We’ve quoted 19th century lawyer and editor Gideon J. Tucker before, but his pithy words bear repeating this time of year: “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.” Not only is the California Legislature back in session, but hundreds of new laws went into effect on the first of the New Year. Californians could have gotten by without most of them.
One relatively minor law (passed in 2024), Senate Bill 1053, is emblematic of the Legislature’s approach to environmental issues. You’ve probably noticed during your recent shopping trips that grocery stores no longer offer plastic shopping bags. The Legislature in 2014 banned thin “single-use” plastic bags as to reduce litter. But studies showed the law increased plastic waste because it allowed grocers to sell thicker bags for 10 cents a pop.
This new law closes the “loophole” by requiring customers to bring their own bags or buy recycled paper ones. The single-use bags originally replaced those paper bags because thick paper uses so much energy to produce and takes up more landfill space. We’ve come full circle with no appreciable environmental benefit — but with new annoyances for consumers.
The same Legislature that can’t figure out the nuances of bag recycling tried to tackle an issue of mind-blowing complexity: Artificial Intelligence. Mindful of the key role the growing AI industry plays in the state’s struggling economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the most unruly measure. But he signed AI laws that will add new regulatory burdens.
One of them, Senate Bill 53, is a complex measure that requires tech companies to “share more information about how the models can impact society and give their employees ways to warn the rest of us if things go wrong,” CalMatters explains. This nettlesome measure — and the dozens of other ones lawmakers surely will introduce this session — certainly makes clear the need for a national approach to whatever AI regulation might be necessary.
Products using corn masa flour must now include folic acid because of its beneficial effects in fighting birth defects. Per news reports, major companies that produce tortillas have already been including it in their products for years and small operators are exempted. So what’s the point? The Legislature should have better things to do than micromanage food recipes.
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Senate Bill 79, which goes into effect in July, makes it easier to build apartments and condos near transit stations, but most new laws increase government meddling. Given that Tucker-esque reality, maybe it’s time to consider a part-time Legislature.
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