California governor signs several laws, including a ban on certain chemicals in food and drinks

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a number of payments into legislation, together with a sweeping mandate requiring massive companies to reveal a variety of planet-warming emissions. Newsom has till Oct. 14 to behave on laws that lawmakers despatched to his desk.

Right here’s a take a look at a few of the actions he took on Saturday:

FOOD INGREDIENTS BAN

California on Saturday grew to become the primary state to ban 4 chemical substances utilized in well-known candies and different meals and drinks due to their hyperlink to sure well being issues.

Newsom signed a legislation banning the pink dye No. 3 chemical used as meals coloring for merchandise like Peeps, the marshmallow deal with most related to Easter. The chemical has been linked to most cancers and has been banned from make-up for greater than 30 years.

The legislation additionally bans brominated vegetable oil, which is utilized in some retailer model sodas, and potassium bromate and propylparaben, two chemical substances utilized in baked items.

Newsom stated in a signing assertion that the components addressed within the invoice are already banned in varied different international locations. All 4 chemical substances are already banned in meals within the European Union.

“Signing this into legislation is a constructive step ahead on these 4 meals components till the USA Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) critiques and establishes nationwide up to date security ranges for these components,” Newsom’s assertion stated.

Simply Born Inc., the corporate that makes Peeps, has stated it has been on the lookout for different dye choices for its merchandise.

The invoice was authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat from Los Angeles.

“The Governor’s signature as we speak represents an enormous step ahead in our effort to guard kids and households in California from harmful and poisonous chemical substances in our meals provide,” Gabriel stated in a press release Saturday.

The legislation doesn’t take impact till 2027, which Newsom stated ought to give corporations loads of time to adapt to the brand new guidelines.

LEGISLATIVE STAFF UNIONIZATION

Newsom signed a legislation permitting legislative staffers to unionize, a transfer that comes after lawmakers handed a number of labor initiatives amid a summer time of strikes by lodge staff, actors and writers.

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, a Democrat representing Inglewood who launched the invoice, stated at a Senate Judiciary Committee listening to in July that it was hypocritical for lawmakers to ask staffers to put in writing laws increasing different staff’ proper to unionize when these staffers themselves can not type a union.

“Our workers aren’t on the lookout for particular remedy,” McKinnor stated. “They’re on the lookout for the identical dignity and respect afforded to all represented staff.”

The legislation permits lower-level workers to hitch and type a union, but it surely doesn’t apply to lawmakers, chiefs of workers or appointed officers within the Legislature.