Business owners in California have to be on top of many things to keep their businesses functioning smoothly and without issue. This includes staying abreast of the ever-changing California business laws that can affect their operations. In 2021, there have been some significant changes that can greatly affect how one runs their company. If you have questions about the updated laws and would like to learn more, call the California business attorneys at Leiva Law. While it is important to be aware of changes in California business laws, business owners can count on the Los Angeles business attorneys at Leiva Law to have an in-depth understanding of these adjustments and be able to clearly interpret them.

2021 California Business Laws

The following updated and new business laws may change the way you run your business:

• Senate Bill 1159 includes damages that employees may have suffered from COVID-19 if the employee contracted the virus after 14 days of working at their job. These individuals can make a California workers’ compensation claim for benefits. SB 1159 will expire on January 1, 2023.
• Assembly Bill 685 has guidelines for new procedures with regard to both employers and employees reporting COVID-19 and providing notice of its existence. It also specifies ways to prevent infection spread through shutdowns and through issuing citations to businesses that don’t comply.
• Senate Bill 1383 says that businesses that have more than five employees will now have to have unpaid protected family leave not to exceed 12 weeks.
• Senate Bill 973 says that businesses with over 100 employees must file an annual Employer Information Report regarding employees’ race, gender, and earnings to keep oversight that businesses are not discriminating against minorities with respect to their wages.
• Assembly Bill 1512 is directed at specific private security professionals to stay on a business’s property and be on-call during designated rest periods while also having a communication device. If a security officer must act during a rest period, when they are finished they can resume their interrupted rest period.
• Assembly Bill 2017 says employees can use their sick leave when they want to and in any way they want to.
• Assembly Bill 1731 says that when the economy is struggling, employers can pay partial unemployment insurance payments in addition to cutting employee hours and costs to mitigate the loss of jobs from layoffs.
• Assembly Bill 1947 allows the filing time for complaints with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement to be increased to a year.
• Assembly Bill 2992 says that individuals who were victimized by crime or abuse will not face consequences by their employer for taking time off of work to go to court so they can seek legal justice.
• The minimum wage was increased in the following ways:
  • Businesses with 25 employees or less will pay $13.00 per hour
  • Businesses with over 25 employees will pay $14.00 per hour

Speak with a California Business Attorney Today

Changes to business laws in California can have a substantial effect on businesses and may change the way that a business moves forward. You can get more information on how your business will need to adjust to changes that have come through 2021 legislation by calling the Los Angeles business litigation attorneys at Leiva Law to schedule your free consultation at (818) 519-4465.