New California laws to go into effect in 2022 - Vacaville Reporter

When the clock strikes midnight for 2022, there will be new laws on the books in California.

From traffic regulations to a change in food disposal, a variety of laws approved by the California Legislature and codified by Gov. Gavin Newsom will go into effect New Year’s Day.

Among the many new regulations are traffic-related laws, such as Assembly Bill 974 by Robert Rivas, D-Salinas. This law requires a person under the age of 18 to wear a properly fitted and fastened helmet when riding an equine animal such as a horse, donkey or mule along a paved highway. The rider, or their animal, must also wear reflective gear or a lamp when riding after sunset. However, these rules would not apply to animals being ridden as part of a festival or parade or when crossing from an unpaved to a paved highway.

Assembly Bill 798 by James Ramos, D-Highland, will require that any vehicle owned or operated by a federally recognized Indigenous tribe be considered an authorized emergency vehicle when responding to fire, ambulance or other life-saving calls.

Assembly Bill 43 by Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, gives authority to local agencies to consider safety to vulnerable pedestrian groups such as cyclists or walkers.

Following another destructive fire season that burned more than 2.5 million acres throughout California, Senate Bill 332 by Bill Dodd, D-Solano, will be going into effect. This legislation reduces liability for those performing controlled burns for the purpose of ecological maintenance, cultural burning, agriculture or reducing wildland fire hazards ahead of a fire season.

“Controlled burning is a valuable tool in addressing the buildup of fuels in our parched forests and wildlands,” Dodd said in a statement after the bill was signed. “Its use can save us from ever-worsening conditions caused by drought and climate change. I thank the governor for seeing the value in this new law.”

Senate Bill 221 by Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, codifies regulations issued by the California Departments of Insurance and Managed Healthcare to offer health care service plans and insurers with timely access standards for non-emergency health care services.

Assembly Bill by Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, prohibits police officers from using kinetic energy projectiles, such as rubber bullets, or tear gas to disperse protests or demonstrations unless “to defend against a threat to life or serious bodily injury to any individual, including a peace officer, or to bring an objectively dangerous and unlawful situation safely and effectively under control.” It will also require law enforcement agencies to post on their website a summary of incidents in which these weapons are used.

Assembly Bill 286, also by Gonzalez, prohibits food delivery applications from charging customers for more than what an item was advertised at on the delivery platform’s website at the time an order was placed. Platforms would also be prevented from keeping any portion of the purchase designated as tips or gratuities.

Senate Bill 1383 by then-Sen. Ricardo Lara will go into effect six years after it was signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. This new law requires organic materials such as food scraps and inedible food parts to be recycled rather than thrown into the trash.

In Vacaville, proper sorting of all waste will be monitored through random collection route reviews to ensure that organic waste, recyclables and trash are sorted accordingly. In the event waste is not properly sorted, notices will be provided to residents along with educational materials. Starting in 2024, repeated occurrences may result in penalties.

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source: https://www.thereporter.com/2021/12/31/new-california-laws-to-go-into-effect-in-2022

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