Happy 2017! Now that 2016 is over and you're planning to quit the gym in about a week, it's time to see what else is going on in 2017. For most of us Californians who have already started rolling some joints in public and growing it, wait right there people with "License" to sell. Maybe you think it also allows you to grow and sell in public.
The Bureau of Marijuana Control has until January 1, 2018, to begin issuing those licenses. It creates a Catch-22. Though it's legal for Californians over the age of 21 (and adults visiting the state) to possess and grow marijuana starting immediately, there's no place to buy it legally. Sorry to be your buzz-kill but it's better to know this now. So, for now... smoke it at your place.
For Traffic here is a list of driving rules you will see in traffic school. So pull over and start reading this.
- Assembly Bill 1785: a motorist can only use his or her hand to activate or deactivate a feature or function on the device that requires a single swipe or tap. The law does not apply to systems that are installed by manufacturers and embedded in the vehicle.
- Assembly Bill 53: The bill, which was signed in 2015, expanded the existing law, which stated that children under the age of 8 must be placed in an appropriate passenger restraint system while in a moving vehicle. This law extends a requirement that children under 2 years old must sit in an appropriate rear-facing child passenger restraint system, unless he or she is more than 40 pounds, or is taller than 40 inches.
- Assembly Bill 51: The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, defines the practice of a motorist driving a two-wheeled motorcycle between rows of stopped or moving vehicles. It also authorizes the California Highway Patrol to develop educational guidelines on lane splitting to help ensure the safety of all motorists. CHP would have to consult with specified safety agencies and organizations in order to craft the guidelines for motorcycle lane splitting.
- Senate Bill 1046: This would extend a pilot program that requires most convicted DUI drivers to install ignition interlock devices -- also referred to as IIDs -- that would prevent them from operating a motor vehicle while under the influence. Under the law, the offender will be able to obtain a restricted driver's license, have their license reissued, or get their motor vehicle privileges reinstated on the condition that they install an IID in their vehicle for a prescribed amount of time. The bill extends the pilot program in four California counties -- Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento and Tulare counties -- before it expands to the entire state on Jan. 1, 2019.
- Senate Bill 838: Starting April 1, the vehicle registration fee on every vehicle or trailer coach will rise to $53, an increase of $10.
- Senate Bill 1072: All school buses, school pupil activity buses, youth buses, and any child care motor vehicle used to transport school-age children will be required to have a “child safety alert system. Additionally, all schools are required to have transportation safety plans that ensure no students is left alone on a bus.
- Senate Bill 839: the fee for the issuance of Environmental License Plates will increase from $43 to $53 beginning on July 1. The fee for the renewal, retention, transfer or duplications of the personalized environmental plates will go from $38 to $43 on Jan. 1.
- Senate Bill 491: The minimum threshold for property damage that is required to be reported when a driver is involved in a crash will go from $750 to $1,000 in the new year.
- Assembly Bill 1289: This law would enact the Consumer Automatic Recall Safety (CARS) Act, which would prohibit dealers and rental car companies from loaning or renting a vehicle that is under a manufacturer's recall no later than 48 hours after receiving such notice, and until the vehicle has been repaired. Additionally, under the bill, the DMV will be required to issue a recall disclosure statement with every vehicle registration renewal notice. The agency will also have the power to suspend or revoke the license of any dealer that violates the CARS Act.
- Senate Bill 1429 will expand the Year of Manufacture license plate program so that anyone who owns a 1980 or older-model year vehicle will be able to obtain a license plate from the year corresponding to that car's model year. The vintage plates would then take the place of a regular license plate. Previously, the law only applied to vehicles that were from 1969 or older, or a pickup truck that is a 1972 or older-model year.
Gun Laws!? Check out next week's blog for my part 2.