Governor Newsom signed into law a plethora of bills that significantly expand the rights of employees in California, although notably vetoing a bill that would have prohibited caste discrimination. Most of the new laws take...more
10/31/2023
/ Arbitration ,
California ,
Cannabis Products ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
FEHA ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
Labor Code ,
Layoffs ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Leave ,
Recreational Use ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Retaliation ,
Sick Leave ,
Startups ,
Venture Capital ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
Update Feb 18: This advisory has been updated to include the required notice to employees that must be posted in the workplace or otherwise disseminated to employees who work remotely.
On February 9, 2022, Governor...more
On February 9, 2022, Governor Newsom signed a new Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) bill (SB 114) into law, which becomes effective on February 19, 2022. The new SPSL law will be codified in California Labor Code Sections...more
California's Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) law, which provides for 80 hours of paid leave for employees dealing with various COVID-19-related issues, is set to expire on September 30, 2021. Absent legislative action or...more
Given the barrage of local, state, and federal COVID-19 legislation in 2020, California employers may be confused as to what to do now—in 2021—when employees test positive for COVID-19. Here is a five-step guide of what to do...more
2/18/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Notification Requirements ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
By any measure, 2020 presented novel, life-changing experiences for all of us. The resilience and focus required to endure the seemingly relentless wave of changes have helped to hone the skills of most workplaces and allowed...more
12/30/2020
/ Board of Directors ,
California ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Reporting ,
Diversity ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Harassment ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Independent Contractors ,
Minimum Wage ,
OFCCP ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour
On September 19, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a sweeping amendment to California's Family Rights Act (CFRA). Effective January 1, 2021, not only will CFRA apply to employers having as few as five employees, but...more
On September 9, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 1867 which expands California employees' entitlement to COVID-19 paid sick leave (CPSL). The law parallels an executive order directed towards food...more
Update May 26: This blog has been updated to reflect current guidance about Bay Area emergency paid sick leave. In response to COVID-19, California cities have begun to implement emergency paid sick leave ordinances to...more
Update May 21: This advisory has been updated to include the latest information on California COVID-19 paid sick leave laws, including those applicable to LA County.
This summary is for general information only. It is not...more
Update May 15: This blog has been updated to reflect current guidance about Bay Area emergency paid sick leave. In response to COVID-19, California cities have begun to implement emergency paid sick leave ordinances to...more
Update May 13: This advisory has been updated to include the latest information on California COVID-19 paid sick leave laws, including those applicable to LA County.
This summary is for general information only. It is not...more
Update May 11: This blog has been updated to reflect current guidance about Bay Area emergency paid sick leave. In response to COVID-19, California cities have begun to implement emergency paid sick leave ordinances to...more
This summary is for general information only. It is not a full analysis of the matters presented and should not be relied on as legal advice.
In response to COVID-19, local governments across California have enacted...more
Update April 20: This blog has been updated to reflect current guidance about Bay Area emergency paid sick leave. In response to COVID-19, California cities have begun to implement emergency paid sick leave ordinances to...more
Update April 15: This blog has been updated to reflect additional guidance about Bay Area emergency paid sick leave. In response to COVID-19, California cities have begun to implement emergency paid sick leave ordinances to...more
In response to COVID-19, California cities have begun to implement emergency paid sick leave ordinances to support local workers. These local ordinances add another layer of complexity for businesses navigating the rapidly...more
This is our year-end assessment of the most important developments for California employers. All of the new laws are effective on Jan. 1, 2017, unless otherwise noted.
The California legislature once again had a busy...more
11/4/2016
/ Choice-of-Law ,
Domestic Violence ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Minimum Wage ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour
When California’s sick leave law went into effect in 2015, many employers—especially national employers—did not change their pre-existing sick leave or paid-time-off (PTO) policies because those policies exceeded the...more
The California legislature continued its focus on expanding legal remedies for employees in California. Many of the new laws for 2016, such as the Fair Pay Act and expanded Labor Commissioner powers, make significant changes...more
In recently published amendments to its regulations, the California Fair Employment & Housing Council (FEHC) has clarified formerly confusing rules and brought the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) into closer parallel to...more
8/13/2015
/ Adoption ,
Amended Regulation ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Compliance ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
FEHC ,
Foster Children ,
IWC ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Code ,
Paid Leave ,
Pregnancy Disability Leave Law ,
Sick Leave ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders
On July 13, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law urgency legislation amending the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014, which generally requires employers to provide paid sick leave to almost all...more
California’s “Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014,” otherwise known as California’s Paid Sick Time (or Paid Sick Leave) law, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2015, and will become operative for accrual purposes on...more
The California Legislature was unusually active this year. Significantly, California introduced mandatory paid sick live, created new “unfair immigration-related practices” and expanded potential liability for employers who...more
12/3/2014
/ Arbitration ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Sick Leave ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Unpaid Interns ,
Volunteers ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014, which requires employers to provide almost all California employees with three paid sick days per year. Although many...more