The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-1 in favor of a proposed ordinance that would permit Los Angeles workers to earn at least six paid sick leave days annually. The new paid sick leave entitlement would double the mandatory minimum under California’s statewide paid sick leave law.

The proposed ordinance, which still needs to be drafted by the City Attorney’s Office before final approval, would take effect July 1, 2016. Businesses with 25 employees or fewer would have an additional year to comply with the new requirement.

In general, an employee would be entitled to the paid sick leave if, on or after July 1, 2016, the employee works in the City of Los Angeles for the same employer for 30 days or more within a year.  

Under the proposed ordinance, employers must provide the six days of paid sick leave up front, or accrue it at the rate of one hour per every 30 hours worked. Accrued paid sick leave carries over to the following year of employment, but may be capped at 72 hours.  Similar to California’s state paid sick leave, the proposed ordinance does not require employers to pay out accrued or unused sick days upon separation from employment.

Los Angeles’ recent push for additional paid sick days follows a trend among cities in California, including Santa Monica, Oakland, San Francisco, and Emeryville.

Employers should regularly review their policies and practices to ensure they are in compliance with these types of local ordinances, which may be different than the state’s requirements.