California employers often require their new hires and current employees to sign arbitration agreements ("agreements") as a condition of employment or continued employment. To be enforceable, these agreements require that the...more
7/2/2025
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Guidance
On July 1, 2025, minimum wage increases will go into effect in a number of cities and counties in California. To ensure compliance, employers with workers in the state should review their applicable local wage laws, post the...more
Approved legislation covers topics from paid leave to freelance work, driver's license discrimination to intersectionality discrimination, a "captive audience" ban to social compliance audits, with other laws specifically...more
10/30/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Freelance Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
Governor Newsom signed into law a plethora of bills that significantly expand the rights of employees in California, although notably vetoing a bill that would have prohibited caste discrimination. Most of the new laws take...more
10/31/2023
/ Arbitration ,
California ,
Cannabis Products ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
FEHA ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
Labor Code ,
Layoffs ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Leave ,
Recreational Use ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Retaliation ,
Sick Leave ,
Startups ,
Venture Capital ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
This week, California Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 616, which increases the amount of Paid Sick Leave ("PSL") that employers are required to provide to California employees. The new PSL law amends California Labor Code...more
New regulations effective October 1, 2023, will impact how employers may consider criminal history in employment decisions.
The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits California employers with five or more employees from inquiring...more
8/16/2023
/ California ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Rehabilitation ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
FEHA ,
IRS ,
Job Ads ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Reform ,
Reassessments ,
Work Opportunity Tax Credit
In a decision issued on May 22, 2023, the California Supreme Court sided with the state’s labor commissioner and held that the state’s whistleblower statute (Labor Code § 1102.5(b)) protects employees who disclose unlawful...more
On Friday, February 3, 2023, Cal/OSHA's new COVID semi-permanent rule went into effect, ending the Cal/OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that applied to most employers in California since November 2020. The Cal/OSHA...more
California employers may need to update their existing policies regarding masks in the workplace. The California Department of Public Health has issued an Order requiring masks be worn in all California indoor public...more
California lawmakers continue to remake the employment landscape, enacting several new laws for 2022, including ones that change how employers handle separation agreements, workplace investigations, and workplace safety. Here...more
California lawmakers continue to remake the employment landscape, enacting several new laws for 2022, including ones that change how employers handle separation agreements, workplace investigations, and workplace safety. Here...more
On September 15, 2021, the 9th Circuit in Chamber of Commerce of the US v. Bonta reversed (2-1), in part, a preliminary injunction and held that California Labor Code section 432.6—which prohibits employers from requiring...more
On April 16, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 93 (SB 93), which requires certain employers to offer open job positions to employees who were laid off for reasons related to COVID-19. SB 93, which takes...more
Nearly three months after the expiration of California's first COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Law, California has adopted a new entitlement to Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) for employees dealing with COVID-19...more
3/29/2021
/ California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
Prompted by expiring state and federal emergency leave laws, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently enacted an urgency ordinance that revises its earlier Worker Protection Ordinance, which now provides paid...more