By Sergeant Jay Froboese
The New Year is here!! Along with the new calendar year comes all the new traffic laws our State Legislature has been working on in 2014. Hundreds of laws are passed each year in California and the specifics of each and every law can be found at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/. In the 2014 legislative session 2,260 bills were introduced and 1,178 signed into law by Governor Brown. Of these 1,178 new laws, about 80 laws were traffic related. Governor Brown vetoed 143 bills and the rest failed to move through the session at one point or anothe
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Many of the laws passed are mundane and affect very few citizens. I will cover some of the new laws that will affect many people or have a special interest to Murrieta Valley residents. I’ve included the Assembly Bill (AB) or Senate Bill (SB) number along with the name of your elected individual that sponsored the bill.
The first law is the new Driver’s License Law enacted by Governor Brown. Assembly Bill (AB) 60 by Alejo requires DMV, as of January 1, 2015, to issue a driver’s license to applicants who are unable to submit satisfactory proof that the applicant’s presence in the United States of America is authorized under federal law. The applicant will be allowed to submit an affidavit in lieu of a Social Security Number indicating who they are. Along with the affidavit, they must submit one other document like a marriage certificate, title to property, or a college transcript to name a few. California expects in 2015 to have 1,500,000 of these applications for AB60 driver’s licenses. The DMV will add staff to provide assistance, free of charge to applicants, wanting to fill out an AB60 driver’s license application.
AB 935 Frazier becomes effective November 2015. For a $5.00 fee, a veteran can now apply for and receive a driver’s license or ID with the word “VETERAN” on the front of the license to signify service in the United States Armed Forces. This law is being enacted to allow veterans that are not active with an ID, or retired with a military ID, to prove with their veteran status with their DL or ID when required to do so.
AB 1371 Bradford went into effect September 16, 2014 and requires a motorist to pass a bicycle with a clearance of at least three feet. If roadway conditions or traffic does not allow at least three feet clearance, the motorist is to slow to a reasonable and prudent speed prior to passing. This will be a difficult law to enforce as there is no real practical way to measure three feet between two moving vehicles.
After a limo fire in the Bay area killed five females enroute to a bachelorette party, Senate Bill (SB) 611 Hill was passed requiring fire extinguishers accessible to both the driver and passengers in limos.
SB 1077 DeSaulnier Mileage Based Fee Law passed forming a Road Usage Charge Technical Advisory Committee. The states gas tax has not been raised in over 20 years. Cars have become more fuel efficient and alternatively-fueled vehicles are proliferating. As a result, the state is coming up short on funds to maintain the states roads. This Committee is embarking on a multi-year pilot test to devise a practical way to implement a new tax to subsidize the current gas tax that will be based on road usage and vehicle miles traveled.
AB 2393 Levine authorizes Counties in California to impose a $2 fingerprint fee on all vehicle registrations.
AB1804 Perea prohibits an insurance policy from lapsing or being terminated for nonpayment of a premium unless the insurer, at least 10 days prior to the effective day of the lapse, termination, expiration, nonrenewal, or cancellation, gives notice to the individual policy holder at the address provided by the policyholder.
SB 962 Leno is a new law that passed and requires any smart phone sold in California after July 1, 2015 to have software in it that allows an owner to render it inoperable if it gets stolen or falls into the hands of an unauthorized user.
SB 994 Monning is a bill that failed but will be brought back. This bill was related to car data. The bill would have required auto manufacturers to disclose to the buyer of a car if the vehicle records, generates, stores, or collects any type of data related to the driver or operation of the vehicle. The bill would have required a system for the registered owner to access the vehicle information and transmit the information to third party service providers if they choose.
SB 1211 Padilla is a bill that directs the Office of Emergency Services to develop a timeline for implementation of the Next Generation 911 System. This system will allow 911 texts to be made and other data transmitted over 911 lines to allow accurate tracking and locating of a 911 caller without the need to voice anything.
AB 1609 Alejo is a bill that will now require the owner of a firearm that was purchased in another state to not physically transport that firearm into the State of California. Instead, the owner will have to have the firearm delivered to a Federal Firearms Dealer in California, for official delivery to the owner in California after all documentation is filled out.
AB 1147 Bonilla is a bill that will now give cities and counties the tools necessary to regulate massage establishments and shutdown those involved in prostitution, human trafficking and fronts for other criminal enterprises.
There you have it!! Love them or hate them, these are some of the more interesting new laws that may affect all of us this coming new year.
The Murrieta Police Department wishes you and your families a very safe and happy New Year. We appreciate all the support our community gives us throughout the year. This is an awesome community. We enjoy living here and consider it an honor to serve the citizens of Murrieta in our chosen profession of Law Enforcement. I welcome your questions and suggestions for future articles and can be contacted directly at the Murrieta Police Department at 951-461-6302 or jfroboese@murrieta.org
