California Governor Newsom recently signed Senate Bill (SB) 648, which authorizes the state’s Labor Commissioner to investigate and issue a citation or file a civil action for gratuities taken or withheld in violation of the Labor Code. This enforcement authorization will take effect January 1, 2026.

The Labor Code defines wage theft as employers withholding any money owed to workers, including tips. Previously, although the Labor Commissioner could investigate wage theft, it lacked the authority to issue or recover citations against employers respective to gratuities. SB 648 ensures that citation procedures mirror those used for minimum wage violations.

Employers should familiarize themselves with what is defined as a tip or gratuity under the Labor Code to avoid inadvertent violations of the Labor Code and face investigation or citation.

If you have questions about the handling of tips or gratuities or related issues, please contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

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 other employment practices that do not comply with California law.

This initiative signals a likely expansion of investigations by local agencies into alleged Labor Code violations. We anticipate that local governments may use the funds to build specialized enforcement units and increase prosecutions of non-compliant California employers.

Some of the grant recipients include:

  • Los Angeles District Attorney – $750,000
  • Fresno City Attorney – $750,000
  • San Mateo District Attorney – $750,000
  • Orange County District Attorney – $700,000
  • San Francisco City Attorney – $600,000

A full list is included in the Labor Commissioner’s press release.

California employers should be familiar with the jurisdiction in which their business resides and should treat inquiries from local agencies with the same level of seriousness as those from the state Labor Commissioner.

If you have any questions about local enforcement of Labor Code violations or related issues, please contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

In 2019, California became the first state to pass the CROWN Act—short for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. This legislation prohibits discrimination based on natural hair textures and protective hairstyles commonly associated with race, such as braids, locs, and twists.

The CROWN Act was established to address gaps in existing anti-discrimination laws, ensuring that individuals are not subject to penalties in workplaces or schools for wearing natural hair or protective styles that hold cultural significance.

In 2024, the law was amended through Assembly Bill 1815, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. This amendment clarified and expanded the definition of “race” in California’s anti-discrimination laws, including the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which governs businesses. The updated language now explicitly states that race includes traits associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles—removing the previously vague term “historically” to avoid confusion.

Employers should review and update their workplace policies to ensure they reflect these requirements under the CROWN Act. It is also important to train staff on the expanded definitions and how such requirements may apply in day to day situations in the workplace.

If you have questions about the CROWN Act or related issues contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

The City of Los Angeles has put the minimum wage increase for hotel workers on hold.  Certain provisions were to take effect on July 1, 2025. This decision comes after a referendum petition against the ordinance was filed with the City Clerk’s office on June 27, 2025.

The ordinancewouldincrease wages and healthcare benefits for hotel and airport workers, along with requiring the provision of specified training for hotel workers. The referendum petition, filed by opponents of the ordinance, has triggered a suspension of the ordinance’s implementation.

The City Clerk’s office (the Clerk) is determining whether the petition contains the required number of signatures.   As a result, the ordinance is suspended and will not take effect while the petition is under review.

If the Clerk determines that the petition does not contain a sufficient number of signatures, the ordinance will take effect the following day of such determination. Conversely, if the petition contains the requisite number of signatures, the ordinance will remain suspended until approved by voters in an election called by the City Council.

For now, the hotel worker minimum wage will increase to $21.01 pursuant to the original ordinance effective July 1, 2025. If the amendments take effect, then the minimum wage rate will increase to $22.50 for hotels with 60 or more rooms.

Jackson Lewis will continue to monitor developments related to this ordinance. If you have questions about this or related issues, contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

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 new notice, which is available on its website. The notice is available in 13 languages in addition to English.

AB 2499 requires employers to inform each employee of their rights established under the expanded law in writing upon hire, annually, at any time upon request, and any time an employee informs an employer that the employee or the employee’s family member is a victim.  AB 2499 allows employers to use the newly published notice developed by the CRD to satisfy this requirement.

The CRD also published a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the updates to the law. The FAQs cover:

  • General Questions
  • Taking Time Off Work
  • Safety-Related Reasonable Accommodations

The FAQs specified that certification for an absence under the law can include the following:

  • Police reports
  • Court records or other proof of court appearance
  •  Documentation from a supportive service provider
  • A statement signed by the employee or someone acting on their behalf
  • Other documentation verifying that a qualifying act of violence happened

Such documents, if provided, should be kept confidential by the employer unless disclosure is required by federal or state law, such as in response to a valid court order or subpoena. An employer may also disclose such documents if it is necessary to protect an employee’s safety at work, such as calling the police to report immediate danger.

If you have questions about the requirements for posting or complying with the leave and accommodation requirements under the law or related issues, contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

As summer temperatures rise across California, it’s a good time for employers to review their responsibilities under Cal/OSHA’s heat illness prevention standards. These rules apply to both outdoor and indoor workplaces and are designed to protect employees from heat-related illnesses and injury. 

The outdoor heat illness prevention standards apply to all outdoor places of employment. For outdoor workplaces, employers must provide fresh drinking water, access to shade, and allow cool-down rest breaks when temperatures exceed 80°F, acclimatization procedures, and emergency response procedures. Additionally, high-heat procedures are required for specific industries including agriculture, construction, landscaping, oil and gas extraction, and transportation of certain products and materials. When the temperature reaches or exceeds 95°F, additional steps are required, such as closer monitoring and more frequent communication with employees. Training is also required for all outdoor employees and supervisors so that they can recognize the signs of heat illness and know how to respond.

Indoor workplaces are also covered under a newer regulation that took effect in 2024. If the temperature inside reaches 82°F or more, employers need to provide water, cool-down areas, acclimatization procedures, emergency response procedures, and supervisor and employee training. These regulations do not apply to incidental heat exposures where an employee is exposed to temperatures between 82-95°F for less than 15 minutes in any 60-minute period, with some exceptions. If the temperature or heat index hits 87°F, or if employees wear clothing that traps heat or work near a high radiant heat area and the temperature reaches or exceeds 82°F, monitoring and additional controls are required.

Finally, under both the outdoor and indoor standards, employers are required to establish a written Heat Illness Prevention Plan. This plan must contain the procedures implemented by the employer for the provision of water, shade, or cool-down areas, emergency response procedures, acclimatization procedures, and procedures for responding to high-heat work environments.

If a business includes both indoor and outdoor work, it’s important to evaluate each area separately and make sure the right protections are in place for each environment.

If you have questions about Cal/OSHA Heat regulations or related issues, contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

Employers in the healthcare industry in California are subject to a separate minimum wage from other employers.

Effective July 1, 2025, certain healthcare facilities will see an increase in their minimum wage rates. The following is a summary of the increases based on the type of employer.

Type of Healthcare EmployerCurrent RateIncreased Rate
Hospitals or Integrated Health Systems with 10,000 or more full-time employees, including skilled nursing facilities operated by these employers$23$24
Dialysis Clinics$23$24
Covered Health Care Facilities run by large counties with more than five million people as of January 1, 2023$23$24
Hospitals with 90% or more of their patients paid for by Medicare or Medi-Cal$18$18.63
Independent Hospitals with 75% or more of their patients paid for by Medicare or Medi-Cal$18$18.63
Rural Independent Covered Health Care Facilities$18$18.63
Covered Health Care Facilities run by small counties with fewer than 250,000 people$18$18.63

While several categories of healthcare employees will receive a minimum wage increase in July 2025. The following categories of healthcare employers will not have a minimum wage increase until July 2026:

  • Intermittent clinics, community clinics, rural health clinics, or urgent care clinics associated with community or rural health clinics
  • Covered Health Care Facilities run by Medium Sized Counties (250,000 to five million people as of 1/1/23)
  • Skilled Nursing facilities not owned, operated, or controlled by a hospital, integrated health care delivery system, or health care system
  • All other covered health care facilities not listed in the other categories and not run by Counties

Who is Covered?

The definition of “health care employee” is broad, encompassing a wide range of roles within healthcare facilities. This includes employees who provide patient care, health care services, or services supporting the provision of health care. Examples of covered roles include:

  • Nurses
  • Physicians
  • Caregivers
  • Medical residents, interns, or fellows
  • Patient care technicians
  • Janitors
  • Housekeeping staff
  • Groundskeepers
  • Guards
  • Clerical workers
  • Non-managerial administrative workers
  • Food service workers
  • Gift shop workers
  • Technical and ancillary services workers
  • Medical coding and billing personnel
  • Schedulers
  • Call center and warehouse workers
  • Laundry workers.

If you have questions about the healthcare minimum wage or related issues, contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

At the start of the year, the state minimum wage increased, along with several local jurisdictions. Many other California cities and counties also raise their minimum wage on July 1.

The following localities will raise their minimum wage on July 1, 2025:

LocalityCurrent
Minimum Wage		New Minimum wage
Alameda$17.00$17.46
Berkeley$18.67$19.18
Emeryville$19.36$19.90
Fremont$17.30$17.75
City of Los Angeles$17.28$17.87
County of Los Angeles (unincorporated areas only)$17.27$17.81
Milpitas$17.70$18.20
Pasadena$17.50$18.04
San Francisco$18.67$19.18
Santa Monica$17.27$17.81

These minimum wages do not reflect some local industry-specific minimum wage requirements such as those recently amended in the City of Los Angeles.

Do you have any questions about California minimum wage compliance or related issues? Contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

On May 27, the City of Los Angeles passed amendments to the Living Wage Ordinance (LWO) and the Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance (HWMO). The development of these amendments began in December 2024, and since then have been the subject of debate and public comment.

Here is what hotel and airport employers need to know about the amendments.

Hotel Worker Amendments

The amendments include increases to the minimum wage, an hourly health benefit payment, and training for covered hotel workers.  These amendments apply to workers in hotels with at least 60 guest rooms.  The provisions of the ordinance may be waived pursuant to a bona fide collective bargaining agreement but only if the waiver is expressly set forth. 

The minimum wage rates will increase as follows:

Effective DateMinimum Wage
July 1, 2025$22.50
July 1, 2026$25.00
July 1, 2027$27.50
July 1, 2028$30.00
July 1, 2029, and annuallyAdjusted based on Consumer Price Index

Furthermore, effective July 1, 2026, if a hotel employer does not provide a worker with health benefits, the worker must be paid the wage rate indicated above plus an additional hourly wage rate equal to the health benefit payment in effect for an employer servicing LAX.

In addition to the above entitlements, hotel workers must be provided at least 6 hours of live and interactive instruction covering the following topics:

  • Hotel worker rights and hotel employer responsibilities.
  • Best practices for identifying and responding to suspected instances of human trafficking, domestic violence, or violent or threatening conduct.
  • Effective cleaning techniques to prevent the spread of disease.
  • Identifying and avoiding insect or vermin infestations.
  • Identifying and responding to other potential criminal activities

The training requirements take effect December 1, 2025.

Airport Employee Amendments

The amendments also increase airport employee minimum wage and health benefit payments as follows:

DateMinimum Wage
July 1, 2025$22.50
July 1, 2026$25.00
July 1, 2027$27.50
July 1, 2028$30.00
July 1, 2029, and annually          Adjusted based on Consumer Price Index

Beginning on July 1, 2025, the hourly health benefit payment provided to an airport employee must be at least $7.65 an hour. On July 1, 2026, the hourly health benefit payment will be adjusted by a percentage equal to the percentage increase in the California Department of Managed Healthcare’s Large Group Aggregate Rates.

If you have questions about the City of Los Angeles’ recent changes to these ordinances, please contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.

California and federal laws require lactation accommodations for breastfeeding employees. The federal lactation accommodation law called the PUMP Act has many of the same requirements as the state law, however there are some details of state law that California employers should take note of.

Here are the key points employers need to know.

California’s lactation accommodation laws are among the most comprehensive in the United States. Under California Labor Code Sections 1030-1034, employers are required to provide:

  1. Reasonable Break Time: Employers must provide reasonable break time for employees to express breast milk. This break time should ideally coincide with any existing break time provided to the employee. If it doesn’t, the break time for expressing milk does not need to be paid.
  2. Private Space: employers must provide a room or other location, other than a bathroom, in close proximity to the employee’s work area, which is private and free from intrusion while the employee is expressing milk. The location must be safe, clean, and free of hazardous materials and have the following:
  3. A surface for a breast pump and personal items;
  4. A place to sit; and
  5. Have access to electricity or alternative devices like extension cords.
  6. Moreover, the employee must have access to a sink with running water and a refrigerator or other cooling device suitable for storing milk in close proximity to the employee’s workspace.

Employers in San Francisco should be aware that the city and county have a separate Lactation in the Workplace Ordinance, which includes specific requirements. The San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement has issued an FAQ regarding this ordinance.

If you have questions about lactation accommodation requirements in California or related issues contact a Jackson Lewis attorney to discuss.