The California Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom have again enacted a number of laws that will affect California employers.

This Insight summarizes the significant changes to California employment laws taking effect in 2025. Unless otherwise indicated, the laws discussed below will take effect on January 1, 2025.

Intersectionality Protections and Definition of “Race” in Anti-Discrimination Laws Clarified

In a nationwide first, as we previously explained, California now explicitly recognizes the concept of “intersectionality” within the state’s anti-discrimination laws. The legislation (SB 1137) clarifies that the Unruh Civil Rights Act, the Education Code, and the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) all prohibit discrimination based not only on individual protected characteristics but also on the basis of the intersection or any combination of those characteristics.

Another bill, AB 1815, further amends FEHA to clarify the definition of “race” by removing the word “historically” from the provision that race is inclusive of traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles. By way of background, California passed the Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act, known as the CROWN Act, in 2019, codifying that race discrimination includes discrimination based on hairstyles, such as braids, locs, and twists. AB 1815 removes the word “historically” from the phrase “traits historically associated” because it was vague and...

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