California - General

A federal district court has entered a permanent injunction barring the State of California from enforcing Assembly Bill (AB) 51, California’s law that purports to preclude employers from requiring arbitration agreements as a condition of employment, as it is preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act

By: A PAGA Victory to Bring in the New Year: Trial Court Holds LWDA Responsible for Prevailing Employer’s Costs Last week a trial court in Alameda County entered an order permitting Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. to recover nearly $125,000 in costs from the California Labor and Workforce Development Agenc

The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) recently released new guidance clarifying how employers using mandatory paid sick leave accrual and caps may transition to the increased amount of forty hours or five days of mandatory paid sick leave that go into effect on January 1, 2024.

The new California employment-related laws that came out of the 2023 legislative session address a number of issues that will affect many employers. Leave (paid family leave, sick leave, and reproductive loss leave), retaliation (presumptions of retaliation related to terminations of employment), no

On December 12, 2023, California’s Labor Commissioner revised its FAQs to address changes that will occur on January 1, 2024, to the Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act (HWHFA), the statewide paid sick and safe leave law.

On November 27, 2023, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) unveiled draft automated decisionmaking technology (ADMT) regulations that would set forth new consumer protections related to the profiling of consumers (including employees) and the use of such technology, including artificial i

The garment manufacturing industry is heavily regulated by California. Two items garment manufacturers should be aware of are the registration requirements and the Garment Worker Protection Act.

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 overview of some of the more surprising vetoes.

In this episode, Jen discusses the unique challenges small businesses face and the best practices for staying out of court.

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.

Governor Newsom is done signing bills for 2023. We briefly summarize the new laws affecting California employers below. Unless noted otherwise, these laws are effective on January 1, 2024.

In this episode, Jen explains Senate Bill 553, which requires most California employers to create a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan and train their employees at least annually.

Workplace safety and health hazards have traditionally been associated with unsafe work practices and hazardous conditions but violent acts committed in the workplace are a growing concern.

Two new laws will take effect next year that restrict how employers may respond to worker off-duty cannabis use. One law will restrict employers’ ability to ask about prior cannabis use in the hiring process, and the other will limit employer actions based on positive marijuana drug tests.

California’s legislature covered a wide array of labor and employment law topics this legislative session. The laws discussed below were signed into law by Governor Newsom and will become effective on January 1, 2024 unless otherwise noted. This Insight includes highlights of new laws affecting empl

As reported in last month’s CDF Wage & Hour Task Force blog post, a recent Ninth Circuit panel in Harstein v. Hyatt Corporation, held that employees who were “laid off” at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, March 2020, were entitled to payment for accrued vacation time at the time of the lay-of

SB 525 will ultimately increase the minimum wage for health care workers to $25/hr. Law expands definition of employees who will be considered health care workers for coverage purposes. Law allows waiver for certain covered health care employers who claim they cannot comply with

Executive Summary : Beginning January 1, 2024, restaurant employers in California will be required to pay their workers for all costs associated with obtaining a food handler card, including treating the time spent obtaining the certification as hours worked. The new law will also require employers

First-of-its-kind law in California will require venture capital firms to collect and report demographic composition of the founding members of the businesses in which they invest.

On October 8, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill (SB) No. 731.