It doesn’t make much sense to prohibit discrimination based on race if we still allow discrimination based on race-based characteristics. The CROWN (“Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair”) Act, which was passed in California in 2019, is an attempt to...
San Francisco Law Blog
What does illegal workplace race discrimination actually look like?
Race discrimination by employers is prohibited by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. It is illegal for employers to discriminate in any aspect of employment, from the initial job advertisement and...
When your employer retaliates after you assert your rights
Under both California and federal anti-discrimination laws, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee who makes a discrimination or harassment complaint. For example, if you made a discrimination complaint or assisted with one, it would generally...
Department of Education: Title IX protects transgender students
Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972 was passed to prohibit sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. Recently, it has been open to question whether Title IX should be read to protect gay and transgender students from...
I’m paid a salary. Does that mean I’m not entitled to overtime?
No. Whether you are entitled to overtime depends on whether you are an exempt or nonexempt employee, not whether you are paid a salary. It is not true that salaried employees are always exempt from overtime and other Industrial Welfare Commission rules. In fact, most...
Can you structure your partnership to avoid partner disputes?
There are many reasons partners fall into dispute. Business disagreements are common enough. One partner may favor a strategy that another thinks is a mistake. Intrapersonal issues also come up. One partner may be working noticeably harder than the other partners, or...
What is Seth’s Law, California’s anti-bullying statute?
In 2010, a 13-year-old California boy named Seth took his own life after experiencing years of anti-gay bullying in school. His school had failed to address the bullying, even though California law requires that all public school students be given equal access to...
What actually constitutes harassment in the workplace?
When people think about harassment, it can seem hard to guess what is actually prohibited. Take sexual harassment, for example. Many people fear that asking a co-worker out on a date could constitute sexual harassment. But as long as you accept it if the answer is no,...
It’s time to get started on your business succession plan
Even after he found out he had cancer in 2017, Ivo Puidak did not create a business succession plan. A former top chef and the founder of the Galena Canning Company, Puidak must not have realized how much trouble that would mean for his family. You see, he was...
Can schools punish kids for social media posts on their own time?
Do students have free speech rights that protect their non-school-related social media posts? Or can schools discipline students for violating school rules during their free time? The question is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. The plaintiff is Brandi L, who...