Changes in Law 2026 – Human Resources

October 21, 2026

California’s 2026 legislative session brought a number of significant changes affecting school employers, employees, credentialing, background checks, workplace technology, retirement systems, staffing, and other human resources matters.

This overview highlights major changes that local educational agencies (LEAs) should be aware of as they prepare for implementation. Unless otherwise specified, bills signed by the Governor take effect January 1, 2027.

14 Weeks of Paid Pregnancy Disability Leave Included in Budget

The 2026-27 state budget included trailer bill language requiring all public school and community college employers, beginning January 1, 2027, to provide eligible employees with up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave.

The new requirement is contained in AB 126 for TK-12 employers and SB 135 for community college employers.

Under the new leave requirements:

Eligibility is limited to employees who are experiencing or have experienced pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from those conditions. Part-time employees are eligible, but substitute and temporary employees are not.
The employee and their doctor determine the length of leave, up to 14 weeks.
The disability leave cannot be deducted from other leave available to the employee for subsequent injury, illness, or disability.
There is no minimum service requirement before an eligible employee may access the leave.
Employees receive full compensation during the leave, including required employer retirement fund contributions. Employees continue earning full service credit and paying member retirement contributions.
Employers must maintain group health coverage at the same level that would have been provided had the employee continued working.
If an employer participates in state disability insurance, disability benefits received by the employee may be applied in partial satisfaction of the requirement. However, the employer must still ensure the employee receives full pay without reducing vacation, sick leave, or other compensated leave balances.

Funding for the New Leave Requirement

The budget language followed several unsuccessful legislative attempts to establish similar leave requirements. Schools generally supported the need for pregnancy disability leave but raised concerns about creating a new benefit without corresponding state funding or changes addressing substitute service limits.

The 2026-27 budget did not establish a separate reimbursement fund. Instead, the mandate is tied to additional Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) funding provided through the 4.31% “Super-COLA,” consisting of a 2.87% statutory COLA and a 1.44% augmentation.

LEAs that incur costs associated with the new leave requirement are directed to use funding from the 1.44% augmentation to reimburse those costs.

The 1.44% augmentation represents approximately $1.1 billion in additional LCFF funding, while the Newsom Administration estimated the cost of providing the new leave to TK-12 employees at approximately $200 million.

School advocates have raised concerns about tying a new mandate to COLA funding that otherwise would have been discretionary. Advocates had urged the state to establish a separate reimbursement fund, which also could have helped the state better track actual utilization and costs. Although that proposal was not adopted, the issue may return in future legislative discussions.

Emergency Career Substitutes Can Serve Up to 70 Days With Required Support

The Governor also signed legislation intended to give schools another option for filling extended teacher vacancies.

In 2025, Governor Newsom vetoed AB 1224, which would have allowed an LEA to place a substitute in a single assignment for up to 60 days. The Governor expressed concerns about allowing individuals to serve in extended assignments without sufficient training, mentorship, or support.

Following that veto, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) considered several alternatives, including changes to the emergency career substitute permit. Draft regulations approved by the CTC in February 2026 included an alternative pathway allowing employers to verify that a teacher completed 15 hours of preservice preparation covering essential readiness topics in lieu of the existing three-year substitute teaching experience requirement.

AB 2490 builds on that work and creates an alternative pathway for a teacher to obtain an emergency career substitute permit and serve in a single general education or special education assignment for up to 70 days. The 70-day period was designed to better align with the new 14-week paid pregnancy disability leave requirement.

Requirements for the Alternative Permit Pathway

An LEA employer using the new pathway must verify that the permit holder has:

Completed at least five hours of professional development.
Completed orientation training that includes opportunities for participant engagement and covers classroom management, academic instructional strategies, curriculum, teaching English learners, individualized education programs, and pupil and staff safety protocols.
Been assigned a mentor who will provide ongoing support for the duration of the assignment.

The mentor must hold an appropriate multiple subject, single subject, or administrative credential and have a record of successful teaching demonstrated by satisfactory annual performance evaluations during the preceding three years. Existing training and documented mentorship hours may satisfy applicable requirements, and the legislation recommends an average of two hours of mentoring per week.

Special Education Assignments

For special education assignments, the professional development must focus on special education, and the assigned mentor generally must be an education specialist credential holder or a credentialed administrator who also holds an education specialist credential.

If such an individual with a record of successful teaching is unavailable, an administrator with a credential and at least three years of experience in a special education setting may serve as the mentor.

For both general and special education assignments, the mentor may work for either the LEA using the permit holder or another LEA.

Additional Employer Requirements

Employers using permits issued under the alternative pathway must also:

Before assigning the permit holder to a position in which the teacher of record is on statutory leave, employ all available and suitable substitutes holding teaching permits for statutory leave.
Before assigning the permit holder to a vacant position or another position for which a statutory leave permit cannot be used, make reasonable efforts to recruit someone for the assignment.
Notify parents and guardians of students assigned to the permit holder within 10 school days of the placement.

At the end of each school year, LEAs must report to their governing bodies during a regularly scheduled public meeting the number of substitute assignments lasting 31 days or longer in general education and 21 days or longer in special education.

The report must identify whether each placement resulted from a vacant teaching position with no teacher of record or from the absence of an existing teacher of record.

LEAs must also report annually to the CTC, through the California Statewide Assignment Accountability System, the number of emergency career substitute assignments made under the new alternative pathway.

Permit Renewal

Like a traditional emergency career substitute permit, a permit issued under the alternative pathway is valid for 12 months and may be renewed.

Upon the first renewal, the permit holder must provide verification of 30 hours of professional development covering classroom management, instructional strategies, curriculum, teaching English learners, individualized education programs, and pupil and staff safety protocols.

AB 2490 does not limit the number of times a permit issued under this pathway may be renewed.

Unlike temporary substitute flexibilities implemented during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic, the pathway established by AB 2490 is permanent and does not contain a sunset date.

Bills Tighten Recent Changes to Background Check Requirements for School Employees and Contractors

In 2025, the Governor signed SB 848, which requires the CTC, by July 1, 2027, to establish a statewide data system covering classified employees and investigations involving egregious misconduct.

The 2026-27 budget provides $1.6 million to the CTC for development of the system.

SB 1083 further defines how the system will operate, establishes additional due-process protections for classified employees, and expands requirements involving employment history, investigations, contractors, and background checks.

Earlier versions of SB 1083 contained broader employee notification and appeal provisions. Those provisions were removed following concerns from school employers about their potential impact on investigations, local control, and student safety.

Employee Background Checks

SB 848 requires applicants for classified positions to provide a complete list of prior school employers. Hiring employers must contact each employer on that list to determine whether the applicant was the subject of credible complaints, investigations, or discipline involving egregious misconduct.

SB 1083 clarifies that once the statewide data system becomes operational, school employers must still perform both checks: they must review the statewide system and contact the applicant’s former school employers before making a hiring decision.

Former school employers contacted by a hiring LEA must provide:

Whether they submitted a report concerning the employee’s egregious misconduct to the CTC statewide data system.
Copies of relevant information or evidence used to support a substantiated report of egregious misconduct.
Other employment history consistent with the information disclosed for certificated employees, along with relevant supporting information or evidence.

Beginning January 1, 2027, school employers must also report to the statewide system whether they responded to an inquiry from another school employer regarding a substantiated report of egregious misconduct completed before January 1, 2026.

Related legislation, AB 1381, prohibits a superintendent of a school district or county office of education, or an administrator of a charter school, from hiring a certificated or classified employee without first completing the required employment-history inquiry.

Failure to comply may constitute unprofessional conduct and subject the superintendent or administrator to CTC action. An applicant’s failure to provide a complete list of former school employers may also constitute unprofessional conduct and, for certificated applicants, result in CTC action.

Classified Employee Dismissal

SB 1083 permits dismissal of a classified employee when the current employer learns that the employee was previously the subject of a credible complaint, investigation, or discipline involving egregious misconduct reported to the statewide system and either:

The employee failed to provide the current employer with a complete list of former employers; or
A previous school employer failed to disclose the credible complaint, investigation, or discipline.

Statewide Data System

SB 1083 provides additional details governing creation and operation of the CTC statewide data system established under SB 848.

Accessing the Data System

School employers must request access to the system by May 1, 2027.

An LEA or private school established after that date must request access within 30 days of being established and before making hiring decisions.

The CTC will provide access through a secure interface and must provide access within five business days of receiving a request. If the system is not yet operational, access must be provided within five business days after it becomes operational.

Employers must provide the CTC with current email addresses for individuals designated to receive electronic notifications from the system.

Within 90 days after the system becomes operational, school employers must also report whether they conducted an investigation involving a credible complaint of egregious misconduct that was completed on or after January 1, 2026 and resulted in a substantiated report.

Information to Be Submitted to the Data System

SB 1083 expands the information maintained within the system. Required data fields include:

The employee’s full name, date of birth, and last four digits of their Social Security number.
The title, starting date, and ending date, if applicable, for each position held with a school employer, along with the employer’s name.
The name of each school employer that submitted information about the employee.
Whether the employer conducted an investigation involving a credible complaint of egregious misconduct completed on or after January 1, 2026 that resulted in a substantiated report.
Whether the employer responded to an inquiry regarding a substantiated report of egregious misconduct completed before January 1, 2026.
The date each investigation into egregious misconduct began and the date it concluded.
Whether the employee left employment before completion of an investigation into egregious misconduct.
The employee’s employment status.

Access to the system will be limited to CTC employees administering the system and school employees responsible for employment, employee investigations, or hiring decisions. Information must remain confidential and may not be used for purposes other than those specifically authorized by law.

Reporting Timelines

Existing requirements under SB 848 require employers to report a classified employee’s final date of employment within 10 calendar days after the employee leaves their position.

SB 1083 adds the following reporting deadlines:

Within 30 days after hiring a classified employee, the employer must submit the employee’s information to the system.
Within 30 days after a classified employee transfers into or adds another classified position with the same employer, the employer must submit information regarding the new or additional position.

Egregious Misconduct Investigations

Investigation Timelines

When a school employer receives a credible complaint or otherwise has reason to believe an employee engaged in egregious misconduct, SB 1083 requires the employer to conduct an investigation.

The investigation must:

Begin within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint.
Be concluded within 90 days after the investigation begins.
Result in an unfounded, substantiated, or inconclusive report.

The 90-day period may be extended for good cause, including circumstances in which law enforcement is conducting a related criminal investigation or other related law-enforcement activity remains under review.

Within 10 calendar days after an investigation concludes, the employer must provide the employee with written notice of the findings and a summary of the basis for those findings.

If the CTC requests information from an employer that filed an egregious-misconduct report or submitted information to the statewide data system, the employer must provide relevant information and evidence used to support the substantiated report. Employers that issue substantiated reports are therefore required to preserve supporting information and evidence.

If an Employee Leaves Before an Investigation Is Complete

An investigation must continue even if the employee leaves employment before it is completed.

When this occurs, the school employer must:

Update the statewide system to reflect changes in the employee’s employment status.
Update the system to show that an investigation has begun.
Complete the investigation and issue a substantiated, unfounded, or inconclusive report.
Update the system to reflect issuance of the report.
If the investigation results in a substantiated report and the employer agrees with the report, submit the date the investigation concluded and the date the substantiated report was issued.
If the investigation results in an unfounded or inconclusive report, or the employer does not agree with a substantiated report, remove related information submitted to the system during the investigation.

Once an investigation is entered into the system, the employee’s status will indicate a pending investigation. The system must notify each employer identified as currently employing that employee and continue sending notifications every 30 days until the investigating employer reports that the investigation has concluded.

If a previously substantiated report is later determined to be unfounded or inconclusive, the employer must remove the report and related investigation information from the statewide system within 10 calendar days.

Employee Right to Respond and Review

During an investigation, the employer must provide the employee with a reasonable opportunity to submit a statement and evidence to the investigator. The employee may provide this information in person, in writing, or both.

The employee must also be allowed to review and comment on investigation records before those records are placed in the employee’s personnel file.

Contractor Background Checks and Reporting Requirements

Background Checks

SB 1083 makes several changes to background-check requirements for contractors and subcontractors providing services to students.

Current law requires an entity contracting with an LEA to ensure employees who interact with students have completed a valid criminal background check. SB 1083 adds subcontractors to these requirements and expands the requirements to employees who provide direct services to pupils.

“Direct services to pupils” includes:

Direct services to a student regardless of where the services are provided, including virtual services.
Services arranged by an LEA and offered at a school campus, resource center, satellite facility, learning center, recreation or athletic facility, or another facility where the arranged services are provided, including virtually.
Transportation to or from such facilities, except for drivers subject to Education Code sections 39875-39882.

Contractors must provide evidence to LEAs that employees interacting with students or providing direct services have undergone fingerprint-based state and national criminal background checks.

A contractor may not allow an employee to begin providing services or assign that employee to an LEA before the required background check is complete.

For employees working under an emergency or exceptional-situation exemption, SB 1083 requires the contractor employee to remain under the immediate supervision and control of a school employee.

For students participating in contractor-provided services through an independent study program, LEAs must verify valid criminal record summaries for contractor employees who interact with or provide direct services to the student. The legislation eliminates the previous option of relying instead on parental consent acknowledging that a background check had not been completed.

The existing background-check exemption for qualifying work-experience programs remains in place.

Contracts for Services

By July 1, 2027, LEA governing bodies entering into contracts for services must ensure that the terms and conditions include, at minimum:

A requirement that the contractor disclose the names and pertinent identifying information of employees previously employed by a school employer.
A requirement that the LEA check those individuals through the statewide data system or by contacting their former school employers.
A requirement that the contractor disclose credible complaints of or discipline for reportable conduct involving contractor or subcontractor employees who will provide direct services to pupils.
A process requiring the contractor to notify the LEA when it receives a complaint of or imposes discipline for reportable conduct.
A requirement that contractor and subcontractor employees interacting with students or providing direct services comply with applicable background-check requirements.
A termination clause addressing failure to comply with these requirements.

LEA governing bodies must also enforce these contractual provisions and the background-check requirements.

Contracts already in effect on or before July 1, 2027 may remain in place until they expire or are renegotiated. Any successor agreement must comply with SB 1083.

An LEA may not enter into a contract on or after January 1, 2027 that fails to comply with SB 1083 if that contract will remain operative after July 1, 2027.

Reportable conduct includes egregious misconduct, sex offenses or other sexual misconduct, controlled-substance offenses, child abuse and neglect, violent or serious felonies, conduct requiring a report under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, and other conduct posing a serious risk to a student’s physical or emotional safety. It does not include violations that are solely administrative or performance-related, such as punctuality or dress-code violations.

Complaints of Egregious Misconduct by a Contractor

If an LEA receives a credible complaint of egregious misconduct involving a contractor, subcontractor, or an employee of either while performing services for the LEA, SB 1083 requires the LEA to:

Notify and file a report with law enforcement; and
Notify the contractor in writing of the complaint.

Labor-Backed Package of AI Laws Increases Protections for Employees

The Governor signed a package of bills addressing artificial intelligence and workplace surveillance, particularly the use of automated technology for employee monitoring and disciplinary decisions.

Three of the measures generally apply to employers, including LEAs:

AB 1883 (Bryan) prohibits an employer from using AI-powered workplace surveillance tools to recognize, infer, or predict an employee’s emotional state or collect neural data. Employers may continue using surveillance technology for legitimate safety purposes when the technology does not perform those prohibited functions.
AB 1331 (Elhawary) prohibits workplace surveillance tools from being used to monitor employees in workplace bathrooms. Employees generally have the right to leave wearable or portable surveillance devices outside a bathroom, with limited exceptions for identification, safety, or secure bathroom access when the device does not record audio or video and does not contain physically embedded or attached AI.
SB 947 (McNerney) prohibits an employer from relying solely on an automated decision system (ADS) when making disciplinary or termination decisions. When an ADS is primarily used, a human must corroborate the decision using the same data or other relevant supporting information. If the human reviewer cannot corroborate the result, the ADS decision cannot be used for discipline or termination.

If an ADS-based decision is corroborated, the affected employee must receive written notice explaining that the employer primarily relied on an automated system, that a human reviewed the decision, whom the employee may contact for more information, the employee’s right to receive a description of the data used by the system, and protections against retaliation for exercising rights under the law.

The Governor also signed AB 2148, which is specifically directed at schools. The measure clarifies that, for purposes of the Education Code, a “public school employee” and a “contractor performing services in a public school” mean a natural person.

Earlier versions of AB 2148 would have established broader restrictions involving educators’ use of educational technology, but those provisions were removed before the bill reached the Governor.

Governor Vetoes Bills That Would Have Limited Hiring Flexibilities for Schools

Following opposition from school employers, Governor Newsom vetoed two labor-backed measures that would have restricted schools’ ability to adjust staffing as operational needs change.

AB 2142 would have required a school district to move certain short-term employees into the classified service when specified conditions were met, including situations in which the short-term position was used for at least 50% of a school year during three of five consecutive school years.

While expressing support for the general goal of preventing long-term reliance on employees classified as “short-term,” the Governor cited concerns about implementation complexity and costs.

AB 917 would have removed the current exemption allowing county offices of education and school districts with fewer than 250 average daily attendance to avoid the requirement that certificated employees become permanent after two years of service.

The measure also would have expanded permanency requirements for instructors working in certain regional occupational centers or programs operated by a county office of education or joint powers authority.

The Governor cited concerns about limiting flexibility for small school districts and regional occupational programs responding to changing enrollment and workforce needs.

Although both bills were unsuccessful in 2026, similar proposals could return in a future legislative session.

Human Resources Bills Signed Into Law

California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)

AB 1904 (Gipson) – Teachers: credentialed educator apprenticeship programs.
The Credentialed Educator Apprenticeships Act requires the CTC and Division of Apprenticeship Standards to partner in the dissemination, approval, and monitoring of credentialed educator apprenticeship programs in California.

State-approved programs must provide at least 300 hours of paid on-the-job training before an apprentice may serve as educator of record and at least 200 hours of support, mentoring, and supervision per school year.

The legislation also authorizes the CTC to issue apprenticeship certificates or permits to educator candidates without a credential who are employed by LEAs, participating in an approved apprenticeship program, and have successfully completed a criminal background check.

Chapter 906, Statutes of 2026
AB 2206 (Fong) – Teacher credentialing: community college baccalaureate degrees.
AB 2206 prohibits a California community college or community college district from offering an integrated professional-preparation program that would allow a teaching-credential candidate to complete professional preparation concurrently with subject-matter preparation while earning a baccalaureate degree.

For a baccalaureate degree from an accredited community or junior college to satisfy degree requirements for a teaching credential, the degree must include coursework in basic English-language reading, writing, and mathematics skills.

Chapter 387, Statutes of 2026
AB 2580 (Muratsuchi) – Teacher credentialing: programs of professional preparation: California State University and community college partnerships.
By July 1, 2027, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and Chancellor of the California State University must develop a plan to increase professional teacher-preparation partnerships between CSU campuses and community college districts.

The plan must include expansion of online CSU professional-preparation programs offered in partnership with community colleges and additional pathways allowing community college students pursuing teaching credentials to enroll concurrently in CSU teacher-preparation coursework.

Implementation is contingent upon a state budget appropriation.

Chapter 624, Statutes of 2026
AB 2652 (Sharp-Collins) – Teacher credentialing: world languages: subject matter examinations: language proficiency assessments.
AB 2652 expands options for candidates seeking a World Language teaching credential or bilingual authorization to demonstrate language proficiency when the CTC does not administer a subject-matter examination for the language.

Qualified candidates may satisfy applicable language examination requirements by successfully completing a comparable postsecondary language-proficiency assessment.

Chapter 77, Statutes of 2026
SB 1443 (Committee on Education) – Elementary and secondary education: omnibus.
The annual K-12 omnibus bill makes technical, clarifying, conforming, and other noncontroversial revisions to the Education Code.

Changes include removing obsolete references to the state basic-skills proficiency test for multiple subject, single subject, and education specialist credentials; aligning minimum requirements for special education specialists with multiple and single subject credentials; clarifying early-completion eligibility in district intern programs; and aligning authorizations across district intern programs.

Chapter 328, Statutes of 2026

Human Resources

AB 1381 (Muratsuchi) – Education-related positions: previous employment disclosures: Commission on Teacher Credentialing: unprofessional conduct.
AB 1381 strengthens existing requirements for employment-history checks when hiring certificated and noncertificated school employees.

A superintendent of a school district or county office of education, or an administrator of a charter or private school, may not hire an employee without first completing the required inquiry into the applicant’s prior school employment.

Failure to comply constitutes unprofessional conduct and may result in CTC action. An applicant’s failure to provide a complete list of former school employers may also constitute unprofessional conduct and, for certificated applicants, result in CTC action.

Chapter 364, Statutes of 2026
AB 1627 (Ávila Farías) – Public employment: disqualifications.
Existing law establishes circumstances that disqualify an individual from serving as a peace officer, including a sworn school police officer.

AB 1627 clarifies that, for these disqualification provisions, “employed in law enforcement” and “law enforcement officer” include law-enforcement officers employed by another state, a United States territory, or the federal government who engage in immigration enforcement.

Chapter 739, Statutes of 2026
AB 1803 (Lowenthal) – Employment: sexual harassment training and education: anti-hate speech training.
Employers with five or more employees are currently required to provide specified sexual-harassment training to supervisory and nonsupervisory employees every two years.

Beginning January 1, 2028, AB 1803 requires this training to include anti-hate speech training providing practical guidance on recognizing, reporting, and confronting workplace speech that vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred against people based on protected characteristics.

Important Date:
- January 1, 2028 – Anti-hate speech training requirement begins.
Chapter 547, Statutes of 2026
AB 1883 (Bryan) – Workplace surveillance tools.
AB 1883 prohibits employers from using workplace surveillance tools incorporating AI to recognize, infer, or predict an employee’s emotional state or collect neural data.

The legislation does not prevent an employer from using workplace surveillance tools for safety or other legitimate purposes when the technology does not perform the prohibited functions.

Chapter 853, Statutes of 2026
AB 1961 (Ahrens) – Civil actions: protective orders: workplace violence.
Existing law allows an employer to seek a workplace-violence restraining order on behalf of an employee who has suffered harassment, unlawful violence, or a credible threat of violence.

AB 1961 allows an employer to seek a temporary restraining order on behalf of all employees at a workplace or location when harassment, unlawful violence, or a credible threat of violence is directed at the workplace or location where a group of employees performs its primary duties, without identifying a specific employee in the petition.

Chapter 910, Statutes of 2026
AB 2054 (Gipson) – Family temporary disability insurance program: covered active duty.
Once Unemployment Insurance Code Section 3301.5 is incorporated into the Employment Development Department’s integrated claims-management system as part of EDDNext, or by July 1, 2028, whichever occurs first, AB 2054 expands the definition of “covered active duty.”

The expanded definition includes duty during training, deployment other than deployment to a foreign country, and, for members of the National Guard, a call or order to state active duty.

Important Date:
- July 1, 2028 – Latest date by which the expanded definition of “covered active duty” will take effect.
Chapter 729, Statutes of 2026
AB 2120 (Solache) – School district employees: merit system.
AB 2120 extends until January 1, 2031 the Los Angeles Unified School District’s authority to use an alternative merit hiring process for specified classified positions requiring specialized skills.

The bill removes information technology electronic communications technician from the list of eligible positions and requires LAUSD to report to the Legislature regarding use of the exemption by January 1, 2030.

Chapter 289, Statutes of 2026
AB 2148 (Muratsuchi) – Elementary and secondary education: public school employees: contractors: natural persons.
AB 2148 defines, for purposes of the Education Code, both a public school employee and a contractor providing services in a public school as a natural person.

Chapter 45, Statutes of 2026
AB 2150 (Haney) – Emergencies: personnel: training requirements: opioid overdose reversals.
Employers in California that require employees to maintain CPR certification must also require those employees to complete an Emergency Medical Services Authority-approved online video training module on the use of naloxone for opioid-overdose reversal.

The naloxone training must be separate from the existing CPR curriculum, and employers must pay its cost.

An employer does not need to provide separate training when an employee has completed CPR, first-aid, or another program that EMSA determines already satisfies the new naloxone-training requirements, provided the employer maintains documentation of the qualifying certification or program.

Chapter 384, Statutes of 2026
AB 2563 (Pacheco) – Sex discrimination: scope.
AB 2563 establishes a consistent definition of “sex discrimination” across state laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex, gender, or similar classifications.

The definition includes discrimination based on assigned sex or gender category, conformity to sex or gender stereotypes, gender including gender identity and gender expression, access to gender-affirming care, pregnancy, and sexual orientation.

Chapter 952, Statutes of 2026
AB 2796 (Committee on Public Safety) – Criminal history information: background checks.
AB 2796 makes changes to laws authorizing federal-level background checks for employment, contracting, and licensing in order to maintain California’s access to federal criminal-history information.

Among other changes, employees of entities contracting with private or heritage schools and providing services that include school-site administrative services or instruction must submit fingerprints to the Department of Justice.

If the FBI subsequently authorizes an entity to conduct a federal criminal-history check, applicants, licensees, certified individuals, and employees who did not previously undergo the federal check must resubmit fingerprints for that purpose.

AB 2796 was enacted as an urgency measure and took effect immediately upon signature.

Important Date:
- September 20, 2026 – Bill provisions took effect.
Chapter 313, Statutes of 2026
SB 947 (McNerney) – Employment: automated decision systems.
SB 947 establishes restrictions on employers’ use of automated decision systems.

An employer may not use an ADS to prevent compliance with or violate applicable labor, occupational health and safety, employment, or civil-rights laws; infer an employee’s legally protected status; or predict and take adverse action against a worker for exercising legal rights.

An employer also may not rely solely on an ADS when making disciplinary or termination decisions.

When an employer primarily relies on an ADS, a human must corroborate the decision using the underlying data or other relevant information. If the human reviewer determines the ADS output is inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading, the employer may not use that output for the disciplinary or termination decision.

Affected employees must receive written notice when an ADS was primarily relied upon and informed that a human reviewed the decision. The legislation also prohibits retaliation against employees for exercising their rights.

Important Date:
- July 1, 2027 – Enforcement provisions take effect.
Chapter 859, Statutes of 2026
SB 1083 (Pérez) – Noncertificated public school employees: private school employees: egregious misconduct: statewide data system: Commission on Teacher Credentialing: adverse actions: contracts and background checks for educational services.
SB 1083 revises state law governing investigation, reporting, and disclosure of egregious misconduct involving noncertificated and private-school employees.

The bill also modifies the CTC statewide data system, including requirements governing when an LEA must submit information and request access, and expands background-check and misconduct-screening requirements for contractors providing services to students.

LEAs should ensure that applicable board policies, particularly policies governing contracts, comply with the new requirements.

Important Dates:
- January 1, 2027 – LEAs and private schools begin reporting whether they responded to inquiries regarding substantiated reports of egregious misconduct completed before January 1, 2026.
- May 1, 2027 – Deadline for LEAs and private schools to request access to the CTC statewide data system.
- July 1, 2027 – Additional requirements for contracts between LEAs/private schools and entities providing services to pupils take effect.
- July 1, 2027 – Each private school must adopt a written employee-investigation policy addressing investigations of egregious misconduct.
Chapter 676, Statutes of 2026
SB 1149 (Durazo) – Employees: bereavement leave.
Existing law makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to refuse an employee’s request for up to five days of bereavement leave following the death of a family member.

SB 1149 expands the definition of “family member” to include a designated person identified by the employee. Employers may limit employees to one designated person during a 12-month period.

A designated person is an individual related to the employee by blood or whose association with the employee is equivalent to a family relationship.

Chapter 679, Statutes of 2026
SB 1244 (Allen) – Public Agency Benefits Intermediary Compensation Disclosure Act.
SB 1244 requires covered service providers to disclose to a public agency, including its governing body, direct and indirect compensation the provider expects to receive before entering into, extending, renewing, or materially amending a brokerage or consulting arrangement.

Covered providers must also disclose compensation and material financial interests associated with health-care benefit arrangements they recommend, place, renew, service, or materially influence for the public agency or its group health plan.

The disclosure requirements apply when the covered service provider reasonably expects to receive at least $1,000 in compensation during the term of the contract or arrangement.

Important Date:
- January 1, 2028 – Requirements apply to contracts or arrangements entered into, extended, or renewed on or after this date.
Chapter 1020, Statutes of 2026

Professional Development

SB 998 (Gonzalez) – Educational equity: discrimination prevention coordinators.
SB 48, enacted in 2025, required appointment of Religious Discrimination Prevention, Race and Ethnicity Discrimination Prevention, Gender Discrimination Prevention, and LGBTQ+ Discrimination Prevention Coordinators within the state Office of Civil Rights.

SB 998 requires those coordinators, in consultation with the California Department of Education and under the supervision of the Government Operations Agency, to develop and provide discrimination education for teachers, staff, governing body members, administrators, and other LEA personnel; provide technical assistance to LEAs seeking restorative-justice resources, training, and practitioners; and work with LEAs to help administrators address conflicts early with the goal of proactively resolving discrimination incidents.

Chapter 670, Statutes of 2026

Retirement/CalSTRS/CalPERS

AB 1439 (Garcia) – Public retirement systems: development projects: labor standards.
AB 1439 requests that the University of California, Berkeley Labor Center conduct an independent study examining labor-standard protections in California real-estate and infrastructure development projects funded through CalPERS and CalSTRS real-asset portfolios.

The requested study and report are to be completed and provided to the Legislature and Department of Finance by January 1, 2028.

Chapter 365, Statutes of 2026
AB 2519 (McKinnor) – State Teachers’ Retirement System: positions subject to membership.
AB 2519 clarifies that a “position subject to membership” for purposes of CalSTRS eligibility includes a position at a charter school eligible for state apportionment that performs, directs, coordinates, supervises, or administers one or more functions listed in Education Code section 44065 and is either:
- A position for which the charter school requires a credential, license, permit, or certificate authorized by the CTC or Department of Health Care Services; or
- A position that would require such a credential, license, permit, or certificate if the position existed at a county office of education or school district.
The governing body of a charter school must adopt a resolution at a public meeting designating each position subject to membership and identifying the applicable Education Code section 44065 function.

The resolution must be in effect on the date of hire or be retroactively effective as of the employee’s hire date, whichever is later, but no earlier than July 1, 2027.

Important Date:
- July 1, 2027 – Effective date of the bill’s provisions.
Chapter 947, Statutes of 2026
AB 2780 (Committee on Public Employment and Retirement) – Public employees’ retirement.
The annual public-employment and retirement housekeeping bill makes technical and conforming changes to laws governing CalSTRS, CalPERS, the California Department of Human Resources, and county employee retirement systems.

Among other provisions, beginning July 1, 2027, the bill revises the definition of “retired member activities” for CalSTRS and standardizes the timeframe for employers to notify employees of CalSTRS eligibility and provide membership-election forms within 10 working days of the employee’s date of hire.

Chapter 221, Statutes of 2026
SB 939 (Laird) – Public employees’ retirement: service credit: payments.
Under existing CalPERS law, members may purchase service credit for qualifying public service. SB 939 changes payment requirements for contributions or service-credit adjustments with an effective date on or after January 1, 2028.

Amounts still owed generally become due at retirement or preretirement death. Any unpaid balance may result in an actuarial reduction to the member’s, survivor’s, or beneficiary’s allowance.

For elections effective after January 1, 2028, payment must generally be received by CalPERS no later than 90 days after the member’s retirement effective date, or within 90 days after a survivor or beneficiary is notified of an outstanding balance.

Chapter 110, Statutes of 2026
SB 1038 (Laird) – The Public Employees’ Retirement System.
Before beginning an audit, SB 1038 requires the CalPERS Board to provide the subject of the audit with written notice describing the audit’s scope and purpose and to publish specified information regarding the audit on its website.

CalPERS must also provide written notice to affected employers. An affected state employer, school employer, or contracting agency must forward notice to the exclusive representatives of affected members as soon as possible, but no later than 10 working days after receiving the notice, and notify CalPERS that it has done so.

When a final audit report is issued, the employer must forward it to the exclusive representatives of affected members within 10 working days and notify CalPERS. Within 60 days after receiving the final audit report, the employer must also provide CalPERS and the exclusive representative with a list of members affected by the report.

Chapter 152, Statutes of 2026
SB 1444 (Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement) – Employment.
SB 1444 extends the period during which a CalPERS member may change a designated beneficiary from 30 days after the first retirement-allowance payment to 60 days after that payment.

The bill also makes several changes to labor law, including clarifying that an employee who is willfully misclassified as an independent contractor may recover applicable civil penalties as damages payable to the employee.

Chapter 162, Statutes of 2026

Staff Shortage

AB 2056 (Alvarez) – Teachers: exchange programs: local educational agencies.
Existing law authorizes California school-district teachers to exchange positions with teachers in schools in other countries.

AB 2056 revises those provisions by removing the requirement that the State Board of Education adopt regulations, ending the requirement that the California Department of Education administer the program, expressly authorizing exchanges involving countries including Mexico and Spain, expanding participation to county offices of education and charter schools, and eliminating the existing one-year limit on exchanges.

Chapter 122, Statutes of 2026
AB 2490 (Valencia) – Teacher credentialing: emergency career substitute teaching permit: alternative qualifications.
AB 2490 establishes an alternative pathway for obtaining a 70-day emergency career substitute teaching permit.

For permit holders serving in special education classrooms, the LEA must verify:
- At least five hours of professional development focused on special education.
- Orientation training focused on special education, including classroom management, academic instructional strategies, curriculum, teaching English learners, individualized education programs, and pupil and staff safety protocols.
- An assigned credentialed mentor with a background in special education for the duration of the assignment.
For permit holders serving in general education classrooms, the LEA must verify:
- At least five hours of professional development.
- Orientation training covering classroom management, academic instructional strategies, curriculum, teaching English learners, individualized education programs, and pupil and staff safety protocols.
- An assigned credentialed mentor for the duration of the assignment.
Chapter 614, Statutes of 2026

Workers’ Compensation

AB 1683 (Committee on Insurance) – Workers’ compensation: prepaid cards.
Current law, through January 1, 2027, permits employers to establish programs in which workers’ compensation disability indemnity payments are deposited into prepaid-card accounts for employees.

AB 1683 removes the sunset date, allowing this method of payment to continue indefinitely.

Chapter 59, Statutes of 2026
AB 2321 (Ortega) – Occupational safety and health: investigations.
Existing law requires the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to investigate employment accidents resulting in a fatality, serious injury, serious illness, or serious exposure and grants authorized inspectors and investigators access to workplaces for those investigations.

AB 2321 makes it a misdemeanor to willfully resist, prevent, impede, or interfere with the division chief or an authorized representative performing those duties, or to willfully violate a court order related to those duties.

Chapter 936, Statutes of 2026

Source: Capitol Advisors Group, Human Resources: Changes in Law 2026, October 2026.