No. 1: Intersectionality discrimination

Existing California law protects employees from discrimination on the basis of many categories, including race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, reproductive health decisionmaking, or veteran or military status. Recent legislation, SB 1137, explicitly extends those protections to include the “intersection” or combination of two or more of those categories. For instance, the statute will deem it illegal for an employer to reject job applicants because they have a specific combination of race and veteran status, such as Latino veterans. 

Employers may wish to review their nondiscrimination policies and consider adding language to the effect that discrimination based on a combination or intersection of protected categories also violates the policy. 

No. 2: Hairstyle discrimination

In 2019, California became the first state to ban employers from discriminating on the basis of hairstyles when it passed the Crown Act. The 2019 version of the Act protected traits that were “historically” associated with race. This year, legislators updated the Act to say that “race” includes “traits associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.”

Approximately half of the 50 states have passed their own versions of the Crown Act, so employers in California and these other states should review the language of their non-discrimination policies, as well as any applicable grooming and dress code policies, with their counsel to decide on the most appropriate language for their businesses. 

No. 3: Paid Family Leave and accrued vacation

The California Paid Family Leave law allowed employers to require employees to exhaust their accrued, unused vacation time before they could receive benefits under the law. Effective January 1, employers will no longer be able to do this.

Employers should review and update their California leave and vacation policies as needed.

No. 4: Expanded time for jury duty and court, and crime victims

Effective January 1, AB 2499 will broaden the protections available to employees when they take time off for jury duty or court appearances, or when they or their family members become victims of violence or a crime. 

Employees will now be protected if they are victims of “qualifying acts of violence,” including domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, threats of or acts causing bodily injury or death, or brandishing a firearm or other dangerous weapon. Employers must allow affected employees to use vacation, personal leave, paid sick leave, or other applicable compensatory time off for a wide range of activities associated with jury duty, to appear in court as a witness, or for activities associated with qualifying acts of violence, such as obtaining medical attention, obtaining services of a domestic violence shelter, or taking time off from work to obtain a restraining order. Similar to employees who may have qualifying disabilities, an employee who is the victim of violence may also request reasonable accommodations to help ensure their safety while at work. Employers will be required to engage in an interactive process with employees making these requests, and must do so in a timely manner and in good faith.

Employers must provide written notice of these rights to employees at the time of hire and once a year afterward. The written notice also much be provided upon the request of the employee, and whenever the employer becomes aware that an employee or member of the employee’s family may be a victim of violence or a crime.

No. 5 (BONUS): New California workplace posting requirements

Pursuant to AB 2299, the California Labor Commissioner will develop a “model list of employees' rights and responsibilities under the whistleblower laws,” and employers will be required to display the list in the workplace along with the telephone number for a state whistleblower hotline. Employers should ensure they update this and other applicable workplace posting requirements on a periodic basis. 

Want to learn more?

For an in-depth summary of court cases, legislation, and other regulatory updates affecting all aspects of employment law in California in 2025, check out the video of our November webinar, “Buckle Up, California! 2025 is Just Around the Corner,” presented by Lara de Leon, Michelle Meek, and Carolyn Sieve.