AB 2530: Employment: Cal/WARN Act: plant closings and mass layoffs.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law, the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (Cal/WARN Act), among other things, prohibits an employer from ordering a mass layoff, relocation, or termination at a covered establishment unless, 60 days before the order takes effect, the employer gives written notice of the order to the employees affected by the order and to the Employment Development Department and certain local officials. Existing law requires the notice to contain specified information and makes an employer who fails to give the required notice liable to each employee entitled to notice who lost their employment for back pay and the value of the cost of any benefits to which the employee would have been entitled had their employment not been lost, as provided. Existing law also makes an employer subject to civil penalties, as provided, for each day of the employer’s violation. Existing law defines “employer” for these purposes to mean any person, as defined, who directly or indirectly owns and operates a covered establishment and defines “covered establishment” to mean any industrial or commercial facility or part thereof that employs, or has employed within the preceding 12 months, 75 or more persons.

This bill would add “public agency” to the definitions of employer and covered establishment, thereby making the Cal/WARN Act applicable to public agencies. The bill would, in the case of a sale of part or all of an employer’s business, make the seller responsible for providing the notice for any mass layoff, relocation, or termination up to and including the effective date of the sale, and make the purchaser responsible for providing the notice following the effective date of the sale.

The bill would make other technical and conforming changes.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. May 14, 2026In committee: Held under submission.
2. May 6, 2026In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
3. April 22, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
4. April 14, 2026Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
5. April 13, 2026Read second time and amended.
6. April 9, 2026From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (April 8).
7. March 23, 2026Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.
8. March 19, 2026From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended.
9. March 19, 2026Referred to Coms. on L. & E. and JUD.
10. February 21, 2026From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
11. February 20, 2026Read first time. To print.