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Hidden fees, gun taxes, date-rape testing kits: New California laws that take effect in July

Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times on

Published in News & Features

California's legislators pass hundreds of new laws each year, most of which take effect in January. But a handful kick in on July 1, the start of the state's fiscal year.

Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, the wide-ranging new laws include sweeping protections for California consumers against hidden "junk" fees that add unexpected costs to everything from concert tickets to food delivery. The laws also tackle issues related to housing affordability, the difficulty of fixing your own iPhone and other electronic devices, and screening measures to detect date-rape drugs in alcoholic drinks at bars and nightclubs.

As in years past, the list mostly reflects the politics and interests of the Democrats who hold a supermajority of seats in the state Assembly and Senate.

Here's a look at several of the new laws that will take effect Monday.

No more hidden fees

Two new laws will require that businesses including hotels, food delivery apps, airlines and concert venues include all mandatory fees and surcharges in their advertised prices.

 

The wide-reaching transparency law, Senate Bill 478, will apply to many industries. The charges that must be disclosed upfront to customers include resort fees at hotels, cleaning fees for lodging rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo, venue fees for concerts and sporting events, and surcharges for driver benefits and deliveries on apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats.

The bill was sponsored by Sens. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) and Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and backed by Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta.

A second law targets cleaning and resort fees at hotels and short-term rentals. Assembly Bill 537, introduced by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), requires that lodgings display the total price before checkout, except any government taxes and fees.

The laws have already led to some national changes, including hotel websites that now display the total price for each stay before taxes, and a "total before taxes" search option on Airbnb.

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