I have practiced employment law at Mullen & Henzell in Santa Barbara since 1993, representing only employers. When I started, California was the least favorable state for employers in the United States in terms of employment laws. Thirty years later, that is still true. Yet, during that time, California has continued to get so much worse that my beliefs about having “hit bottom” are constantly proven wrong. It is not your imagination. California really is that bad for the employer community.
However, the California weather is still relatively good (despite getting hotter and dryer all the time). People like me, who were born in California, don’t seem to be interested in relocating to employer-friendly states with zero state income tax and no meal periods, rest periods or daily overtime laws. Accordingly, we play the cards we are dealt, which means compliance with California employment laws. If we were professional athletes, this would be called “playing at the highest level”.
