You’d be forgiven for not knowing Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the largest expansion of California’s college financial aid system in a generation — he did so during the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants’ first playoff game Friday night.
Hours later, it was all over: Newsom signed his final bills on Saturday, a day ahead of the Oct. 10 deadline to act on the 836 proposals state lawmakers sent to his desk. Of those, he signed 770 (92%) and vetoed 66 (7.9%), according to Sacramento lobbyist Chris Micheli.
Here’s a look at the significant new laws coming to the Golden State — as well as ideas Newsom prevented from becoming law.
Signed into law:
- Making ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement, as CalMatters’ Joe Hong reports. Under a bill Newsom signed last year, California State University students must also take an ethnic studies course to graduate.
- Mandating mental health instruction in middle and high schools that have an existing health education course.
- Requiring public colleges, universities and secondary schools to provide free menstrual products on campus.
- Requiring large department stores to maintain a gender-neutral section of toys and child care items.
- Restricting sentence enhancements for many crimes, as recommended by an obscure committee examining California’s penal code.
- Ensuring police can’t block journalists from covering protests and demonstrations.
- Cracking down on sideshows and illegal street racing by allowing courts to suspend convicted motorists’ licenses for up to six months.
- Giving cities more authority to reduce their speed limits.
- Making it illegal to harass people entering vaccination clinics. First Amendment experts say several aspects of the law — including an exemption for “lawful picketing arising out of a labor dispute” — may be unconstitutional.
- Ending “surprise billing” for COVID-19 tests and vaccinations.
- Extending a phone tax to fund high-speed internet in underserved areas.
- Allowing restaurants to continue selling to-go cocktails, using parking lots for expanded seating, and serving alcohol in parklets.
- Offering year-round fishing licenses.
- Banning the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers and other small off-road engines by as soon as 2024.
- Phasing out controversial donor dog facilities to create a new canine blood bank system.
Vetoed:
- Massively expanding Cal Grant, the state’s chief financial aid program. Ironically, the move came a few days after Newsom approved a stack of bills he said would increase college affordability and accessibility.
- Creating non-hospital facilities for young people insured by Medi-Cal who are experiencing mental health crises.
- Paying people struggling with drug addiction to stay sober.
- Permitting cannabis products to be advertised on most freeway billboards.
- Decriminalizing jaywalking, which would have allowed people to cross the street outside of crosswalks without getting a ticket.
- Allowing bicyclists to roll through stop signs.
EVERY YEAR we get 700 to 1,000 NEW laws signed into the already over regulated state.
In 10 years that calculates to about 10,000 NEW law.
The state needs more attorneys!
But one of many reasons Kommiefornia needs to go back to a part time, citizen legislature.
You can tell by the bills he signed that ANY CHIMPANZEE could have done the same thing…He should have signed another law against ELECTION FRAUD AND MAIL IN VOTING….NEWSOM IS A JOKE AND SO IS PIG PELOSI…..BYE BYE IN 2022 PIG PELOSI
Yes to a 6 month session. Also must delete 2 regulations for every one they pass, and of course this is what we get for NOT recalling the permed a$$hole, Newsom.
3 months ever other year and they don’t get paid a penny if not in session.
And like they are doing to firearms, delete 3 laws for every one passed and all must have a 5 year sunset.
The only ways to reduce the laws passed is to reduce the Legislators elected.