BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Several new laws have kicked in now that the new year has begun.
Minimum wage workers will see a little more in their paycheck. The new minimum wage for businesses with more than 26 employees is now $15 an hour.
To-go cocktails are now allowed even after the pandemic ends, although there are few changes compared to how they worked before. Now a customer must pick up their drink themselves instead of using services like Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Another law will change how the state handles waste. Residents will need to divide their trash into things like recyclables, organic waste, and trash. According to the Kern County Public Works Manager Chuck Magee, it'll take a while for the county to be in compliance.
“When you start coming to a landfill after the first of January, this is what we’re going to need you to do. Now people aren’t going to know that on the first of January. So we’ll be handing out information to the self-haulers when they come in starting on the first saying, in future trips, this is what we’re going to need you to do. Then they can start implementing it. We hope to have that all set and good to go early February that they’re complying. March at the very latest.”
