With California’s legislative cycle coming to a close, California employers have just under three months to prepare themselves to comply with several new bills signed into law by Governor Newsom, which take effect on January 1, 2025 (unless stated otherwise below). In light of these changes, it is essential that employers with operations in the state reassess policies and practices to ensure compliance.

Changes to Jury, Court, and Victim Time Off Protections

Existing law in California provides accommodations and protects employees from discrimination or retaliation for taking time off for jury duty, court appearances, or when employees are victims of certain crimes or abuse. AB 2499 expands the list of crimes for which employees can take time off and allows employees to take protected time off to assist defined groups of family members who are victims of such crimes (in addition to taking time off in the event employees are themselves victims). The law also allows for the use of vacation / paid time off, personal leave, state-mandated paid sick leave or other available compensatory time off unless otherwise prohibited.

While current law requires employers to provide time off to victims of “crime or abuse” and / or “domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking,” the new law replaces prior terminology with a new definition, “qualifying acts of violence.” These include domestic violence; sexual assault; stalking; or any act, conduct, or pattern of conduct that includes (i)...

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