Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, January 13, 2024

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Mountain View News Saturday, January 13, 2024 


NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS IN 2024 
(partial listing)

Workers

New protections for those who use or have used cannabis off the clock: SB 700 prohibits 
an employer from requesting information from an applicant's prior cannabis use. AB 2188 
prohibits employers from discriminating against a worker or applicant based on their use of 
cannabis off the job and away from the workplace. 

Minimum wage increases: California's minimum wage overall will increase to $16 dollars 
an hour when the new year begins because of a state law that requires the minimum wage 
to adjust for inflation. Later this year, other job sectors will see even bigger bumps. In April, 
AB 1228 will go into effect to raise the minimum wage of fast-food workers to $20 an hour. 
In June, because of SB 525, some health care workers will begin seeing increases to their 
minimum wage depending on the type of facility they work in, to eventually reach a $25 
minimum wage for the entire industry by 2033.

New limits for gun buyers and carriers: Lawmakers and the governor this year passed two 
laws in response to mass shootings nationwide. SB 2 places new limits on concealed carry 
firearm permit holders, while AB 28 imposes an 11% tax on firearms and ammunition to help 
fund violence prevention programs.

SB 14 - Defines child sex trafficking as a serious felony under California law, meaning repeat 
offenders of this crime and other serious offenses could face up to life in prison

AB 701 - Enhances jail time for those trafficking more than a kilo of fentanyl.

AB 452 - Eliminates the statute of limitations, or time limit for the recovery of damages, for 
victims of childhood sexual assault that occurs on or after January 1.

AB 2282 - Enhances criminal penalties for those who use swastikas, nooses, desecrated 
crosses and other hate symbols on schools, cemeteries, religious institutions, businesses and 
other private and public spaces.

Housing

AB 12 - Starting in July, prohibits landlords from charging more than one month's rent for a 
security deposit.

SB 4 - Allows places of worship or independent higher education institutions to build a 
housing development project on their property "by right."

Health

Abortion and reproductive protections have been a priority for lawmakers and the governor 
since the Supreme Court of the United States struck down Roe v. Wade. With that, they 
passed SB 345, which sets legal protections for healthcare providers who mail abortion pills 
or gender-affirming prescriptions out of state. 

SB 385 allows physician's assistants to do surgical abortions without the direct supervision of 
a doctor. For those mourning a reproductive loss.

SB 848 requires employers to provide five days of time off for workers who went through the 
loss, including a miscarriage, stillbirth, or unsuccessful embryo transfer, insemination or 
adoption.

SB 43 - Makes it easier for counties to put those with severe mental illness into medical 
treatment or temporary psychiatric holds. The law expands who can be put into an 
involuntary hold to include those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol or who are unable to 
keep themselves safe.

Consumer

AB 1084 - Requires retailers to have a gender-neutral toy section.

SB 244 - The Right to Repair Act, which will require manufacturers of devices that cost more 
than $50 to provide consumers and repair shops with parts, tools, or instructions to repair 
the device.

SB 478 - Hidden fees no longer. Starting in July, this will require websites to show the actual 
cost of a service or item upfront. This includes hotel or short-term rental stays, event tickets 
and food delivery services.

Miscellaneous

ONLINE PROTECTIONS: AB 587 requires social media companies to disclose how they 
address hate speech and disinformation. Tech companies are expected to provide reports to 
the state attorney general on how they address violations of user terms.

DAYLIGHTING CROSSWALKS: AB 413 prohibits stopping or parking a vehicle within 20 
feet of an intersection or crosswalk clear of parked vehicles.

KEEP CRUISING: AB 436 keeps cities and counties from imposing cruising bans on city 
streets.


SIR THERE IS A TWIST OFF ON MY BOTTLE OF WINE

There was a wonderful eatery in Old Pasadena called “Pop”, and they’d specialize in (drum roll) 
sparkling wines and champagnes. They seemed to do quite well with “mouse*” crowd. The story here 
was: sometime back, under different ownership, they were open Wednesday through Sunday. I asked 
the then bartender/sommelier Raphael what they did with the opened bottles of sparkling wine after 
closing on Sunday? He said they poured it all out in the sink. Having grown up in a waste-not-want-not 
household, I shook and quivered at such a thought. We made a deal on the spot that I could come in on 
any Sunday night and for $15 (friends included) drink what otherwise would be thrown away.

As mentioned, Pop has long out of business, but it got me to think about the wine that is sitting in 
your favorite restaurant’s refrigerator: how long has it been sitting there? As far as sparkling wines 
go (remember, it can only be called champagne if the grapes were grown in the region of Champagne, 
France), there should still be a “pop” when your server takes off the stopper. If you aren’t sure, simply 
grab a utensil and see if you can stir up some bubbles. White wines and red will stay fresh a day or two 
longer, but here is my tried and true suggestion (and not once have I had a “no” or a roll of the eyes}. 
Simply ask the server when the bottle was opened, and if they aren’t sure, ask for a fresh bottle. The 
mark-up on wines by the glass is in the restaurants favor; all you are doing is evening the odds. There are 
a handful of restaurants that sell splits of sparkling wines which gives you about a glass and a half from a 
split. I don’t recommend splits of sparkling wine, though, as they come with screw tops instead of corks. 
Sparkling wine with a screw top? Dom Perignon would turn over in his grave. If you’re looking for wine 
by the glass, check out the Plate 38 on Colorado or Taylor’s up in La Canada I promise that there will be 
no eye rolling and they do rotate their wines by the glass program often. Check out my latest video reel 
on Youtube I talk about the difference between corks and screw tops!!

Peter Dills has his own podcast, subscribe to it!!

ALL THINGS By Jeff Brown

HERE ARE SOME INVENTIONS & DISCOVERIES THAT HAVE HAD PROFOUND AND LASTING 
EFFECTS ON HUMAN CIVILIZATION.

The Wheel/The Printing Press

The Plow/Aqueducts/Radar/Sonar/

Plastic

Electricity/Air Conditioning/Renewable Energy/Sextant/Calculus/Space Telescopes/Sun Centered Solar

 System

DNA Structure/Human Genome Project/AI/Cameras/Currency/Credit Cards/Oblate Spheroid Earth

Germ Theory/Anesthesia/Surgery Advances/Contraceptives

Artificial limbs/Organ Transplants/MRI/X-RAY/Pasteurization

Cement/Steel/Elevator/WineSatellites/Nuclear Power/Carbon Dating/City Sanitation/Cotton Gin

Microscope/Telescope/Space Exploration/GPS/Batteries/Gunpowder

The Steam Engine/Combustion Engine/Train/Airplane/Automobile

The Clock/The Compass/Calendar/The Flush Toilet/Refrigeration

Glass/Glasses/Canning/Soap/Sewing Machine/Aspirin/Surgery Advances

Aqualung/Scotch Tape/Band Aid/The Nail/Use of Fire/Use of Crude Oil

Penicillin/Antibiotics/Vaccines/Insulin/ mRNA/Thermometer

Electric Light/The Transistor/Semiconductors/Fiber Optics/Sliced Bread

Film/Video/The Radio/The Telegraph/The Telephone/TV/Good Shoes

The Scientific Method/The Computer/The Internet/Smartphone

United States Bill Of Rights

The list is by no means exhaustive, and the importance of inventions can vary depending on the criteria 
used for evaluation.


JEWISH COMMUNITY AND THE CITY OF 
PASADENA TO HOLD EVERY PERSON HAS 
A NAME, A 25-HOUR HOLOCAUST VIGIL 
TO COMMEMORATE UN INTERNATIONAL 
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY 

 On Saturday, January 27 at 7 p.m. through Sunday, January 22 at 8 p.m., the Jewish 
Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, in partnership with the 
City of Pasadena, will be holding its annual Every Person Has a Name, a 25-hour 
Holocaust vigil to commemorate UN International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 
on the steps of Pasadena City Hall. 

“With the rise of antisemitic and hate incidents we have seen as of late, an event 
like this is crucial to serving both as a reminder of what can happen when hate goes 
unchecked and also to remember the people who were murdered because of the 
same hatred… the hatred for the other,’” explains Jason Moss, Jewish Federation’s 
Executive Director. “By bringing the community together, we remember that each 
person killed was someone who lived and whose life was cut short. They are not just 
part of the six million lives lost but had their own story and their own individual 
experience. While our readers and those who listen may not know the people they 
are reading the names for, they are remembered by saying their names aloud. With 
every passing day, survivors are dying, and with them go their stories. My concern 
is that the memories will be dying as well.” 

 

This year’s event will begin with a commemoration ceremony featuring local elected 
officials and other dignitaries. Then, it will continue with a 24-hour vigil of name 
reading. And there will also be an exhibition entitled The Righteous Among the 
Nations, made available to be shown by Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Holocaust 
Museum. The exhibition shares the stories of over 30 people who willingly sacrificed 
their own freedom, and sometimes their own lives, to save Jews during the Holocaust. 

By participating in events like this, we help ensure that the importance of the 
Holocaust is not forgotten, no matter how many years pass, as memories are 
passed on to the next generation. We hope that community members will take this 
opportunity to help safeguard the memory of the Holocaust, promote tolerance, and 
protect the society in which we live.

The event is open to the public. We are currently looking for volunteers to read names, 
in-person or virtually, during 30-minute blocks. People can sign up by visiting the 
Jewish Federation’s website (www.jewishsgpv.org) or calling 626.445.0810.

Those who do not feel like reading can attend the commemoration ceremony, sit 
and listen as the names are read, and help spread the word about the event. Being 
present and showing support is part of the power of the event. 

For more information about this event, please get in touch with the Jewish Federation 
at 626.445.0810 or by sending an email to federation@jewishsgpv.org. 

####

The Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys’ mission 
is to build community by strengthening and enhancing Jewish life. The Jewish 
Federation does this by providing programs and services that support the needs of 
the Jewish community in our region and acts as the Jewish voice on issues that affect 
the greater Jewish community. 

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