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Pet owners: New California laws allow virtual vet visits, expand emergency shelter options

Pet owners will be able to schedule remote video visits with veterinarians and local governments will need to make space for pets at shelters during emergencies under two new California laws.

The two new policies are among hundreds of state laws approved by the Legislature this year that will take effect Jan. 1. They will affect the estimated one-third of California households with pets

Virtual Vet Care Is Coming To California Under A New Law In 2024

Veterinarians licensed in California will be able see and treat their pet patients virtually under a new law that goes into effect on Jan. 1.

Under AB 1399, veterinarians will be able to examine animals on a camera through a telehealth appointment without needing to see them in-person. They can then prescribe medications and recommend treatments, or direct the owner to a clinic for follow-up care.

26 chemicals are being banned in cosmetics, why did it take so long?

The age-old adage “beauty is pain” is challenged in the hands of California Gov. Gavin Newsom after he passed Assembly Bill No. 496 on Oct. 8, which bans the “manufacturing, selling, delivering, holding or offering for sale in commerce any cosmetic product” that contains any of 26 chemicals highlighted within the bill. Although the bill was just recently passed, it is set to commence on January 1, 2027.

Speed cameras needed on deadly Pacific Coast Highway

Running a NASCAR track through a residential neighborhood, beach community, and university town is a bad idea. Everyone in Malibu knows that, because anyone who has lived in Malibu for any length of time has witnessed, heard, dodged, cringed, caused, been inconvenienced, victimized, traumatized, or all of the above by high-speed driving traffic accidents. 

Map: Speed cameras are likely to be placed on these San Jose streets

A total of 33 cameras will be installed across the city

As part of a pilot program that’s bringing speed camera technology to the city’s most dangerous streets, San Jose is gearing up to install 33 of the devices next year at high-risk intersections, with the ultimate goal of reducing the dozens of people killed and hundreds severely injured each year in traffic collisions.

What you need to know about speed cameras to be installed across Oakland

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation into law last month that enables speed cameras in Oakland and other cities in an effort to boost traffic safety. 

The law allows Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose, among others, to use speed cameras to catch dangerous drivers as part of a pilot program until 2032. The cities will place the cameras in different corridors and near schools. 

Speed Safety Cameras are Coming to San Francisco with New State Law

On October 13, 2023, Governor Newsom signed California State Assembly Bill 645 into law, allowing six cities, including San Francisco, to pilot a speed safety camera program. This pilot is an opportunity for San Francisco to employ a powerful traffic safety tool that has been used successfully across the world. More than 200 cities in the United States have implemented speed safety cameras, including New York City which reported 70% fewer traffic deaths and injuries where speed cameras are installed.