Seyfarth Synopsis: For California employers, compliance with the Fair Chance Act (FCA) is not a game. In recent years, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has stepped up its investigations into complaints of FCA violations, and employers who don’t know the rules risk landing on a chute at every turn. Read on for our guide to navigating compliant background check
Continue Reading Game Changing! The CRD Steps Up Fair Chance Act ScrutinyBy: Heather Frisch, Christopher Bouquet, and Ashley Stein
Seyfarth Synopsis: As of January 1, 2026, AB 889 bulldozed California’s Prevailing Wage law, which impacts public works employers—including public agencies, the contractors that work for them, and private owners and developers whose projects may be subject to public works requirements. The amended law reframes the calculation of fringe benefits
Continue Reading Breaking Ground On New California Public Works Prevailing Wage Requirements
Seyfarth Synopsis: As the world turns its eyes to California this weekend for Super Bowl LX, employers doing business in California may not only think of warm weather and great football, but also the Labor Commissioner, aka the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), a division of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) tasked with investigating wage and hour practices
Continue Reading Getting Ready for Gameday: California’s Labor Commissioner vs. EmployersBy: Heather E. Horn & Jonathan L. Brophy
Seyfarth Synopsis: It’s the most wonderful time of the year—until someone spikes the punch and your company lands on a naughty list. Holiday parties are great for spreading cheer, but they can lead to liability faster than the bartender can pour eggnog at an open bar. Here’s how to keep your celebration
Continue Reading Don’t Let Your Holiday Party Become a Lawsuit WonderlandSeyfarth Synopsis: To advance public safety and reduce retail theft, the Long Beach City Council has enacted the Grocery and Drug Store Staffing Standards for Self-Service Checkout Stations Ordinance. Effective September 21, 2025, this law imposes staffing requirements and restrictions on self-service checkout operations in Long Beach, California grocery and drug stores.
On August 12, 2025, the Long Beach
Continue Reading Clean Up At Self-Service Checkout: Long Beach Retailer Staffing OrdinanceUpdate: On December 2, 2024, California updated its Paid Sick Leave Frequently Asked Questions, which address the expanded reasons for use of California paid sick leave detailed below.
Seyfarth Synopsis: Out with the old and in with the new. Governor Newsom recently signed new laws which extend and clarify employees’ available reasons for use of California paid sick
Continue Reading New and Improved California Leave Provisions for 2025Seyfarth Synopsis: Collaborations with athletes, actors, and singers have always been a great way for companies to grow their brand recognition and create profitable products. Similar to celebrity-filled ads in the Super Bowl, collaborative relationships between influencers and companies on social media continue to be prevalent. With California’s unique laws on classifying independent contractors, including how “work made for
Continue Reading Avoiding Fumbles and Penalties in California with Influencer ClassificationBy Annette Tyman, Michael Childers, and Shardé Skahan
Seyfarth Synopsis: On February 1, 2021, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing released key information regarding the recently enacted Pay Data Reporting Law. Materials include a template of the pay report, along with user guidance.
With the first filing of the California Pay Report just around the corner on March 31st,
Continue Reading Long Awaited California Pay Report Template Released
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Department of Industrial Relations’ Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved an Emergency Temporary Standard regarding COVID-19, effective November 30, 2020. After holding a stakeholders meeting in December, the Division released its second iteration of frequently asked questions, which included nearly 40 new FAQs.
As we reported, on November 30, 2020, the California Office of
Continue Reading Cal/OSHA Finally Updates FAQs For Emergency Temporary COVID-19 Standard
By: Chantelle C. Egan, Jaclyn A. Gross, and Timothy M. Hoppe
Seyfarth Synopsis. Eight California counties—San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, Sonoma, and Santa Cruz—along with the City of Berkeley, issued revised shelter-in-place orders on March 31st. The new orders add clarifying language
Continue Reading The Bay Area Extends Shelter-In-Place Orders, Adding New Obligations For Employers and New Restrictions on Residents