California Expands Worker Rights to Include Chosen Family and Combat Hate Speech
California's governor has signed three new laws expanding employee rights. The reforms address discrimination protections, bereavement leave, and hate speech training.
California is enacting three new laws to expand worker protections, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. These laws impact over eighteen million employees in the state, focusing on protections against sex and gender discrimination, expanding bereavement leave, and addressing hate speech in the workplace.
One significant change redefines protections against sex discrimination. The new legislation provides more detail and includes provisions related to situations such as menopause, abortion, and gender-affirming care. It also protects deviations from gender stereotypes and a wider range of personal expression.
Another law broadens the rights of employees to take time off following the death of a loved one. Previously, state law offered five days of bereavement leave for the death of an immediate family member or domestic partner. The new law extends this to individuals with "the equivalent of a family relationship" to the employee, encompassing long-term friends or relatives raised as siblings.
The third law requires employers to confront hate speech, aiming to increase awareness and foster a safer work environment for all employees. The legislation is set to take effect at the beginning of 2027.