In a year-end report, the California Pool & Spa Association said two laws have passed in the Golden State that cause concern to the industry, while two others will be revisited in the next legislative session.
One bill to which CPSA strongly opposed — Assembly Bill 1701 — has been signed into law. This legislation allows employees of subcontractors to seek payment and benefits from general contractors if they have been stiffed by their employers. The law imposes a one-year statute of limitations, but the employee seeking payment does not have to exhaust all his or her options before approaching the GC. “This might possibly be the worst bill enacted by the California legislature in recent times,” CPSA said in a press release.
The other new law pertains to pool safety. Senate Bill 442 amends the state’s pool-barrier law so new pools now must be built with two of the drowning-prevention devices or systems named in the law. Before, one barrier was needed. CPSA added language so that the state would have one uniform standard.
Two water-conservation bills that threatened to affect pools and spas have been carried over into 2018. Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606 seek to designate statutory authority to implement a statewide water plan. Both pose the threat of residential outdoor water-use quotas.
