The California Legislature just wrapped up its work for the year, and now all eyes turn to Governor Newsom, who has until October 12 to sign or veto each of the bills sent to his desk. Any bills signed into law will take effect on January 1, 2026. What are the top bills that employers should be monitoring?

12 Workplace Bills That Await the Governor’s Signature or Veto

AI, Privacy, and Workplace Surveillance

The hottest topic for legislative discussion and action in 2025 continued to be artificial intelligence and related technology issues. AI alone accounted for the focus of more than three dozen bills considered this year, and California may soon join the growing list of states to enact their own laws related to the use of AI by businesses.

Several bills that would impact employers directly made it to Newsom’s desk and are now awaiting further action. These include:

• SB 7 (“No Robo Bosses”) – SB 7 is specific to employment-related decisions using AI technology and automated decision systems (ADS). This bill would require employers to provide certain notices regarding the use of ADS, prohibit employers from using ADS for certain purposes (including inferring a worker’s protected status under existing law), and require a human reviewer when an employer relies primarily on ADS to make a discipline, termination, or deactivation decision. For our full FP deep dive on SB 7, click here.
• SB 446 (Data Breach Notification) – This bill requires data breach notifications to be...

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