On September 30, 2023, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 553 (“SB 553”) into law. Among other things, the new legislation added section 6401.9 to the California Labor Code (“Section 6401.9”), which requires that virtually...more
3/11/2024
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Governor Newsom ,
Labor Code ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Policies and Procedures ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
On May 9, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) secured its largest Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) jury verdict in history, when a jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania awarded $22 million to a class of approximately...more
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination based on religion and requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations for employees' sincerely held religious beliefs, practices and observances....more
5/17/2022
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On February 10, 2022, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks introduced Assembly Bill 1993 (“AB 1993”), which would impose COVID-19 vaccination requirements on virtually all employees and independent contractors working in California,...more
3/16/2022
/ California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
As we reported recently, California’s legislature enacted Assembly Bill 84 on Monday; the state’s Senate enacted the law’s counterpart the same day, Senate Bill 114. The new statute sought to reestablish statewide...more
2/10/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Code ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Public Health ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
As we reported here, Cal/OSHA’s revised COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) took effect on January 14, 2022. The controversial emergency regulations, which have caused employers countless headaches, survived their...more
1/19/2022
/ Appeals ,
Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
Last month, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (“OSHSB”) readopted and revised the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”). By and large, OSHSB’s revised ETS retain most of...more
1/12/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
CDPH ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
New Regulations ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Quarantine ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which has responsibility for the County’s more than 10 million residents, kicked off the new year with a brand new Health Officer Order on January 5, 2022. Among other...more
1/10/2022
/ California ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
As the 2021 legislative season came to a close, Governor Gavin Newsom signed numerous bills into law. From arbitration to workplace safety, these laws will impact employers across the state....more
10/18/2021
/ Arbitration ,
Bias ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emotional Support Animals ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Harassment ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Right of Recall ,
Settlement Agreements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Workplace Safety
Following New York City and San Francisco, Los Angeles is the latest city to require proof of vaccination for individuals entering indoor portions of establishments. This ordinance, which the Los Angeles City Council approved...more
10/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Health and Safety ,
Individual Mandate ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Workplace Safety
As we previously reported, Cal/OSHA’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (“OSHSB”) held a series of special meetings to revise its controversial Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) related to the ongoing...more
As we previously reported, on June 3, 2021, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (“OSHSB”) approved some controversial revisions to its Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) related to COVID-19. Among...more
In a closely-watched vote, yesterday (June 3, 2021), California’s Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board approved controversial amendments to the Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) related to COVID-19. If approved...more
On May 18, 2021, Santa Clara County issued a new Order of the Health Officer (the “Order”) that took effect on May 19th. Of particular note, the Order imposes two new obligations: First, it mandates that employers require...more
Weeks after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) weighed in, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”) recently released updated COVID-19 employment FAQs addressing the permissibility...more
3/19/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DFEH ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
As recently reported by the Los Angeles Times, People, and a slew of other national and local media outlets, famed Beverly Hills restaurant, La Scala, recently faced significant public backlash after sending out invitations...more
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as “Cal/OSHA,” recently issued new emergency temporary standards to protect workers from COVID-19 (the “Emergency Temporary Standards”), which were...more
As we previously reported, last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s State Public Health Officer cleared the music, film and television industry to resume work no earlier than this Friday, June 12, 2020, subject to...more
California has long been considered one of the “capitals” of the fitness industry as it is home to thousands of gyms and boutique fitness studios. COVID-19 hit the state’s fitness industry particularly hard when...more
On Friday June 5, Gov. Newsom announced that California has authorized the music, film and television production industries to reopen on or after this coming Friday, June 12, 2020. The same day, Gov. Newsom announced the...more
As we discussed in a guest column in The Hollywood Reporter in April, the entertainment industry faces unique challenges as it plans to resume operations. On May 20, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom suggested that...more
6/4/2020
/ Business Interruption ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Film Industry ,
Music Industry ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
State of Emergency ,
Television ,
Workplace Safety
Today, March 19, 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-33-20 requiring all individuals living in California to “stay home or at their place of residence except as necessary to maintain continuity of operations of...more
As we reported yesterday, cities and counties across California are issuing orders to slow the spread of COVID-19. Since our last post, Orange County and the City of Palm Springs have joined the list....more