Beginning July 1, there are several changes happening throughout the State of California from tax increases to several new laws.
Gas Tax Increase
On July 1, California’s gas tax will rise again to 63.4 cents per gallon, the highest state gas tax in the nation. The increase is automatic under Senate Bill 1, the 2017 law that raises the tax every year without a vote of the Legislature. When SB 1 passed, California’s gas tax was 27.8 cents per gallon. In less than a decade, it has more than doubled and will continue increasing automatically every July — more info.
BART Parking Rate Hikes
Starting July 1, 2026, BART parking rates will be changing at 7 stations to reflect demand-based adjustments, in line with BART’s Parking Pricing Policy. The adopted policy allows for rate adjustments within a defined range to manage demand.
Based on Spring 2026 parking counts showing occupancy exceeding 90 percent:
- Daily Fee rates will increase at Glen Park, Rockridge, Walnut Creek, and West Oakland stations.
- Single/multi-day reserved parking rates will increase at Rockridge, San Bruno, and Walnut Creek stations.
- All reserved parking rates (Single/Multi-day and Monthly) will decrease at Castro Valley and Union City stations, where sales remain low.
- More info — click here
State Workers Return to Work
California State workers are now required to return to the office 4-days a week beginning July 1 – originally set for July 2025, but delayed a year. Previously, workers were required to be in the office 2-days per week since 2024.
More Housing Near Transit
Under SB-79, State law will override local zoning laws to build more high-density, multi-family housing development within a half-mile of public transit stop. (CONTRA COSTA IS EXEMPT)
SB 79 sets standards for allowable housing development within a half mile of train stops and major bus stops, also known as bus rapid transit (BRT) stops. SB 79 does not apply around low frequency bus stops. The standards are tiered to allow greater height and density in the immediate vicinity of the most heavily trafficked transit stops, and lower levels around less trafficked types of transit stops and in the surrounding areas
For Tier 1 stops — which include heavy rail lines like BART, Caltrain, and LA Metro’s B & D Lines — the state zoning standards will be:
- Up to 9 stories adjacent to the stop
- 7 stories within ¼ mile
- 6 stories between ¼ and ½ mile
For Tier 2 stops — which include light rail like Sac RT and SF Muni, high frequency commuter rail like some Metrolink stations, and major bus transit that qualifies as bus-rapid transit under the state’s definition, or is served by a 24-hour bus-only lane) — the state zoning standards will be:
- 8 stories adjacent to the stop
- 6 stories within ¼ mile
- 5 stories between ¼ and ½ mile
Transit oriented housing developments under SB 79 are eligible for the streamlined ministerial approvals process under Senate Bill 423 (Wiener, 2023) if they meet that law’s environmental, labor, and affordability standards. Under SB 79, local governments would have flexibility to tailor their TOD areas and standards in an alternative plan subject to oversight from the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Laws
- New Food Labeling Law: Beginning July 1, 2026, manufacturers will be required to use standardized food labels to better inform consumers on when food is unsafe or quality has deteriorated. California Assembly Bill 660 (AB 660), passed in 2024, standardizes food date labels to reduce food waste and prevent consumer confusion. It prohibits consumer-facing “sell by” dates and mandates that any quality or safety dates provided must use specific, uniform terms.
- Allergen Labeling at Chain Restaurants: California Senate Bill 68 (SB 68) requires restaurant chains to disclose allergen information for every standard menu item on both physical and digital menus. The law aims to improve transparency and safety for consumers with food allergies.
- School Bathrooms: California schools now need to provide at least 1 gender-neutral bathroom on campus, including proper signage. This bill was introduced back in 2023.
- School ID’s: public schools must now provide ID cards for 7th Grade and up, and colleges, with the phone number and text line for Trevor Project’s LGBTQ+ suicide hotline — AB 727.
- Mandated Reporter Law: Under SB 848, it aims to prevent child abuse on school campuses by expanding “mandated reporter” to contractors, board members, and parent volunteers who interact with students outside direct parental supervision. School Districts are now required to create policies. Under the bill, school districts cannot hire anyone convicted of specific minor-targeted felonies and creates a statewide database to track complaints and investigations of employee misconduct.
- Healthcare Workers minimum Wage: depending on facility type, workers will see raises to $22, $23 or $25 beginning July 1. — more info.
- Streaming Ads: Ads cannot be louder than the show you are watching. This now applies to streaming shows.
- Change of Name & Gender: AB 1084 aims to streamline the process for updating legal names and regards to match gender identity. This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, would eliminate the mechanism to file an objection to an adult petitioners change of name to conform to the petitioners name to the petitioners gender identity. The bill would require the court to enter an order granting the petition without a hearing within 6 weeks of the petitions filing, as specified. The bill would require, for a change of name to conform a minor petitioners name to their gender identity signed by all living parents of the minor, the court to enter, within 6 weeks of the filing of the petition and without a hearing, an order that the change of name is granted. The bill would require, if the petition is not signed by all living parents of the minor, the court to make an order reciting specified information, and require the petition and the order to be served on any parent who did not sign the petition within 4 weeks of the date of the order. The bill would require that no hearing date be set unless an objection is timely filed and shows good cause for opposing the name change.
- Autonomous Vehicle Safety Law: targeted at driverless robotaxis. Police can now cite Autonomous vehicle companies for traffic violations. Also, Autonomous Vehicle companies must provide emergency workers with 24/7 priority phone lines and equip cars with two-way communication systems. If blocking emergency vehicles, they have two minutes to detour or move — see more.
Photo by MIchael Pohl
California Campsite Reservations:
AB 618 dates back to 2023 and was introduced by Asm Rebecca Bauer-Kahan in an effort to promote responsible reservation practices as state parks – reservations fill up quickly, only to have people not show up and campsites are empty.
AB 618 requires State Parks to adopt modifications to the online camping registration system to deter late cancellations and no-shows. This includes encouraging cancellations at least seven days before the start of a reservation, sending reminder emails to encourage early cancellation, requiring forfeiture of the entire reservation fee for no-shows, and implementing protections to prevent consistent no-shows from making reservations.
- California State Parks – see new policy.
Glock-Style Handgun Ban – may face DOJ Challenge
AB 1127 bans licensed firearm dealers from selling glock-style pistols – due to trigger designs that can turn these into fully automatic weapons. This applies to “new” firearms, not current ownership and private party transfers. In a letter sent last week to Gov Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon informed them she was authorizing a federal lawsuit.
What is ahead…
Come back January 2027 where several more bills will take effect and sure enough, more increases will occur.
