Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters | Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a number of climate-related bills at a press conference at the USDA Forest Service Regional Office on Mare Island in Vallejo on Sept. 16, 2022.
published on October 28, 2025 – 2:59 PM
Written by Frank Lopez
Of the 917 bills placed on his desk this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 794 into law by the Oct. 12 deadline.
This year saw 2,883 bills emerge from the legislative session. Measures not sent to him are being carried over to the second half of the 2025–26 session, which begins Jan. 5.
California’s business community is likely to welcome reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that streamline housing and tenant improvement projects — but it will also face new compliance challenges in labor law, pay transparency and data security.
Below are several notable new laws for employers and developers.
Assembly Bill 288: Collective Bargaining Rights
Author: Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood
The National Federation of Independent Business lobbied heavily against AB 288, which allows California to enforce private-sector workers’ collective bargaining rights when the federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) fails to act in a “timely” manner.
The law empowers the state’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to conduct union elections, process unfair labor practice charges, seek injunctions and penalties, and order employers to bargain with unions.
The NLRB has lacked a quorum since January after the Trump administration fired a member. The bill includes a trigger mechanism that activates only if the NLRB is unable to perform key functions.
AB 288 will roll out in phases through Jan. 1, 2027. The NLRB has already filed suit to block it, arguing the measure conflicts with federal law.
Senate Bill 642: Job Posting Requirements
Author: Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara
SB 642 updates California’s pay transparency law by requiring employers to post a “realistic, good-faith pay range” that reflects what they expect to pay a new hire.
Employers with 15 or more workers must include pay ranges in all job postings.
For Equal Pay Act purposes, “wages” and “wage rates” now include all forms of compensation—bonuses, stock options, benefits and allowances.
The law also expands the definition of “sex” under the Government Code to include gender identity and gender expression, broadening the scope of required pay equity analysis.
Senate Bill 294: Workplace Know Your Rights Act
Author: Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes, D-San Bernardino
SB 294 requires employers to provide annual written notice to employees outlining their rights related to unfair immigration-related practices and interactions with law enforcement in the workplace.
The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement will publish a model notice by Jan. 1, 2025. Employers must distribute their first notice by Feb. 1, 2026.
Employees may request that an emergency contact be notified if they are arrested or detained at work. Employers must provide a way for workers to designate that contact by March 30, 2026, or at the time of hiring thereafter.
The notice must also summarize rights under wage and hour laws, anti-retaliation statutes, and general workplace safety protections.
Senate Bill 590: Paid Family Leave Expansion
Author: Sen. María Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles
Beginning July 1, 2028, SB 590 expands Paid Family Leave eligibility to employees caring for a seriously ill “designated person.”
A designated person is defined as “any care recipient related by blood or whose association with the individual is equivalent to a family relationship.”
Employees must identify the designated person and attest to the nature of the relationship to qualify for benefits.
Senate Bill 617: California WARN Act Amendments
Author: Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton
Effective Jan. 1, 2026, SB 617 adds new disclosure requirements to the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
Employers must include in WARN notices whether they plan to coordinate with local workforce development boards and provide information about the CalFresh food assistance program.
Each notice must also include a valid email address and phone number for contact.
Senate Bill 446: Data Breach Notifications
Author: Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield
SB 446 sets a firm 30-day deadline for notifying affected individuals and the state attorney general after discovering a data breach involving California residents’ personal information.
Previously, the law required notification “without unreasonable delay.”
The 30-day window may be extended only for legitimate law enforcement needs or to restore data system integrity.
Businesses must update their incident response plans to meet the new standard by Jan. 1, 2026.
Assembly Bill 609: CEQA Exemptions for Housing Development Projects
Author: Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland
AB 609 exempts certain housing projects from CEQA review if they meet strict conditions on site, density and environmental risk.
Eligible projects must be on previously developed property or surrounded by urban uses, cover no more than 20 acres and avoid hazardous or sensitive sites.
They must also meet minimum density thresholds: 15 units per acre in urban areas, 10 in suburban areas and five in rural areas.
Wicks said the exemptions are designed to accelerate construction and improve housing affordability.
Assembly Bill 671: Accelerated Restaurant Permit Approval
Author: Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland
AB 671 creates a streamlined approval process for restaurant tenant improvement permits.
Local building departments must allow professional certifiers to sign off on plans and must approve or deny permit applications within 20 business days.
If a department fails to act within that time, the permit is automatically approved.
Resubmitted plans addressing deficiencies must be approved or denied within 10 days.
Outlook for 2026
The Legislature will reconvene Jan. 5 to begin the second year of the 2025–26 session. Bills that remain in their house of origin must advance to the second house by Jan. 31.
Newsom faces a Jan. 10 deadline to propose the 2026–27 state budget as he enters his final year in office.