Photo of Sayaka Karitani

Sayaka Karitani is a principal in the Los Angeles, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice focuses on advice and counsel in labor and employment law. Sayaka is a member of the California Advice and Counsel resource group.

Sayaka counsels employers on a variety of employment issues, including wage and hour, background checks, on-boarding and terminations, independent contractors, workplace investigations, disability and leave management, business realignment/reductions in force strategies, and litigation avoidance.

In mid-December, as COVID-19 cases began to rise, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reinstituted indoor masking requirements and Cal/OSHA confirmed that requirements applied in the workplace. When issued, the mandate was only supposed to remain in effect until January 15, 2022.

However, with COVID-19 cases still on an uptick, the CDPH has

Over the summer as California saw a rise in COVID-19 cases, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued orders mandating vaccinations of health care workers and workers in adult care facilities and direct care workers.

With cases again on the rise, the state has issued two, updated mandates that cover: (1) health care