New California laws you need to know in 2023

December 25, 2022

Sacramento California state capitol

By KAREN VELIE

The new year brings hundreds of new laws with major consequences to Californians. Here’s a summary of seven new laws taking effect in 2023.

Jaywalking is no longer a crime, well sort of

Under a new law, law enforcement can only ticket someone for jaywalking if their action created an “immediate danger of a collision.”

Ban on “pink tax” gender-based price discrimination

It is no longer legal to charge more for a product that is targeted to women. Companies often charge more for a pink razor than for the same razor in black. Over a woman’s lifetime, it is estimated she will spend $188,000 for a product that is priced higher then the masculine equivalent.

Law requiring drivers to change lanes when a bicyclist is nearby, but only sometimes

While the law still requires a driver to keep a three-feet distance from bicyclists, they now must change lanes “with due regard for safety and traffic conditions, if practicable and not prohibited by law.”

Businesses must disclose pay scales when advertising open positions, unless exempt

All companies with 15 or more employees are now required to provide pay scales in job postings. For companies with more than 100 employees, employers must also include “the median and mean hourly rate for each combination of race, ethnicity, and sex within each job category,” in reports to the state.

Another increase in California’s minimum wage

California’s minimum wage is increasing from $15 an hour to $15.50 an hour. This increase follows a bill in 2016 that required the then $10 an hour minimum wage to increase to $15 an hour by 2022.

California adds four new state holidays

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed four new state holidays into law: April 24 as Genocide Remembrance Day, June 19 as Juneteenth, Sept. 4 as Native American Day, and the second or third new moon following the winter solstice as Lunar New Year.

California adds the Feather Alert System

A new law creates the Feather Alert System, similar to an Amber Alert for indigenous people who have gone missing “under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.”


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I have always changed lanes away from bicyclists when safe to do so. But how are they going to actually monitor that new law?? What if you are going to make a right turn and fail to move over? Will you get a ticket?


I’m not surprised over the new holidays…but I am dumbfounded over the “Feather Alert System”. If ANYONE goes missing, especially under unexplained or suspicious circumstances”, shouldn’t everyone be alerted? Don’t they post a “Have you Seen this person”?? Why have this law for ONLY indigenous people???


And “Native American Day” differs from “Indigenous Persons Day” how? (no pun). Hmmmm….. what about “Here in California we are Idiots” day?


Geez, are we stupid or what?


Curious, what unnatural force of nature, buried deep into the female mind, makes it impossible for women to buy the less expensive men’s razors?


Also, instead of making it much more difficult, and dangerous to drive a car, they make a law that says bicycle riders must stay in their designated lane, single file, and obey all other traffic laws? I’m not swerving around bicycles, riding 2-3-4 abreast across lines into the automobile lanes. Don’t get me started on large groups of bicycles, flooding across all vehicle lanes while they blow every stop sign and red light in their path.


And, the “Feather Alert System”?? How about the “Red Dot Forehead Alert” system, for when a East Indian goes missing? Did they consider the “Eskimo Swallowed By A Whale” system? Of course, there should be a law that allows reporting of a missing Californian, who likely left because of the stupid laws and high taxes…


Also natural gas ban on new construction which is crazy considering how much gas is underneath us


Proof that Californians should implement a part-time legislature in Sacramento mandated with only a very abbreviated session of legislative business.


Wow these are hardly improvements. Way to make the law twice as vague and undefined :/ Way more problems caused than being solved here. Disappointing.


Wait what!? These are the laws our elected officials are spending all their time passing. Wow, evidence of the intellect of the “majority” of Californians, pretty sad.


Life is settled now … we expect, but one wonders … mo ghille mear