New Bill Proposes a $25 Federal Minimum Wage

A new bill is making waves since it was introduced on April 28 of this year because it seeks dramatically increase the federal minimum for the first time since 2009. The new bill is named the Living Wage for All act and it would require employers to pay a minimum wage of $25 per hour. The fact that some legislators are even considering a bill that would raise federal minimum wage so drastically from $7.25 an hour to $25 an hour may be of interest to some employers. If the federal minimum wage is increased, employers will have a bigger burden to shoulder- especially in those areas where the current federal minimum wage is in fact the prevailing wage.

California Governor Orders 100,000 State Workers to Get Back to the Office.

Governor Newsom has recently ordered approximately 108,000 state workers to return back to the office for at least four days out of the week. For many of these state workers, they have spent the better part of six years working from home. California was one of the first states to mandate a stay-at-home order, forcing workers to work from home beginning on March 19, 2020. Newsom’s recent order may signal a shift back to in-office work for private sector employees. For the past six years, employers have had time to contemplate which model works best for their businesses, and it will be interesting to see what employers decide to do in the coming years.

Employers Beware: Hiring Undocumented Workers Can be MORE Costly for Your Business.

San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings is a local Southern California company that was the subject of an undercover investigation and subsequent raid by ICE agents. This company regularly hired undocumented workers and was forced to forfeit nearly a quarter of a million dollars for doing so. The federal government is not just working off of anonymous tips or hunches. These federal agents are now posing as actual undocumented workers. Employers should take heed and be aware that hiring undocumented workers can be financially ruinous for their business.

California High-Profile Transgender Surgery Case May Increase Medical Malpractice Liability for Doctors and Hospitals

A California woman named Chloe Brockman filed suit against Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, the Permanente Group, and several doctors for the damages she sustained after receiving hormone treatment and a double mastectomy when she was 15 years old.Kaiser has fought hard to keep this case in arbitration, but a California court has recently held that the case does not need to go to arbitration. Instead, the case has been set for trial on April 5, 2027. This case is significant because it has the ability to change the way we view medical negligence and what may constitute medical negligence.

Update: Lake Forest Mother Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter After her 14 Year Old Son Riding E-Motorcycle hits and Kills 81 Year Old Pedestrian.

On April 16, 2026, Tommi Jo Mejer’s 14 year old son was allegedly recklessly riding an e-motorcycle doing wheelies near El Toro High School when he hit a pedestrian identified as 81 year old Ed Ashman, a substitute teacher at El Toro High School. Ms. Mejer has been charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, one felony count of accessory after the fact to a crime, one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, one misdemeanor count of loaning a motor vehicle to an unlicensed driver, and one misdemeanor count of providing false information to a peace officer. Ms. Mejer made her first appearance in criminal court on May 12, 2026. Her arraignment has been continued to June 30, 2026.

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.

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