Overview
- SB 617 expands Cal-WARN content on January 1, 2026, requiring notices to state service coordination plans, list local workforce board contacts with a services description, include CalFresh information, and provide a working employer email and phone number.
- SB 642 revises the Equal Pay Act on January 1, 2026 by defining pay scales as good‑faith ranges, broadening “wages” to include equity and benefits, updating sex-based comparators, and extending the limitations period to three years with recovery up to six years.
- AB 692, effective January 1, 2026, generally bans stay‑or‑pay repayment clauses, allowing narrow exceptions such as certain tuition, government programs and upfront discretionary bonuses only under strict standalone, notice, review and proration conditions.
- SB 464 updates pay‑data reporting starting January 1, 2026 by requiring separate storage of demographic data and authorizing civil penalties for nonfiling upon CRD request, with job categories expanding from 10 to 23 beginning January 1, 2027.
- The Workplace Know Your Rights Act requires the Labor Commissioner to post a template by January 1, 2026 and obligates employers to distribute it to all new and current employees by February 1, 2026, covering workplace interactions with law enforcement and an emergency contact option.