California workers now entitled to details before a layoff hits

New law adds to layoff notice rules

California employers now have to tell workers more when layoffs are coming.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Senate Bill 617 changes what companies must include in their layoff notices under the Cal-WARN Act. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill, authored by Sen. Jesse Arreguín, on Oct. 1, 2025.

The law doesn’t change who gets a notice or when it’s required. It only changes what the notice has to say.

Cal-WARN already covered large employers

The Cal-WARN Act applies to businesses with 75 or more workers, including part-time staff, over the past 12 months. It requires 60 days’ written notice before a mass layoff, plant closure, or major relocation.

A mass layoff means 50 or more people lose their jobs within 30 days. A relocation means moving operations 100 miles or more away.

Notices go to affected employees, the Employment Development Department, and local officials.

Employers must reveal their service plans

Every layoff notice now has to spell out the employer’s plans for helping workers find new jobs. If the company plans to work with the local workforce development board, it must say so.

If it plans to use a different organization, it must name that group. And if it has no plans to help at all, it must say that too.

It’s a three-way disclosure, not a simple yes or no.

Services must start within 30 days

When an employer says it will coordinate job placement services, it has to follow through within 30 days of sending the notice. Those services can include rapid response sessions to help workers get back on their feet.

Local workforce development boards offer resume help, interview coaching, job searches, and training programs. Workers can walk into any America’s Job Center of California location to access these resources in person.

Notices must list workforce board contacts

Whether or not the employer coordinates services, every notice must now include a working email and phone number for the local workforce development board.

It also must include a standard description of what the board does.

That description tells workers the board helps laid-off people find new jobs and points them to local job centers. The California Employment Development Department outlined these changes in a recent information notice.

CalFresh details join the notice too

Here’s a new addition many workers might not expect.

Every layoff notice must now include a description of CalFresh, California’s food assistance program. Companies must list the CalFresh helpline number and a way to reach the program.

The idea is simple: people who just lost their jobs may need help putting food on the table, and this connects them to that help right away.

Companies must share their own contact info

Employers now have to put a working email address and phone number in the notice. That sounds basic, but before SB 617, the Cal-WARN Act didn’t specifically require it.

Workers and government agencies now have a direct line to the company.

If you’re a worker reading a layoff notice and can’t find a way to reach your employer, that’s a problem the new law aims to fix.

Disclosure is required but funding is not

SB 617 doesn’t force employers to pay for job placement services or transition help. It only requires them to be upfront about their plans and share information about public resources.

An employer that chooses not to coordinate any services won’t face penalties for that decision alone, as long as it says so in the notice. The law’s goal is transparency, not mandates.

California covers more workers than federal law

The federal WARN Act only kicks in at 100 or more full-time employees. California’s version covers employers with as few as 75 workers, and it counts part-time staff.

Federal law also sometimes requires layoffs to hit at least 33% of the workforce before it applies. Cal-WARN triggers at 50 employees regardless of percentage.

The official bill text shows how California’s protections reach more workers at smaller companies.

Penalties can add up fast

Employers who break the Cal-WARN rules can owe back pay and benefits to every affected worker.

That liability can reach up to 60 days of pay per person, or half the worker’s tenure with the company, whichever is less. On top of that, companies face civil penalties of up to $500 per day of violation.

Workers can also file lawsuits, including class actions, to enforce their rights under the state’s labor code.

Workers should check their notices carefully

If you get a layoff notice in California, look it over closely. It should state your employer’s plan for coordinating job services.

It should include contact info for your local workforce development board and details about the CalFresh food assistance program. The employer’s own email and phone number should be listed too.

If any of those pieces are missing, the notice may not meet the new legal requirements under SB 617.

One question the law leaves unanswered

SB 617 doesn’t clearly say whether every recipient of the notice needs all the new content. Some requirements, like CalFresh details, seem aimed at employees rather than government agencies.

Until someone clarifies this, legal experts advise employers to include everything in every notice. Workers should expect to see the full set of new information in any layoff notice they receive going forward.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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