The 2025 Legislative Session ended on October 13, 2025, when the deadline for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign or veto pending bills expired. This session continued last year’s trend of involving fewer major employment law changes compared to prior years. Notably, the Governor vetoed several bills that would have imposed significant new obligations on employers related to artificial intelligence and workplace surveillance.

Read on for details regarding the Top Six New Employment Laws all California Employers and Human Resources Professionals should know about, as well as additional laws with more limited application or narrower scope that are nonetheless worthy of attention and several notable new local ordinances and new state and federal regulations. Unless otherwise noted, these laws will take effect January 1, 2026.