With the new year upon us, new laws in a variety of categories may affect residents of Beverly Hills, either directly or indirectly. Areas of interest include the entertainment industry, which will begin the new year with new laws regarding artificial intelligence. Monetized social media posts using children must now comply with new regulations on the books. And new protections are in place for transgender children. Legacy college admissions are now entirely banned in the wake of the college admissions scandal. For businesses, new rules apply to payments for independent contractors, and the category of what constitutes “family leave” has expanded. Of particular interest to local businesses, new laws focused on organized retail theft could make punishments for large-scale theft stronger.
Entertainment Industry
The California State Assembly passed several laws focusing on protecting actors from having their likenesses used without their consent using artificial intelligence. Additionally, several laws will make it so that child actors’ protections in the film and television industry will also now be expanded into social media.
AB 2602 and AB 1836 make it illegal to use artificial intelligence to replicate an actor’s voice or likeness without consent of the actor or their estate. The California Labor Federation wrote in a statement in support of the legislation, “It is critical that workers and their unions have a voice in the development and use of AI and other technologies in the workplace. Otherwise, technology will rapidly worsen the exploitation of workers and the elimination of jobs.” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher was present at the bills’ signing.
Retail Theft
New laws in 2025 will increase charges against those committing retail theft.
In a statement examining new legislation in 2024, the Public Policy Institute of California said, “Reported [shoplifting] incidents are 28% higher than in 2019. Commercial burglaries dropped by 9% in 2023 but remain about 6% above their pre-pandemic level.” While data for 2024 has not been completed, the Institute noted that Los Angeles County was one of four counties responsible for more than 90% of the statewide rise in 2023, along with Alameda, Sacramento and San Mateo.
AB 3209 will allow retail stores to apply for restraining orders against people sentenced for stealing, vandalizing or assaulting an employee.
AB 1779 provides that California district attorneys can coordinate with other DAs to consolidate charges for suspects in retail theft crimes which occur across county lines.
AB 1960 creates sentencing enhancements for taking, damaging or destroying property while committing a felony if the property value exceeds $50,000.
SB 1242 increases sentencing for those convicted of organized retail theft if they set a fire within a merchant’s premises and considers it an aggravating factor.
Social Media
SB 764 provides that social media posts using children will require their parents to set aside some of the earnings for them in a trust. AB 1880 also expands the Coogan Law to include minor content creators on online platforms. Parents must keep records of how much time their children appear in monetized social media posts and how much money they earn.
Food Delivery
AB 375 requires food delivery services to provide the first name and photo of delivery drivers beginning on March 1. While several food delivery companies already require this, it could provide an extra layer of safety.
SB 1490 requires food delivery applications to provide an itemized receipt of a transaction including purchase price and fees/commissions charged to both the restaurant and the customer. It also bans applications from limiting the number or value of transactions disputed by restaurants and provides a way for restaurants to remove themselves from a food delivery application.
Cannabis
AB 1775 allows for local jurisdictions to license cannabis cafes or lounges by allowing cannabis retailers to make and sell food and nonalcoholic beverages. Previously, dispensaries could only sell prepackaged food and drinks. The bill also allows for live events such as comedy shows and music on the site of the cafes. The bill also requires several employee protections, and a similar bill without the protections was vetoed last year. California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement, “I commend the author for incorporating additional safeguards, such as expressly protecting employees’ discretion to wear a mask for respiration, paid for at the expense of the employer, and requiring employees to receive additional guidance on the risks of secondhand cannabis smoke.”
Firearms
California is often one of the first states in the nation to create laws restricting the use or carrying of firearms, and 2025 will continue that trend. New firearm purchasers will now see a requirement to confirm possession of every firearm they possess, and a new safety pamphlet will have to be provided by licensed firearms dealers. Additionally, a new law allows courts to weigh a person’s threats towards groups when deciding whether to bar them from purchasing guns.
AB 574 requires all purchases or transfers of firearms to include an acknowledgment by the purchaser or transferee that they have, within the last 30 days, confirmed possession of every firearm that they own or possess.
AB 1483 eliminates an existing private party transaction exemption from a prohibition on more than one firearm purchase in 30 days.
AB 1598 requires safety pamphlets to be provided by licensed firearm dealers for purchasers and transferees, as well as those being loaned a firearm.
AB 2917 threats directed towards a group or location will be permissible in court when deciding whether to prohibit a person from purchasing or possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Education
New legislation in the state expands protections for transgender students and adds to the public school curriculum the impact of European settlement and the Gold Rush on Native Americans in the state.
Several years after the college admissions scandal, a new law now bars preferential treatment for “legacy” students as well as the children of large donors.
AB 1955 prohibits school districts in the state from policies forcing educators to notify parents if students identify as transgender or if they request to use a different name. The last several years have seen pushes from various groups to force teachers to inform parents in Los Angeles County, and a new law will largely make that impossible.
AB 1821 requires California public schools to teach the impact of the Mission Period and Gold Rush on California Native Americans.
AB 1780 prohibits legacy and donor preferences in the admissions process for private, nonprofit higher learning institutions. Both have been officially excluded from the state’s public university admissions process. The University of California system eliminated legacy preferences in 1998.
Several states have enacted similar bans on legacy and donor admissions in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling in June 2023 banning affirmative action in college admissions.
Of the bill, Governor Gavin Newsom said “Everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work. The California dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly.”
Healthcare
New laws in 2025 will increase coverage of IVF, require pharmacies to provide accessible labels for those with vision issues and ban a potentially toxic substance from feminine hygiene products in the state.
SB 729 requires insurance companies to cover IVF and expand access to LGBTQ families.
AB 2515 bans the sale of menstrual products that contain potentially toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
AB 1902 provides that pharmacies must provide to any customers (or authorized representative thereof) who are blind, have low vision or are otherwise print disabled, at no additional cost, an accessible prescription label affixed to the container accessible to that person.
SB 639 requires continuing education in geriatrics and dementia care for health care professionals providing care to people 65 and older.
Employment
In addition to minimum wage increases, a number of new laws will affect the workplace. Areas affected include the classification of sick days and family leave, payment schedules for independent contractors and rules regarding employee meetings.
The state minimum wage will increase by 50 cents to $16.50 per hour in 2025. (A ballot measure was rejected in November which would have increased it to $18 per hour in 2026.) Countywide, the minimum wage rose to $17.27 per hour, which will apply to Beverly Hills. The minimum wage in West Hollywood will increase to $19.65 per hour in the new year.
SB 988 requires independent contractors to be paid on or before the date specified in their contract, or no later than 30 days after completion of services if no date is specified.
AB 2123 allows employees to use paid family leave without using vacation hours first.
SB 1105 allows agricultural workers to use paid sick days when they are working outdoors in dangerous conditions such as smoke or extreme heat.
AB 2499 expands the definition of paid sick leave to include situations when an employee’s family member is a victim of violence or the threat of violence. It allows employees to use sick leave to help family members obtain a restraining order or seek out services related to domestic violence or assault.
AB 399 bars California employers from discriminating or retaliating against employees who refuse to attend any employer-sponsored meeting related to matters that are religious, political or related to the decision to support or not support a labor organization/union.
Housing
The topic of housing continues to loom large in Beverly Hills and across the state. While the rate of homelessness in L.A. County decreased by .27%, housing costs in the state continue to be well above the national average. One bill could make it easier for homeowners to divide their homes to rent. Another will make cities planning to build “tiny homes” for unhoused residents experience less red tape.
SB 450 requires local governments to drop certain zoning requirements, making it easier for homeowners to divide their homes into as many as four separate units.
SB 1395 makes it easier for cities to build “tiny homes” for unhoused residents.
AB 2347 raises the amount of time tenants have to respond to eviction notices from 10 business days up from five.
Miscellaneous
AB 1825 prohibits public libraries from banning books due to race, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or socioeconomic status as well as the political affiliation of a book’s subject, author or intended audience.
AB 413 allows cities to fine drivers parking any vehicle within 20 feet of any unmarked or marked crosswalk or 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension is present. The law will allow cities to fine drivers starting Jan. 1. It was designed to increase the visibility of bicyclists.
