization and expand coverage to LGBTQ+ families.
Financial Laws
Under AB 2017, state-chartered banks cannot charge overdraft fees when customers try to withdraw money with insufficient funds in their accounts.
Parents who use their children to make social media content now will have to set aside some of the revenue in a trust for the child. SB 764 requires the parents to keep records of how many minutes the child is in the video, how much money each post earns, and more.
New State Symbols
Gov. Newsom signed legislation creating three new official state symbols.
The new symbols are the state slug, the banana slug; the state crab, the Dungeness crab; and the state seashell, the black abalone.