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(323) 652-9451 - LAAs summer vacation approaches, California employers hiring minors must navigate specific legal requirements. Under Education Code Section 49110, et seq., a valid work permit is required. Both minors and employers complete a “Statement of Intent,” and the minor’s school issues a “Permit to Employ and Work.” Emancipated minors may apply independently but remain subject to child labor laws.
Work hours vary by age. Under California Labor Code Section 1391, 14–15-year-olds may work limited hours during school weeks; 16–17-year-olds may work more. Certain hazardous jobs—like operating heavy machinery or working with toxic substances—are off-limits.
Employers should review these rules carefully to stay compliant and provide a safe work environment for youth employees.
Learn More| Effective July 1, 2025, the Los Angeles County Fair Workweek Ordinance applies to retail businesses with over 300 global employees, including those hired through staffing firms or franchisees.
It covers employees working at least two hours per week in unincorporated county areas. Employers must give a good-faith schedule estimate, publish schedules 14 days in advance, and pay predictability pay for late changes. “Clopening” shifts (less than 10 hours apart) require written consent and premium pay. Employers also cannot require employees to find shift coverage. This mirrors a similar ordinance governing LA city employers. |
I continue to see instances in which an employee was terminated, and the employer paid some amount in severance, but did not get a signed severance agreement.
The purpose behind a severance agreement is to allow a terminated employee the option to receive some payout (money to which the employee is not already owed) in exchange for waiving employment claims. A signed severance agreement protects employers against most claims that could be brought by a former employee. These waivers are typically the purpose of a severance payment.
Without a signed severance agreement, the severance money is just a gift, nothing more.
Learn MoreBy May 14, 2025, California employers with 100 or more employees must submit pay data reports to the Civil Rights Department (CRD) under Government Code section 12999. Reports must cover 2024 data by race, ethnicity, sex, pay band, and job category. Penalties can reach $200 per employee. Labor contractors must coordinate reporting.
Learn MoreEffective January 1st, Senate Bill 1137 amended Government Code section 12926, of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, to prohibit “intersectional” discrimination—bias based on a combination of protected characteristics like race and gender. The law clarifies that protection extends to any combination or perception of characteristics.
This is an ideal time to update your employee handbook and confirm your policies comply with current law.
Learn MoreMisclassifying a California employee as exempt can lead to significant legal and financial consequences for employers. Under California law, exempt employees must meet strict salary and duty requirements, and failure to properly classify workers can result in liability for unpaid overtime, missed meal and rest breaks, and other wage violations. If an employer mistakenly classifies a non-exempt employee as exempt, they may owe back wages, penalties, interest, and attorneys’ fees, which can add up quickly, especially in class action lawsuits.
Beyond financial risks, misclassification can also lead to audits and enforcement actions by the California Labor Commissioner or the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). Employees who are denied proper wages may file wage claims or lawsuits, creating reputational damage and operational disruptions for the employer. Given California’s strict labor laws and the burden placed on employers to prove proper classification, businesses should carefully assess job duties and compensation structures to ensure compliance and minimize risk.
We are always available to help employers properly classify employees.
Learn MoreRecognizing that many California businesses unwittingly employ non-citizens, and given the Trump Administration’s focus on Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), we provide this update on anticipated ICE activities.
The administration suggests a higher chance of ICE worksite visits, usually based on civil or criminal warrants.
ICE’s Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO) will likely prioritize non-citizens with serious criminal records or removal orders. The risk of untargeted workplace “raids” is low, but I-9 “audits” are expected to increase.
In an I-9 audit, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) issues a Notice of Inspection and collects I-9s. In California, employers must post the notice and notify any union.
Employers are liable for missing or erroneous I-9s but not for documents that seemed valid at hiring. ICE may now bypass the traditionally required Notice of Suspect Documents and arrive with a civil warrant for immediate arrests.
Learn MoreWe know it is common to ask about transportation and driver’s licensure during the application process for many jobs. A new law addresses this.
Effective January 1, 2025, California Senate Bill 1100 (Gov. Code Sec. 12940), prohibits employers from requiring a driver’s license in job postings unless the prospective job meets a two-part test: (1) driving must be a job function, and (2) alternative transportation must be impractical in terms of cost or time.
This change aims to remove employment barriers for qualified candidates without licenses. Violations may result in injunctions, damages, legal fees, and costs..
To comply, employers should:
Determine if your existing or contemplated job posting (recruitment or hiring) practices require a driver’s license
Assess job roles to see if they meet the test
Update job descriptions and postings accordingly
Review handbooks and policies for necessary changes
Train hiring staff to avoid unnecessary license inquiries
Reminder: California employment laws change constantly. Your employment practices must be kept up to date and communicated to workers in an acknowledged handbook. This is an ideal time to update your employee handbook and confirm your policies comply with current law. We are pleased to assist. Contact us here.
Learn MoreEmployers are now prohibited from requiring employees to attend meetings or participate in communications concerning the employer’s opinions on religious or political matters, including union organizing. This legislation aims to protect employees from coercion regarding personal beliefs.
Learn MoreThe state minimum wage rose to $16.50 per hour for all employers regardless of size. Fast-food workers at chains with more than 60 locations nationwide will earn a minimum wage of $20 per hour, effective April 1, 2024.
Municipalities within the state can institute their own minimum wage. Incorporated areas of Los Angeles, for example, is $17.28. With the rise in the state minimum wage, the annual minimum salary for exempt employees has increased from $66,560 to $68,640 per year across California.
Learn More
| Los Angeles County enacted a new Fair Chance Ordinance, set to take effect on September 3, 2024, which expands California’s existing “Ban the Box” law by introducing additional requirements for employers with five or more employees within unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
Under the Ordinance, employers must: · State that qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment. · Specify any laws that restrict or prohibit hiring individuals with certain criminal histories. · Include a list of all material job duties for positions where a criminal background may directly and negatively impact employment, potentially leading to the withdrawal of a conditional job offer. Further, like the statewide Fair Chance Act, the LA Ordinance prohibits employers from asking about criminal convictions until after a conditional job offer has been made. If an employer plans to conduct a background check at this stage, it must first provide detailed written notice. The Ordinance prohibits employers from considering: (1) arrests not followed by conviction; (2) referrals or participation in a diversion or deferral of judgment program; (3) convictions that are sealed, dismissed, or expunged; (4) juvenile records; (5) non-felony convictions for possession of marijuana that are more than two years old; (6) any conviction more than seven years old; (7) infractions, with the exception of some driving infractions; and (8) convictions arising out of conduct that has been decriminalized since the conviction. An individualized assessment must be performed before rescinding a conditional job offer based on a criminal record. An employer intending to withdraw a conditional offer or take other adverse employment action must follow prescribed steps, and rejected candidates have the ability to challenge the decision. The Ordinance also contains certain notice and records retention requirements. It requires employers post a notice of the Ordinance at every worksite in unincorporated Los Angeles County and on Company webpages frequently visited by their employees or applicants. Employers with operations in unincorporated Los Angeles County should evaluate job listing and hiring practices to conform with the new Ordinance. |
| The California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) has done many things. Since its passage in 2016, it has resulted in an explosion of lawsuits, shuttered small businesses, put well over $100 million into the state’s coffers, and built substantial wealth for a huge band of gunslinging lawyers. What PAGA has not done is ensure uniform compliance with our state’s strict wage-hour laws. As a lawyer who frequently represents smaller employers, this is particularly disheartening.
Last week, Governor Newsom, working with state lawmakers and labor and pro-business groups, hammered out a deal to reform key aspects of PAGA. The reforms, if passed by the California Legislature and signed by the Governor by June 27th, will result in removal of a pending PAGA reform measure from the November ballot. The reforms are calculated to: · Encourage prompt compliance with wage-hour laws by capping penalties for employers who act quickly to fix policies and practices, and make workers whole, after receiving a PAGA notice. · Create new, higher penalties for employers who act maliciously, fraudulently, or oppressively in violating labor laws. · Increase percentage of penalties that go to employees from 25% to 35%. · Expand the number of Labor Code sections that can be cured to reduce the need for litigation. · Help to reduce the impact on small employers by providing a more robust right-to-cure process. · Allow courts to provide injunctive relief to compel businesses to implement changes in the workplace to remedy labor law violations. · Require employee(s) who sue to personally experience the alleged violations brought in a claim. We will continue to monitor these developments. Regardless of reforms, it is clear PAGA is not going anywhere. The very best way to avoid these potentially disastrous lawsuits is to ensure full compliance with California’s wage-hour laws. We encourage employers to audit their timekeeping, overtime, meal and rest break and reimbursement practices, as these are the most common PAGA violations. Additionally, if the reforms become law, on receiving notice of a PAGA claim, in the form of a letter to the Labor Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), employers should immediately act to “cure” violations to reduce penalties. We can assist with each of these efforts. Please contact us for help. |
