On August 21, 2025, the Mayor of Long Beach approved an ordinance requiring staffing for self-checkout at drug retail establishments and grocery stores. The ordinance will go into effect on September 21, 2025, the 31st day after the Mayor’s approval.

As previously reported, the ordinance covers drug retail establishments and food retail establishments

The City of Long Beach introduced a new ordinance aimed at curbing retail theft and improving safety in grocery and drug stores that use self-service checkout stations.

The ordinance applies to “drug retail establishments” and “food retail establishments.”

“Drug retail establishments” are defined as a retail store that sells a variety of prescription and non-prescription

In October 2022, Governor Newsom announced the California COVID-19 State of Emergency would end on February 28, 2023. While this will phase out some of the tools the state used in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, it does not mean the end of all COVID-19 regulations and requirements for employers.  Three illustrative examples are discussed

Over the summer, several cities considered and even passed a $25.00 minimum wage for healthcare workers.

The Cities of Inglewood and Duarte sent the ordinances for consideration to voters. Only the City of Inglewood measure was successful.

The new $25.00 minimum wage applies to private-sector healthcare workers who work in hospitals, integrated health systems

At the start of June 2022, the City of Los Angeles approved an ordinance to raise the minimum wage for certain healthcare workers at privately-owned healthcare facilities within the city.

Since June, more cities have passed nearly identical ordinances.

All ordinances apply only to privately owned healthcare facilities including:

  • General acute care hospitals;
  • Acute psychiatric

COVID-19 cases continue to surge around Southern California, causing the region to remain under the restrictions imposed by the statewide Regional Stay at Home Order longer than previously predicted. In response, local governments are looking for ways to reward the grocery workers who have been deemed essential since the start of the pandemic.

The City