New laws for a new year
The governor signed 771 bills into law in 2008, most of which take effect immediately on January 1, 2009. Here’s a look at some of the new laws. (Béatrice de Géa / Los Angeles Times)
A tax break will let taxpayers exclude forgiven mortgage debt from their incomes for state income tax purposes. (Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)
GPS devices can be mounted on the windshield of a motor vehicle only in the 7-inch square in the lower corner farthest from the driver or in the 5-inch square in the lower corner nearest the driver. (David Colker / Los Angeles Times)
The price of traffic tickets will increase immediately.
Infractions will carry a new $35 assessment, and the fee to process a request to attend traffic school and keep the ticket off the driver’s record will be $49, up from $24. Fines imposed upon convictions of misdemeanors or felonies will result in an additional $30 assessment. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
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Drivers who run their vehicles on restaurant kitchen grease will now be allowed to skip most of a $300 fee; instead they will pay $75 for a license. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Operators of wave pools at amusement parks, like this one at Raging Waters in
Requiring restaurants to provide nutritional information has been a long battle for proponents like Dr. Glennah Trochet, left,
A nutrition law signed by the governor affects restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets. It requires brochures with nutrition information to be supplied to diners beginning July 1 and calorie counts on menus starting in 2011. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
A spousal abuse law prohibits jailing of alleged victims of domestic violence for refusing to testify against their abusers. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
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Wildfires this year left many homeless, including residents of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in
A law will require, at time of sale, all mobile homes and manufactured housing to have smoke detectors in all rooms designed for sleeping. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A meat safety law makes it a misdemeanor to buy, sell or butcher sick and some disabled animals for human consumption. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
Three laws affect medical insurers.
One requires that when insurers cancel someone’s coverage, they allow other members of the family to keep theirs.
Another law prevents insurers from refusing to pay the medical bills of customers injured while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
A third requires insurers to pay for HIV screening. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Animal owners will now be able to set up “pet trusts” to pay for continuing care of their pets after the owners die. A law will enforce the payment of these trusts. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
