CaliforniaEmployment: Cal/WARN Act: plant closings and mass layoffs.
What it does
Existing law, the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (Cal/WARN Act), among other things, prohibits an employer from ordering a mass layoff, relocation, or termination at a covered establishment unless, 60 days before the order takes effect, the employer gives written notice of the order to the employees affected by the order and to the Employment Development Department and certain local officials. Existing law requires the notice to contain specified information and makes an employer who fails to give the required notice liable to each employee entitled to notice who lost their employment for back pay and the value of the cost of any benefits to which the employee would have been entitled had their employment not been lost, as provided. Existing law also makes an employer subject to civil penalties, as provided, for each day of the employer's violation.
More detail
Existing law defines "employer" for these purposes to mean any person, as defined, who directly or indirectly owns and operates a covered establishment and defines "covered establishment" to mean any industrial or commercial facility or part thereof that employs, or has employed within the preceding 12 months, 75 or more persons.
This bill would add "public agency" to the definitions of employer and covered establishment, thereby making the Cal/WARN Act applicable to public agencies. The bill would, in the case of a sale of part or all of an employer's business, make the seller responsible for providing the notice for any mass layoff, relocation, or termination up to and including the effective date of the sale, and make the purchaser responsible for providing the notice following the effective date of the sale.
The bill would make other technical and conforming changes.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- May 14In committee: Held under submission.Latest
- May 6In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Apr 22From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Apr 21
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 14Re-referred to Com. on JUD.Minor
- Apr 13Read second time and amended.Major
- Apr 9From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (April 8).Major
- Apr 8
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 23Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.Minor
- Mar 19From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 19Referred to Coms. on L. & E. and JUD.Minor
- Feb 21From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
- Feb 20Read first time. To print.Introduced