Some of the new California state laws, took effect Tuesday, Jan 2, 2008.

- Senate Bill 1542 law was actually was signed into law in 2006. Senate Bill 1542 provides drivers of cars sold or leased after Jan. 1 with a convenient and safe system to obtain a replacement car key if their key is lost, stolen or damaged. The Auto Club sponsored the legislation to help ensure that motorists can replace keys quickly through a licensed, bonded, registered locksmith instead of being forced to wait hours or even days for the manufacturer or a dealer to make a replacement.

- ban on motorists smoking with children under 18 in the car - whether the vehicle is in motion or not.

- loophole cancelled - bicycles must use lights at night even if riding on sidewalks. Prior, the only stated "riding on streets."

- 50-cent raise that brings the minimum wage to $8 per hour

- journalists to pay court clerks or sheriff's deputies a couple of $100 bills to get jailhouse celebrity mug shots.

- the Mel Gibson law, makes it a misdemeanor for a peace officer or law enforcement employee to leak confidential information for financial gain.

- redemption of gift cards for cash if the balance is less than $10.

- the end of California's ban on donations of sperm from HIV-positive men in recognition of new technology that can safely cleanse sperm of the virus. Now a man infected could use his sperm to inseminate a wife or partner, if there is consent and the sperm is cleansed.

-- San Francisco is now authorized to use cameras mounted on the front of Muni buses on the lookout for cars double parking and blocking traffic.

-- New rebates will be available for homeowners and businesses that install solar water heaters sets aside $250 million for the program with the goal of installing 200,000 solar-powered water heaters by 2017.

- Key Codes. SB 1542 gives motorists a convenient and secure option for getting replacement keys when theirs have been lost, stolen, or damaged. Automakers must provide, at any time, the key codes necessary for a licensed and registered locksmith to make a replacement key for vehicles sold or leased in California on or after January 1, 2008. Exceptions include automakers that sell fewer than 2,500 vehicles annually, and manufacturers that make their own keys - i.e. BMW and Mercedes-Benz - who have until 2013 to comply with the law provided that, in the interim, they send a replacement key by overnight mail.

- License Plates. AB 801 makes it illegal to sell or use a product that obstructs or impairs the recognition of a license plate by an electronic device operated by police or toll authority, such as a red-light camera. The fine for obscuring a license plate is about $146, and the fine for selling such a product is $900.

- School Zones. AB 321 will now allow local jurisdictions to adopt an ordinance establishing a speed limit of 15 miles per hour in a school zone. The 15-mph speed limit must be posted and applies up to 500 feet from the school. A 25-mph limit will apply at a distance of 500-1,000 feet from the school.

- Street Racing. SB 67 reauthorizes a law that lapsed in 2006. It allows police to impound a vehicle for 30 days when a person is arrested for street racing, exhibition of speed, or reckless driving.

- Smoking in Vehicles. SB 7 prohibits anyone from smoking a cigarette, a cigar, or a pipe in a vehicle, whether in motion or not, in which there is a minor.The smoker can be fined up to $100. Police can only cite for this violation in connection with a stop for a suspected violation of another driving offense.

- Traffic School. AB 645 prohibits a court from allowing a driver who commits a two-point violation from attending traffic school. Two-point violations include drunk driving, hit-and-run, speed contests, evading an officer, and vehicular manslaughter.

- Gasoline Dispensing. Concerns about the high cost of gasoline have prompted scrutiny into whether gasoline loses fuel efficiency when it is stored, delivered or dispensed at a higher temperature than 60 degrees Fahrenheit. AB 868 requires the state to conduct a study on the effects of temperature on fuel deliveries and to report the study findings. When the study is complete, recommendations will be made to address its findings.


effective on July 1, 2008:

- illegal for any driver to use a handheld phone except during emergencies.

- illegal for a driver under the age of 18 to use a wireless phone - even if it's hands-free - as well as other mobile devices like PDAs, laptops and pagers.

- Alternative Fuels and Vehicle Technologies Funding Program. AB 118, which takes effect July 1, increases the smog abatement fee for newer vehicles and the vehicle registration fee paid by all motorists to fund a variety of motorist and non-motorist related purposes, including research
into alternative fuels, alternative fuel-infrastructure projects, retrofitting large truck engines, and the removal of high-polluting vehicles from the road. This measure will require car owners to contribute well over $150 million per year until 2016, when the law expires.



Last year, lawmakers passed 964 bills, according to the Senate Office of Research; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed 750 into law.

 

Interesting side note. The State of Massachusetts has painted their license plates for many years with a "cream" colored reflective paint. It has been against the law since "day one" to use or sell any license plate frame with a plastic clear window. There are stiil quite a few out there on "premium cars" including my Allante and I've read of no enforcement except for the law banning the sale makes them harder to secure in in state stores. Doesn't seem to be a "ban" on supply houses like "JC Whitney" ect; and no one has mentioned them during my annual state mandated inspections.

 

The drive is the city's "Revenue Depts" ...

cameras are being mounted at intersections for tickets in the mail.
they really do need the license plate to collect the revenue.

in the future, expect BAR CODES on cars for easier scanning, parking, traffic violations,
speeding, etc ..