A new year is just a few days away. The start of the new year means new laws will go into effect in California. A law to prevent predatory lending means that interest rates on consumer loans between $2500 and $9999 will be capped at 36 percent above the Federal Reserve’s main interest rate. If you collect semi-automatic rifles, you’ll have to wait 30 days between purchases. Circuses will no longer be able to have animal shows featuring elephants or exotic animals; dogs, cats, and horses are still permitted. If you plan on going to the beach, put away your cigarettes and vape pens; smoking and vape pens are banned on beaches and state parks, and you’ll be fined for throwing your butts in the park as well. Some of the laws will affect employees. One of the biggest changes is that the minimum wage will go up January 1. Businesses with 25 or fewer employees must pay $12 an hour; the minimum wage for large employers will go up to $13 an hour. Reporter Ernest Figueroa highlights more employment changes…
Employees will no longer be required to sign away their rights to a trial through mandatory arbitration agreements. And employers will be limited in who they can designate as freelancers and independent contractors. Most contract, freelance, and contingent workers will need to be reclassified as full-time employees who will be eligible for benefits, a guaranteed minimum wage and worker protections. If employers do hire freelancers, freelancers are limited to 35 submissions in one year before they have to be added to payroll.
