As California employers head into another year of compliance planning, the Golden State legislature has not slowed down. From higher wage thresholds and expanded pay-equity rules to sweeping changes affecting
Continue Reading ’Tis the Season for California’s New Employment Laws: Employer Considerations for 2026
On Sept. 29, 2025, California Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, into law.
Continue Reading California Expands Whistleblower Retaliation Protections for Employees in the AI Sector
Employees may believe they can premise a defamation case on their employment termination. However, Hearn v. Pac. Gas & Elec. Co., 108 Cal. App. 5th 301 (2025), holds otherwise.
Continue Reading California Court Turns Up the Heat: PG&E Case Requires Employees Claiming Defamation to Prove Damages Beyond Their Termination
On Sept. 26, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled California’s statutory ban of noncompete agreements does not override Massachusetts law permitting noncompete agreements where the
Continue Reading First Circuit Denies Extraterritorial Effect of California Noncompete Law
This November, California voters were expecting to vote on a measure that would replace the current Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) statute with the California Fair Pay and Employer Accountability
Continue Reading Gov. Newsom Announces Landmark Private Attorneys General Act Reforms
By now, it’s a familiar maxim: when an employee brings an action under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), “the state is the real party in interest.” Iskanian v. CLS
Continue Reading Whose Case Is It Anyway? Trial Court Orders State of California to Pay Court Costs in PAGA Action
With the festive season upon us, California employers can look forward to hanging lights, holiday cheer, and, of course, the new employment laws and compliance challenges taking effect in the
Continue Reading ’Tis the Season for California’s 2024 Legislative Update: What Employers Need to Prepare for
With substantial union backing, California’s controversial Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, A.B. 257 or the FAST Act, moved through California’s Legislature with relative ease.
As the president of
Continue Reading How the NLRA May Slow Down the FAST Act
In Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills, Inc., 76 Cal. App. 5th 685 (2022), the California Court of Appeal, in relevant part, reversed a trial court’s order decertifying a subclass
Continue Reading California Court of Appeals are Split on Whether Employers Can Dismiss a PAGA Claim Based on Manageability
On Feb. 9, 2022, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 84, which again provides up to 80 hours of COVID-19 Supplemental Sick Leave to employees who work for employers
Continue Reading California’s New COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave