Newport Beach, California Business Owners: You Must Accept Cash!

The city of Newport Beach in Orange County, California has made it mandatory for brick-and-mortar businesses to accept payments in cash when the customer is physically present at the business. This means that the businesses can no longer decide to go “cashless” and can no longer require payment from online services such as ApplePay, Venmo, Zelle, etc. In addition, these businesses are not allowed to charge a fee or place any other condition on its acceptance of cash. This city-wide requirement begins on March 31, 2025.

Bars, Employers, Employment, Nightclubs, Restaurants, Business OwnersKathleenFebruary 4, 2025Newport Beach, Cashless, Zelle, ApplePay, Venmo, California, Orange County, Newport Beach CA

California Increases Paid Family Leave and Disability Insurance Benefits in 2025

Beginning on January 1, 2025, California began paying significantly higher paid family leave benefits and higher disability benefits to California families. Over 18 million workers pay into the California State Disability Insurance program, meaning the workers automatically pay into these insurance plans through their payroll contributions.

Employers, Employment, Minimum Wage, RestaurantsKathleenJanuary 30, 2025paid family leave, disability, disability insurance, California Family Rights Act, Pregnancy Disability, California State Disability Insurance, Senate Bill 951, Family leave, insurance

Employers Considering Hiring Foreign Workers: New H-1B Visa Rules Take Effect January 2025

Many U.S. employers use the H-1B Visa to obtain workers, and many employers have staffed nearly entire companies with such workers. It is a non-immigrant visa that allows employers to hire foreign workers in what is referred to as a “specialty occupation” for up to 3 years, with a maximum of 6 years. The Biden Administration took steps to “modernize” the H-1B program and the new regulation took effect on January 17, 2025.

Employers, Employment, Intellectual Property, Minimum Wage, Restaurants, NightclubsKathleenJanuary 28, 2025employer records, Equal Employment, employees, H-1B Visa, Foreign Worker, USCIS, Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Cognizant

Ringing in the 2025 New Year with Minimum Wage Increases All Around California

California has increased its minimum wage to $16.50 per hour this year, and nearly all of the cities with even higher minimum wages are in Northern California except for San Diego and West Hollywood. If you work or own a business anywhere in California, you need to be aware that minimum wage has increased across the entire state starting in January of 2025.

Employers, Employment, Minimum Wage, Restaurants, NightclubsKathleenJanuary 14, 2025Small Business, minimum wage, minimum wage increase, California hourly rates, California minimum wage, California businesses, Southern California, Northern California

Are At-Home Kitchens the Future of Fast Food in SoCal?

Los Angeles county is trying something new to enable cooks and bakers to operate their own little restaurant by allowing them to prepare food in their own home. Starting on November 1, 2024, Los Angeles will begin a new program called the Micro-enterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO). This program will be available in all of Los Angeles County except for Pasadena, Long Beach, and Vernon because these cities have their own health departments.

Employers, Employment, Minimum Wage, Recipes, RestaurantsKathleenNovember 20, 2024restaurant, home kitchen, at-home kitchen, fast food, Fast food minimum wage, MEHKO, Public Health Application, Standard Operating Procedure, Certified Food Protection Manager, Micro-enterprise Home Kitchen, Micro-enterprise Home Kitchen Operation, Los Angeles MEHKO, Los Angeles Micro Kitchen

California Employers Beware: Potential New Law Gives Employees the “Right to Disconnect.”

If you think California has been making it harder and harder for employers to operate in the state, you may have one more draconian law to deal with soon. California is proposing a new law which gives employees the right to disconnect from all communications from their employer during their non-working hours. The only exception where an employer can contact employees during their non-working hours is during an emergency or an immediate scheduling issue. If you run a business, you know that many unforeseen events and many questions arise during the course of a business day - some of which can be solved with one simple phone call or text. This potential new law does not create clear boundaries. Instead, it creates many more questions that have been left unanswered. It also fails to take into account the practical way in which businesses are run, how issues are resolved, and the situations in which employees have a chance to even work overtime hours.

Employers, Employment, Minimum Wage, RestaurantsKathleenMay 11, 2024right to disconnect\, after hours communication, nonworking hours communication, Labor Commissioner

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