California - General

Beginning March 29, 2021, California employers with more than 25 employees nationally will have to pay their California employees with up to 80 hours of COVID-19–related paid leave. On March 19, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 95, which creates new California Labor Code Sections

Within days, California employers may have to provide employees with even more COVID-19–related paid leave. On March 18, 2021, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 95, which creates new Labor Code Section 248.2 and Labor Code Section 248.3. These new Labor Code sections provide covered empl

By: Increasingly Complex Local Employment Regulations in California Require Ongoing Monitoring In addition to California’s expansive statewide employment laws, employers must also stay up-to-date on a quickly growing body of local employment regulations. We’ve covered specific local regulations on t

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) inspections have required greater coordination of personal protective equipment (PPE), remote witness interviews, social distancing at facilities, and visitor screenings. Wouldn’t it be more efficie

On March 4, 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) updated its “DFEH Employment Information on COVID-19” to include answers to some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about vaccinations.

On March 15, 2021, the City Council of West Hollywood added new categories of workers to its existing hero pay mandate of $5.00 per hour worked for large-chain grocery store employees. The new ordinance goes into effect on April 16, 2021, and expires on August 16, 2021.

On March 2, 2021, the City Council of Santa Ana, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for grocery and retail pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, located southeast of Los Angeles.

On March 1, 2021, the City Council of Pomona, California, passed an ordinance that establishes premium pay for retail food workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pomona is an incorporated city located in Los Angeles County and is not subject to the county’s hero pay ordinance.

On March 4, 2021, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing released updated COVID-19 guidance for employers. For the first time, the guidance addresses mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. (Yes, finally!)

Pursuant to a new law effective January 1, 2021, California employers must submit pay data reports to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) by March 31, 2021.

A growing number of cities in California, including Oakland, Long Beach, Montebello, West Hollywood and San Leandro, have recently enacted ordinances requiring large grocery and/or drug stores to pay specified workers premium pay for the heightened risk of exposure to and infection by the novel coro

By: Default PAGA Penalties Not Recoverable Against Public Entity Employers In Sargent v. Board of Trustees of California State University, 2021 WL 836135 (March 5, 2021), the First Appellate District Court of Appeal ruled that while public entity employers were not entirely exempt from liability for

As enforcement of non-compete agreements and non-solicitation provisions have become more challenging in California, trade secret protection becomes more important to protect your company’s assets. In addition, due to the pandemic and the popularity of remote work, it is even more important today fo

Employers with operations in California should be vigilant about compliance with the protections against criminal record discrimination in the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The FEHA prohibits employers from inquiring into and using specific criminal record information. The FEHA

On February 25, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied a motion for preliminary injunction brought by the California Grocers Association (CGA) against the City of Long Beach. In California Grocers Association v. City of Long Beach , CGA asked the court to stop th

Taking a meal break in California is no simple affair. Culminating seven years of litigation involving one California employer, on February 25, 2021, the Supreme Court of California issued its unanimous opinion in Donohue v. AMN Services, LLC , resolving two questions regarding California meal perio

On Thursday, February 25, 2021, the California Supreme Court issued a long-awaited ruling addressing legal standards for meal period violations in Donohue v.

By: CA Appellate Court Invites PAGA Plaintiffs to Go Forum Shopping Last week, California’s First District Court of Appeal issued an opinion that could concentrate PAGA litigation in venues hand-selected by plaintiffs’ attorneys, without regard to where the representative plaintiff actually worked.

On February 3, 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) updated its frequently asked questions (FAQs) to make clear that employers can seek an extension for reporting year 2020—known as a request for an “enforcement deferral period”—as to its newly enacted pay data repor

On February 16, 2021, the City Council of San Leandro, California, passed an ordinance titled “Retail Food Worker Hazard Pay Ordinance,” which establishes premium pay for retail food workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. San Leandro is an incorporated city located in Alameda County in the San Franci