California’s October State Law Updates: What Employers Need to Know – Employment Law Worldview

Report on New California Employment Legislation and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

In October 2025, a series of new employment-related bills were signed into law in California, introducing significant changes to the state’s labor landscape. These legislative measures address a wide spectrum of workplace issues, from artificial intelligence governance to paid leave and wage enforcement. The new laws reflect a strong commitment to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those focused on decent work, equality, health, and justice. This report outlines the key legislative changes and their direct contributions to the global SDG framework. Employers are advised to review and update their policies and training programs to ensure compliance with these new mandates, many of which take effect on January 1, 2026.

Promoting Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8)

Several new laws directly support SDG 8, which aims to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. These measures strengthen worker protections, ensure fair compensation, and clarify employment relationships.

• AB 692 – Prohibition of Employee Debt Repayment: Effective January 1, 2026, this bill makes it unlawful for employers to require departing employees to repay debts, such as training costs. This measure protects workers from exploitative financial arrangements, ensuring fair and just employment terms in alignment with SDG 8.5 (full and productive employment and decent work) and SDG 8.8 (protect labor rights).
• SB 617 – Expanded CalWARN Notice Requirements: This amendment to the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, effective January 1, 2026, requires employers to provide more detailed information about support services during mass layoffs. This enhances the social safety net for displaced workers, contributing to economic resilience and SDG 8.
• SB 513 – Broadened Definition of Personnel Records: By amending the definition of personnel records to include “education or training records,” this law promotes transparency and proper documentation of workforce skills. This supports SDG 8.6 (reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training) by ensuring accurate records of employee development.
• AB 1514 & SB 809 – Clarification of Independent Contractor Status: These bills address worker classification in specific industries. AB 1514 extends independent contractor exemptions for manicurists and commercial fishers, while SB 809 establishes the Construction Trucking Employer Amnesty Program to resolve misclassification claims. Both initiatives aim to ensure fair labor practices and proper worker classification, a cornerstone of SDG 8.

Advancing Equality and Reducing Inequalities (SDG 5 & 10)

A significant portion of the new legislation targets the reduction of workplace inequalities, directly contributing to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). These laws focus on pay equity, anti-discrimination measures, and fair legal processes.

• SB 464 – Expanded Pay-Data Reporting: This law strengthens pay transparency by mandating that employers collect demographic data separately from personnel files and increasing the number of job categories for reporting. By making pay structures more transparent, this law is a critical tool for identifying and closing gender and racial pay gaps, directly advancing SDG 5 and SDG 10.
• SB 642 – Amendments to Equal Pay Requirements: Effective immediately, this bill clarifies key definitions under California’s equal pay laws and extends the statute of limitations for wage-related actions to three years. This strengthens the legal framework for achieving equal pay for work of equal value, a key target of SDG 5.
• SB 303 – Protections for Bias-Mitigation Training: This law protects employees who participate in good faith in bias-mitigation training, ensuring that their acknowledgments of personal bias cannot be used as evidence of discrimination. This fosters a more open and effective approach to diversity and inclusion efforts, supporting the goals of SDG 10.

Ensuring Health, Safety, and Well-being (SDG 3)

The new laws also place a strong emphasis on protecting the physical and mental health of workers, aligning with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

• SB 20 – The Silicosis Training, Outreach, and Prevention (STOP) Act: This act introduces stringent safety measures for the artificial stone industry, including prohibiting dry cutting and mandating worker training to prevent silicosis. This directly supports SDG 3.9 (reduce deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals) and SDG 8.8 (promote safe and secure working environments).
• AB 406 & SB 590 – Expansion of Leave Benefits: AB 406 expands the qualifying reasons for paid sick leave to include attending judicial proceedings for victims of crime. SB 590 expands paid family leave eligibility to include care for a seriously ill “designated person.” Both laws support worker well-being by providing critical time off for health and family needs, contributing to SDG 3.
• SB 19 – Criminalization of Mass Violence Threats: By criminalizing threats of mass violence against workplaces, this law provides a crucial resource for employers to protect the safety and security of their employees, thereby promoting a healthy and safe work environment as envisioned in SDG 3.

Strengthening Justice and Institutions (SDG 16)

To ensure fair and effective legal recourse for workers, several bills were enacted to strengthen access to justice and the enforcement of labor laws, in line with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

1. SB 294 – Workplace Know Your Rights Act: Effective February 1, 2026, this act requires employers to provide written notice to employees about their rights during interactions with law enforcement at the workplace. This empowers workers with knowledge, promoting access to justice and reinforcing SDG 16.
2. SB 261 – Enhanced Enforcement of Wage Judgments: This law expands the enforcement authority of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and imposes new penalties on employers who fail to satisfy wage judgments, ensuring that legal decisions are respected and workers receive the compensation they are owed.
3. AB 250 & SB 477 – Extended Statutes of Limitations: AB 250 revives certain sexual assault claims that were previously time-barred, particularly in cases involving a “cover up.” SB 477 expands the circumstances for tolling the statute of limitations for filing discrimination lawsuits. Both measures enhance victims’ access to justice, a core principle of SDG 16.
4. AB 1523 – Revisions to Court-Ordered Mediation: This bill amends mediation rules by increasing the maximum amount in controversy for mandatory mediation to $75,000, aiming to make dispute resolution more efficient and accessible.

Fostering Responsible Innovation (SDG 9)

California is also taking a leading role in regulating emerging technologies to ensure they are developed and deployed responsibly, a goal that aligns with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

• SB 53 – Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act: Effective January 1, 2026, this landmark law imposes comprehensive transparency, reporting, and risk-mitigation requirements on developers of large-scale “frontier” AI models. By mandating safety assessments and establishing whistleblower protections, the law promotes the development of safe, ethical, and equitable AI, ensuring that technological innovation serves humanity’s broader goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in California’s Employment Laws

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article discusses bills that expand paid sick leave (AB 406) and paid family leave (SB 590) for employees to care for themselves or family members, including victims of crime and those with serious illnesses. Additionally, the STOP Act (SB 20) directly addresses worker health by aiming to prevent silicosis, a serious lung disease, through new safety regulations in the stone fabrication industry.
2. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • Several bills aim to eliminate discrimination and promote equality. SB 464 and SB 642 amend equal pay requirements, expand pay-data reporting, and clarify definitions to combat gender-based wage gaps. AB 250 specifically addresses gender-based violence by extending the statute of limitations for employment-related sexual assault claims, empowering victims to seek justice.
3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The bills collectively aim to protect labor rights and promote safe, secure, and fair working environments. Key examples include AB 692, which protects employees from unfair debt repayment clauses; SB 261 and SB 642, which strengthen enforcement of wage claims; SB 20, which mandates safer working conditions to prevent occupational diseases; and SB 809, which addresses worker misclassification in the construction trucking industry.
4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The legislation works to reduce inequalities by ensuring fair treatment and equal opportunity. The equal pay laws (SB 464, SB 642) directly target wage inequality. SB 303 supports bias-mitigation training to address and prevent workplace discrimination. The Workplace Know Your Rights Act (SB 294) empowers all workers, including potentially vulnerable ones, by informing them of their rights during interactions with law enforcement.
5. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • The article highlights several legal and institutional reforms that enhance access to justice. AB 250 and SB 477 extend or toll statutes of limitations for civil claims, giving individuals more time to seek legal recourse. AB 1523 revises court-ordered mediation rules to improve dispute resolution. SB 19 criminalizes threats of mass violence against workplaces, contributing to safer communities and workplaces. The creation of stronger enforcement mechanisms, such as mandatory civil penalties for non-compliance (SB 464, SB 261), strengthens institutional accountability.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being):
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services…
     • This is supported by SB 590 and AB 406, which expand paid family and sick leave, allowing workers to take time off for health needs without complete loss of income, thus providing a form of financial risk protection and facilitating access to care.
   • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.
     • SB 20, the STOP Act, directly addresses this by prohibiting dry cutting of artificial stone and mandating wet methods to suppress crystalline silica dust, a hazardous substance that causes silicosis.
2. Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):
   • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
     • SB 642 and SB 464, which focus on equal pay and pay-data transparency, are designed to uncover and remedy gender-based pay discrimination. SB 303, protecting employees who participate in bias-mitigation training, also contributes to this target.
   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including… sexual exploitation.
     • AB 250 directly addresses this by reviving time-barred sexual assault claims related to employment, ensuring that perpetrators and complicit entities can be held accountable.
3. Under SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth):
   • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.
     • This is directly addressed by SB 642, which amends California’s equal pay requirements, and SB 464, which expands pay-data reporting to enforce pay equity.
   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers…
     • This target is central to the article. It is supported by SB 20 (worker safety from silica dust), AB 692 (protection from exploitative debt repayment), SB 261 (enforcement of wage judgments), SB 19 (protection from threats of violence), and the Workplace Know Your Rights Act (SB 294).
4. Under SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities):
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices…
     • The equal pay laws (SB 464, SB 642) and the law protecting participation in bias-mitigation training (SB 303) are prime examples of legislative efforts to eliminate discriminatory practices and reduce inequalities of outcome in the workplace.
5. Under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions):
   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
     • SB 19 contributes to this by criminalizing threats of mass violence against workplaces, aiming to prevent violent acts before they occur.
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
     • AB 250 (extending time for sexual assault claims), SB 642 (extending time for wage claims), SB 477 (tolling statute of limitations for civil rights claims), and AB 1523 (improving mediation processes) all enhance access to the legal system for workers seeking justice.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Pay-Data Reporting Metrics (Implied Indicator for Targets 5.1, 8.5, 10.3):
   • SB 464 mandates that employers with 100 or more employees collect and report pay data across an increased number of job categories (from 10 to 23). This data itself serves as a direct indicator to measure wage gaps by gender, race, and ethnicity within specific job roles and industries.
2. Legal and Enforcement Actions (Implied Indicator for Targets 8.8, 16.3):
   • The article mentions several enforcement mechanisms whose usage can be tracked. These include:
     • The number and amount of civil penalties imposed on employers for failing to file pay-data reports (SB 464).
     • The number and amount of penalties (up to $5,000 per worker) for violations of the debt repayment prohibition (AB 692).
     • The number of civil actions brought under the extended statute of limitations for wage claims (SB 642) and sexual assault claims (AB 250).
     • The number of penalties (up to three times the judgment amount) imposed for failure to satisfy wage judgments (SB 261).
3. Occupational Health and Safety Reporting (Direct Indicator for Targets 3.9, 8.8):
   • SB 20, the STOP Act, explicitly requires employers to report cases of silicosis to the state. The number of reported cases serves as a direct indicator of the prevalence of this occupational disease and the effectiveness of the new preventative measures.
4. Compliance and Training Attestation (Implied Indicator for Target 8.8):
   • SB 20 requires covered employers to submit a written attestation each year confirming that workers have received mandatory safety training. The number of attestations filed can be used as an indicator of employer compliance with safety training regulations.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: employmentlawworldview.com