Insight & Commentary on California Workplace Law Issues & Developments
As we wind down 2025, here are some of the changes California employers need to be aware of to be prepared in 2026.
State Law
California SB 596: Increases Penalties for Healthcare Staffing Ratio Violations
Senate Bill 20: California Expands Worker Protections Against Silica Dust Exposure
Senate Bill 464: California Mandates Tougher Pay Data Reporting…
The California Labor Commissioner’s Office, the agency that enforces a wide range of the state’s labor laws, has awarded $8.55 million in grants to 16 local prosecutors to step up enforcement of labor laws. This funding, part of the Workers’ Rights Enforcement Grant Program, is designed to help local governments prosecute wage payment violations and…
In Stone v. Alameda Health System, the California Supreme Court considered whether all public entities that are not specifically governmental in nature are exempt from the obligations in the Labor Code such as meal and rest breaks and overtime, and whether penalties available under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) apply to public entities.
On September 22, 2021, California’s Governor signed Assembly Bill 701 (AB 701) which regulates the use of quotas at warehouse distribution centers in California. The new law applies to large employers who meet industry definitions for General Warehousing and Storage, Merchant Wholesalers (Durable and Non-Durable Goods), and Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses.
AB 701 requires…
Is the California Supreme Court about to make it more difficult to dispose of whistleblower retaliation claims? That may well be the case. The Supreme Court has agreed to answer the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ question about California law and unlawful retaliation against an employee in Lawson v. PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.…
On September 30, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1947, which extends the period to file a discrimination or retaliation complaint to one year with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (“DLSE”) or better known as the Labor Commissioner. Before the passage of this legislation, employees alleging they had been discharged or otherwise…
As California proceeds through the stages of reopening businesses in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, the California state legislature is considering various bills to lighten the load for employers as they attempt to recover from the various degrees of business closures. One such bill is Assembly Bill 2457. Though the bill was introduced in…
If you have ever received a pre-litigation records request, then you may already know that such a request tends to be a harbinger of a lawsuit on the horizon. Plaintiff’s lawyers regularly use Labor Code provisions to obtain pay and personnel records, before a lawsuit has been filed. While employees (or their representative) are undoubtedly…
California has enacted new legislation aimed at clarifying its law banning an employer from inquiring about a job applicant’s salary history information.
Assembly Bill 168 (codified as Labor Code Section 432.3) prohibits employers from seeking salary history of applicants for employment. Designed to eradicate the wage gap, AB 168 also requires employers to provide applicants…
The California Supreme Court recently heard the case of Troester v. Starbucks Corporation which could significantly increase employers’ exposure to claims by hourly paid employees for small pre-shift and post-shift tasks that are currently treated as insignificant and not compensable.
The de minimis doctrine, an established defense under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), permits…
