Savana Manglona Jefferson

As of Saturday, September 17, 2022, the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) ended its policy of requiring schools to verify the vaccination status of workers.  Schools are also no longer required to test unvaccinated or partially vaccinated workers on a weekly basis. A copy of the...

The newest generational wave, Generation Z or “Gen Z,” has now entered the workplace, and according to NPR, they are on track to be one of the most diverse generations in U.S. history. While Gen Zs share many traits with Millennials, they also bring with them unique characteristics, needs,...

On July 25, 2022, the United States District Court for the Central District of California ruled on an issue that stands at the intersection of tax law and Title IX.  In E.H. v. Valley Christian Academy (2022) Case No. 2:21-cv-07574-MEMF, a female student, identified only as E.H., played wide...

Since 1995, each President of the United States has designated the month of March as Women’s History Month through a proclamation. The month is set aside to “honor the generations of trailblazing women and girls who have built our nation, shaped our progress, and strengthened our character as...

On December 14, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released guidance clarifying the circumstances under which a COVID-19 case may constitute a disability under federal equal employment opportunity (“EEO”) laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and...

Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act that was passed in December of 2020, Congress set aside $2.75 billion for private schools, including parochial schools, to assist with costs related to COVID-19.  This funding, known as Emergency Assistance to Non-Public School (EANS), was made available...

It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has had some type of impact on many people’s mental health. On October 10, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme is “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality.” The past 18 months have...

On October 6, 2021, Governor Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 654, which amends Labor Code section 6409.6 and modifies employer obligations related to reporting workplace COVID-19 exposures and outbreaks. The new law takes effect immediately and will remain in effect until January 1, 2023....

Under updated guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”), certain asymptomatic unvaccinated employees who have had a close contact exposure to someone with COVID-19 may end their quarantine and return to work seven (7) days after the exposure as opposed to ten (10) days....

After determining that existing federal standards and regulations are inadequate to address COVID-19 issues for healthcare workers, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) implemented a new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring covered employers to...

On June 15, 2021, the State of California took a step towards returning to some normalcy when it officially reopened for business after over a year of restrictions and closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, the state announced it would be easing, for vaccinated individuals, some of the...

Believe it or not, it’s been approximately 6 months since Governor Newsom announced California’s stay-at-home order. Since then, many government agencies, courts, and schools have switched to using videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet to help their offices stay connected during...

On September 17, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two COVID-19 related bills – Senate Bill (“SB”) 1159 and Assembly Bill (“AB”) 685.  SB 1159 is an urgency bill that is effective immediately, and sets forth rebuttable presumption standards to establish workers’ compensation coverage for...

On Friday, August 28, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” plan, effective August 31, 2020, which imposes color-coded, risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how...

On August 3, 2020, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued new guidance for schools and school-based programs.  The latest guidance includes frequently asked questions from schools and provides information regarding the waiver process for in-person learning elementary education.
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On June 8, 2020, LCW issued a Special Bulletin on statewide COVID-19 guidance for the reopening of childcare programs and providers. On July 17, 2020, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Department of Social Services, and Cal-OSHA released updated statewide guidance for...

This article provides an in-depth look at SB 142, a bill that significantly expands an employer’s obligation to provide lactation accommodations for employees that was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in late 2019.  Effective January 1, 2020, SB 142 adds to existing law and requires...

On the afternoon of May 31, 2019, a disgruntled public employee fatally shot twelve people and wounded four others in a mass shooting at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Eleven were city employees, and one was a contractor in the building there to obtain a permit. The building...

California employers with 50 or more employees need to prepare for a new law that requires them to provide private lactation spaces, reasonable break times to express milk, and policies spelled out for workers, write attorneys with Liebert Cassidy Whitmore. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2020, and...