California employers will soon be able to more easily obtain temporary restraining orders (TROs) to protect employees from harassment before conduct has escalated to acts of violence or credible threats of violence under a...more
On September 28, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 988, the Freelance Worker Protection Act (FWPA). The FWPA provides minimum requirements for agreements between freelance workers and...more
On September 29, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) No. 2499, a measure that provides leave protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other crimes, as...more
10/7/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Domestic Violence ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Jury Duty ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sick Leave ,
Subpoenas
California is on the verge of adding yet one more prohibited employment practice to the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).
On September 9, 2024, the California Legislature presented Governor Gavin Newsom...more
With California’s new $20-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers set to take effect on April 1, 2024, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has updated its guidance regarding the new minimum wage law’s...more
3/29/2024
/ Airports ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Exemptions ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Food Service Workers ,
Governor Newsom ,
Minimum Wage ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Along with signing into law a variety of employment-related bills in the 2023–2024 legislative session, Governor Gavin Newsom also vetoed numerous bills that would have further affected California employers. Here is an...more
Governor Newsom recently signed into law numerous bills that will affect California employers come January 1, 2024. Here is a quick overview of some of the new law that are relevant for employers....more
11/7/2023
/ Accrued Benefits ,
Arbitration ,
Cannabis Products ,
Drug Testing ,
Governor Newsom ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Paid Leave ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence
On October 8, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill (SB) No. 731. If enacted into law, SB 731 would have required employers to provide at least 30 calendar days’ advance written notice before requiring...more
On October 10, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) No. 933. The new law provides further protection to individuals who are victims of sexual offenses and are sued under state defamation law....more
10/12/2023
/ Assault ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Civil Code ,
Crime Victims ,
Defamation ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Governor Newsom ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
New Legislation ,
Privileged Communication ,
Punitive Damages ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Treble Damages ,
Vulnerable Victims
On October 8, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1356, which would have required employers to provide workers with earlier notice in the event of a mass layoff. Specifically, AB 1356 would have amended...more
On October 8, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 497—also referred to as the Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act. SB 497 amends California Labor Code Sections 98.6, 1102.5, and 1197.5...more
On October 7, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 700 into law, expanding California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act to protect applicants from discrimination based on prior cannabis use, with...more
10/10/2023
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Cannabis Products ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Drug Testing ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Chance Act ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Job Applicants ,
Marijuana
On October 4, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 616 into law. SB 616 amends California’s paid sick leave law to expand mandatory paid sick leave from three days or twenty-four hours to five days or forty...more
On September 28, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1228 into law, repealing the FAST Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act) (AB 257) and replacing it with a...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 428 on September 30, 2023. The new law expands California’s workplace violence restraining order law to protect against certain kinds of workplace harassment as...more
As the September 14, 2023, deadline to pass bills during the current session of the California Legislature fast approaches, the California Senate and Assembly are considering several employment law bills. Many are likely to...more
9/6/2023
/ Caregivers ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Maternity Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Parental Leave ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Remote Working ,
Retaliation ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Violence
The California Legislature is poised to make it even more difficult for hospitality and business service providers to operate in California. Senate Bill (SB) No. 723 amends California Labor Code Section 2810.8, which provides...more
6/29/2023
/ Construction Industry ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
DLSE ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Pending Legislation ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Right of Recall ,
State Labor Laws ,
Sunset Provisions
Employers posting jobs to be filled in California must now include a pay range in the posting under new requirements that took effect at the beginning of 2023. Senate Bill (SB) 1162, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom...more
1/13/2023
/ Department of Industrial Relations ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Governor Newsom ,
Guidance Update ,
Job Ads ,
Minimum Salary ,
Pay Transparency ,
Posting Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Beginning on January 1, 2024, California employers will be prohibited from discharging employees or refusing to hire individuals based on their off-duty use of marijuana.
Assembly Bill (AB) 2188, the workplace...more
California employers may soon be barred from discharging employees or refusing to hire individuals based on their off-duty use of marijuana, under a new bill headed to the governor’s desk. On August 30, 2022, the...more
9/7/2022
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Marijuana ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Pending Legislation ,
Recreational Use ,
Screening Procedures
On September 30, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 3075, which amends the California Labor Code to allow employees to collect wage and hour judgments not only from their employers, but also from...more
On August 30, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 778 into law, thereby giving employers more time to comply with the state’s sexual harassment training requirement. In September 2018, former...more
9/13/2019
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
New Legislation ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statutory Deadlines ,
Time Extensions