California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1803 into law on September 27, 2026, amending Government Code section 12950.1 to require that the state’s mandatory harassment prevention training include a component addressing anti-hate speech, beginning January 1, 2028.

Quick Hits

• Beginning January 1, 2028, employers already subject to California’s mandatory harassment prevention training requirements must incorporate an anti-hate speech component into that training.
• AB 1803 does not create a separate training obligation and does not increase the existing one-hour and two-hour training minimums. Employers may fold the new content into their current programs.
• The bill does not define “hate speech,” a gap the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment flagged during the legislative process, and one that employers should watch as agency guidance develops.

Background on California’s Harassment Prevention Training Mandate

California employers with five or more employees are already required to provide at least two hours of harassment prevention training to supervisory employees and at least one hour to nonsupervisory employees every two years. New nonsupervisory employees generally must be trained within six months of hire, and new supervisory employees within six months of assuming a supervisory role. The required training currently must address sexual harassment, prevention of abusive conduct, and harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and...

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