California’s new laws for 2017

December 26, 2016

beauty-shopThe New Year is right around the corner and with it comes new laws about hands-free cell phones, minimum wage, drinking alcohol at beauty shops and many other issues. Here are some of the laws that will likely impact California residents.

Wine and a dye job: Beauty salons and barber shops may now serve their clients complementary wine or beer until 10 p.m. At the same time, California has banned powdered alcohol. Yes, it does exist.

Minimum wage: On Jan. 1, the statewide minimum wage jumps from $10 to $10.50 an hour for businesses with 26 or more employees. By 2022, that rate will increase to $15 an hour.

Hands-free driving: Assembly Bill 1785 significantly expands restrictions on hands-free driving. You can no longer check your playlist or set your phone’s GPS while driving.

The law forbids drivers from holding or operating their cell phones for any reason. Drivers are permitted, however, “a single swipe or tap of the driver’s finger,” as long as the phone is properly mounted to a driver’s dashboard or windshield.

Drugging foster children: To stop social services agencies from overly medicating children under their control, Senate Bill 1174 puts the medical licenses of doctors who recklessly prescribe psychiatric medications to children at risk. Senate Bill 1291 requires more transparency over mental health services provided to foster children.

Child car seat: Children under two years of age must now ride in rear-facing car seats. An exemption is made for children who weigh over 40 pounds or stand over 40 inches tall.

All children under the age of eight years of age are still required to ride in a car seat in the back seat of a vehicle


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Thankfully it is still legal to barf, this allows me to have an opposite and equal reaction.


I have trouble understanding why these people continue to make laws for us, the citizens,we have a ton of things that need to be delt with and these jerks sit up in Sac on our dime making more laws,we’re out of water, but these people allow it to be flushed to the ocean, we have gangs running amok killing people,a stupid train to nowhere that needs to be shut down, a heavy handed bunch of smog nazis killing off business, and that moron for a gov wants to put up a satallite of his own, this waste needs to stop, O yeah, lets not forget the legal defense fund for illegals that are in our state illegally. What the heck is the matter with people.


Why no mention of anything from Proposition 63, which strips even more Constitutionally-protected rights away?


Wow, I can’t even hold my cell phone while in a car, but I can get my hair cut and drink wine did I fall down a rabbit hole?


Good grief, what would a trip to the beauty salon be without a drink?

Assuming there is no bodily injury or death resulting from the DUI, the minimum terms for a misdemeanor first conviction are as follows:

•$390 fine plus over $1,000 in ordinary penalty assessments, plus additional DUI-only assessments for a total of approxi­mately $1,800.

•48-hour jail sentence or a 90-day license restriction allowing you to drive to and from your work—and for work—if required, and to and from an alcohol treatment program. If the 90-day restriction is imposed, it begins after your DMV four-month suspension or 30-day suspension followed by a five-month restriction.

•Attendance and completion of a $500, three-month alcohol-treatment program (nine months if your blood alcohol level was 0.20% or higher. Completing the program is a requirement for ever being able to drive again following a “per-se” DMV license suspension and for minimizing that suspension to 30 days (plus five or eight months of restricted driving) instead of the six- or ten-month flat suspension that would otherwise be imposed.

•Loss of your driver’s license for at least 30 days, followed by either a five-month restriction to drive to, from, and for work and to and from an alcohol treatment program, or an additional two-month restriction that allows you to drive only to and from the program.


The maximum penalties for a misdemeanor first DUI conviction in California is a $1,000 fine plus over $2,600 in penalty ­assessments, six months’ imprisonment in the county jail, a six-month license suspension ; ten months for blood alcohol level of 0.15% or more, having your vehicle “impounded” (stored at your expense) for 30 days, and being required to attach an “interlock” breath device to your vehicle that will not allow the car to start if there is any alcohol on your breath. This will cost you about $800.


Certainly something to think about


Or you could get a job in law enforcement, then be able to receive a DUI and have no “real ” consequences, not lose you drivers license, no jail sentence, and if on probation not risk your employment. Not sure if this goes for all police departments or just the SLO Sheriffs department.


News flash, Mr Pelican, you can already get a drink at something called a “bar”. It’s all about personal responsibility, if you can’t drink responsibly in a salon or a bar then don’t drink at all or take an Uber. Don’t enforce your puritanical nanny-state morals onto others.


You are right! American’s don’t have a drinking problem….just look at the statistics.

Good luck in your support of even more places to consume alcohol.


So anyone arrested for DUI should just say, it’s the governments fault because they create so many places for me to drink? Some people are constantly putting blame for everything wrong in their lives on anyone but themselves but your comment seems to be carrying a bit too far.


Thank you lawmakers in Sac town… I feel safer already.