The 2023 California Legislative session ended on October 14, 2023, when the deadline for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign or veto pending bills expired. Overall, this session resulted in several significant new employment laws of widespread application, including our “Top Ten.”

Notably, however, several potentially impactful bills were passed by the Legislature but vetoed by Governor Newsom. Among other things, these bills would have prohibited discrimination on the basis of family caregiver status, required notice before requiring remote workers to return to in-person work, significantly expanded CalWARN, precluded discrimination based on an employee’s “caste,” and provided unemployment insurance for striking workers. It is possible these bills could be re-introduced next year in the same or similar form.

There are also several notable so-called “two-year bills” (i.e., carried over to the second year of the two-year legislative session) that remain pending and will be decided early in 2024. These include bills to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in employment decision-making, restructure the recently enacted “Fair Chance Act” concerning the use of an applicant’s criminal history, and allow private employers to grant a hiring preference to veterans.

Read on for details regarding the Top Ten New Employment Laws for all California Employers and Human Resources Professionals to know about, as well as additional laws with more limited application or narrower scope that are nonetheless worthy of attention and enacted in 2023, several notable new local ordinances, and new state and federal regulations. Unless otherwise noted, these laws will take effect January 1, 2024.