Opinion: Want housing, clean air and affordable meds? Here are the laws Californians need to pay attention to

The final week for the state legislative year opens Monday morning and it’s the last chance this year for California legislators to pass new laws.

Some of the legislative proposals that the Los Angeles Times editorial board thought had merit this year have already passed or failed — or have been so radically altered that they no longer resemble the proposal we liked. But there are a handful of really important bills pending, and we urge legislators to pass them. Here they are in no particular order:

SB 17 — Are pharmaceutical companies gouging taxpayers? Maybe, that’s why we need this transparency bill. (Read the full editorial here.)

SB 2, SB 3, and SB 35 make up a package of bills that are crucial to helping ease the state’s housing crisis. (Read the full editorial here.)

SB 49 — The California Environmental Defense Act prepares the state to continue important clean air, water and environmental protections should the federal government move to weaken them. (Read the full editorial here.)

SB 568 — This bill would move California’s late presidential primary to March, making the state a player again in choosing presidential candidates. (Read the full editorial here.)

SB 63 – This bill would expand job protections to more workers who take parental leave. (Read the full editorial here.)

AB 390 – This sensible law would allowing pedestrians to proceed “if there is sufficient time left on the countdown to reasonably complete the crossing safely.” It should end pedestrian confusion and put a stop to bogus jaywalking tickets. (Read the full editorial here.)

AB 186 — Don’t call them opium dens. Safe injection sites could save lives and this bill would allow some counties that wanted to open them to do so. (Read the full editorial here.)

SB 102 — This is a budget trailer bill that must be passed to keep the state’s successful “bottle bill” diverting recyclables from the waste stream. (Read the full editorial here.)

mariel.garza@latimes.com

Twitter: @marielgarzaLAT