Compliance Stuff

Governor Gavin Newsom just signed a sweeping executive order right before the holiday weekend directing California state agencies to study potential workforce disruptions caused by AI so they can protect displaced workers through new policy recommendations. The May 21 order tasks the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) with reviewing and making recommendations on a range of worker protection policies, from WARN Act revisions to severance standards to collective bargaining practices involving AI. But does any of this affect you right now? The short answer is no for California employers, but the EO still warrants close attention given how it could change things in the future. No New Obligations Today Executive Order N-6-26 ( which you can find here ) does not create any immediate legal obligations for private employers . Instead, it sets in motion a series of government reviews and analysis tasks with various deadlines, all aimed at informing potential future legislation and r...

  California Governor Gavin Newsom late Monday vetoed the much-watched “No Robo Bosses Act” (SB 7), a measure that would have placed strict limits on how employers use AI in discipline, termination, and scheduling decisions. While the Governor acknowledged the growing risks of automated workplace tools, he concluded the bill was overbroad, duplicative of existing regulation, and potentially harmful to California businesses . This move will have an impact on employers not only in the Golden State but across the country as regulators from coast to coast struggle with how – and whether – to regulate artificial intelligence in the workplace . Here’s a review of the veto and what it means for employers. NOTE: Our next AI Forum webinar will cover the state of AI regulation in California. Join our California insider for this interactive conversation on Wednesday, October 15.  Register here . The No Robo Bosses Act in a Nutshell SB 7, dubbed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” would have made ...

On October 1, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed  AB 406  to expand the reasons employees can take leave under California’s Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act (HWHFA), the statewide paid sick and safe time law, and under California Government Code section 12945.8, which provides job-protected unpaid leave for various reasons. This year’s amendments come only one year and a day after these two laws were  last amended . Expanded Paid Sick and Safe Time and Unpaid Leave Covered Uses : The reasons an employee can use job-protected paid sick and safe time under the HWHFA have always, in part, been connected to reasons an employee could use unpaid leave under a different law. Since January 1, 2025, the HWHFA has incorporated by reference certain covered uses under California Government Code section 12945.8, a job-protected  un paid leave law.  Last year’s amendments  expanded the “safe” time reasons under both laws to include crime victim leave, allowe...

The California Legislature just wrapped up its work for the year, and now all eyes turn to Governor Newsom, who has until October 12 to sign or veto each of the bills sent to his desk. Any bills signed into law will take effect on January 1, 2026. What are the top bills that employers should be monitoring? 12 Workplace Bills That Await the Governor’s Signature or Veto AI, Privacy, and Workplace Surveillance The hottest topic for legislative discussion and action in 2025 continued to be artificial intelligence and related technology issues. AI alone accounted for the focus of more than three dozen bills considered this year, and California may soon join the growing list of states to enact their own laws related to the use of AI by businesses. Several bills that would impact employers directly made it to Newsom’s desk and are now awaiting further action. These include: SB 7 (“No Robo Bosses”)  – SB 7 is specific to employment-related decisions using AI technology and automated decis...

California just released the most comprehensive, forward-looking AI policy framework we've seen from any US jurisdiction to date – and it is expected to lay the groundwork for legislation and regulation we could see emerge in the next year . Even as Congress debates whether to ban state-level AI laws for the next decade, California is charging forward with a detailed blueprint that could also set the tone for AI regulation nationwide. So what does the June 17  California Report on Frontier AI Policy  mean for your business? And how should you respond? The Big Picture: California Steps Into the Leadership Void The June 17 report ( which you can read here ) was prepared by an expert working group at the request of Governor Gavin Newsom. You might recall that,  after he vetoed the legislature’s attempt at regulating AI systems last year , Newsom called upon AI experts to recommend a framework for a proposed law that would balance the needs of safety with innovation. Last we...