On August 21, 2023, the California Supreme Court held in Raines v. U.S. Healthworks Medical Group that a business entity acting as an employer’s agent can be held directly liable under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) for claims of employment discrimination.
In a last minute whirlwind of activity by California’s Legislature, a significant number of employment-related bills have now made their way to Governor Newsom’s desk and await their fate. Below are highlights of some of the bills that may affect California employers, should Governor Newsom sign them into law.
On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021, President Joseph Biden signed two executive orders to promote gender equity and equality through the creation of a Gender Policy Council and through a policy that guarantees an education free from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Continue Reading Two Executive Orders Signed on International Women’s Day Promoting Gender Equity and Equality
On March 19, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a Stay At Home Order mandating that all California residents stay home, except as needed to support California’s essential critical infrastructure sectors. This Order has no set end date.
However, as many states across the country begin to slowly reopen their economies, California Governor Gavin Newsom has now published a “Resilience Roadmap” that serves as the overarching plan for California’s incremental reopening. The Resilience Roadmap is comprised of four stages with each stage gradually permitting the reopening of various businesses depending on the exposure risk that they pose.
Continue Reading A Roadmap to Resilience: Debriefing California’s Reopening Plan
On July 3, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 188 also known as the Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. The CROWN Act amends the California Education Code and the Fair Employment and Housing Act’s definition of race to include traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles include, but are not limited to, “braids, locks, and twists.”
Continue Reading A Heads Up On The CROWN Act: Employees’ Natural Hairstyles Now Protected