Compliance Stuff

Artificial intelligence is already changing how employers make staffing decisions. Some companies are using AI to improve efficiency. Others are using automation to reduce headcount, delay hiring, or restructure work. California lawmakers are now paying attention. Senate Bill 951 would require employers with more than 100 employees to provide 90 days’ advance notice when AI or automation results in the loss of 25 or more jobs. The bill also would require employers to notify the state when they stop hiring for a position because AI or automation has taken over that work . The bill calls that notice a “technology hiring disruption notice.” That requirement would be a significant expansion of traditional layoff notice obligations. Existing laws generally focus on actual job losses. SB 951 would focus not only on employees who lose jobs, but also on positions that disappear because technology replaces the need to hire. Even if SB 951 does not become law in its current form, the bill is wor...

At a Glance California Order directs agencies to examine the effects of AI on the workforce, which may support future legislation and regulation. Order is part of expanding effort to shield workers from AI disruption.  Amid a wave of AI-adjacent layoffs, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-6-26 (the “Order”) takes steps to protect workers from the potential disruption posed by ongoing AI innovation. According to the accompanying press release , it is part of “California’s comprehensive approach in creating commonsense guardrails balanced with opportunities to advance innovation.” The Order directs California agencies and other entities to perform various analyses of the effects of AI on the workforce, with an initial specified time horizon of three to six months, which may support later legislation and regulation. 1 What is the Order focused on? The Order focuses on transparency (including notice to employees and reporting to government agencies) and mitigation ob...

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...

The California Legislature recently introduced a bill ( Senate Bill (SB) 951 ) that would establish the California Worker Technological Displacement Act—a first-of-its-kind law that would require employers to provide advance written notice when artificial intelligence (AI) or automation drives workforce reductions or hiring freezes. 0:00 8:42 Quick Hits California Senate Bill 951 would require employers to provide at least ninety days’ advance written notice before eliminating positions due to AI or automation affecting twenty-five or more workers or twenty-five percent of the workforce, and to separately notify state agencies when they permanently stop hiring for roles replaced by AI. The bill would protect affected workers at companies with more than one hundred employees by prohibiting discharge without reasonable cause during the notice period and granting a right of first bid on other open positions within the company. Noncompliant employers would face liability for back pay and b...

California employers can now get a first look at the state’s key workplace-related legislative proposals in 2026. The state’s deadline for introducing new legislation in the current session was February 20, and lawmakers introduced nearly 1,800 bills – including many that cover significant labor and employment issues you’ll want to know about. Catch a teaser below and  register  for our upcoming  California Legislative Preview 2026  webinar on March 13 to get the full scoop. Table of Contents Antidiscrimination Protections Artificial Intelligence + Workplace Surveillance Employee Leaves and Accommodations Immigration Privacy and Cyber Wage and Hour Workplace Safety Antidiscrimination Protections Expansion of Ban-the-Box Requirements ( AB 2095 ).  In addition to  existing requirements under California’s Fair Chance Act , employers would be prohibited from refusing to hire an applicant or taking other adverse action solely or in part because of the individual...