At the start of the year, the state minimum wage increased, along with several local jurisdictions. Many other California cities and counties will also increase their minimum wage on July 1.
The following localities will raise their minimum wage on July 1, 2026:
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California employers in the health care industry should prepare for increased scrutiny of executive compensation as a new statewide initiative heads toward the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot.
The California Secretary of State announced that Initiative 1985, formally titled “Limits Compensation for Health Care Executives, Managers, and Administrators. Initiative Statute,” became eligible for the…
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued Executive Order N-6-26, a “first-in-the-nation” order aimed at preparing workers, businesses, and communities for potential workforce disruption associated with artificial intelligence. While the order does not create immediate new compliance obligations for employers, it is an important development for California businesses because it previews where state policy, regulation,…
The Los Angeles City Council has approved amendments that would slow the implementation schedule for the City’s Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance and related airport worker wage provisions. The move revises the framework adopted in 2025, which had been set to increase covered hotel and airport worker wages to $30 per hour by 2028. The…
As California heats up, employers should revisit Cal/OSHA’s heat illness prevention requirements, which continue to apply to both outdoor and indoor workplaces in 2026. Federal OSHA, by comparison, still has not finalized a nationwide heat-specific standard. Read more here: Beat the Heat: Reminders About California Heat Injury and Illness Mandates
California employers should take note that the Cal/OSHA workplace posting titled “Safety and Health Protection on the Job” was updated in April 2026. The poster summarizes key workplace safety and health obligations under California law and must be displayed in a conspicuous location where employee notices are customarily posted. Failure to display the notice…
As summer approaches, California employers should remember that it’s time to review their workplace violence prevention plans and conduct their annual workplace violence prevention training.
As a reminder, Labor Code section 6401.9 requires employers to review the effectiveness of their workplace violence prevention plans at least annually, after a workplace violence incident, and whenever a…
California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 692 took effect on January 1, 2026, impacting repayment and “stay-or-pay” agreements. For a summary of the limitations and requirements stemming from this law, please see our earlier blog post. California employers should already be evaluating offer letters, bonus agreements, training repayment provisions, tuition arrangements, and other documents that impose…
Many cities across California have adopted higher minimum wage and benefit requirements for hotel employers. The City of Los Angeles raised its wages for hotel and airport workers last year in advance of the Olympics. Many of these local ordinances increase in July.
As such, hotel employers should verify they are ready for the requirements…
Costa Mesa has passed an ordinance that regulates staffing for grocery and drug retailers that operate self-checkout stations. The measure requires employee staffing and supervision of self-checkout, restricts certain transactions at self-checkout, and requires customer signage. It is similar to an ordinance passed by the City of Long Beach last year.
Costa Mesa’s ordinance takes…
