With the August 31 deadline having come and gone, the California Legislature has completed its work for the year and sent all bills on to Governor Newsom’s desk. Now all eyes turn to the Governor as he has until September 30...more
9/4/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
California ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Governor Newsom ,
Labor Relations ,
New Legislation ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
California Governor Gavin Newsom just unveiled groundbreaking proposed legislation that would provide significant reform to California Private Attorneys’ General Act – also known as PAGA – and offer much-needed relief to...more
California employers know that the new year inevitably brings new workplace laws that are finalized at the end of the state’s legislative session in the fall. This year, state lawmakers considered over 2,700 bills – the most...more
10/16/2023
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Automatic Stay ,
California ,
Caregivers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Data Brokers ,
Data Deletion ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Governor Newsom ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
Minimum Wage ,
Motion to Compel ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Registration Requirement ,
Remote Working ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Strike ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
California employers will want to sit down, grab a cup of coffee, and prepare themselves for the avalanche on new employment laws that may soon be coming their way. The state Legislature just completed its work for 2023 in a...more
9/18/2023
/ Caregivers ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Governor Newsom ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
Minimum Wage ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pending Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Strike ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a groundbreaking executive order today charting a course for the business community given the explosion of artificial intelligence use across all industry sectors – and employers should...more
Governor Newsom recently signed a bill into law clarifying that a single alternative to the traditional secret ballot method – an alternative known as the “card check” election – may be used for unions to organize at...more
Eight months of legislative wrangling and dealmaking have come to an end as the California Legislature just wrapped up work for the year – and now employers across the Golden State turn their eyes to the governor’s office to...more
9/2/2022
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Bereavement Leave ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Food Service Workers ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Job Applicants ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Supplemental Benefits ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
California just took a huge leap forward in its innovation efforts when Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order establishing it as the first state in the nation to begin creating a “comprehensive and harmonized”...more
In the surest sign that COVID-19 restrictions are moving to the rearview mirror once and for all, California has just relaxed its face covering requirements, regardless of vaccination status in most settings – and for most...more
3/2/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
CDPH ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently completed final action on bills that were passed by the state legislature in 2021, and employers are once again faced with a raft of new compliance obligations thanks to several new...more
10/12/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
With the California gubernatorial recall election less than a week away, the campaign season is in high gear as Governor Newsom and his putative replacements crisscross the state in last minute appeals to voters. California...more
After a whirlwind several weeks, California just finalized changes to Cal/OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that immediately took effect and will require workplaces across the state to adjust their pandemic-related...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Friday a statewide right of recall for employees in certain industries who were laid off due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. SB 93, which enacts Labor Code Section...more
The California Legislature just approved a measure that dramatically extends and expands a requirement for employers to provide supplemental paid sick leave to employees impacted by COVID-19. Among other things, this new...more
Governor Gavin Newsom just issued an Executive Order that potentially reduces the quarantine exclusion period for COVID-19 exposed employees in California under a recently approved Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued by...more
12/16/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Gavin Newsom just announced a Regional Stay Home Order on December 3 that could soon have a dramatic impact on businesses in the state. Unlike previous orders, the Regional Stay Home Order focuses on...more
12/4/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Furloughs ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Layoffs ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Workplace Safety
Governor Newsom just signed legislation that will extend the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) exemption for employee, job applicant, and independent contractor data for an additional year – until January 1, 2022....more
10/1/2020
/ Ballot Measures ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Exemptions ,
Governor Newsom ,
Independent Contractors ,
Job Applicants ,
Personal Information ,
Privacy Laws
Governor Newsom just signed legislation that will greatly expand the California Family Rights Act in a manner that will impact both small and large California employers. The CFRA requires covered employers to provide up to 12...more
9/17/2020
/ California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Mediation ,
Medical Leave ,
New Legislation ,
Pilot Programs ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Leave
Governor Newsom just signed into law a bill that will require public and private California employers to provide detailed notices to employees when there is a COVID-19 exposure in the workplace, and to provide notice to local...more
9/17/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Exemptions ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Public Health ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed legislation that establishes a workers’ compensation presumption that will apply to most employers in the state that have a COVID-19 “outbreak” through 2022 – meaning it is much...more
9/17/2020
/ Burden of Proof ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
First Responders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Employees ,
State Labor Laws ,
Virus Testing ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
A new law just went into effect that revises California’s test for determining whether a worker is considered an employee or an independent contractor, slicing off a number of various work arrangements from having to comply...more
The California Legislature is expected to pass legislation yesterday that would provide up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave to millions of California workers for reasons related to COVID-19. Mirror Senate and...more
9/1/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Pending Legislation ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Supplemental Benefits ,
Wage and Hour
After returning from its hiatus on May 4, the California legislature has wasted no time in drafting a flurry of new bills which will affect employers in the aftermath of the state’s response to COVID-19. While the state...more
7/27/2020
/ Bereavement Leave ,
Burden of Proof ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retention ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Layoff Notices ,
Layoffs ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Misclassification ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Pending Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
WARN Act ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Gavin Newsom just enacted sweeping changes to the state’s workers’ compensation standards, providing that a broad swath of California workers who contract COVID-19 are presumed to have a workplace injury...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed into law Executive Order N-51-20 to provide two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave to certain food supply chain workers, provided they are subject to specified qualifying...more
4/17/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Food Service Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Independent Contractors ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Paid Leave ,
Public Health ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Sick Leave