5 Bills To Know As CA Legislature Wraps For The Year

SACRAMENTO, CA — State lawmakers have adjourned until the new year and on Thursday approved the final slate of bills now headed for Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

Among the dozens of bills that crossed the finish line were key wins for organized labor, a landmark plan allowing Newsom to buy large amounts of clean electricity, stronger eviction protections, and a first-of-its-kind pharmacy safety bill.

Here's what to know about a few big bills California lawmakers approved before the deadline:

• Big raises for health care & fast food workers
  • SB 525: In one of the final votes before adjournment Thursday, lawmakers approved legislation to gradually raise the minimum wage for healthcare workers at large hospitals to $25 by 2026. Rural hospitals would raise minimum wages to $18 by next summer, then 3.5 percent annually until reaching $25.
  • AB 1228: Pending the governor's signature, most of California's 500,000+ fast food workers will be paid at least $20 an hour next year following a deal struck between industry leaders and labor unions earlier this month.
• Unemployment benefits for striking workers
  • SB 799: If the bill is signed into law, California would join New York and New Jersey in extending unemployment eligibility to striking workers starting in January. According to the Los Angeles Times, the legislation supported by labor groups and opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce would help provide financial relief to picketing union members. The governor has not said whether he will veto the bill but has voiced concerns about the debt impact on the state's unemployment insurance fund.
• Expanded protections for renters
  • SB 567: Lawmakers approved a bill authored by Democratic state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo that updates a 2019 law that capped rent increases statewide. Durazo's bill sought to close loopholes regarding no-fault evictions, requiring landlords in such cases to provide proof they are renovating properties, occupying their units or renting to family members. Advocates of the bill highlighted a case in Santa Clara County where a landlord evicted tenants under the guise of moving in relatives, then relisted the units at twice the price.
• Harnessing clean energy to prevent blackouts
  • AB 1373: The legislature moved to authorize the Newsom administration to buy large amounts of electricity as part of a plan to avoid blackouts, bolster the state's power supply and boost new offshore wind projects. Five companies paid hundreds of millions last year to lease space off the California coast to build new wind turbines, which are projected to generate enough electricity for 3.5 million homes and help reduce the strain on the electrical grid during extreme heat waves.
• Nation's 1st pharmacy safety bill
• AB 1286: The "Stop Dangerous Pharmacies Act" was approved after months of negotiations and would create a first-in-the-nation set of regulations to increase accountability at understaffed chain pharmacies, according to CBS Bay Area. The bill would require pharmacies to report all medication errors to the state, draw up baseline staffing rules and give staffers more say in their working conditions.

The highlighted bills are just a handful of the flurry passed at the deadline Thursday, which also included the bipartisan passage of a bill setting the table for "Amsterdam-style" cannabis cafes opening up shop in the Golden State next year and higher taxes on guns and ammunition to pay for security improvements at public schools.

Lawmakers also gave the green light to an update of the state's bottle recycling law, which is estimated to allow for another 200 million items to enter the recycling stream each year. The change would allow consumers to recycle fruit and vegetable juice containers and be eligible to receive refunds.

The governor has until Oct. 14 to sign or veto bills approved during the legislative session. State lawmakers will begin a new session on Jan. 3, 2024.

The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.