In a move which matches its counterparts in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, the City of Pasadena is set to increase its minimum wage for employers with 26 or more employees to $10.50 on July 1, 2016, while smaller employers...more
Not satisfied with California’s Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 which provided paid sick leave to California workers starting in July of 2015, Santa Monica and Los Angeles joined a growing number of cities...more
An increase in temperatures will not be the only increase employers will see this July: employers in the City of Los Angeles and in the City of Santa Monica are reminded that minimum wages will increase starting on July 1,...more
Effective December 1, 2016, the minimum salary threshold to qualify as exempt from overtime under the executive, administrative, and professional exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), often referred to as the...more
On May 11, 2016, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 into law, culminating a three year, bipartisan effort to create a federal trade secret law that can be used by private parties in civil litigation....more
5/12/2016
/ Asset Seizure ,
Barack Obama ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Economic Espionage Act ,
Ex Parte ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Misappropriation ,
New Legislation ,
Private Right of Action ,
Trade Secrets ,
UTSA ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
Approximately 15 years ago California became the first state to provide paid time off to workers to care for a new child or ailing family member. The law, which is funded by required worker contributions, provides for up to...more
On April 4, 2016, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 3, a bill which will gradually increase minimum wages in California in a manner that is very similar to the Los Angeles ordinance, except that the state increases will not...more
On April 1st, new regulations adopted under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) take effect that require California employers of at least 5 individuals to develop written discrimination, harassment, and retaliation...more
3/29/2016
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Complaint Procedures ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FEHA ,
New Regulations ,
Personal Liability ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Training Requirements
For the first time in human history, or at least a very long time, the mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes have declined....more
As we start a new year, employers should check all of their employment practices to make sure they are compliant with current laws and regulations. One of the many changes made in 2016 were comprehensive amendments made by...more
Senate Bill 501 changes the amount of an employee’s weekly earnings that would be exempt from a wage garnishment order in California. Currently the amount subject to garnishment cannot exceed the lesser of 25% of the...more
Assembly Bill 1509 amends sections 98.6, 1102.5, and 6310 of the California Labor Code by extending certain retaliatory protections afforded to employees to their family members who work for the same employer. Under existing...more
By amending sections 558, 1197, and 1197.1 of the California Labor Code, Assembly Bill 970 authorizes the Labor Commissioner to investigate and, at the request of local government, enforce local laws regarding overtime hours...more
Assembly Bill 622, which takes effect on January 1, 2016, adds section 2814 to the California Labor Code. Section 2814 prohibits employers from using E-Verify to check the employment authorization status of an existing...more
New Laws for 2016 -
Thousands of laws are introduced each year at the state and federal level. While only a fraction of these become law, tracking the most important laws can be a daunting task. But never fear, we have...more
12/17/2015
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
DLSE ,
E-Verify ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act 2014 ,
Piece-Rate Pay ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage Garnishment ,
Wage Theft
Effective upon signing, Assembly Bill 1506 amends the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004, commonly known as “PAGA”, in a manner that should benefit employers and employees alike and reduce lengthy litigation. Among other...more
Assembly Bill 304 was enacted on an emergency basis shortly after California’s paid sick leave law, known as the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014, became effective on July 1, 2015. There were good reasons for...more
Senate Bill 579 expands Labor Code Section 230.8, providing additional circumstances under which employers with 25 or more employees must provide school or child care activities leave. Beginning January 1, 2016, employees may...more
Effective January 1, 2016, Assembly Bill 1513 establishes Labor Code Section 226.2, which requires that employers paying piece-rate compensation must pay employees for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time...more
Senate Bill 588, referred to as the wage theft bill, significantly expands individual liability for wage and hour violations by authorizing the Labor Commissioner to hold a hearing to recover civil penalties for wage and hour...more
It was little commented upon as it worked its way through the legislature, being just one of thousands of laws proposed each year, but make no mistake about it—Senate Bill 358, The Fair Pay Act, is an important new law for...more
Effective January 1, 2016, Assembly Bill 987 prohibits an employer from retaliating or otherwise discriminating against a person for requesting accommodation of his or her disability or religious beliefs, regardless of...more
Senate Bill 600 expands the protections of the Unruh Civil Rights Act, a law designed to protect consumers. The Unruh Civil Rights Act already provides that all persons within the jurisdiction of this state are entitled to...more
The Department of Industrial Relations recently announced an increase in the minimum hourly wage required for certain computer software workers who are exempt from overtime under California Labor Code section 515.5....more
On October 15th, 2015, I was part of a panel/roundtable discussion regarding minimum wages. The panel was presented by the Government Affairs Committee of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce at the request of the City of...more