\u2014 Laura Fitzgerald<\/p>\n
Requiring stoves and fridges in rentals<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s quite common for rental units to include a stove and a fridge, it hasn\u2019t been the law. Beginning Jan. 1, Assembly Bill 628<\/a> adds refrigerators and stoves to the state\u2019s definition of a \u201chabitable\u201d home. This means landlords must provide them, keep them in working order and handle repairs or replacement. The rule applies to new or renewed leases. Tenants may voluntarily bring their own fridge, but they aren\u2019t required to. The law makes exceptions for supportive housing and shared living buildings with communal kitchens. Supporters say the change is designed to improve affordability for low-income renters.<\/p>\n Arturo Rodriguez of the California Democratic Renters Council says this protects many renters in larger cities, where stoves and refrigerators are not included in a unit, which is more common.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen landlords offload basic costs onto renters, it\u2019s really destabilizing families,\u201d said Rodriguez.<\/p>\n Several landlord and real-estate groups, such as the California Apartment Association and the California Association of Realtors, opposed the bill. They say new costs and installation could complicate expenses for property owners.<\/p>\n \u2014 Tony Rodriguez<\/p>\n Rideshare drivers can unionize and will have lower insurance requirements<\/p>\n In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, file photo, a driver displaying Lyft and Uber stickers on his front windshield drops off a customer in downtown Los Angeles.<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Richard Vogel<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n AP Images<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n California\u2019s 800,000 rideshare drivers will get the right to unionize in 2026. In turn, rideshare companies will also have drastically lower insurance costs. That\u2019s under two new laws Governor Gavin Newsom signed after brokering a deal between labor and major rideshare companies, including Uber and Lyft. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which sponsored Assembly Bill 1340<\/a> to expand collective bargaining rights to gig drivers, has already reached out to drivers ahead of the law\u2019s implementation. Senate Bill 371<\/a> will slash insurance requirements for rideshare companies for underinsured drivers from $1 million to $300,000 per incident.<\/p>\n \u2014 Laura Fitzgerald<\/p>\n Getting election results faster<\/p>\n Staffers at Los Angeles County Recorder\/County Clerk’s headquarters sort ballots in this file photo from 2008, for the California presidential primary.<\/p>\n Californians could see faster election results in 2026. That\u2019s under a new law that will require election officials to count the vast majority of ballots by 13 days after election day, with exceptions for some ballots that require additional verification. There are no current requirements for counting benchmarks, just a deadline for officials to send final election results to the Secretary of State within 31 days after election day. That rule will still apply.<\/p>\n The new law comes as the state has seen a rise in close contests where results can take weeks. Proponents, including some election experts, say speeding up ballot counting will bolster trust in the state\u2019s election process. \u201cWe’re at the point where people are losing faith in the political process and the elections process because they hear these claims from some political leaders casting doubt on the reliability of our results, and that’s a real problem,\u201d said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation.<\/p>\n \u2014 Laura Fitzgerald<\/p>\n Ban on AI Chatbots misrepresenting themselves as medical professionals<\/p>\n Starting Jan. 1, Assembly Bill 489<\/a> will make it illegal for AI Chatbots to misrepresent themselves as doctors, therapists or other licensed clinicians when people go to them for advice. This has been an emerging problem with the artificial intelligence technology available online.<\/p>\n The California Medical Association helped sponsor the bill. Lobbyist Stuart Thomspon told CapRadio that oftentimes vulnerable people seeking mental health advice are not aware the chatbot they are speaking to is not being monitored by a real person.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aA lot of these chatbots will imply, or not even imply, directly state, that the patient who’s interacting with them is actually interacting with a licensed mental health professional,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWhen in fact all the content generated is purely AI.\u201d<\/p>\n Assemblymember Mia Bonta is the law\u2019s author. She said it provides safeguards for young people and elders who may have trouble discerning who they are speaking with.<\/p>\n \u200a\u201dThe world is our oyster when it comes to AI and the advancements that are being made with agentic AI,\u201d she said, referring to artificial intelligence systems that act with autonomy. \u201cIt’s very important that we are providing enough of the human in the loop to be able to ensure that those experiences end up being positive and ensure that consumers are protected.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Bonta said developers of these AI systems may be held to the same consequences as humans who impersonate medical professionals \u2013 up to a $10,000 fine and\/or up to a year in prison.<\/p>\n \u2014 Riley Palmer<\/p>\n Renewed Cap-and-Trade<\/p>\n California lawmakers passed legislation to renew the state\u2019s cap-and-trade program \u2014 now officially calling it \u201ccap-and-invest\u201d \u2014 through 2045, with some amendments. The California Air Resources Board will begin rulemaking in the new year to figure out how to integrate the changes.<\/p>\n One change to the program allows CARB the chance to limit the distribution of free allowances. These allowances are meant to help address leakage risk, which refers to the risk that a company may decide to take its operations outside of California to avoid certain state restrictions. But critics have long said the leakage risk associated with the program is overblown, and these allowances allow companies to continue polluting.<\/p>\n CARB will soon announce the results of a revised assessment of the program\u2019s leakage risk, which could guide their decisions to possibly limit free allowances after 2031.<\/p>\n \u2014 Manola Secaira<\/p>\n Protecting street vendors’ personal data<\/p>\n Senate Bill 635<\/a> aims to protect street vendors in California from having their sensitive personal data shared with the federal government as the Trump administration continues to crackdown on undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n Beginning Jan. 1, state and local governments will be prohibited from voluntarily providing street vendors\u2019 identifying information to federal immigration authorities. The law also bars local agencies from collecting information on immigration status or criminal history, or from requiring fingerprints or LiveScan background checks as part of the street vendor permitting process.<\/p>\n Under the new law, local authorities that collected this prohibited information prior to the law\u2019s effective date must destroy those records by March 1.<\/p>\n \u201cStreet vendors are a cornerstone of our communities and contribute significantly to California\u2019s vibrant culture and economy,\u201d said Democratic Senator Mar\u00eda Elena Durazo, the bill\u2019s author. \u201cSB 635 ensures that these hardworking entrepreneurs can operate their businesses without fear that their personal information will be turned over to immigration authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n Opposition to the bill was limited during the legislative process, with critics primarily raising questions about language surrounding food safety enforcement and administrative costs rather than immigration policy.<\/p>\n \u2014 Chris Felts<\/p>\n Disclosing AI use in police reports<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Scott Davidson<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n A new law going into effect Jan. 1 will require California law enforcement officers to disclose when they use AI to help write official reports.<\/p>\n Under the new law, agencies will need to provide a statement when the technology is used in a report as well as a signature from the officer involved in it.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767234370_720_.jpeg\")
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