A Closer Look -- A law full

Deepa Bharath

New laws are as much a part of the new year as champagne and

resolutions.

Those that went into effect as of Jan. 1, 2002, span a gamut of issues

ranging from laws that require tailors, hair salons and dry cleaners to

post their prices to another that makes it a misdemeanor to sell o7

bidisf7 , or candy-flavored cigarettes, in stores that allow access to

minors.

One other law requires minimum wage increases for sheepherders and

mandates improvements in their working conditions including meal and rest

breaks when feasible.

And, of course, there are some laws that get more attention and are

more controversial than others.

TRIGGER LOCKS LAW ‘A MAJOR MESS’

One of those laws is the legislation that requires that all firearms

made or sold in California come with a state-approved trigger lock. Gov.

Gray Davis signed this bill, aimed at reducing the number of accidental

shootings, in 1999, but the law went into effect Tuesday.

Randy Garell, owner of The Grant Boys, a Costa Mesa store that sells

guns, camping and fishing equipment and gear, calls the new law “a major

mess.”

The legislation makes retailers responsible for procuring trigger

locks that are approved and certified by the State Department of Justice.

That is not easily done, Garell says.

“One lock does not fit all guns,” he said. “The Department of Justice

now has a list of certified locks that is 360 pages long. And that list

only covers about 60% of the guns we have in our store.”

Garell said he is for gun safety and that he understands the good

intentions behind the new legislation, but says it is a law that reeks of

poor planning and execution.

“It places the onus on the retailer instead of the gun manufacturers,

which does not make any sense,” he said. “I had a customer the other day

who placed a special order for a gun, but is deciding now if he can wait

several days till a lock is manufactured for the gun.”

Long guns may be exempt from the law in February, but until then,

Garell says he cannot sell those guns.

“It’s a law that’s going to drive a lot of the small dealers out of

business,” he said.

The timing of the law is also the worst possible, Garell said.

“December is our busiest time,” he said. “And we need time to prepare

for this, decide what guns we can have in our store. We can’t do that

overnight. It takes a lot of time. This has simply been a bureaucratic

nightmare.”

The law is enforced not by the local police departments but by

Department of Justice officials, he said.

NO LANGUAGE BARS

Other laws may affect different segments of the population to varying

degrees, but do not seem as controversial.

A new law requires bar employers to hire non-English speaking

employees unless they can justify that the English-only policy is a

business necessity.

Howard Norris, owner of The Stag Bar in Newport Beach, said he does

not have a problem with the law.

“It would be a problem, though, if the bartender does not understand

the order because I primarily have English-speaking customers,” he said.

Bill Hamilton, who employs about 25 people in his Malarky’s Irish Pub,

said the law would not affect him.

“I already employ non-English speaking people,” he said. “It’s worked

out fine so far.”

BRING OUT THE SUN GEAR

Another law requires that schools allow students to wear

sun-protective clothing when and where necessary. School officials could,

however, ban gang clothing or any other clothes that they deem

inappropriate on campus.

Does the law change anything in local schools?

Newport-Mesa Unified School District Superintendent Robert Barbot says

“not really.” That is because Newport-Mesa already allows students to

wear hats and sun gear when necessary, he said.

“You have to use logic and common sense when you interpret these

laws,” Barbot said. “We allow students who are either sensitive to the

sun or whose eyes are sensitive to wear protective gear.”

But hats are usually not allowed inside the classroom because students

could use them to hit each other with them, he said.

“A lot depends on each school and its principal,” he said. “But we

have no hard and fast rules unless the clothing is inappropriate or

distracting.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .