Insight & Commentary on California Workplace Law Issues & Developments
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that California’s statewide minimum wage will increase from $16.90 to $17.40 per hour effective January 1, 2027. The new rate, announced on July 31, 2026, reflects the annual inflation-based adjustment required under California law.
The increase will also affect the minimum salary threshold for employees classified as exempt under…
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has released its Reporting Year (RY) 2025 Pay Data Reporting FAQ and Handbook. The statute remains familiar, but the filing mechanics this cycle are not. CRD’s materials emphasize a prescribed file structure, add required data elements, and signal that conformity to the current-year template will be central to…
California’s annual pay data reporting submission this year is due on May 13, 2026. Each cycle, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) typically releases updated guidance for that year’s reporting in early February.
While we await this annual guidance, CRD has already provided preliminary templates for payroll employee and labor contractor pay data reporting…
Each year, California’s minimum wage rises, but along with hourly workers’ wages increasing, so too does the salary threshold for employees to be exempt from overtime. For an employee to be exempt from overtime under California law, their job must fall into a specific exempt category and meet a designated wage rate.
The most common…
California’s Department of Finance recently announced the minimum wage increase for 2026. The minimum wage in California will increase from $16.50 per hour to $16.90 perhour on January 1, 2026. This increase applies to all employers, regardless of size. This increase is based on the state’s annual cost-of-living adjustment tied to the U.S. Consumer Price Index…
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…
For an employee to be exempt from overtime under California law, their job must fall into a specific exempt category.
The most common exemptions are for executive, administrative, and professional roles. Employees in these capacities generally qualify if their work meets detailed requirements and they earn at least twice the state minimum wage for full-time…
For an employee to be exempt from overtime regulations under California law, the employee must fit into a category of work that is deemed exempt.
The most common exemptions are the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions. Workers who are employed in administrative, managerial, executive, or professional capacities generally fall under one of these exemptions. Each…
For an employee to be deemed exempt from overtime regulations under California law, the employee must fit into a category of work that is deemed exempt. The most common exemption is the administrative exemption, which includes workers who are employed in administrative, managerial, executive, or professional capacities. There are detailed requirements as to the amount…
Employers may understand the workplace safety concerns surrounding wildfires, but there are other employment issues that employers should consider in the event of a wildfire near the worksite.
The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has FAQs pertaining to important employment issues that employers should consider when their employees or worksite are impacted by wildfires.
Regular …
