All California employers will need to make two changes to the mandatory notice you provide to your new hires as of January 1: you need to tell them about changes to California’s paid sick leave law, and you need to provide...more
12/21/2023
/ California ,
Corporate Counsel ,
DLSE ,
H2-A Visa Program ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
State of Emergency ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft Prevention Act
The executive order on artificial intelligence issued by the White House yesterday is the federal government’s most ambitious attempt to date to corral this burgeoning technology – and contains numerous items of interest for...more
10/31/2023
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
Copyright ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Reform ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Job Market ,
Manufacturers ,
OFCCP ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US State Departments
California employers know that the new year inevitably brings new workplace laws that are finalized at the end of the state’s legislative session in the fall. This year, state lawmakers considered over 2,700 bills – the most...more
10/16/2023
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Automatic Stay ,
California ,
Caregivers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Data Brokers ,
Data Deletion ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Governor Newsom ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
Minimum Wage ,
Motion to Compel ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Registration Requirement ,
Remote Working ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Strike ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
Governor Gavin Newsom just signed into law a bill that further expands California unpaid leave by allowing employees to take protected time off due to “reproductive loss.” Senate Bill 848, signed into law on October 10, will...more
If Congress cannot approve a budget by October 1, the federal government will shut down. What will this mean for employers across the country? A look back at the most recent government shutdown will provide lessons on what...more
By now, California employers are quite familiar with the following situation: the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) makes a change to COVID-19 guidance and your workplace obligations are affected under Cal/OSHA’s...more
Getting into compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) can seem like an overwhelming task. After all, the law is comprised not only of a dense statute and detailed regulations, but the amendment effective...more
5/25/2023
/ California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Retention ,
Data Security ,
Data Subject Access Requests ,
Employee Training ,
Notice Requirements ,
Personal Information ,
Privacy Policy
The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank highlights many of the concerns that employers might face should they find themselves in the midst of a liquidity crisis. Making payroll, arriving at decisions related to wage...more
3/14/2023
/ Business Operations ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Furloughs ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Liquidity ,
Notice Requirements ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour
Eight months of legislative wrangling and dealmaking have come to an end as the California Legislature just wrapped up work for the year – and now employers across the Golden State turn their eyes to the governor’s office to...more
9/2/2022
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Bereavement Leave ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Food Service Workers ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Job Applicants ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Supplemental Benefits ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
California public health officials recently revised the definitions of “close contact” and “infectious period” that appear in the state’s pandemic-related rules – and the new broader standards might catch some employers by...more
California workplace safety officials just approved a third round of changes to the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard, and while many of them conform to recent guidance that have already been incorporated into...more
4/22/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Rule ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The last two years have been an interesting respite for California employers. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the legislature – just like other businesses – which resulted in abbreviated legislative schedules, fewer bills...more
2/24/2022
/ B2B Organizations ,
Bereavement Leave ,
Biometric Information ,
California ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
FEHA ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Marijuana ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Pay Data ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
The California Legislature just approved a measure that dramatically extends and expands a requirement for employers to provide supplemental paid sick leave to employees impacted by COVID-19. Among other things, this new...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed legislation that establishes a workers’ compensation presumption that will apply to most employers in the state that have a COVID-19 “outbreak” through 2022 – meaning it is much...more
9/17/2020
/ Burden of Proof ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
First Responders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Employees ,
State Labor Laws ,
Virus Testing ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
Mass shootings have become a tragic reality in the United States. Recent years have witnessed a number of high-profile incidents at schools, workplaces, churches, and other public places. While the country remains deeply...more
10/16/2019
/ Best Practices ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Gun Laws ,
Mass Shootings ,
Red Flags Rule ,
Restraining Orders ,
Risk Mitigation ,
School Shootings ,
State and Local Government ,
Threat Management ,
Workplace Violence
First-year Governor Gavin Newsom signed some significant pieces of legislation in recent days that will impact employers across California – ranging from a ban on mandatory arbitration agreements, to a complete rewrite to the...more
10/15/2019
/ Amended Legislation ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Fees ,
Bias ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Delays ,
DFEH ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Mandatory Arbitration ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
Privacy Laws ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations
Governor Gavin Newsom just signed into law two amendments to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) that will have a direct impact on employers doing business in the state. The new amendments, signed on October 11, 2019...more
10/14/2019
/ Amended Legislation ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Data Breach ,
Data Collection ,
EEO-1 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exemptions ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Opt-Outs ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Privacy Laws ,
State Data Breach Notification Statutes
As the 2019 legislative year is about to come to a close, there are a number of critical labor and employment proposals still making their way to Governor Newsom’s desk. With just four short weeks remaining for the...more
8/21/2019
/ ABC Test ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Data Reporting ,
EEO-1 ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Liability ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Mandatory Arbitration ,
Pending Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Unemployment Benefits
Governor Newsom recently signed legislation to provide that prohibited employment discrimination based on race under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) also includes discrimination based on hair texture and protective...more
7/8/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Dress Codes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
New Legislation ,
Race Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws
February 22 was the last day to introduce new legislative proposals for the 2019 California legislative year. A whopping 2,576 bill were introduced before the deadline, making for an extremely busy legislative year ahead....more
2/27/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Governor Brown ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Misclassification ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
As we discussed recently, the November midterm elections have resulted in a divided Congress that is unable to pass significant employment legislation. This means we are likely to see the drive for legislative changes pursued...more
1/16/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pending Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
While much of the attention this midterm election has been focused on Congress and federal issues - the “blue wave” and a “referendum” on the Trump presidency - California employers know all too well that employment and labor...more
11/7/2018
/ #MeToo ,
ABC Test ,
Administrative Appointments ,
Arbitration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Earned Income Credit ,
Earned Income Tax ,
Election Results ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Entrepreneurs ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Equity ,
General Elections ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Governors ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Independent Contractors ,
Law Enforcement ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Misclassification ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Political Candidates ,
Popular ,
Portable Benefits ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Labor Laws ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Visas
As many predicted, Democrats recaptured the House for the first time in eight years in yesterday’s midterm elections, while Republicans retained and strengthened their grip on the Senate. That will lead to a dynamic in...more
11/7/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Congressional Committees ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Election Results ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Elections ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
General Elections ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Members of Congress ,
Paid Leave ,
Political Parties ,
Senate Committees ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. House ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
On September 19, Governor Brown signed AB 2334 (Thurmond) to make various workplace safety and health changes to California law, largely in response to recent activity by the Trump Administration. Among other things, AB 2334...more
9/20/2018
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Electronic Records ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Governor Brown ,
New Legislation ,
OSHA ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Trump Administration ,
Volks Rule ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting
It’s been a nice summer recess as the California Legislature has been on break, with Members returning to their home districts. But that respite is about to end as the Legislature reconvenes on August 6. There will be a...more
8/2/2018
/ #MeToo ,
Corporate Counsel ,
DFEH ,
EEO-1 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FEHA ,
Governor Brown ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
NLRA ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Volks Rule ,
Wage and Hour