Major California bills Newsom just signed, vetoed

LOS ANGELES - California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday approved and vetoed a slew of bills brought forward during the latest legislative session.

Some of the bills signed into law include a ban on certain chemicals in food and drinks, and another requiring big businesses to disclose emissions. 

Newsom vetoed quite a few bills, including a bill aimed at capping the cost of insulin and another that would have decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms. 

Here's a look at some of the other bills Newsom signed into law and also vetoed on Saturday:

APPROVED

FOOD INGREDIENTS BAN

California is the first state to ban four chemicals used in well-known candies and other foods and drinks because of their link to certain health problems.

Newsom signed a law banning the red dye No. 3 chemical used as food coloring for products like Peeps, the marshmallow treat most associated with Easter. The chemical has been linked to cancer and has been banned from makeup for more than 30 years.

The law also bans brominated vegetable oil, which is used in some store brand sodas, and potassium bromate and propylparaben, two chemicals used in baked goods.

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

SB 770 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), would direct the California Health and Human Services Agency (HHS) to work with the federal government to outline the requirements of a federal waiver application. All California residents will be entitled to receive a standard package of health care services.

The package could include long term care support and services, which would relieve huge and growing burdens that are falling on millions of families.

LEGISLATIVE STAFF UNIONIZATION

The law allows legislative staffers to unionize, a move that comes after lawmakers passed several labor initiatives amid a summer of strikes by hotel workers, actors and writers.

The law also allows lower-level staff to join and form a union, but it does not apply to lawmakers, chiefs of staff or appointed officers in the Legislature.

CLIMATE CORPORATE DATA

The law requires more than 5,300 companies that operate in California and make more than $1 billion in annual revenues to report both their direct and indirect emissions. That includes things like emissions from operating a building or store as well as those from activities like employee business travel and transporting their products.

The law, SB 253, will bring more transparency to the public about how big businesses contribute to climate change, and it could nudge them to evaluate how they can reduce their emissions, advocates say. They argue many businesses already disclose some of their emissions to the state.

More approved bills:

• AB 3 by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) – Offshore wind energy: reports.
• AB 34 by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) – Elections: County of Orange Citizens Redistricting Commission.
• AB 43 by Assemblymember Chris R. Holden (D-Pasadena) – Greenhouse gas emissions: building materials: embodied carbon trading system.
• AB 50 by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) – Public utilities: timely service: customer energization.
• AB 95 by Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) – Pupil nutrition: pupil meals.
• AB 126 by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Colton) – Vehicular air pollution: Clean Transportation Program: vehicle registration and identification plate service fees: smog abatement fee: extension.
• AB 251 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) – California Transportation Commission: vehicle weight safety study.
• AB 275 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) – School governance: governing boards: pupil members: compensation.
• AB 317 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) –Pharmacist service coverage.
• AB 336 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Contractors: workers’ compensation insurance.
• AB 339 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Qualified ABLE Program: age limit.
• AB 349 by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) – Patton State Hospital: lease: housing and mental health services for homeless individuals.
• AB 370 by Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) – Pupil instruction: State Seal of Biliteracy.
• AB 373 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) – Intersession programs: foster children and homeless youth: priority access.
• AB 418 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – The California Food Safety Act. A signing message can be found here.
• AB 425 by Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) – Medi-Cal: pharmacogenomic testing.
• AB 470 by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) – Continuing medical education: physicians and surgeons.
• AB 472 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) – Classified school district and community college employees: compulsory leaves of absence: compensation.
• AB 473 by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) – Motor vehicle manufacturers, distributors, and dealers.
• AB 494 by Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) – Robert F. Kennedy Farm Workers Medical Plan.
• AB 570 by Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) – Fire protection: Special District Fire Response Fund: county service areas.
• AB 581 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) – Rehabilitative program providers.
• AB 585 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) – Climate change: infrastructure and clean energy projects: assessments.
• AB 631 by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) – Oil and gas: enforcement: penalties.
• AB 665 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) – Minors: consent to mental health services. A signing message can be found here.
• AB 678 by Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) – Biomethane procurement targets or goals: core transport agents.
• AB 682 by Assemblymember Devon Mathis (R-Porterville) – State Water Resources Control Board: online search tool: funding applications.
• AB 690 by Assemblymember Phillip Chen (R-Yorba Linda) – Legal document assistants and unlawful detainer assistants.
• AB 714 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) – Pupil instruction: newcomer pupils: curriculum frameworks: high school coursework and graduation requirements: exemptions and alternatives.
• AB 764 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) – Local redistricting.
• AB 781 by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego) – Accessibility to emergency information and services: emergency shelters: persons with pets.
• AB 835 by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) – State Fire Marshal: building standards: single-exit, single stairway apartment houses: report.
• AB 840 by Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) –Tied-house exceptions: advertising.
• AB 844 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) – Zero-emission trucks: insurance.
• AB 883 by Assemblymember Devon Mathis (R-Porterville) – Business licenses: United States Department of Defense SkillBridge program.
• AB 904 by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) – Health care coverage: doulas.
• AB 917 by Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro) – Low-cost automobile insurance program.
• AB 935 by Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) – Tobacco sales: flavored tobacco ban.
• AB 1007 by Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro) – Occupational safety and health standards: plume.
• AB 1013 by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) – On-sale general public premises: drug testing devices.
• AB 1016 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles) – Pest control operations: aircraft operations: private applicator.
• AB 1097 by Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-Sylmar) – Use tax: registration: qualified purchaser.
• AB 1125 by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) – Vehicle Code: infractions.
• AB 1132 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Burbank) – Solar energy systems: permit fees.
• AB 1159 by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) – California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: natural and working lands: market-based compliance mechanisms.
• AB 1167 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) – Oil and gas: acquisition: bonding requirements. A signing message can be found here.
• AB 1172 by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) – Integrated energy policy report: fusion energy.
• AB 1175 by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) – Outdoor advertising displays: redevelopment agency project areas.
• AB 1227 by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) – Elections: County of Santa Clara.
• AB 1253 by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego) – Hearsay: exceptions.
• AB 1273 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) – Classified employees: Classified Employee Staffing Ratio Workgroup.
• AB 1305 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – Voluntary carbon market disclosures.
• AB 1327 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) –Interscholastic athletics: California Interscholastic Federation: racial discrimination, harassment, or hazing.
• AB 1373 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) – Energy.
• AB 1403 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) – Public safety: fireworks: enforcement: funding.
• AB 1439 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) – Low-income housing tax credit: farmworker housing.
• AB 1445 by Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) – The Neng Thao Drowning Prevention Safety Act.
• AB 1452 by Assemblymember Devon Mathis (R-Porterville) – State Capitol: Iraq Afghanistan Kuwait Veterans Memorial monument.
• AB 1481 by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas) – Medi-Cal: presumptive eligibility.
• AB 1606 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) – Driver’s license renewal alternatives.
• AB 1697 by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-San Fernando Valley) – Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.
• AB 1704 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) – Alcoholic beverage licenses.
• SB 33 by Senator Steven Glazer (D-Orinda) – Commercial financing: disclosures.
• SB 38 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – Battery energy storage facilities: emergency response and emergency action plans.
• SB 48 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Building Energy Savings Act.
• SB 49 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Renewable energy: Department of Transportation: evaluation.
• SB 88 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Pupil transportation: driver qualifications.
• SB 97 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Criminal procedure: writ of habeas corpus.
• SB 261 by Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) – Greenhouse gases: climate-related financial risk.  A signing message can be found here.
• SB 272 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – Sea level rise: planning and adaptation.
• SB 273 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Tidelands and submerged lands: City and County of San Francisco: Piers 30-32: mixed-use development.
• SB 286 by Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) – Offshore wind energy projects.
• SB 306 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) – Climate change: Equitable Building Decarbonization Program: Extreme Heat Action Plan.
• SB 309 by Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) – Correctional facilities: religious accommodations.
• SB 314 by Senator Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento) – County of Sacramento Redistricting Commission.
• SB 319 by Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) – Electricity: transmission planning and permitting.
• SB 335 by Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) – Transactions and use taxes: County of Santa Clara.
• SB 337 by Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) – Environmental protection: lands and coastal waters conservation goal.
• SB 355 by Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) – Multifamily Affordable Housing Solar Roofs Program.
• SB 410 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Powering Up Californians Act. A signing message can be found here.
• SB 416 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – State agencies: building and renovation projects: LEED certification.
• SB 434 by Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) – Transit operators: street harassment survey.
• SB 449 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) – Peace officers: Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board.
• SB 461 by Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) – Days and hours of work: religious or cultural observance.
• SB 465 by Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) – Refugees.
• SB 478 by Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) – Consumers Legal Remedies Act: advertisements.
• SB 496 by Senator Monique Limόn (D-Santa Barbara) – Biomarker testing.
• SB 555 by Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) – Stable Affordable Housing Act of 2023.
• SB 601 by Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) – Professions and vocations: contractors: home improvement contracts: prohibited business practices: limitation of actions.
• SB 602 by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) – Trespass.
• SB 605 by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) – Wave and tidal energy.
• SB 650 by Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) – Gaming: charitable raffles.
• SB 677 by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) – Intercity rail: LOSSAN Rail Corridor.
• SB 700 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) – Employment discrimination: cannabis use.
• SB 701 by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) – Fruit and vegetable wholesalers: registration fees.
• SB 746 by Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) – Energy conservation contracts: alternate energy equipment: green hydrogen: Tri-Valley-San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority.
• SB 757 by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) – Railroads: contract crew transportation vehicles.
• SB 775 by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) – Vehicles: zero-emission schoolbuses: signage.
• SB 786 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) – Prescription drug pricing.
• SB 791 by Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) – Postsecondary education: academic and administrative employees: disclosure of sexual harassment.
• SB 800 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) – Advanced Air Mobility, Zero-Emission, and Electrification Aviation Advisory Panel.
• SB 808 by Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) – California State University: annual report: sexual harassment reports: formal sexual harassment complaints.

VETOED

LIMITING COST OF INSULIN

SB 90 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would have stopped insurance companies from charging more than $35 for insulin. The bill would have banned health plans and disability insurance policies from imposing any out-of-pocket expenses on insulin prescription drugs above $35 for a 30-day supply. That would have included deductibles and co-pays.

Earlier this year, Newsom said California would soon start making its own brand of insulin. The state has a $50 million contract with the nonprofit pharmaceutical company Civica Rx to manufacture the insulin under the brand CalRx. The state would sell a 10 milliliter vial of insulin for $30.

A veto message can be found here.

CASTE DISCRIMINATION

The bill would have made California the first U.S. state to outlaw caste-based discrimination. Caste is a division of people related to birth or descent. Those at the lowest strata of the caste system, known as Dalits, have been pushing for legal protections in California and beyond. They say it is necessary to protect them from bias in housing, education and in the tech sector — where they hold key roles.

In his message Newsom called the bill "unnecessary," explaining that California "already prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed."

PSYCHEDELIC MUSHROOMS 

The legislation vetoed Saturday would have allowed those 21 and older to possess psilocybin, the hallucinogenic component in what’s known as psychedelic mushrooms. It also would have covered dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and mescaline.

The bill would not have legalized the sale of the substances and would have barred any possession of the substances on school grounds. Instead, it would have ensured people are neither arrested nor prosecuted for possessing limited amounts of plant-based hallucinogens.

FREE CONDOMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

SB 541, that would have made free condoms available to all public high school students, was vetoed by Newsom, who said it was too expensive for a state with a budget deficit of more than $30 billion.

California had about 1.9 million high school students enrolled in more than 4,000 schools last year, according to the California Department of Education.

"This bill would create an unfunded mandate to public schools that should be considered in the annual budget process," Newsom wrote in a message explaining why he vetoed the bill, known as Senate bill 541.

More vetoed bills:

• AB 85 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) – Social determinants of health: screening and outreach. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 299 by Assemblymember Chris R. Holden (D-Pasadena) – Hazing: educational institutions: civil liability: resources. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 309 by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) – The Social Housing Act. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 371 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) – Housing programs: tribal housing program. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 469 by Assemblymember Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) – California Public Records Act Ombudsperson. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 576 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) –Medi-Cal: reimbursement for abortion. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 589 by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas) – Homeless youth: transitional housing. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 608 by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-San Fernando Valley) – Medi-Cal: comprehensive perinatal services. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 620 by Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) – Health care coverage for metabolic disorders. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 632 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) – Health care coverage: prostate cancer screening. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 719 by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas) – Medi-Cal: nonmedical and nonemergency medical transportation. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 907 by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) – Coverage for PANDAS and PANS. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 931 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Prior authorization: physical therapy. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1015 by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) – Diaper and Wipe Distribution Program. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1060 by Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro) – Health care coverage: naloxone hydrochloride. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1085 by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego) – Medi-Cal: housing support services. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1123 by Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) – California State University: employees: paid parental leave of absence. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1215 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) – Pets Assistance With Support Grant Program: homeless shelters: domestic violence shelters: pets. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1248 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) – Local redistricting: independent redistricting commissions. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1432 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) – Health care coverage. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1451 by Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) – Urgent and emergency mental health and substance use disorder treatment. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1478 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Maternal health: community-based comprehensive perinatal care: database of referral networks. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1604 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) – Charter schools: school facilities: Charter School Facility Grant Program: conduit financing. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1645 by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) – Health care coverage: cost sharing. A veto message can be found here.
• AB 1699 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) – K–14 classified employees: part-time or full-time vacancies: public postings. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 17 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) – Senior housing: tax credits. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 18 by Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) – Housing programs: Tribal Housing Reconstitution and Resiliency Act. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 52 by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) – Redistricting: large charter cities. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 58 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Controlled substances: decriminalization of certain hallucinogenic substances. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 257 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) – Health care coverage: diagnostic imaging. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 271 by Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) – Powered wheelchairs: repair. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 390 by Senator Monique Limόn (D-Santa Barbara) – Voluntary carbon offsets: business regulation. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 403 by Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) – Discrimination on the basis of ancestry.  A veto message can be found here.
• SB 420 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Electricity: electrical transmission facility projects. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 433 by Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) – Classified school and community college employees: disciplinary hearings: appeals: impartial third-party hearing officers. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 486 by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) – Interscholastic athletics: California Interscholastic Federation: state football championships: neutral locations.  A veto message can be found here.
• SB 619 by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) – State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission: certification of facilities: electrical transmission projects. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 635 by Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley/Burbank) – Health care coverage: hearing aids. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 657 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) – Homelessness services staff training. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 694 by Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) – Medi-Cal: self-measured blood pressure devices and services. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 773 by Senator Steven Glazer (D-Orinda) – CalWORKs: homeless assistance. A veto message can be found here.
• SB 842 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) – Energy: petroleum refinery turnaround and maintenance. A veto message can be found here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.