2027 California Legislative and Case Law Update - Sacramento

Additional Dates:

Thursday, November 19, 2026 | San Diego
Thursday, November 19, 2026 | San Francisco
Tuesday, December 8, 2026 | Irvine
Thursday, December 10, 2026 | Los Angeles
Thursday, January 14, 2027 | Woodland Hills

 

Fisher Phillips invites you to join us for an informative, in‑person half‑day seminar exploring the key California legislative and legal updates that will shape the workplace in 2027 and beyond.

With Governor Newsom’s final term drawing to a close, he signed a final flurry of workplace‑related bills into law. Except as provided otherwise, most measures signed into law will take effect on January 1, 2027. This program will give your organization a clear, practical overview of what is changing and what you need to do to stay compliant.

What You’ll Learn
Participants will gain insight into the most significant new laws and legal developments affecting California employers, including:

Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace

• SB 947 (No Robo Bosses Act) – This bill prohibits employers from relying solely on an “automated decision system” when making disciplinary or termination decisions. It requires a human review to corroborate such decisions, and provides workers with a written “post‑use” notice.
• SB 951 (AI Layoff Notices) – This bill amends California’s WARN Act to require employers to provide specified information in WARN notices when a layoff, relocation, or termination is caused “in whole or in substantial part” by an AI system or other automated technology.

Workplace Surveillance & Privacy

• AB 1331 (No Surveillance in Bathrooms) – This bill prohibits employers from using a “workplace surveillance tool” to monitor employees in a bathroom and gives employees the right to leave such a tool behind when entering a bathroom.
• AB 1883 (Privacy Protections for Employees’ Emotional States and Neural Data) – This bill prohibits employers from using an AI‑enabled surveillance tool to recognize or predict an employee’s emotional state or to collect “neural data” generated by measuring an employee’s nervous system.
• SB 690 (Effort to Curb Digital Wiretapping Lawsuits) – This bill removes the private right of action for claims under the “pen register” provision of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, applying retroactively to pending lawsuits filed on or after January 1, 2025.

Wage & Hour and Pay Equity

• SB 1237 (Increased Penalties for Pay Data Reporting Failures) – This bill significantly increases the maximum civil penalty for repeated failures to file required annual pay data reports with California’s Civil Rights Department, from $200 to $1,000 per employee.
• AB 1697 (More Time to Prepare for Stay‑or‑Pay Ban) – This bill delays implementation of last year’s stay‑or‑pay ban until January 1, 2027, giving employers an additional year to restructure such contracts and accommodate collective bargaining agreements.
• AB 2646 (Major Wage Hike in Agricultural Industry) – This bill imposes a statewide minimum wage of $19.75 per hour for certain agricultural workers, including H‑2A employees and their local‑worker counterparts.

Employment Discrimination & Leave

• SB 1149 (Bereavement Leave) – This bill expands California’s bereavement leave law to allow employees to take up to five days of leave upon the death of a “designated person” — any person related by blood or whose association is the equivalent of a family relationship.
• AB 1803 (Anti‑Hate Speech Training) – This bill expands California’s sexual harassment prevention training requirement, effective January 1, 2028, to also include “anti‑hate speech training” on recognizing, reporting, and confronting workplace speech that vilifies or incites hatred based on protected characteristics.

Workplace Safety & Enforcement

• AB 2321 (Revamped Cal/OSHA Investigations) – This bill requires Cal/OSHA’s Bureau of Investigations to investigate any serious injury, illness, or exposure cited as a willful violation, requires immediate referrals to county prosecutors, and makes it a misdemeanor to willfully resist or interfere with Cal/OSHA.
• AB 1776 (High‑Profile Fight Over Anti‑Trust Law Changes) – This bill implements changes to California’s anti‑trust law with significant implications for employers and businesses across the state.

Case Law Update
The program will also cover the most important 2026 Case Law developments affecting California employers, including recent court decisions on wage and hour, discrimination, leave, and other key employment issues with practical guidance on how these rulings should shape your workplace policies.

Benefits Update
This session will address recent developments in employee benefits, including new compliance requirements and plan design considerations employers need to know for the year ahead.

Immigration Update
This session will address the latest developments in immigration enforcement and workplace rights, including new notice requirements and practical steps employers can take to prepare for and respond to immigration‑related workplace actions.

Who Should Attend
This seminar is designed for HR professionals, in‑house counsel, business owners, and anyone responsible for managing employees.

What You’ll Take Away

• Key legislative changes from the latest session and their impact on employers in 2027
• Practical steps to update workplace policies and maintain compliance
• Strategies to reduce risk and avoid costly litigation

Don’t miss the chance to stay ahead of these critical changes in 2027. 

Please note: 

• Cancellation Policy: Cancellation requests must be received at least three business days before the event to receive a full refund.
• Payment: Credit card payments only. Checks and invoices are not accepted.
• Registration: Each registrant must use a unique email address.

If you have any questions, please contact CASeminars@fisherphillips.com.

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Educational Credits

HRCI and SHRM

• The firm is submitting this seminar for credit.

CLE

• Fisher Phillips will make all reasonable efforts to obtain CLE credit for this program in every state relevant to attendees’ MCLE needs. In certain instances, some programs may not be awarded CLE credit because of content, delivery, or jurisdictional restrictions.

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Fisher Phillips is committed to providing access to all of our events for disabled attendees. If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please give us three business days advance notice prior to the scheduled event by contacting CASeminars@fisherphillips.com. Thank you.