California - General

In this episode, Jen discusses two bills Governor Newsom signed this week to make PAGA claims easier to defend and not so much of a nightmare for employers!

Long-awaited PAGA reform legislation (“New PAGA”) brings significant change and some clarification to the 20-year-old law, reconciling previously ambiguous interpretations of the law, as well as adding new provisions that will have far-reaching effects on the litigation of PAGA actions.

On July 1, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills, Senate Bill 92 and Assembly Bill 2288 , that amend the state’s Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which deputizes private parties to enforce the Labor Code on behalf of the state.

Recently-enacted Senate Bill 553 (SB 553) amended the California Labor Code to require most California employers to establish and implement an effective, written workplace violence prevention plan (WVPP) containing specific information by July 1, 2024. An employer’s WVPP must include effective proce

What do you get when you combine a business-backed ballot initiative, the state legislature and governor’s office, and labor organizations? A deal. California style.

The California Legislature recently introduced two complementary bills to reform the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA).

By: Significant PAGA Reform on the Horizon: What Employers Need to Know (and Do) to Protect Themselves On June 17, labor and business groups reached an agreement with California Governor Newsom to reform California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). A summary of the deal was announced the follo

By: Preparing Your Business for Los Angeles County’s Recently Passed Fair Work Week Ordinance Earlier this year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted and passed the Fair Work Week Ordinance. It is now set to go into effect July 1, 2025. The ordinance applies to any retailer and grocer i

By: Deal Reached on Proposed PAGA Amendments to Avert a November Vote on PAGA Repeal Earlier today, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that labor and business groups concluded their ongoing negotiations and reached an agreement to reform California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). The

Most employers look for legal updates on new laws impacting their business at the start or end of each year. However, the laws and ordinances discussed below are effective on July 1, 2024.

In a recent ruling, a California appeals court found an arbitration agreement with an eyewear store employee that was presented on a take-it-or-leave-it basis required an arbitrator to apply the laws of another state, required that arbitration be conducted in another state, and forced the employee t

Effective July 1, 2024, nearly every California employer will be required to implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan with very specific requirements.

Arbitration agreement enforcement continues to take up California court space.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has released new proposed regulations regarding employers’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems that would affirm that the use of such technology in a way that discriminates against employees and job applicants based o

Starting July 1, 2024, California will make it unlawful for businesses to add any automatic service charges onto consumer bills. Service charges are mandatory fees tacked onto bills (often for the provision of services in the hospitality industry) that customers have no discretion but to pay. In the

What do employers need to know about California’s Workplace Violence Prevention legislation? California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Senate Bill 553, which was signed into law on September 30, 2023, created the first general industry workplace violence prevention safety requirements in the United

In this episode, Jen explains “reproductive loss” leave and our obligations as employers.

By: Importance of FAA in California Employment Arbitration Agreements Underscored By: Importance of FAA in California Employment Arbitration Agreements Underscored Employers may be able to breathe a sigh of relief as a California Court of Appeal concluded that the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) pre

By: California to Increase Regulation of AI Tools In The Workplace: New Legal Liability By: California to Increase Regulation of AI Tools In The Workplace: New Legal Liability The explosion of AI and the fast pace at which employers are implementing AI into the workplace prompted California regulato

By: Too Little Too Late: AB 2288 Which Seeks to Add Injunctive Relief to PAGA Passes the Assembly Floor Earlier this week, a bill seeking to amend the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) to allow courts to grant injunctive relief passed the Assembly Floor and is headed to the Senate.