Scheduling Smarter — Five California Wage and Hour Pitfalls Employers Should Address in 2026
California employers must overhaul scheduling practices to avoid costly wage‑and‑hour violations. Predictive‑scheduling rules vary by city, while meal‑break compliance drives most litigation; the recent Bradsbery decision permits limited waivers. Proactively paying break‑premium penalties builds a strong PAGA reasonable‑steps defense, and accurate electronic timekeeping prevents off‑the‑clock exposure. Addressing split‑shift and reporting‑time pay at the scheduling stage further reduces seven‑figure liability.
Five Documents Every California Employer Should Have Pre-Approved by Counsel
California employers must act quickly on HR matters, but routine decisions can trigger costly litigation without proper documentation. A core set of five counsel‑approved templates—performance‑improvement plan, arbitration agreement, offer letter and new‑hire packet, short‑form release, and separation packet—provides a defensible...
How California Employers Can Prepare for the July 1, 2026 Minimum Wage Increases
Effective July 1, 2026, several Southern California jurisdictions will raise their minimum wages, with rates ranging from $17.75 in San Diego to $20.87 for West Hollywood hotel workers. The 2024 PAGA reform now requires employers to document “reasonable steps” toward compliance, capping penalties at...
Friday’s Five: Mandatory Fees and Service Charges in California — What Employers Should Know
California courts and municipalities are tightening rules around mandatory service charges, creating a multi‑layered compliance maze for restaurants, hotels, salons and other businesses. Local ordinances in cities such as Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Berkeley and Oakland require that any mandatory...
Five Takeaways for California Employers From the Ninth Circuit’s Arbitration Ruling in O’Dell V. Aya Healthcare Services
On April 1, 2026, the Ninth Circuit reversed a Southern District ruling in O’Dell v. Aya Healthcare, rejecting the use of non‑mutual offensive collateral estoppel to invalidate hundreds of arbitration agreements. The court held that each arbitration contract must be...
Friday’s Five: How to Lean Into AI and Build a Competitive Moat
California employers are already seeing AI in everyday work, and the firms that will dominate the next decade are those that quickly adopt enterprise‑grade platforms, enforce living AI policies, and use AI for compliance, talent development, and risk management. The...
What California Law Requires in Your Job Postings
California’s pay‑transparency regime now obligates every employer to provide a pay‑scale on reasonable request and, for firms with 15 or more employees, to embed the salary range directly in each job posting. Recent amendments, notably SB 642, require those ranges to...
“Headless” PAGA Claims — The Split in the Courts and What Employers Need to Watch
California employers face uncertainty over “headless” PAGA claims, which strip the individual component to keep the case in court and sidestep arbitration agreements. Appellate courts are divided: the Second District requires an individual claim and permits arbitration, while the Fourth...
The March 30 Deadline Facing California Employers Under SB 294
California’s Workplace Know Your Rights Act (SB 294) imposes a March 30, 2026 deadline for employers to let every current employee designate an emergency contact and opt‑in to notification if arrested or detained. The requirement extends beyond a simple form; it demands updated...
Five Things California Employers Need to Understand About At-Will Employment
California’s at‑will employment rule is a legal starting point, not a free‑hand termination license. Employers who issue offer letters, handbooks, or verbal assurances can unintentionally create contracts that override the presumption. The state’s expanding protected‑class statutes and the new SB 497...
Five Things Every Employer Needs to Know About the LWDA’s Proposed PAGA Regulations
On February 6, 2026 the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would codify the first formal regulations for PAGA’s administrative procedures. The draft adds 34 sections covering notice specificity, a two‑tier filer‑designation system,...
5 Leadership Decisions High-Performing Operators Make Every Day (Panel Discussion at Prosper Forum, Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island)
At the Prosper Forum in Amelia Island, a panel of senior operators distilled five daily leadership decisions that separate high‑performing teams from the rest. They emphasized that leadership is a responsibility exercised when people rely on you, not a title...