New year, new laws in California. Here are a few to know (2024)

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Jan. 3. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• New California laws to know in 2024
• The first week of the new year is bringing new storms to California
• 18 places in L.A. where your dog is more welcomed than you
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper

New year, new laws in California. Here are a few to know

With a new year comes a new slate of state laws to brush up on.

Luckily, Times Sacramento bureau chief Laurel Rosenhall highlighted several that could impact Californians “at home, at work, at school and on the road.”

Here are a few related to housing, education, clean air regulation, wages and traffic safety that you may notice in your communities.

First up, speed cameras are coming to some cities’ streets. Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco now have the green light to use speed cameras to catch drivers going 11 mph or above the speed limit. The five-year pilot program will allow cameras to be installed in school zones and on streets with a history of severe crashes or documented street racing.

Speed is a major factor in traffic collisions and higher speeds lead to more severe collisions. As the number of people killed on public roads has increased in recent years — driven by a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths — state lawmakers, local officials and community advocates say deterring speeding will save lives. Dozens of other U.S. cities already use the technology, which has effectively reduced speeding and crashes. L.A. and other cities each have to develop their own program that complies with the new law, but could have some cameras up and running later this year.

Here’s one for property owners who have built or are considering building accessory dwelling units, (ADUs): those can now be sold like condos in California. “The goal is to give more people the opportunity to own their own homes in a state with a severe shortage of housing,” Laurel wrote.

Sidenote: If building and selling an ADU sounds promising, The Times has a handy guide for you.

Another change is coming to public school classrooms in California: Cursive is making a comeback. I’m old enough to remember writing my name over and over and over in that jointed fancy font. But younger generations didn’t get the same lessons as laptop computers became a fixture in schools and digital text replaced handwriting.

“Educators who supported passage of the law contended that writing by hand helps children learn to read, spell and build their vocabularies in ways that typing does not,” Laurel noted.

Some workers can expect a pay bump this year. As of Jan. 1, the state minimum wage is $16 an hour. L.A. and some other cities have set a higher minimum wage than the state, and many also went up with the new year.

Workers in specific industries could also see a pay bump in the coming months. California’s fast-food workers will see their wages rise to $20 an hour starting April 1. Workers’ minimum wage at large hospitals and healthcare facilities will also increase to $23 an hour on June 1.

Next up, gas-powered yard tools may be harder to come by starting this year. Assembly Bill 1346 requires phasing out fossil fuel-fueled leaf blowers, lawnmowers, weed trimmers, chain saws and other tools. The tools were targeted for their contributions to the state’s notoriously emissions-filled air.

“Phasing out such equipment — by requiring that those of model years 2024 and later be powered with electricity or another clean energy — is part of the state’s plan to transition to a carbon-free economy,” Laurel wrote. She notes that people are still allowed to use the gas-powered tools they already have and buy them used.

Check out Laurel’s guide here to learn more about those and other new state laws now in effect.

Today’s top stories

Courts and crime

• A federal judge in Los Angeles has found Tom Girardi competent to stand trial, paving the way for the disgraced former lawyer to go before a jury this year.
• Nigel Lythgoe denies Paula Abdul’s ‘deeply offensive’ claims in a sexual assault lawsuit.
• An Encino woman, 88, had private security for protection. A guard shot her on New Year’s Eve.

Politics

• Wealthier Asian American and Latino voters in Orange County may be pivotal in upcoming elections.
• Who would lend millions to Hunter Biden? Meet the Hollywood lawyer who has.

Climate and environment

• The first week of the new year is bringing new storms to California, with snow, rain, more big surf, gusty winds and possible thunderstorms.
• Native tribes are getting a slice of their land back — under the condition that they preserve it.
• ‘Snow drought’ grips California and western United States, despite recent storms.

Business in Hollywood

• As it looks to build its global audience, Netflix in the last five years has released more than 10 TV and film adaptations based on popular Japanese manga or anime.
• Screamboat Willie? Mickey Mouse horror films lurk as cartoon enters the public domain.

More big stories

• California’s hospitals are getting busier with more COVID-19 and flu patients, some of whom are suffering from both viruses at the same time.
• California created the nation’s only pension plan for retired boxers but has failed to locate and inform eligible boxers, some of whom are destitute, disabled, or both.
  

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• Jonah Goldberg: Nikki Haley’s slavery gaffe is a rare misstep from a good politician.
• Editorial: L.A. needs to dump its hiring process that leaves critical city jobs unfilled.
• Opinion: Organized crime threatens Latin America’s democracies and fuels migration. The U.S. can help.
• Opinion: Israel’s Gaza strategy: Create facts on the ground that can’t be undone.

Today’s great reads

Space shuttle Endeavour’s giant orange external tank begins final journey. At long last, the final journey of the last space shuttle ever built and its giant orange external tank are expected to begin this month — the capstone to a historic journey to an ambitious museum exhibit in Los Angeles.

Other great reads

• Strikes, streaming and AI: Hollywood executives debate the issues that defined a wild 2023.
• Sweet Lady Jane bakery, home to Taylor Swift’s birthday cake, has closed all of its bakeries.
• The Clippers’ Norman Powell learns to accept role, no matter how big or small.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Going out

• 6 easy ways to save rainwater and give your plants joy.
• Here’s everything new coming to Disneyland in 2024 — so far.
• 18 places in L.A. where your dog is more welcomed than you.

Staying in

• Your New Year’s social media cleanse: Reread contrarian legend Christopher Hitchens.
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for New Year’s Cake.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

The Getty in Brentwood.

(Frank Damon)

Today’s great photo is from Frank Damon of Pacific Palisades: The Getty. Frank writes: “I took this about a month ago one morning at the Getty when I looked up and saw the moon evenly spaced between the iconic Getty buildings. Such a peaceful, serene sight.”

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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