SACRAMENTO – State inspectors could immediately shut down an unsanitary nail salon under a new law signed Friday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The law was passed after several incidents of bacterial outbreaks and the recent death of a Mountain View woman, who contracted an infection during a pedicure.

In a statement announcing his action, Schwarzenegger said “unsanitary nail salons pose a serious health threat to consumers.”

The law takes effect immediately.

Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who authored the law, called the measure a good first step toward cleaning unsanitary nail salons that can breed disease.

“Salons that are failing to use the proper disinfectants and cleaning mechanisms are not innocent businesses, but are irresponsible businesses risking the health of consumers and an entire industry,” he said.

Customers can contract bacterial infections if manicurists do not properly sanitize their tools between jobs. There are approximately 290,000 manicurists and cosmetologists operating in California, and health inspectors do not have enough staff to pursue all complaints.

Schwarzenegger last year vetoed similar legislation by Yee that would have established new salon cleaning requirements and required customers be notified if an establishment violated health and safety codes. The governor directed the Department of Consumer Affairs to establish a working group on footspa safety.

The state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, which regulates the industry, approved new footspa cleaning requirements and raised fines to $5,000.

The bill signed Friday also gives the board the power to shut down a salon without a hearing if the public's health or safety is threatened. A salon found in violation could be placed on probation for one year, required to complete training in health and safety laws and regulations, and undergo re-inspection at the cost of establishment owner.

There have been a number of outbreaks in California nail salons. In 1999 and 2000, a salon in Watsonville that did not properly clean its equipment caused a mycobacterial infection in more than 100 women. In November 2004, another outbreak in San Jose caused leg lesions and infections in more than 120 people, according to Yee's office.

Complications from an infection are suspected to have led to the death of a 43-year-old Mountain View woman earlier this year.

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