California Amends and Refines Laws Regarding Mass Layoffs, Pay Transparency and Equal Pay Claims for 2026
October 21, 2025
The 2025 California legislative session is officially over and, as usual, there are new obligations employers must get ready for in 2026. Two new laws signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, which go into effect on January 1, 2026, both strengthen and expand upon existing employer obligations that govern mass layoffs and equal pay.
Senate Bill 617: Changes to Notices Under the California WARN Act
California’s existing Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (Cal-WARN Act) applies to employers in California that operate any industrial or commercial facility that employs, or has employed within the preceding 12 months, 75 or more persons. Current law requires these employers provide at least 60 days’ notice before a mass layoff, closure or relocation of greater than 100 miles to the affected employees, any applicable labor union, the California Employment Development Department, the local workforce investment board and certain local elected officials. These notices must include such information as the dates, job titles and number of affected employees.
The bill amends the Cal-WARN Act to require employers to include additional information in the 60-day notice:
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Information about whether the employer plans to provide any rapid response services, such as unemployment or career services designed to mitigate the disruption of job loss, through the local workforce development board or elsewhere, or if the employer does not plan to provide such services at all, and certain information about CalFresh, the state’s food assistance program; and
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Contact information for both the employer and the local workforce development board.
Requiring information about post-termination services (or lack thereof) in the WARN notice means that employers are not only responsible for informing employees about the upcoming layoff, but also must consider what sorts of post-employment assistance, if any, will be available to employees. Employers should be mindful that WARN Act notices are generally publicly available.
