Update: Los Angeles’ Citywide Hotel Minimum Wage Ordinance Is Already Having Disastrous Effects on the Local Economy

The implementation of the City of Los Angeles’ Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance (“Ordinance”), which was adopted in May of 2025 and became effective in September of 2025, has already had disastrous effects in the first six months. Employers have been forced to cut costs and the hotel industry, its employees, and its partners are paying dearly for this implementation: they are paying with their entire livelihood. Instead of smaller, incremental, merit based hourly wage increases, the minimum wage mandate forced an entire industry and those who rely on this industry to absorb extraordinary increases in costs nearly overnight.

California Fast Food Council Commands a Budget of $1.1 Million and Does Nothing For Most of 2025

The California Fast Food Council failed to hold meetings for most of 2025 and has yet to meet with all nine members present. Considering the Council’s massive budget of $1 Million and the fact that its decisions have had a major impact on California’s fast food employers, business owners, and employees, seeing this Council lay dormant for so long and fail to hold its required meetings is a massive disappointment.

Employers Must Provide Employees with Notices Regarding Immigration-Related Rights

On February 1, 2026, California employers will be required to provide each employee with written notices that inform the employee of his or her workplace rights, labor protections, and immigration-related rights. The new law places several additional obligations on the employers that all employers should become familiar with. Failure to comply with the requirements of the new law can be financially prohibitive for businesses because penalties increase exponentially per employee. For larger employers, the penalties alone could be ruinous.

Employing Workers with H-1B Visas Just Got Pricier for American Employers

On September 19, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a Proclamation entitled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers.” This Proclamation imposes a new fee structure for those employers looking to hire foreign workers holding an H-1B visa. The new fee structure is going to make hiring foreign workers a lot pricier for American companies and could possibly deter American companies from hiring some foreign workers.

The Federal Government is Cracking Down on Foreign Truck Drivers with CDLs

Employers, managers, and supervisors should beware that their workforce could be diminished dramatically. The federal government is imposing more stringent requirements for CDLs, and those in the trucking industry must conform to these new stringent requirements.

California Employees Who are Caring for a “Designated Person” Can Receive Paid Family Leave Benefits.

California has expanded paid leave and wage replacement laws again under its Paid Family Leave Program (PFL). Starting on July 1, 2028, California’s PFL will include “designated persons” who are not legally or biologically related to the employee. This means that eligible employees can now receive 8 weeks of partial wage replacement when the employee takes time off of work to care for extended family and any “designated person” who has a “family-like” relationship with the employee.

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