In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 57, a bill that puts into place recommendations from the state auditor to help law enforcement improve prevention, response, and documentation of hate crimes . . . It might have started here in San Francisco (“Briefly noted,” Marina Times, August 2021), but the move to eliminate loud, gas-powered leaf blowers is now a statewide mission. Newsom signed into law a bill that will phase out the sale of new gas-powered engines, known as “small off-road engines,” or SORE. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) said, “Small gas engines are not only bad for our environment and contributing to our climate crisis, they can cause asthma and other health issues for workers who use them” . . . Mayor London Breed announced privately funded rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals involved in organized criminal fencing operations tied to local auto smash-and-grabs. The cash rewards could be as high as $100,000 . . . Under a new state law, California became the only state to require department stores with more than 500 employees to display certain products in gender-neutral ways; the law does not apply to clothing but to products such as toys and toothbrushes.
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