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
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This week, California Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 616, which increases the amount of Paid Sick Leave ("PSL") that employers are required to provide to California employees. The new PSL law amends California Labor Code...more
Last week, the California Supreme Court unanimously held that California's Fair Employment and Housing Act ("FEHA") applies not only to employers but also to business entities performing services as agents for employers....more
9/1/2023
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New regulations effective October 1, 2023, will impact how employers may consider criminal history in employment decisions.
The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits California employers with five or more employees from inquiring...more
8/16/2023
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Work Opportunity Tax Credit
In a decision issued on May 22, 2023, the California Supreme Court sided with the state’s labor commissioner and held that the state’s whistleblower statute (Labor Code § 1102.5(b)) protects employees who disclose unlawful...more
As widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the employment sector has surged throughout the country, federal and state lawmakers have been playing catch-up with their efforts to regulate this new technology. In...more
With the end of California's COVID-19 state of emergency on February 28, 2023, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently announced updates to its COVID-19 guidance that include the following significant...more
Earlier this year, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the State of California's COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on February 28, 2023. Since then, numerous localities have announced the end of their own states of...more
Citing the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of San Francisco's response, the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) has announced that the city's COVID-19 state of emergency will end on...more
On February 15, 2023, a split 9th Circuit panel held that California's ban on mandatory arbitration agreements is preempted by federal law. This closely watched decision allows employers to require employees to enter into...more
January 19, 2023, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) updated its California Pay Data Reporting: Frequently Asked Questions to provide additional guidance following the passage of Senate Bill 1162, which became...more
On Friday, February 3, 2023, Cal/OSHA's new COVID semi-permanent rule went into effect, ending the Cal/OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that applied to most employers in California since November 2020. The Cal/OSHA...more
On December 15, 2022, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) voted to adopt COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations (Non-Emergency Regulations). Approval by the Office of Administrative...more
On December 27, 2022, the California Labor Commissioner updated its Equal Pay Act Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide additional guidance on the state's new pay transparency law that became effective on January 1,...more
The start of the new year will bring many changes to California's state and local minimum wage laws. California employers would be wise to take note of the following changes—set to take effect on January 1, 2023—that will...more
Governor Newsom announced Monday that California's COVID-19 State of Emergency will come to an end on February 28, 2023, after being in effect for almost three years. The four-month phaseout timeline is designed to provide...more
Governor Newsom approved many new employment laws late last week which generally favor employee rights and significantly expand employer obligations. Given that the majority of these new laws will become effective January 1,...more
In an unexpected move, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit recently withdrew its 2021 opinion that had previously allowed the enforcement, in large part, of AB 51, a ban on mandatory arbitration agreements as...more
California employers should take note of two significant bills recently passed by the state Legislature that are now awaiting likely approval by Governor Newsom. The first, Senate Bill 1162 (SB 1162), would further expand...more
In a ruling favorable to California employers, the state's Court of Appeal recently confirmed that employers are not required to include hourly rates for prior pay periods on wage statements. In Meza v. Pacific Bell Telephone...more
On May 12, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued guidelines cautioning employers on the use of digital software, algorithms, and artificial intelligence (AI) to make employment-related decisions. The...more
Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom projected California's minimum wage to increase to $15.50 by January 1, 2023. The increase is required by the state's minimum wage law, passed in 2016, which triggers an increase when...more
As healthcare facilities work to treat the onslaught of COVID-19 patients precipitated by the Omicron variant, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued an amended Order requiring workers in healthcare...more
On January 5, 2022, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an updated Health Officer Order that includes additional face covering and COVID-19 testing requirements for workplaces. The Order goes into effect...more
California employers whose employees become infected with COVID-19 while in the workplace and pass the infection to family members can be sued in civil court for resulting injuries suffered by third parties....more