Watch the oral argument below: On March 14, 2024, partner, Kathleen
Mastagni Storm, presented oral argument in the Sixth District Court of Appeals over
the City of Palo Alto’s illegal repeal of binding interest arbitration for Fire
and Police Department employee disputes. The legal battle started in 2011, when
the City of Palo Alto unilaterally
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Law Enforcement Amicus Brief Filed in the Ninth Circuit to Oppose SB 2’s CCW Carry Restrictions
On February 23, 2024, Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), the California Association of Highway Patrolmen (CAHP), the California State Sheriffs’ Association (CSSA), and the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPPC) filed an amicus curiae brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case May v. Bonta. Granting an injunction against the…
California Legislative Updates for 2024 and 2025: Sick Leave Expansion, Reproductive Loss Leave, & Workplace Violence Prevention
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several new
employment laws impacting California employees. Unless otherwise specified,
those laws, which are summarized below, took effect on January 1,
2024. S.B. 616: Sick Leave Expanded from
Three to Five Days & Procedural Guarantees Extend to CBA Employees
Senate
Bill (S.B.) 616 amends the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy…
The PTSD Presumption: Covered Employees, Qualifying Injuries, and Related Compensation
The History of the PTSD Presumption This blogger greets you again, but
with the topic of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Labor Code §
3212.15 (the PTSD presumption). The PTSD presumption under Labor Code § 3212.15
is distinct from general psychiatric injuries under Labor Code § 3208.3 and was
first introduced, passed, approved and chaptered…
Court Grants Temporary Restraining Order Halting Forced Gender Identification Requirements for California Peace Officers
Ninth Circuit Reinstates Injunction Against S.B. 2’s Ban on Licensed CCW Authorization in Almost All Public Places
On January 6, 2024, a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dissolved a stay of a district court’s injunction against Senate Bill 2’s near-total ban on CCW gun carry in the state. In so doing, the Ninth Circuit has largely restored the status quo prior to the SB 2 ban on licensed…
Can Cops Smoke Weed? The Answer Remains Hazy
Effective January 1, 2024, AB 2188 amends Government Code section 12954 (Fair Employment and Housing Act “FEHA”) to prohibit an employer from discriminating against an employee or applicant for cannabis use off the job and away from work. SB 700 further amends section 12954 to prohibit employers from requesting information from an applicant for employment relating…
Attorney General Bonta Clears Officer Tonn in the Shooting Death of Sean Monterrosa
Today California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) review of the shooting death of Sean Monterrosa cleared Detective Jarett Tonn of any criminal wrongdoing. Detective Tonn appreciates the careful and thorough review of this incident conducted by Attorney General Bonta, which confirmed that Detective Tonn’s use of force was objectively…
New RIPA Regulations Violate DFEH Laws By Requiring Peace Officers to Disclose Their Gender Identity
New regulations adopted by Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding RIPA, the California Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015, reporting requirements conflict with anti-discrimination protections afforded to all California employees. RIPA was enacted to address concerns of bias and discrimination through racial and identity profiling within law enforcement agencies. RIPA requires officers to report their perception…
Terminated for Tweeting “All Lives Matter”: Eastern District Court Finds Political Retaliation Plausible and Allows Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Involving Sacramento Radio Host, Grant Napear, to Move Forward
The
case continues for former Sacramento Kings radio announcer, Grant Napear, as
the Eastern District Court rules that Napear’s wrongful termination lawsuit may
proceed under his political retaliation claim. Napear filed a wrongful
termination lawsuit against his former employer, Bonneville International
Corporation, who terminated Napear in May 2020 after he tweeted that “ALL…