Business
In labor-friendly California, 2025 ushers in more worker protections. Here's what to know
California lawmakers, by and large, are a labor-friendly bunch and, as in past years, they passed a host of new workplace protections that took effect when the new year struck.
Instead of breaking new ground, many of the changes represent expansions of existing protections, such as family leave and enforcement of workplace anti-discrimination laws.
And, while state legislatures typically produce fewer pieces of major legislation in years with big, national elections, Chelsea Mesa, an employment attorney with firm Seyfarth Shaw, said she expects legislative activity on the labor front to pick up speed in the coming months. “It’s going to be a very busy year,” she said.
Here’s what to know about new laws on the books.
‘Captive audience meetings’
A new law makes it illegal to penalize an employee who refuses to attend a meeting at which their employer discusses its “opinion about religious or political matters,” including whether to join a union.
Unions have long held that these “captive audience meetings” serve to intimidate employees and hinder organizing efforts.
But the law, Senate Bill 399, faces a legal challenge from business groups. The California Chamber of Commerce and the California Restaurant Assn. contend in a recently filed lawsuit that it violates companies’ rights to free speech and equal protection under the 1st and 14th amendments.
The suit asks the courts to block the law from going into effect. Business groups successfully challenged a similar Wisconsin law in 2010 but attempts to overturn Oregon’s law have been dismissed.
Digital likeness of performers
Unions backed a slew of artificial intelligence-related legislation, aiming to place safeguards around the rapidly evolving technology, with limited success. One big win was Assembly Bill 2602, which aims to protect actors and other performers by making it illegal for artificial intelligence to replicate their voice or likeness without permission.
Under the law, backed by performers union SAG-AFTRA, employers would not be allowed to use an AI version of a performer’s voice or likeness if that usage replaces work that the performer could have done in person. And it requires that workers be represented by their union or legal counsel in deals involving their AI-generated likenesses.
Another law sponsored by SAG-AFTRA, AB 1836, aims to prevent dead actors’ voices from being exploited by requiring a $10,000 fine for using their voice without consent from their estate.
Paid family leave
Workers taking leave to care for a new baby or for a sick family member will see a boost in benefits under Senate Bill 951, which passed in 2022.
Under the law, workers with incomes of less than $63,000 a year will now be eligible to receive 90% of their pay when taking leave. It’s a bump up from the previous 70% of pay these lower-paid workers were eligible for.
Workers earning higher than the $63,000 threshold will receive 70% of their pay.
Farmworker sick leave
Senate Bill 1105 allows California farmworkers to use sick time when environmental conditions prove too hazardous for work to be done safely.
“This law is critical as we adapt our policies to the impacts of climate change,” state Sen. Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista), who was author of the law, said in a statement.
Freelance work
The Freelance Worker Protection Act requires that businesses hiring freelancers provide written contracts for services that pay the worker more than $250.
The law requires timely payments, on the date specified in the contract, or within 30 days of service completion if no specific date is set.
The law gives freelancers greater ability to enforce their rights if rules are not complied with. For example, a freelancer could sue and be awarded $1,000 if the employer refused to provide a written contract, as well as damages up to twice the amount that remained unpaid when payment was due.
Workplace discrimination
In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1137 into law, which clarifies that discrimination can happen based on a combination of protected characteristics. This layered approach to understanding discrimination is called “intersectionality” and it’s a policy change employers will need to take note of in their written policies, said Mesa, the employment attorney.
Mesa said, however, that it’s a concept that many companies already understand in theory. “My hope is that this doesn’t represent a dramatic change,” she said.
Another law, Senate Bill 1340, opened up the capacity for cities to enforce workplace discrimination laws on their own that previously was the domain of state agencies like the California Civil Rights Department.
Giving local agencies a chance to play a more active role in handling discrimination complaints could potentially result in quicker responses and remedies for workers. The Civil Rights Department in the city of Los Angeles, for example, is gearing up to take on such cases.
The luxury shopping center in Pacific Palisades will reopen next month after more than $100 million in renovations forced by the January 2025 wildfire that devastated the Los Angeles neighborhood.
Palisades Village will reopen Aug. 15, owner Rick Caruso announced Wednesday. The outdoor center survived the blaze that destroyed homes and other businesses but needed refurbishment to eliminate contaminants that the fire could have spread.
Crews are putting finishing touches on mall buildings after tearing them down to the studs, treating the wood and rebuilding the walls, Caruso said.
“Everybody’s working, and stores are moving their products in,” he said. “It’s a really cool feeling that people have really locked arms and are working together.”
An electrician installs lighting for a restaurant at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Pacific Palisades resident Allison Polhill, who is rebuilding the home of 30 years that her family lost in the blaze, said she is “thrilled” at the prospect of returning to the mall she used to frequent. Its comeback is a boost for the community, she said.
“Every single step that we make to reopen our commercial corridors is going to bring more people back into the Palisades,” said Polhill, who expects to move back into her home at the end of August.
A total of 6,822 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire, including more than 5,500 residences and 100 commercial businesses, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Caruso previously attributed the mall’s survival to the hard work of private firefighters and the fire-resistant materials used in the mall’s construction.
The $200-million shopping and dining center opened in 2018 with a movie theater and a roster of upmarket tenants, including Erewhon, which may be the only grocer in the heart of the fire-ravaged neighborhood when it opens.
Caruso’s company was able to fill the mall with tenants despite the long shutdown.
Palisades Village is 99% leased, with the majority of tenants returning, said Jackie Levy, chief financial and revenue officer. Nearly one-third of the shops and restaurants are new to the property.
A firefighter carries a hose back to his rig while walking through a destroyed home from the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Pacific Palisades-based fashion designer Elyse Walker said she would reopen her eponymous store in Palisades Village after losing her 25-year flagship location on Antioch Street to the inferno.
Other neighborhood shops destroyed in the fire that are reopening at the mall include K Bakery and Loomey’s Toys, which caters to children up to age 12 and used to be across the street from Palisades Elementary Charter School.
“It’s been a journey and I’m excited because I wasn’t sure that there was going to be a place to come back to,” said toy store owner Amanda Rastegar. “Hopefully we can bring some of that magic back.”
Rastegar’s home in the Palisades survived but was damaged by the fire. The family returned about eight weeks ago. Her last memory of the fire was a burning supermarket.
“I just couldn’t wrap my brain around what was happening,” she said. “By the time I left, Gelson’s was on fire.”
Among the returning tenants is Angelini Ristorante & Bar. Well-known Los Angeles chef Gino Angelini said he will be in the kitchen next month for a return of the Italian restaurant.
“We won’t do a big celebrity open,” he said. “We want to have a very soft opening and see our customers come back.”
Construction takes place at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
An elaborate celebration would not feel “correct for me,” Angelini said, because the devastation has been “very sad” for so many.
Other new tenants include local chef Nancy Silverton, who has agreed to move in with a new Italian steakhouse called Spacca Tutto. Women’s activewear retailer LESET will open its first West Coast location.
Caruso said he is optimistic that customers will return to the center, even though many Pacific Palisades residents are still dispersed. One tracking system estimated that about 30% of the Village’s customer base was impacted by the fire, he said.
“That means 70% did not get impacted, so there’s a lot of customers still left out there,” Caruso said. Historically, the center drew customers from as far away as Beverly Hills and Calabasas, as well as Malibu, Brentwood and Santa Monica.
He also hopes many will be inspired to visit the revived mall.
“I believe in the goodness of people and I believe that people are going to want to support the Palisades,” he said. “They’re going to want to be there and support the businesses that have had the courage and the heart to reopen.”
Walmart is rapidly expanding its network of electric vehicle chargers designed for customers to use while they shop.
The network could help fill gaps in EV infrastructure in states with greater need for chargers. Walmart, which has more than 5,000 locations in the U.S. and hundreds in California, says more than 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its stores.
The chargers also offer an incentive for customers to choose Walmart — Walmart Plus members will receive a 10% discount off an average price of $0.46 per kilowatt-hour of energy at the company’s chargers.
Walmart chargers are already available at more than 75 locations in 17 states, with Texas boasting the most charging stations, followed by Florida and Arizona.
Matthew Nelson, Walmart’s director of energy policy, said last week on LinkedIn that the network will soon reach 29 states, including California.
“We are delivering on the promise of affordable, reliable and convenient charging,” Nelson said in his post.
According to Walmart’s website, six charging stations are coming to California soon, though the company did not offer a specific timeline.
The chargers will be installed at stores in Antelope, Brea, Fresno, Stockton, Suisun City and Vallejo.
Most charging sites in California will include eight to 16 fast-charging stalls, said Walmart spokesperson Kelsey Bohl.
The company first announced plans in April 2023 to install its own EV chargers at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, with a goal of installing thousands of chargers by 2030. Partnering with ABB E-Mobility and Alpitronic, it added 25 new charging sites this past May and six more in June.
“Walmart is building a leading retail-integrated EV fast-charging network, focused on delivering an affordable, reliable and convenient charging experience where customers already shop,” Bohl said in an emailed statement. “Customers can charge while they shop, access stations through the Walmart app they already use, and benefit from affordable pricing.”
The charging stations already available include 612 individual charging stalls using 400-kilowatt chargers. Each stall has a dual charging cord with both Combined Charging System and North American Charging Standard connectors. The standard connectors, designed by Tesla, are smaller and lighter than the combined systems.
The primary way to pay for the chargers is through the Walmart app, but the company is also experimenting with built-in credit card readers to allow those without the app to use the stations.
Customers can check charger availability on the Walmart app. The company said the chargers will be available 24 hours a day.
Robotaxis could be turning into robocops.
A self-driving Waymo reported two teens to San Mateo, Calif., police on Monday after they were found drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of the vehicle.
According to a social media post from the San Mateo Police Department, officers detained two 15-year-olds after the Waymo they were riding in contacted the department and stopped in a parking lot until law enforcement arrived.
“Parents do you know where your teens are?” the San Mateo Police Department wrote on Facebook following the incident. “Waymo does!”
Officers removed both teens from the vehicle and determined they were using toy guns to shoot Orbeez out the windows. Orbeez are small, water-absorbing beads sold at toy stores.
“Toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye,” the Police Department said. “The simple handling of them can cause fear in [passersby].” “
A video posted on Facebook shows at least five officers and a police dog responding to the scene and approaching the Waymo with their weapons raised.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Waymo vehicles have internal cameras and microphones that may be used in an emergency or to “promote safety and security,” according to Waymo’s online support page.
The cameras are also used to ensure the vehicles are clean and to help find lost items, according to the support page.
The company said it does not use facial recognition or other biometric identification technologies to identify individuals.
“In more urgent circumstances, support may access live video during a trip,” the Waymo page said.
The San Mateo Police Department’s Facebook post has garnered nearly 60 comments, with one user accusing Waymo of “snitching.”
“At least they got a designated driver?!” one user commented.
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