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Serving the San Fernando Valley cities of Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, San Fernando, and Santa Clarita
Valley Industry & Commerce Association || vica.com
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- New California Laws for Your Business
- VICA County Officeholders Breakfast - Jan. 31
- Final Call for 2024 Legislative Priorities
- VICA is looking for Meeting Sponsors
- VICA Oped: Ventura Boulevard's Accelerating Pulse
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"California is the epicenter of global innovation - from the creation of the internet to the dominance of artificial intelligence, humanity's future happens here first. Leveraging the next waves of technology and science - quantum computing and the immense potential of immunology - the UCLA Research Park will cement California's global economic, scientific, and technological dominance into the 22nd century, and beyond."
Governor Gavin Newsom
Statement on the Development of UCLA Research Park
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New California Laws for 2024 | |
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1) Minimum Wage Increases: As of Jan.1, the California state minimum wage will increase to $16 per hour for all employers, regardless of employee headcount. Exempt California employees must also be paid a minimum annual salary of $66,560.
2) Enhanced Paid Sick Leave Benefits: SB 616 builds on ten years of paid sick leave law, and is one of the more significant expansions of employers' obligations regarding paid sick leave since the Healthy Workplaces Health Families Act of 2014 was enacted. Under SB 616, an employer must either 1) Frontload 40 hours/five days of paid sick leave at the beginning of each year of employment; 2) Accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, with a carry-over of paid sick leave from year to year but can implement an 80 hour/10-day accrual cap, and can limit the employee's use of 40 hours/five days in each year of employment; or 3) Use a different accrual method provided that the accrual is on a regular basis so that employees have no less than 24 hours of paid sick leave by their 120th day of employment.
3) New Employee Leave Entitlement for Reproductive Loss: Employers with five or more employees must give up to five days of protected leave for eligible employees who, after 30 days of work, experience a reproductive loss event (failed adoption, surrogacy, miscarriage, stillbirth, or unsuccessful assisted reproduction). Non-consecutive leave within three months is allowed. If multiple events occur within a year, up to 20 days of leave are mandated. The leave is unpaid, but other leaves can be used concurrently. No paperwork is needed, and employers can't retaliate. Confidentiality is also required.
4) Nationwide Focus on Noncompetition Agreements: SB 699 reinforces the state's pro-employee stance on noncompetition agreements, declaring them unenforceable regardless of when or where they were signed. This blanket ban extends even if the contract was executed outside of California. Employers are expressly prohibited from entering into such agreements or attempting to enforce them. Employees have a private right of action, allowing them to seek injunctive relief, actual damages, and attorneys' fees if successful. A companion bill, AB 1076, mandates employers to inform current and former employees who were employed after January 1, 2022 in writing by February 14, 2024, that such existing noncompetition clauses are void.
5) Protections for Off-site, Off-Duty Marijuana Use: AB 2188 and SB 700 amend the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to safeguard off-site, off-duty marijuana use. Effective January 1, 2024, employers are barred from discriminating against individuals who have used cannabis away from work or tested positive for non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites. Exemptions exist for certain workers, like those in the building and construction trades. Employers cannot inquire about an applicant's past cannabis use, and protections extend to information obtained from a person's criminal history unless allowed under state or federal law.
6) Wage Theft Prevention Notice Published by California Labor Commission:
California Labor Code Section 2810.5 mandates that employers furnish a Wage Theft Prevention Notice to each employee at the time of hiring, outlining key terms of employment as specified in the code. This includes details like rate(s) of pay, payday, employer's legal name and DBAs, address, workers' compensation, and paid sick leave information. Employers can communicate these details in the language typically used for employment-related information, with the Labor Commissioner providing a template. AB 636 introduces a new requirement for the notice to include information on recent federal or state emergency or disaster declarations within 30 days before the employee's first day, affecting their health and safety. The California Labor Commissioner has updated the template notice to incorporate this change, and employers using it should ensure their templates are current.
7) New Workplace Violence Prevention Plan: California's new law, Section 6401.9 in the Labor Code, requires almost all employers in the state to establish an effective workplace violence prevention plan by July 1, 2024. The plan must outline responsibilities, involve employees in its development, address hazard identification and correction, provide training, respond to incidents, and prohibit retaliation against reporting employees. Employers must also establish procedures for timely hazard correction, post-incident response, and plan review. Comprehensive record-keeping, including details on hazard management, investigations, and a violent incident log, is required. Noncompliance may result in monetary penalties. Covered employers are advised to ensure compliance proactively before the deadline.
8) New Rebuttable Presumption for Workplace Retaliation: SB 497, also known as the Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act, amends California Labor Code Sections 98.6, 1102.5, and 1197.5. It introduces a rebuttable presumption of retaliation in favor of employees' workplace retaliation claims if adverse action occurs within 90 days of engaging in protected activity. This presumption simplifies the process for employees to establish a prima facie retaliation case. While current law requires employees to show engagement in protected activity, adverse action, and a causal nexus, SB 497 shifts the burden to the employer if the 90-day presumption applies. The employer must provide a legitimate, non-retaliatory reason, and if successful, the burden returns to the employee to prove the discipline was still retaliatory. SB 497 also allows for civil penalties to be awarded to the affected employee.
9) Elimination of Automatic Stay of Litigation Pending Arbitration Appeal: Under current law, trial court proceedings are automatically stayed pending an appeal of an order denying a motion to compel arbitration. However, effective Jan. 1, 2024, such an appeal will no longer automatically stay trial court proceedings. Instead, employers (and others seeking to arbitrate) may have to litigate the merits of the underlying claims while the case is appealed unless the court exercises its discretion to order a stay. As with other recent California laws adverse to arbitration, SB 365 substantially changes existing law and is likely subject to challenge on preemption grounds. SB 365 also conflicts with a recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent that held that a district court must stay proceedings pending an interlocutory appeal on the question of arbitration.
10) Public Prosecutors to Prosecute Actions for Wage-Hour Violations: Until Jan. 1, 2029, this law will authorize a public prosecutor to file an action, either civil or criminal, for a violation of specific provisions of the California Labor Code related to payment of wages to employees and willful misclassifications of individuals as independent contractors. This bill also provides that arbitration agreements requiring individual arbitration and limiting representative actions shall not impact the public prosecutor or the Labor Commissioner's enforcement of the California Labor Code. If actions brought under this law are successful, recovered wages are prioritized for payments to the affected workers, and civil penalties will be paid to California's General Fund. The law also permits public prosecutors to seek injunctive relief and prevailing attorney's fees and costs.
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Register Today: VICA County Officeholders Breakfast | |
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LA County Officeholders Breakfast
Wednesday, January 31 | 8:30 AM
The Garland
VICA's LA County Officeholders Breakfast is a unique and fun opportunity for our members to directly engage with elected officials representing LA County in a “Fireside Chat” type format. VICA thanks our Presenting Sponsors, Amazon, EKA, Microsoft, and SoCalGas.
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Supervisor Kathryn Barger
Kathryn Barger, representing the 5th District, the largest in Los Angeles County, covering over 2,785 square miles, has been committed to offering effective representation to the residents of 20 cities and 83 unincorporated communities. Elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2016, Barger served as Chair and secured reelection for her second term in 2020.
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County Assessor Jeff Prang
Jeffrey Prang, elected as the 27th Assessor for the County of Los Angeles in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 and 2022, hails from Warren, Michigan, and is a graduate of James Madison College at Michigan State University. With nearly 18 years of service as a council member for the City of West Hollywood, including four terms as Mayor, Prang assumed the Los Angeles County Assessor role in 2014.
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County Sheriff Robert Luna
Robert G. Luna assumed the role of the 34th Los Angeles County Sheriff, leading the largest U.S. Sheriff’s Department with nearly 18,000 staff. With a 36-year career at the Long Beach Police Department, Luna, who started as a reserve officer in 1985, rose to become Chief of Police in 2014. His commitment to relationship-based policing is rooted in his early experiences in East Los Angeles.
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Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan
Dean Logan, serving as the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk for Los Angeles County since 2008, oversees the nation's largest and most diverse local election jurisdiction with over 5.6 million registered voters. Beyond election duties, his office manages real property documents, vital records, civil marriages, and business filings for approximately 3,500 daily customers.
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LAST CALL: Tell VICA Your 2024 Legislative Priorities! | |
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As we step into the year 2024, we are eager to learn about your key legislative priorities for your business and the broader business community of the San Fernando Valley-Los Angeles region.
VICA encourages you to connect with our legislative affairs team promptly to ensure that your priorities are considered. Simply click the "Notify Now" button below to get in touch!
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VICA is Looking for 2024 Board and Committee Sponsors | |
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VICA is looking for members to host or sponsor our board meetings and committee meetings in the upcoming year. If your company can accommodate 20-40 individuals and provide breakfast or lunch, we have a committee opportunity for you!
As a host, you'll have the chance to extend a warm welcome, promote your organization and site, and be featured on each agenda with table cards throughout the meetings.
Unable to host? Please consider sponsoring a meeting at the VICA office. As a sponsor, you'll provide meals for committee meetings while having your logo displayed on the meetings' agendas and table cards.
For details and available committee meetings, please visit the link below.
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SFVBJ Column: Ventura Boulevard's Accelerating Pulse | |
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Well, folks, brace yourselves for the revelation of the century: Ventura Boulevard is on the fast track to becoming the hottest spot in Los Angeles! With transit-oriented developments sprouting up (and some still just sketches on paper), fresh housing options, new dining experiences, and retail choices, the San Fernando Valley is getting a makeover courtesy of Ventura Boulevard.
It might sound like I’m exaggerating, but Ventura Boulevard is standing at a crossroads, evolving faster than the algorithm used by your favorite streaming service. It’s not just a commercial strip; it’s a cultural mecca in the making. Once known for mom-and-pop joints and quirky boutiques, Ventura is having a renaissance, transforming the city into a dynamic epicenter.
Walk down this 18-mile-long corridor and you’ll see change happening at every turn. Home to more than 44,000 residents and neighboring communities, including Studio City, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana and Lake Balboa, Ventura Boulevard is the host to more than 3,800 businesses. These ventures provide jobs to more than 27,000 people and rake in an annual payroll of $1.4 billion.
To read the full op-ed, click the link below.
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VICA Thanks Our New and Renewing Members! | | |
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Bronze Members:
Renewing Members:
New Member:
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Sacramento Advocacy Days
Tuesday, January 30 | All Day
Tuesday, February 27 I All Day
VICA's regular advocacy trips to the State Capitol are crucial for ensuring that the voice of the business community is heard by legislators.
These members-only trips allow attendees to interact directly with statewide elected officials, discussing the issues that are vital to our members. Join VICA in Sacramento for one of our monthly advocacy trips, and don't miss this opportunity to have your voice heard on how legislation affects your company/organization!
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Transportation Committee
Tuesday, January 9
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Hosted by The Garland
RSVP
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Ambassador Committee
Wednesday, January 10
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
At the VICA Office
RSVP
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Women in Leadership Breakfast
Friday, April 26
8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
RSVP
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Aviation Committee
Tuesday, January 16
Noon - 2:00 PM
Hosted by Aerolease Group
RSVP
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Government Affairs Committee
Wednesday, January 17
Noon - 2:00 PM
At the VICA Office
RSVP
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UCLA to Transform Westside Mall
The former Westside Pavilion, a long-shuttered indoor mall, will be transformed into a UCLA biomedical research center to tackle such towering challenges as curing cancer and preventing global pandemics. The three-story structure will be known as the UCLA Research Park and house two multidisciplinary centers focusing on immunology, immunotherapy, quantum science, and engineering. By purchasing the shopping center, UCLA saved several years of potential toil by choosing not to build such a facility on campus. UCLA is the most applied-to university in the nation while being among the smallest of the nine UC campuses.
CA First to Offer Medi-Cal to Undocumented Persons
Beginning January 1, undocumented immigrants of all ages will qualify for Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for extremely low-income people. This makes California the only state to fund comprehensive health care for undocumented immigrants. More than 700,000 undocumented immigrants between the ages of 26 to 49 will become eligible for Medi-Cal as part of the state's final expansion of the program - the realization of a long-awaited dream for Californians without legal status.
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New Housing Laws Take Effect
A slew of housing bills taking effect on Jan.1 looks to ease the burden of California's housing shortage. Among the fresh housing laws are SB 423, which expands the approval of apartment buildings where units are set aside for lower-income residents, and SB 4, which allows religious institutions and non-profit colleges to build affordable housing. Other proposals include building denser buildings if units are set aside for middle-income earners, dividing large parcels of land for modest clusters of townhomes and cottages, allowing courts to slap down frivolous environmental lawsuits, and shielding affordable housing projects from environmental review.
Study Shows Workers Want to be in Office More
Office workers recently surveyed by an international architecture firm reported that they typically come into the office about half the time but said they ideally need to be there two-thirds of a typical workweek for their best productivity. The workers' attitudes mark a change from the early months after the pandemic when most said they got more work done at home. While some find it easier to focus working at home, others are more easily diverted there.
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Member Messages
Get Your Message in VICA Weekly!
VICA members can promote their business, events and news in VICA Weekly. Member messages are available for $50 per week or $175 for four weeks. Messages are text-based and may not contain more than 70 words. A logo may be added for an additional $5 per week. For more information or to schedule your member message, contact yoko@vica.com or call (818) 817-0545.
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ABOUT VICA
Presenting the business perspective on behalf of employers in the
San Fernando Valley cities of Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas,
Hidden Hills, San Fernando and Santa Clarita.
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