California: A Major Player in the Legal Arena

02/14/12

Examples of California's firsts include requirements for smog checks and bike helmets, as well as banning smoking in public places, including the workplace, bars and restaurants. While these laws were at first met with skepticism and resistance, they were eventually adopted in many states throughout the nation.

Some call the Golden State progressive and forward thinking. Others find the laws meddlesome, and their sheer volume a nuisance. According to the February 10^th cnn.com article, “California sets trends in health regulation”, California has over 150,000 health and safety related laws. And, beginning in January almost 800 new laws went into effect.

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Matt Rodriquez, California's Secretary for Environmental Protection was quoted as saying: “What brings many people to California is the climate and the culture. That means people who do come here have an interest in preserving ... a beautiful environment, clean air and clean water.”

Marice Ashe, founder and executive director of Public Health Law & Policy in Oakland, California, was quoted as saying: “You see that in technology innovation in Silicon Valley, there's a lot of sharing of ideas and resources that lead to major breakthroughs.” She also explained that the same concept exists in public health because of the sheer volume of medical, public health, law schools and other organizations sharing ideas.

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However, while many of the laws developed and passed in California have had positive results, some laws have been seen as going too far. For example, in 2011, the Supreme Court put the kibosh on a law that would have stopped the sale of violent video games to children. While California agreed it had a legal obligation to protect children from graphic interactive images, the court found that the law was in violation of the First Amendment.

Another major legal initiative to California's credit is the recent passage of a law by the City of Los Angeles, requiring the use of condoms for all adult film workers, so as to limit the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Love it or hate it, California is a legal force to be reckoned with, and will no doubt continue to set trends, and make legal headway on many fronts.

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