The governor's signature on the privacy measure will make it a misdemeanor to attempt to photograph or videotape a child in a harassing manner if the image is being taken because the child's parent is a celebrity or public official.
"Kids shouldn't be tabloid fodder nor the target of ongoing harassment," the bill's author, Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), said in a statement. The new law "will give children, no matter who their parent is, protection from harassers who go to extremes to turn a buck," he said.
The measure drew strong support from Hollywood celebrities. Actresses Jennifer Garner and Halle Berry testified before the Legislature that when they take their children out in public, they are harassed by paparazzi.
The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, also increases the penalty for harassment, which is currently as much as six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. The new penalty for harassment of children by photographers or video camera operators is as long as a year in jail and a possible fine of $10,000.
The California Broadcasters Assn. and California Newspapers Publishers Assn. opposed the bill, SB 606, saying that it was too broad and that existing laws against harassment are sufficient.
Brown also signed legislation that allows workers to receive partial pay while taking family leave to care for a wider variety of relatives suffering serious illness.
Currently, employees in California can receive temporary disability insurance benefits to cover as much as 55% of their wages while they take as many as six weeks of leave per year to care for a seriously ill spouse, domestic partner, child or parent. The new law will extend the benefits to employees caring for a sick sibling, grandparent, grandchild or parent-in-law.
"The governor signed SB 770 so that workers can care for extended family members without jeopardizing their economic well-being," said Jim Evans, a spokesman for Brown.
State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), who introduced the bill, said the state's Paid Family Leave program "will now more accurately reflect the broader range of care-giving responsibilities that families have in our state."
Republicans opposed the bill, in part because it did not exempt small businesses that employ fewer than 50 people.
Brown also approved a measure intended to create a statewide early-warning system for earthquakes.
