Hello there, San Diego!
With 2026 around the corner, numerous new laws are taking effect across California. We look at some of the biggest changes San Diegans will need to know about at the start of the new year.
ABC 10News anchor Max Goldwasser follows through with Scott Muir’s extraordinary recovery months after breaking his neck in a surfing accident in Oceanside.
Plus, meteorologist Megan Parry’s microclimate forecasts will prepare you for yet another windy and warm day around San Diego County.
Get your coffee ready — here’s everything you need to know to start your Tuesday informed and prepared:
THE STREAMLINE:
ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Tuesday, Dec. 30 -- everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
TOP STORY:
The new year means new laws in California, including a bump in the state’s minimum wage and some changes for drivers.
Here are some of the notable laws taking effect on Jan. 1, 2026:
Minimum wage
California’s minimum wage will rise 40 cents to $16.90, while City of San Diego’s minimum wage goes up by 50 cents to $17.75.
The increase for San Diego workers is part of the city’s earned sick leave and minimum wage ordinance that took effect in 2016.
Later in the year, on July 1, some of the city’s hospitality workers – including workers at large hotels, Petco Park, and the convention center -- will make $19 to just over $21 an hour.
This new wage was approved by the San Diego City Council in September 2025.
Plastic bags
Under Senate Bill 1053, plastic bags will be banned from being provided at grocery stores in California. Full information can be found at https://www.10news.com/news/newsom-signs-law-banning-plastic-grocery-bags.
State vehicle-related laws
Under Assembly Bill 486, it will be a misdemeanor to possess a key-programming device, key-duplicating device or signal extender with the intent to commit burglary. Violators could face up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
In response to the growing popularity of electric bicycles, AB 544 requires riders to outfit their bikes with a red reflector or a solid or flashing red light with a built-in reflector on the rear at all times -- not just during darkness as previously required.
Minors cited for helmet violations will be able to meet safety education requirements by completing an online CHP e-bike safety and training program.
Another bill allows local governments to lower speed limits in school zones from 25 mph to 20 mph by posting signage.
A separate law affecting autonomous vehicles authorizes law enforcement agencies to issue a "notice of autonomous vehicle noncompliance" to manufacturers when an autonomous vehicle allegedly commits a traffic violation.
Beginning July 1, AB 1777 will set requirements for how autonomous vehicles interact with first responders, including mandating that manufacturers provide a two-way communication system for emergency personnel.
Insulin cap
California is targeting high prescription drug prices by getting into the business itself. It will become the first state to sell affordable insulin under its own label.
The sales come nearly three years after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a partnership with the nonprofit Civica to sell state-branded generic drugs at lower prices. The “CalRx” brand of insulin pens will be available at a recommended price of $11 per pen, or a maximum of $55 for a five-pack.
Newsom also signed legislation this past year that will require large health insurers to start capping insulin copayments at $35 per month.
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a dock facility along a shore as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela, but the U.S. offered few details.
Trump initially seemed to confirm a strike in what appeared to be an impromptu radio interview Friday, and when questioned Monday by reporters about “an explosion in Venezuela,” he said the U.S. struck a facility where boats accused of carrying drugs “load up."
“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," Trump said as he met in Florida with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area. There’s where they implement. And that is no longer around.”
It is part of an escalating effort to target what the Trump administration says are boats smuggling drugs bound for the United States. It moves closer to shore strikes that so far have been carried out by the military in international waters in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
The U.S. military said it conducted another strike on Monday against a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people. The attacks have killed at least 107 people in 30 strikes since early September, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.
Trump declined to say if the U.S. military or the CIA carried out the strike on the dock or where it occurred. He did not confirm it happened in Venezuela.
“I know exactly who it was, but I don’t want to say who it was. But you know it was along the shore," Trump said.
Trump first referenced the strike on Friday, when he called radio host John Catsimatidis during a program on WABC radio and discussed the U.S. strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats.
“I don’t know if you read or saw, they have a big plant or a big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from," Trump said. "Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So, we hit them very hard.”
Trump did not offer any additional details in the interview.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or one of the U.S. military's social media accounts has in the past typically announced every boat strike in a post on X, but there has been no post of any strike on a facility.
The Pentagon on Monday referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a message seeking more details. The press office of Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s statement.
Trump for months has suggested he may conduct land strikes in South America, in Venezuela or possibly another country, and in recent weeks has been saying the U.S. would move beyond striking boats and would strike on land “soon.”
In October, Trump confirmed he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. The agency did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.
Along with the strikes, the U.S. has sent warships, built up military forces in the region, seized two oil tankers and pursued a third.
The Trump administration has said it is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and seeking to stop the flow of narcotics into the United States.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from power.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in an interview with Vanity Fair published this month that Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro ‘cries uncle.’”
Story by Michelle L. Price and Will Weissert, Associated Press
CONSUMER:
Is it really worth it to add that service contract or protection plan to your big-ticket purchase?
WATCH — Joe Ducey with the Better Business Bureau shows how to tell if paying for that extra plan is a smart financial decision:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
Scott Muir has been surfing his whole life, but one wave in September almost took it all away when an accident in the waters off Oceanside left him temporarily paralyzed.
WATCH — Anchor Max Goldwasser follows through with a remarkable update on Scott's recovery:
Thanks for waking up with us! If you have a story you want ABC 10News to follow through on, fill out the form below:
