California’s employment laws never stay still—and 2025 and 2026 are shaping up to bring even more compliance challenges for employers. One of the biggest new laws on the horizon is Senate Bill 294, better known as the Workplace Know Your Rights Act.
This new law adds major notice, training, and recordkeeping requirements for all
Governor Newsom just signed Senate Bill 617 into law on October 1, 2025, expanding California’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (Cal-WARN) Act. As a reminder, the WARN Act requires employers to give 60-days’ notice before a mass layoff, plant closure, or relocation. In addition, employers must notify employees and both state and local representatives.
California’s 2025 legislative session has officially wrapped, and Governor Gavin Newsom has made his final decisions on hundreds of bills sent to his desk before the October 13 deadline. For California employers, this year’s legislative package delivers another wave of significant workplace changes—spanning wage equity, paid family leave, worker classification, and expanded employee rights across
As of October 1, 2025, California’s Civil Rights Council regulations under FEHA hold employers liable for discrimination arising from the use of automated decision systems (ADS) in hiring. The use of AI or other automated tools does not shield employers from liability; decisions made through such systems are treated as the employer’s own actions.
As California’s 2025 legislative session comes to a close, employers are watching Sacramento with anticipation. Governor Gavin Newsom faces an October 13, 2025 deadline to either sign into law or veto dozens of bills passed by the Legislature. Many of these bills would impose new compliance obligations on California employers, expand employee rights, and create
In a first-of-its-kind move, California has finalized groundbreaking regulations that directly address the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision systems (ADS) in employment. These rules, approved by the California Civil Rights Council in March 2025, signal a clear message: while AI tools can be valuable in recruitment, hiring, and workforce management, they
As we reach the midpoint of 2024, it’s essential for California employers to take note of a few key legal updates that could impact their businesses. From increased minimum wages to new workplace safety requirements, the first half of the year has introduced important legal updates that require attention. This mid-year review offers five reminders
On June 18, 2024, Governor Newsom announced that a compromise had been reached to reform California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). The negotiations were brought about by a ballot measure to repeal PAGA this November. PAGA cases have been increasing astronomically against California employers, exposing them to huge penalties, and on average PAGA cases
As reported last week, the California Attorney General’s office announced that the new state law banning “junk fees” will extend to surcharges at restaurants, marking a significant shift in billing practices in the food industry. Today, the Attorney General finally released the FAQs which were promised last week. Under this interpretation of the Attorney
The California Attorney General’s office yesterday announced that the new state law banning “junk fees” will extend to surcharges at restaurants, marking a significant shift in billing practices in the food industry. Under Senate Bill 478, effective starting July 1, 2024, California restaurants will be prohibited from adding service fees to bills—a practice that