New California laws raise minimum wage

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A higher minimum wage and new restrictions on assault weapons are among the latest California laws taking effect in the new year:

MINIMUM WAGE

California’s minimum wage will increase from $10 an hour to $10.50 for businesses with 26 or more employees under SB3 by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. It will eventually rise to $15 an hour in 2022. The law delays the increases by one year for smaller employers.

ASSAULT WEAPONS

Lawmakers passed a package of bills to strengthen California’s already tough gun laws then voters reinforced them by passing even more measures. People who own magazines that hold more than 10 rounds will be required to give them up starting Jan. 1. Buyers must undergo a background check before purchasing ammunition and will be barred from buying new weapons that have a device known as a bullet button.

Gun makers developed bullet buttons to get around California’s assault weapons ban, which prohibited new rifles with magazines that can be detached without the aid of tools. A bullet button allows a shooter to quickly dislodge the magazine using the tip of a bullet.

HANDGUN STORAGE

Law enforcement officers will be required to follow the same rules as civilians by securely storing handguns in a lockbox out of plain view or in the trunk if the weapons are left in an unattended vehicle. The move came after stolen guns were used in high-profile crimes.

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Sexually assaulting an unconscious or severely intoxicated person will become a crime ineligible for probation — a change prompted when former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner was given a six-month jail sentence. AB2888 clarifies a victim cannot consent to sex while unconscious or incapacitated by drugs, alcohol or medication.