On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay and transgender employees from discrimination.  The Court’s decision was 6-3 and the opinion was authored by Justice Gorsuch, who was joined in the decision by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and

On April 23, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued updated guidance concerning the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Rehabilitation Act and how employers may respond to the public health emergency caused by COVID-19. The EEOC makes clear that while the laws will continue to apply during the present public health emergency,

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (“CalPERS”) has answered several outstanding questions concerning how paid leave hours taken under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) should be tracked and reported.  On April 16, 2020, CalPERS issued Circular Letter No. 200-021-20 which explains how to report compensation and track hours for employees taking leave under

Note: This is the second of a two-part series concerning federal unemployment assistance. You may access the first bulletin here.

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) into law. Under that Act, the federal government established several programs to expand unemployment assistance to

Employees who are eligible for Emergency Paid Sick Leave (“EPSL”) under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) may also file a claim for Paid Family Leave (“PFL”), a benefit established under California law. PFL provides 60-70% wage replacement benefits for up to 6 weeks (8 weeks effective July 1, 2020) in a 12-month period

Note: This is the first of a two-part series concerning federal unemployment assistance.

On March 27, 2020, President Donald J. Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) into law. Under that Act, the federal government established two programs to expand unemployment assistance to workers who lose their jobs

On March 19, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-33-20 (“Order”), which effectively imposed a statewide shutdown of non-essential business and governmental operations.  This Special Bulletin was updated on April 6 to reflect the most current guidance and orders.

The analysis provided in this Bulletin relies on an interpretation of the term “essential”

On April 1, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued temporary regulations concerning the paid leave provisions under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), including the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (“EPSLA”) and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (“EFMLEA”). The new set of FFCRA regulations that are set forth at 29 C.F.R.

The figures related to the COVID-19 pandemic have become grim in the United States.  As of March 30, 2020, at least 160,700 individuals have tested positive for the virus, with approximately 6,800 of those cases in California. As the number of positive COVID-19 cases continue to rise, we anticipate that many agencies will unfortunately be

On March 30, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-40-20 which extends various statutory deadlines due to the State of Emergency in California relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Under the Executive Order, the deadline specified in Government Code section 3304(d) for opening and completing investigations of alleged misconduct by public safety officers is extended