California - General

On December 11, 2025, the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, issued a partially published decision in Dieves v. Butte Sand Trucking Company involving a truck driver’s claims against his former employers for alleged violations of California labor law. The appellate court affirmed i

Los Angeles County has enacted a new ordinance that permanently extends and updates worker recall and retention rights for certain employees, building on protections first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ordinance, effective November 6, 2025, amends the Los Angeles County Code to provid

On December 9, 2025, the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, issued a published decision in Sierra Pacific Industries Wage and Hour Cases , affirming the trial court’s denial of Sierra Pacific Industries’ motion to compel arbitration and upholding the imposition of evidentiary and

California Doubles Down on Diversity Data: The New Era of DEI Transparency in Venture Capital In October 2023, California enacted Senate Bill 54 (SB 54) to promote transparency in venture capital funding by requiring firms with a California nexus to report demographic data on the founding teams of t

Starting January 1, 2026, all California employers must issue a new annual written notice to every employee explaining key workplace rights — from workers’...

California employers face a complex minimum wage compliance landscape, in which state law sets a floor and cities and counties often set higher local minimums. As remote and hybrid arrangements proliferate, the obligation to pay the correct minimum wage turns on where employees actually perform thei

On November 19, 2025, the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, issued a published decision in Dobarro v. Kim , affirming the trial court’s dismissal for untimeliness of an employer’s appeal from a Labor Commissioner award. The decision underscores the mandatory and jurisdictional na

Starting January 1, 2026, all California employers must issue a new annual written notice to every employee explaining key workplace rights — from workers’ compensation to union activity protections and immigration inspection procedures. The DLSE will release a model notice, but employers can’t wait

The complexities of California employment law begin not when an employer extends an offer, but as soon as they decide to post a job opening. Employers

A recently published California Court of Appeal, Second District, decision affirmed that the use of a “flag bonus pay” compensation structure that provides an hourly productivity incentive, which is often used in the automotive service industry, does not necessarily violate California’s “no borrowin

Los Angeles Updates Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance With the California Freelance Worker Protection Act (FWPA) now in effect statewide as of January 1, 2025, the City of Los Angeles recently revised its Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance (FWPO) to clarify how the two laws interact. tgelbm

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has passed a new Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance for unincorporated areas of the county. Similar to the City of Los Angeles and West Hollywood ordinances, the ordinance sets forth additional obligations for hotel employers to enhance the safety of employ

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 464 into law on October 13, 2025, making significant changes as of January 1, 2026, to the state’s pay data reporting requirements. These changes will increase the pressure on covered employers and labor contractors to complete the annual

As we move into 2026, California employers face a series of important compliance deadlines. One that deserves timely attention is the new notice requirement imposed by Senate Bill 294 (“SB 294”), which mandates that employers

Senate Bill (SB) 596 represents asignificant development for California general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and special hospitals. Governor Newsom signed SB 596 into law on October 13, 2025, amending California’s Health and Safety Code § 1280.3 to expand civil penalties for ce

California Employers, Heads Up: Senate Bill 513 Just Changed the Rules on Personnel Files Senate Bill (SB) 513, now law, quietly but significantly expands what California employers must track in personnel files and share with employees. What’s New Under SB 513? SB 513 amends Labor Code Section 1198.

California Expands Paid Family Leave Eligibility to “Designated Persons” Following California’s 2023 expansion of job-protected, unpaid family medical leave and paid sick and safe time and its 2025 expansion of job-protected, unpaid leave for victims of violence to include use for a “designated pers

Paid sick leave and family leave laws in California continue to expand at a rapid pace. In this episode, Jen reviews the latest changes to the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (expanded sick leave accrual and usage), the California Family Rights Act’s broadened definition of “designated pers

California’s leave and accommodation landscape is expanding again in 2026 — and employers should start preparing now. With new legislation broadening when employees can take time off and heightened enforcement priorities under the Fair Employment

Employees in California who are victims of violence—and their family members who are victims—now have expanded leave protections when they seek legal, medical, mental health, or safety planning services. The new law, Assembly Bill (AB) 406 , which Governor Gavin Newsom signed on October 1, 2025, and