CA Law Updates for 2024 by Paul Wilcox

Paul Wilcox has practiced employment law at Mullen & Henzell in Santa Barbara since 1993, representing only employers. When Paul started practicing, California was the least favorable state for employers in the United States in terms of employment laws. Thirty years later, that is still true, but during that time, California has continued to get so much worse that Paul’s beliefs about having “hit bottom” are constantly proven wrong. It is not your imagination; California really is that bad for the employer community.

However, the California weather is still relatively good (despite getting hotter and dryer all the time) and people like Paul who were born in California don’t seem to be interested in relocating to employer-friendly states with zero state income tax and no meal periods, rest periods or daily overtime laws. Accordingly, we play the cards we are dealt, which means compliance with California employment laws. If we were professional athletes, this would be called “playing at the highest level”.

On December 7, Paul will present an update on California employment law for 2024. New laws and cases will be discussed, including but not limited to:

• More paid sick leave for everyone
• No more testing for marijuana
• Off duty use of marijuana is a civil right
• Protected leave for “reproductive loss”
• New OSHA requirements about workplace violence prevention
• Presumption of retaliation if action taken within 90 days of protected activity
• $25 minimum wage for healthcare workers
• Stronger prohibition of non-compete agreements