Along with signing into law a variety of employment-related bills in the 2023–2024 legislative session, Governor Gavin Newsom also vetoed numerous bills that would have further affected California employers. Here is an overview of some of the more surprising vetoes.

Quick Hits

• Governor Newsom vetoed employment-related bills that would have expanded the application of the Cal-WARN Act and required employers to give thirty days’ notice before returning remote employees to on-site work.
• The governor also vetoed legislation that would have amended the California Fair Employment and Housing Act by prohibiting discrimination specifically based on caste and adding “family caregiver” as a protected category.

VETOED—AB 524, Family Caregiver Status as a Protected Category

Assembly Bill (AB) 524 would have added “family caregiver status” as an additional protected category under the FEHA. While Governor Newsom noted his appreciation for “the intent of this bill,” he found it would place too large a burden on employers, given the ambiguity of its language.

VETOED—AB 1356, Expansion of Cal-WARN Act

Governor Newsom vetoed AB 1356, which would have significantly expanded the scope of application of the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (Cal-WARN) Act. In doing so, Governor Newsom noted that there might be a better, more narrowly tailored way to address the bill’s intent.

VETOED—SB 403, Ban on Caste Discrimination

Senate Bill (SB) 403 would have banned caste...

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