California - General

A new bill has been introduced in the California Assembly that could affect most employers and employees in the state. If passed in its current form, Assembly Bill (AB) 1844 would expand paid sick leave coverage to employees and their family members for behavioral health conditions.

On May 4, 2020, Mayor Eric Garcetti signed two new ordinances governing employee right of recall and worker retention in the City of Los Angeles. The ordinances provide certain rights and preferences to various workers whose employment has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Current California Labor Code Section 98.7 provides that any person who believes that he or she has been discharged from employment or otherwise discriminated against in violation of any law under the jurisdiction of the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) may file a complaint

On May 19, 2020, Long Beach, California enacted a law requiring supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-19 purposes. Like San Jose, Long Beach enacted an urgency ordinance that takes effect immediately, plus an identical "regular" ordinance that will come back to the city council for a second, final

Earlier this month, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted the defendant U.S. Soccer Federation’s motion for summary judgment with respect to the plaintiffs’ Equal Pay Act (EPA) claims.1 The case gained attention in recent months following the U.S. women’s national so

The State of California, through the Department of Public Health, Department of Social Services, and the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), has released COVID-19 guidance and checklists for 20 different industries as employers prepare to reopen and employees head back to work.

With little notice or fanfare, San Diego County updated its emergency health order effective May 10, 2020 to provide additional protections for employees of essential and reopened businesses.

On May 12, 2020, Oakland joined the list of California localities that have enacted a law requiring supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-19 purposes, along with Los Angeles (City), Los Angeles County (Unincorporated),

On May 6, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-62-20 , immediately creating a monumental change in how claims of industrially contracted COVID-19 suffered by the state’s “essential workforce” will be addressed.

Two new City of Los Angeles ordinances that the mayor signed into law on May 4, 2020 will force employers in certain industries to rehire laid off or furloughed employees in a specified manner, rather than at the employer’s discretion.

Executive Summary: On April 29, 2020, the Los Angeles City Council adopted two ordinances governing (1) right of recall and (2) protection of workers in the hospitality, janitorial, and tourism industries within the City of Los Angeles (the “City”). The purposes of these Ordinances are to protect wo

In the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic, a number of counties and cities in California have issued Orders requiring residents and visitors to wear face coverings when in public. Additionally, many of the other counties that have not issued face covering mandates have strongly recommended that

On April 28, 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to enact an interim urgency ordinance to require employers with 500 or more employees within the United States to provide supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) to covered employees immediately until December 31, 2020 (unl

On April 17, 2020, San Francisco, California Mayor London Breed signed the San Francisco Public Health Emergency Leave Ordinance (PHELO), which took effect immediately. The next day, San Francisco's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) issued guidelines to help employers and employees unders

Executive Summary: On April 16, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-51-20 (the “Order”) requiring employers in the Food Sector to (1) provide their employees with paid sick leave due to COVID-19 and (2) permit their employees working in a food facility to wash their hands

n April 14, 2020, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, again, passed a public health emergency leave ordinance (the "PHELO"). The ordinance is very similar to the ordinance the Board passed exactly one week earlier, but contains changes—some expected, and some made during the Board's meeting. The

At 9:15 p.m. on April 7, 2020, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an emergency order that immediately required certain employers to provide supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) during the COVID-19 public health emergency, superseding the ordinance passed by the Los Angeles City Council. Four days

Things have been pretty chaotic and confusing for employers and employees during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Unfortunately, in an effort to help, the City of Los Angeles has unintentionally increased both. This is the story of how mandatory supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) came to exist

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, recently issued safety and health guidance for agricultural employers to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. California employers are required to establish and implement an Injury and Illness Preve

On April 7, 2020, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted an emergency ordinance (the "PHELO") that requires private employers with 500 or more employees to provide paid public health emergency leave during the COVID-19 public health emergency (“PHE”). This ordinance is one of a number of sit