As of September 3, 2024, employers in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County must comply with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO), which places restrictions on criminal background screening beyond those...more
9/19/2024
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
California ,
Compliance ,
Covered Employer ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Job Applicants ,
New Regulations ,
Training
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Board) has approved a new regulation for Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment. The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has 30 working days to...more
On June 27, 2024, California Gov. Newsom signed legislation — Assembly Bill (AB) 2288 and Senate Bill (SB) 92 — that substantially reforms the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA) The legislation, which was...more
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several laws impacting California employers in 2023. Some of the new laws became effective immediately and others, including some that were signed into law just weeks ago, take effect...more
Recently, the California Supreme Court ruled in The People ex rel. Lilia Garcia-Brower v. Kolla’s Inc. that California’s whistleblower protection statute (Labor Code § 1102.5) protects employees who disclose unlawful conduct,...more
7/25/2023
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
CA Supreme Court ,
California ,
Disclosure ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Labor Code ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
On December 31, 2022, the Cal/OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), as previously summarized, expire after being in place since November 2020. On December 15, 2022, the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards...more
On May 23, 2022, the California Supreme Court ruled in Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, Inc. that unpaid meal and rest period premiums can form the basis of claims for wage statement violations under California Labor...more
On April 21, 2022, the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards (Cal/OSHA) Board voted to readopt its COVID-19 prevention emergency temporary standards (ETS) incorporating changes Cal/OSHA posted in preparation of...more
On March 3, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021” (the Act) into law. Upon signing the bill, which had bipartisan Congressional support, President...more
On December 16, 2021, the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards (Cal/OSHA) Board voted to re-adopt its COVID-19 prevention emergency temporary standards (ETS) incorporating changes Cal/OSHA posted in preparation...more
12/21/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Stray remarks by a non-decision maker, together with other evidence, may be enough to keep a discrimination case alive, the California Court of Appeal for the second appellate district held in the recently decided Jorgensen...more
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay non-exempt employees at least minimum wage plus overtime compensation. If an employee is unpaid or underpaid — due to a calculation error or an employee’s...more
On September 9, 2021, the Second District of the California Courts of Appeal ruled in Fred Wesson v. Staples the Office Superstore, LLC that trial courts have “inherent authority” to strike claims under the California Private...more
On July 15, 2021, the California Supreme Court ruled that an employee’s “regular rate of compensation” for the purposes of meal and rest break penalties includes all nondiscretionary payments, not just hourly wages. This...more
On June 17, 2021, the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards (Cal/OSHA) Board voted to re-adopt its COVID-19 prevention emergency temporary standards (ETS) incorporating changes Cal/OSHA noticed on June 11, 2021...more
6/22/2021
/ Administrative Review ,
Amended Rules ,
Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Exclusions ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Masks ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
UPDATE: Cal/OSHA Withdraws June 3, 2021 revised ETS. In a special meeting held on the evening of June 9, 2021, the Cal/OSHA Board met to consider the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and California...more
6/11/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Exclusions ,
Guidance Update ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On June 3, 2021, the California Occupational Safety & Health Standards (Cal/OSHA) Board voted to adopt revisions to its COVID-19 prevention emergency temporary standards (ETS). The Board also voted to create a three-person...more
6/7/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Exclusions ,
Labor Code ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On March 19, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 95, which extends and expands employer requirements to provide supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) to employees impacted by COVID-19. SB 95 goes into...more
3/23/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Newsom ,
Labor Code ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Retroactivity ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Supplemental Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Statements
On March 19, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 95, which extends and expands employer requirements to provide supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) to employees impacted by COVID-19. SB 95 goes into...more
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has updated its COVID-19 FAQs and has issued its long-awaited guidance regarding employers mandating COVID-19 vaccines.
As a preliminary matter, the DFEH...more
As COVID-19 vaccines become more widely accessible, and certain localities relax COVID-19 restrictions, employers hoping to ramp up on-site operations or reduce absenteeism face a new challenge: navigating employee...more
3/9/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several laws impacting California employers. The new laws — some of which were signed into law just weeks ago — address several topics including sick leave, worker...more
10/21/2020
/ Board of Directors ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Classification ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Diversity ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Newsom ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour
In his first year in office, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several laws impacting California employers. A summary of some of the key new laws follows. The effective date of the particular new law is indicated in the...more
10/24/2019
/ ABC Test ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dynamex ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour