Blog: The California Workplace Advisor

California employers have received both additional time—and some additional flexibility—under the State’s new restrictions on employment-related repayment obligations. Governor Newsom recently signed AB 1697, which revises California Business & Professions Code section 16608, commonly referred to as California’s “stay-or-pay” law. Among other changes, AB 1697 delays application of the new restrictions until January 1, 2027….

California employers using artificial intelligence and automated technology in the workplace have new compliance obligations to prepare for. On September 30, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed four measures addressing AI and technology in the workplace: SB 947, SB 951, AB 1331, and AB 1883. Together, the laws address automated employment decisions, AI-related workforce reductions, and…

Introduction Arbitration is not a perfect substitute for a jury trial. Appeals are limited, many arbitrators favor a “split the baby” result, and the employer bears most of the cost. Some claims cannot be arbitrated at all — most prominently, representative PAGA claims and sexual harassment and assault claims. Even so, the advantages usually outweigh…

Founders have finite bandwidth, and in the early days, employment law compliance rarely feels as urgent as fundraising, product development, and building out the team. But the choices you make as you scale from 0 to 25 employees can have outsized consequences later—particularly when it comes to hiring, pay practices and leave obligations, and basic…

Effective January 1, 2026, California’s Assembly Bill 692 will continue the state’s longstanding trend of broadening worker mobility protections by prohibiting most forms of “repayment on separation” provisions in new employment agreements. The new law, AB 692, directly targets contractual provisions that require workers to repay training expenses, tuition, bonuses, or other employer-funded investments if…