801 NEW LAWS STATE ADDS TO SALES TAX, DRIVING RULES.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Californians will face the prospect of 801 new laws taking effect Tuesday on everything from tighter regulations on the sale of tobacco to minors to tougher requirements for child seats in cars.

State law has required the seats for children until they reach the age of 4 or weigh 40 pounds. The new law extends that to 6 years old or 60 pounds.

``In California, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children from ages 4 to 16,'' said Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Encino, who predicted the new law could save lives. ``Standard auto seat belts just weren't designed for small children.''

The California Highway Patrol said the change will affect about 1.1 million children. Police said they are ready to enforce the new rule.

``That is just one of the new laws that affects us,'' said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Lt. Horace Frank. ``What we and other agencies do is put together a publication and brief all our officers on the new laws taking effect. The Traffic Division usually has the most, and officers are required to sign off that they are aware of the new laws.''

Frank said the new child-restraint requirement will be enforced much as is done with the current car-seat law.

``Usually, people are cited for this only when they have been pulled over for something else,'' Frank said. ``And, at the start, officers might give warnings. They aren't required to issue a citation.''

Frank said officers generally will not be looking for such violations unless there is an obvious case of a child bouncing around in the back seat of a car.

Gov. Gray Davis signed a total of 948 bills this past year, with the 801 taking effect on New Year's Day.

The biggest impact might be felt in consumers' pocketbooks, with a quarter-percent increase in sales taxes to raise an estimated $1.2 billion.

Officials estimate the increase will cost a family of four an average $120 a year.

The increase - triggered by provisions of a 1991 law - is taking effect because the state faces a $12 billion deficit due to the slowing economy, higher energy prices and the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The increase worsens California's reputation as a high-tax state, said Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

``Our sales tax is now getting to a level that we are far, far in excess of the average sales tax nationwide,'' Coupal said. ``This is being triggered by the budget debacle, and I think politicians will begin to pay for it in this coming election.

``What they should have done is cut spending instead of increasing this tax that is the most regressive we have and falls disproportionately on the poor and middle-class.''

Most of the measures taking effect on Tuesday, however, run the gamut from support of various industries - agriculture was a big winner this past year - and government agencies, with a variety of funds earmarked for law enforcement.

``We accomplished a lot this year,'' Davis said. ``I'm particularly proud of the work that was done to bolster California's agriculture industry. We also made great strides in beefing up consumer protection and increasing public safety.''

However, the governor also took note of the economic issues facing the state.

``Due to reduced state revenue, we will have to tighten our belts in 2002,'' Davis said.

The boost to agriculture came as part of the governor's Buy California campaign, with the state providing $5 million in seed money and allocating $90 million in grants to the industry for energy conservation.

Also, the governor signed a law giving the agricultural industry $40 million in sales tax exemptions.

Davis also signed measures toughening laws on the sale of tobacco products to minors as well as a measure creating smoke-free zones in parks.

On public safety, the governor provided $50 million for local law enforcement to increase uses of DNA testing in sexual assault cases, $25 million for local crime labs and $337 million for a program to hire more police officers.

In addition, he signed laws on the following subjects:

Public Safety:

--Assembly Bill 35, by Assemblyman Kevin Shelley, D-San Francisco, prohibiting the purchase of a handgun without first obtaining a handgun safety certificate approved by the Department of Justice.

--Senate Bill 9, by Sen. Nell Soto, D-Ontario, expanding penalties for criminal storage of a firearm around children under the age of 18. The current age limit is 16.

--SB52 by Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, providing that no one under the age of 21 can receive a handgun safety license.

--SB799 by Sen. Betty Karnette, D-Long Beach, allowing a woman convicted of murder to file an appeal based on battered women syndrome.

--SB780 by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, making it a crime to threaten or attack abortion clinics and clinic workers.

--AB1012 by Assemblywoman Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, making it a felony for people convicted of sex offenses to possess child pornography.

Consumer Protection:

--AB489 by Assemblywoman Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, preventing predatory loan practices targeting seniors and low-income people. The measure restricts offering home equity and refinance mortgage loans to people with poor credit. This new law limits the interest that can be charged to seniors and low-income people.

--SB771 by Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, allows Californians to put their names on a ``do not call'' list to stop calls from telemarketers.

--AB245 by Assemblyman Mark Wyland, R-Vista, increasing the penalty for obtaining personal ID information about another person without consent.

Education:

--AB75 by Assemblyman Daryl Steinberg, D-Sacramento, providing training for school principals and vice principals to use performance data to improve student performance.

--AB466 by Assemblywoman Virginia Strom-Martin, D-Santa Rosa, to offer incentives to teachers to meet new standards.

--AB620 by Assemblyman Howard Wayne, D-San Diego, establishing a high-tech program for high schools, creating special schools to deal with advances in technology.

Environment:

--SB732 by Ortiz, establishing toxic-mold identification, disclosure and remediation standards. Owners of properties where mold problems exist or have existed in the past would have to disclose those problems to potential buyers.

--AB284 by Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, requiring the California Research Bureau, in conjunction with the state Department of Health Services, to conduct a study and organize a review panel to publish findings on toxic mold.

--SB221 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, prohibiting a city or county from approving a major new development project unless there is written verification that a sufficient water supply will be available to serve that development.

Health:

--SB322/SB757 by Ortiz, strengthening laws restricting access to tobacco products to minors by prohibiting self-service displays; eliminating smaller packs of cigarettes, so-called ``kiddie packs''; and, limiting the sales of ``bidi'' or flavored cigarettes.

--SB1169 by Sen. DeDe Alpert, D-San Diego, allows distribution of emergency contraception, the ``morning-after pill,'' to women through pharmacists acting under established physician protocols.

--SB19 by Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Norwalk, bans the sale of certain snack foods and beverages in elementary and middle schools to reduce childhood obesity.