Federal guidance has shifted, but California law continues to set the standard for harassment prevention and response in public workplaces.
In January 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to rescind its 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace. The 2024 guidance had offered detailed examples and interpretive direction on federal
Disciplinary and investigatory interviews are an unavoidable part of managing a public workforce. When a represented employee is questioned in a setting that could lead to discipline or involving highly unusual circumstances that may significantly impact the employer-employee relationship, the employee may invoke the right to union representation. The right is grounded in both PERB
This blog post originally appeared in February 2016 and was revised in February 2026.
With Valentine’s Day upon us, cupid may have left a few arrows in the workplace. People spend a lot of time with coworkers, so it is not unheard of for workplace relationships to evolve into romantic relationships. A 2023 study from the Society
Artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools are increasingly being marketed as a way to streamline workplace investigations: summarizing evidence, generating interview outlines, comparing witness statements, or even “detecting inconsistencies” in testimony. While these tools may appear to help investigators move faster, public employers should approach AI-assisted investigations with caution. California public agencies have unique obligations to ensure
Since our original post detailing the tracking and reporting requirements imposed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) for federal tax deduction of qualified overtime compensation (i.e., Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime), the IRS has announced significant guidance for 2025 reporting.
For Tax Year 2025, Employers Are Not Required to Separately Report Qualified
Under the Meyers‑Milias‑Brown Act (MMBA), a California public agency’s decision to contract out bargaining unit work is usually within scope of representation. PERB has found a majority of such decisions negotiable – especially where the outsourcing is driven by labor-cost or staffing considerations and does not change the agency’s core mission or services. If outsourcing
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) is a federal law that went into effect on June 27, 2023. The final regulations issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to carry out the law went into effect on June 18, 2024. PWFA requires public sector and private employers that have 15 or more employees to
With the enactment of SB 1137, California has explicitly recognized “intersectionality” under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and related statutes: or the idea that in certain instances, discrimination is not based solely on one trait, but rather based on the combination of two or more protected characteristics. Intersectionality is an analytical framework
Senate Bill 627, also known as the No Secret Police Act (“Act”) was signed by Governor Newsom on September 20, 2025. The Act takes effect on January 1, 2026; an urgency clause in a prior version of the legislation that would have made it effective immediately was not included in the final version.
California’s public labor relations statutes require public employers to respond to a labor union’s requests for information (RFI’s) in a timely manner. In fact, the definition of “meet and confer in good faith” includes the obligation to freely exchange information.
With statutory compliance hanging in the balance, it’s important for employers to know how to