New California Laws Effective 2025

Published January 2, 2025

Tenant Protections

  • AB 12: Limits security deposits for rentals to one month's rent (unfurnished) or two months (furnished).
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • SB 567: Expands "just cause" eviction protections and prevents wrongful evictions.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Business Regulations

  • AB 418: Bans certain food additives, including Red Dye No. 3 and brominated vegetable oil.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • AB 647: New grocery store owners must retain employees for 90 days.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • SB 519: Mandates businesses with 50+ employees to post salary ranges for job listings.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Artificial Intelligence in Entertainment

  • AB 2602: It prohibits AI from being used to replicate an actor's voice or likeness without consent.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • AB 1836: Prevents unauthorized use of deceased actors’ voices or likenesses.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Automotive Regulations

  • AB 413: Implements the "daylighting" law, banning parking within 20 feet of crosswalks.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Cannabis

  • AB 374: Allows cannabis cafés, permitting on-site consumption alongside food and beverages.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Consumer Protection

  • AB 2863: Requires businesses to offer easy online cancellation for subscriptions.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • SB 1061: Prohibits medical debt from appearing on credit reports.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Criminal Justice

  • SB 905: Removes locked-vehicle proof for filing vehicle break-in charges.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • AB 1779: Allows district attorneys to prosecute retail theft across county lines.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Education

  • AB 1955: Prohibits schools from requiring disclosure of students' gender identities without consent.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • AB 1780: Bans preferential admissions for relatives of donors or alumni in state-funded universities.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Employment

  • SB 399: Establishes the "Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act."
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • AB 2123: Removes the need to exhaust vacation time before using paid family leave.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Firearms

  • SB 2: Raises minimum age for concealed carry permits to 21 and bans carrying firearms in sensitive areas.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Housing

  • SB 1211: Allows construction of up to eight detached ADUs on a single lot.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025
  • SB 450: Strengthens enforcement of housing development laws against local interference.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Public Safety

  • AB 375: Requires food delivery apps to show the first name and photo of drivers.
    • Effective Date: January 1, 2025