New laws: The good, the bad and the Uber

If you thought 2016 brought with it too many changes to absorb, get a load of 2017.

A slew of new laws went into effect earlier this month that will weigh on every area of life – from driving to health care to how you tend your garden. Some of these are specific to Sonoma, some are county-wide and some handed down from Sacramento.

In Sonoma, on Dec. 22 it became illegal to use a gas-powered leaf blower, under the terms of Measure V narrowly passed by voters on Nov. 8. Robert Smith, the city’s Code Enforcement Director, sent a message last month outlining the new regulations – in English and Spanish – to all area landscapers.

Sonoma residents also voted this fall to implement stricter non-smoking regulations, prohibiting smoking in apartment buildings, hotels, enclosed common areas, indoor or outdoor dining areas, outdoor recreational areas and parks and in outdoor public space. The Plaza Fountain comes to mind. But the City will roll this one out slowly, working with the county Health Department on holding a forum for business and landlords by the end of February for public education.

Speaking of smoking – tobacco, that is – at the state level, purchasing tobacco is now prohibited to anyone under 21, rather than 18, as has been the law – unless you’re in active duty military service, in which case you can smoke at 18.

In the state, the passing of Proposition 64 meant it became legal to have an ounce of marijuana in possession immediately following the bill’s passage, on Nov. 8. But don’t think that’s a free ride: the state highway patrol and other law enforcement agencies are keeping an eye out for what they call “buzzed driving,” since driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance whether smoked or drunk is illegal.

The problem is determining who’s stoned: there is no blood or breath test for cannabis intoxication, at least not yet. Funds from the marijuana taxation in Proposition 64 are ear-marked for research into this topic, so the consumer will help pay for the research to restrict their free enjoyment of the drug – to kill their own buzz, so to speak.

On the brighter side of intoxication, you can now get a beer or glass of wine when you get your hair done – no more waiting until you get a good look in the mirror at home. Whether or not your beautician or barber can imbibe is not discussed, though of course the results can be catastrophic.

You’ll pay less in state sales taxes, from 7.5 percent to 7.25 percent, but you probably won’t notice, with several increases in county taxes coming along at the same time. City of Sonoma residents will pay 8.5 percent thanks to city tax Measure U, and most Sonoma county residents usually pay 8 percent – though local jurisdictions may ask for more. Highest rate in the county is 9 percent in Cotati, a nudge higher than the 8.75 paid by Sebastopol residents. (Other recently passed initiatives increased a parcel tax to help pay for the county library system, and an increased Transient Occupancy Tax leveled on visitors, not residents.)

At companies with more than 25 employees, the minimum wage will increase from $10 an hour to $10.50, another step on the path toward a $15 minimum wage by 2022.

Another workplace change is found in AB 1732, which beginning on March 1, requires that all single-user toilet facilities in any business establishment, place of public accommodation or government agency, be identified as “all-gender” toilet facilities.

Drivers have a few things to get used to. Lane-splitting, whereby a motorcyclist can slip between two vehicles, passed the state legislature last summer, essentially formalizing a non-proscribed activity that was happening anyway (rather like marijuana consumption). Initially the bill (AB51) set a limit of 15 mph over the other speed of traffic, presuming that lane-splitting would only occur when there was a slowdown or traffic stoppage; but that was stripped because it made no one happy, and now the CHP will determine what an appropriate speed for lane-splitters is.

Drivers might also want to remember that kids under 2 years old must ride in backward-facing child-safety car seats, because of increased risk of whiplash or air bag injury to small kids facing forward in an accident. It doesn’t apply if the child is over 40 inches tall or weighs more than 40 pounds, in which case a child-safety car seat probably won’t work anyway.

And, too, the chances that your Uber or Lyft driver is a sex offender just went down. Transport-for-hire companies can no longer hire drivers who are registered sex offenders, have been convicted of violent felonies or have had a DUI conviction within the last seven years.

A new law closes a loophole that now makes it illegal to text, surf your Facebook page or post to Instagram from behind the wheel, not just take a phone call. Turns out any cell phone use qualifies as distracted driving. Who knew?

Contact Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com