Insight & Commentary on California Workplace Law Issues & Developments
San Francisco has finalized amendments to the city’s Paid Parental Leave Ordinance. The most significant change: employees will now qualify for employer-paid parental leave benefits after just 90 days of employment, down from the prior 180-day requirement.
Who Is Covered?
The ordinance applies to employers who regularly employ 20 or more employees anywhere in…
As children head back to school, California employees may need time away from work for school activities, childcare emergencies, disciplinary meetings, or to care for a sick child. Employers should keep the following California leave protections in mind for the 2026–2027 school year.
School and Childcare Activity Leave
California Labor Code Section 230.8 applies to…
As the situation in the Middle East progresses, and National Guard and Reservists are called to serve, employers will likely have employees who require leave of absence to fulfill their obligations to the military. While under federal law, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) guarantees the rights of military service members to…
California employers must promptly update their workplace postings because the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) recently released a revised Healthy Workplaces/Healthy Families Act (HWHFA) poster reflecting recent amendments to the state paid sick leave.
In 2024, California passed a bill that amended leave rights for employees pertaining to victims’ leave and attendance at court…
Recently, California’s Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 590, which expands eligibility for benefits under the state paid family leave program to include individuals who take time off to care for a seriously ill designated person.
In 2022, the state passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1041, which allowed employees to take leave to care for…
A recent California Court of Appeal decision provides clarity for employers with commissioned outside sales employees. In Hirdman v. Charter Communications, the court confirmed that employers may calculate paid sick leave for outside salespersons using their base hourly pay, excluding commissions, as long as that’s how they calculate other forms of paid leave.…
Last year, California expanded victims’ leave provisions with Assembly Bill (AB) 2499. AB 2499 required the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), which is responsible for enforcement of the expanded law, to develop and publish a written notice of employee rights under the expanded law by July 1, 2025. As required, the CRD published the…
In 2022, California passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1949 which amended the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) to provide for bereavement leave. The law took effect in January 2023, but here are some reminders for employers about bereavement leave requirements.
Under the law, employers with five or more employees must allow eligible employees to take up…
The Labor Commissioner’s office recently published an updated version of its Frequently Asked Questions Page for California Paid Sick Leave.
Here are some of the highlights of the updates:
Agricultural Employees
The FAQs were updated to reflect changes made by Senate Bill (SB) 1105, which expanded the reasons that agricultural employees may use…
The deluge of candidate introduction postcards and special interest group mailers urging us to vote “Yes!” or “No!” on particular issues that flood our mailboxes daily reminds us that election season is just around the corner.To ensure that all Californians are able to exercise their right to vote, California law requires employers to provide employees…
