How 7 New CA Laws May Affect Your Life

CALIFORNIA — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed dozens of laws this month that tackle everything from the state's housing crisis to removing the word "alien" from state immigration documents to protecting the privacy of abortion patients.

Many of the new laws going into effect are a direct response to issues that dominated headlines in 2021. Many of them were born out of a state healing from the pandemic and reignited arguments over a person's access to abortion.

Some were inspired by access to voting in California and the challenges Golden State residents have faced in another devastating wildfire season.

The newly signed laws also came on the heels of a gubernatorial recall election that threatened to oust a first-term Democratic governor from office. Newsom handily defeated the effort but will immediately begin preparing for the next election in November 2022.

READ MORE: Newsom Crushes Recall, But Where Does California Go From Here?

Here are some of the new laws you need to know about.

1. Protect The Privacy Of Abortion Patients And Clinics

Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1356 last week to safeguard the privacy of abortion patients and the clinics that provide such services. The new law, along with another, aimed to elevate the state as one that protects "reproductive freedom," according to Newsom's office.

AB 1256 makes it a crime to record or photograph patients or providers within 100 feet of the entrance to a reproductive health services clinic, according to the state. The law is meant to deter protesters attempting to intimidate those coming and going from abortion facilities.

Another bill, AB 1184, was signed in tandem and aimed to protect the privacy of those receiving gender-affirming or abortion-related care services by requiring that patient information be kept confidential even if a person is not the primary policyholder on health insurance.

The laws came after Texas enacted a law that banned abortions six weeks into a pregnancy.

"These are dark days. I don't think one can understate the consequential nature of the moment that we are living in," Newsom said Wednesday. "It becomes of outsized importance that California asserts itself."

2. Reduce Farmworkers' Exposure To Wildfire Smoke

Newsom signed Assembly Bill 73 on Monday, which is meant to reduce farmworkers’ exposure to wildfire smoke.

The bill, also known as the Farmworker Wildfire Smoke Protections Act, classified agricultural workers as essential workers and allowed them access to the California Department of Public Health’s stockpile of personal protective equipment, including N95 masks.

"While many of us have the privilege to work from home, our farmworkers aren't so lucky – they continue to work the smoky fields to feed the nation," the bill's author, Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), tweeted this week. "Now it's time to protect them."

3. Do Away With Piecework Pay For Garment Workers

The Golden State this week became the first in the nation to do away with piecework compensation and to pay workers by the hour instead. Supporters of the new law argued that paying by the piece could be used to underpay workers.

Piecework is a type of employment in which a worker is paid a fixed rate for each product produced or action performed, regardless of time spent on the job.

"Today we won justice for garment workers," said the bill's author, state Sen. María Durazo (D), in a statement. "For too long, bad-actor manufacturers have exploited garment workers toiling in unsanitary conditions for as little as $5 an hour."

The bill, signed by Newsom on Monday, also expanded fashion brands' liability for unpaid wages, including wage theft by contractors, according to the state. There is an exception for worksites that are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

4. End Underpayment Of Workers With Disabilities

California this week became the 13th state to end a practice that allowed businesses with special licenses to pay people with disabilities below the minimum wage, according to the State Council on Developmental Disabilities.

It is estimated that 12,000 Californians with disabilities who work in so-called sheltered workshops can be paid as little as 15 cents an hour under a federal policy that dated to 1938.

The new measure will phase out the subminimum wages by Jan. 1, 2025, and will make it illegal to pay an employee with physical or mental disabilities less than the legal minimum wage.

"California is holding corporations accountable and recognizing the dignity and humanity of our workers, who have helped build the fifth-largest economy in the world," Newsom said in a statement. "These measures protect marginalized low-wage workers, many of whom are women of color and immigrants, ensuring they are paid what they are due and improving workplace conditions.

5. Make Voting By Mail Permanent

Newsom signed a bill that will make voting by mail a permanent fixture.

California began its vote-by-mail process during the pandemic, sending ballots to every registered and active voter statewide. The move was meant to circumvent pandemic-related disruptions, but proponents of the bill believed it ultimately brought more flexibility to the voting process.

The newly signed law made California the eighth state in the country to require that every voter be mailed a ballot.

"The bill will permanently expand access and increase participation in our elections by making voting more convenient and meeting people where they are," Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement.

Weber added that the vote-by-mail initiative, spurred by the pandemic, increased voter turnout as Californians had the option of returning their ballots by mail, in a drop box, at a voting center or at a traditional polling station.

6. Leave Behind The Word "Alien"

The word "alien" has been used to define immigrants to California since 1937. Newsom signed a new bill last week that will remove the word from state documents.

The state will replace the word with terms such as "noncitizen" or "immigrant" going forward, according to legislation authored by Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-Arleta).

"This important legislation removes the word 'alien,' which is not only an offensive term for a human being but for far too long has fueled a divisive and hurtful narrative," Newsom said in a statement. "By changing this term, we are ensuring California's laws reflect our state's values."

The word has been used nationally for more than 200 years.

"In the 1990s, the word 'alien' began to be used as a political dog whistle to express bigotry and hatred without using traditionally racist language," according to a statement from Newsom's office. "By 2015, the term was officially replaced with 'noncitizen,' however 'alien' is still widely used in many aspects of California law."

7. Become The First State To Set Quota Limits For Retailers

Last week, the Golden State became the first to ban massive retailers such as Amazon from firing warehouse workers for missing quotas that interfere with rest breaks. The new law, signed by Newsom, was inspired by Amazon's move to speed up production to deliver goods more quickly.

"We cannot allow corporations to put profit over people," Newsom said.

The measure barred Amazon, the online retail giant, and similar companies from disciplining workers for following health and safety laws and allows employees to take legal action to suspend unsafe quotas or reverse retaliation. The bill applied to all warehouse distribution centers in the state.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.