The end of something is always the beginning of something else. That always rings true for years’ end and new employment laws. It is time, once again, for all employers to sit down, buckle up, and get ready for the 2026 California employment law updates and changes.
As usual, more than a dozen new employment laws have been passed. Workplace violence and safety, discrimination, and paid leave laws remain at the top of the list as we enter 2026, with AI and data privacy also moving up the list. Before we pop the champagne and say goodbye to 2025, it is time to reprise our annual review of key California labor and employment law developments.
In the spirit of the season, we are kicking off our annual “12 Days of the Holidays” blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. For the next several weeks, we will provide updates on this page. We encourage employers to bookmark this page and watch for announcements on our social media channels and email updates to our subscribers. Not currently a subscriber? Sign up here!
On the first day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me a partridge in a pear tree and SB 590.
Effective July 1, 2028, the passage of SB 590 expands eligibility for benefits under Paid Family Leave to mirror the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) and include individuals caring for a seriously ill designated person.
On the...
False Claims Act enforcement in 2025 — the second Trump administration's first year — remained strong in traditional areas such as healthcare fraud, while setting new priorities and expanding its a...