SECTIONS 12940-12951 - California Statutes

GOVERNMENT CODE

SECTION 12940-12951

12940. It is an unlawful employment practice, unless based upon a
bona fide occupational qualification, or, except where based upon
applicable security regulations established by the United States or
the State of California:
(a) For an employer, because of the race, religious creed, color,
national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability,
medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual orientation of
any person, to refuse to hire or employ the person or to refuse to
select the person for a training program leading to employment, or to
bar or to discharge the person from employment or from a training
program leading to employment, or to discriminate against the person
in compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.
(1) This part does not prohibit an employer from refusing to hire
or discharging an employee with a physical or mental disability, or
subject an employer to any legal liability resulting from the refusal
to employ or the discharge of an employee with a physical or mental
disability, where the employee, because of his or her physical or
mental disability, is unable to perform his or her essential duties
even with reasonable accommodations, or cannot perform those duties
in a manner that would not endanger his or her health or safety or
the health or safety of others even with reasonable accommodations.
(2) This part does not prohibit an employer from refusing to hire
or discharging an employee who, because of the employee's medical
condition, is unable to perform his or her essential duties even with
reasonable accommodations, or cannot perform those duties in a
manner that would not endanger the employee's health or safety or the
health or safety of others even with reasonable accommodations.
Nothing in this part shall subject an employer to any legal liability
resulting from the refusal to employ or the discharge of an employee
who, because of the employee's medical condition, is unable to
perform his or her essential duties, or cannot perform those duties
in a manner that would not endanger the employee's health or safety
or the health or safety of others even with reasonable
accommodations.
(3) Nothing in this part relating to discrimination on account of
marital status shall do either of the following:
(A) Affect the right of an employer to reasonably regulate, for
reasons of supervision, safety, security, or morale, the working of
spouses in the same department, division, or facility, consistent
with the rules and regulations adopted by the commission.
(B) Prohibit bona fide health plans from providing additional or
greater benefits to employees with dependents than to those employees
without or with fewer dependents.
(4) Nothing in this part relating to discrimination on account of
sex shall affect the right of an employer to use veteran status as a
factor in employee selection or to give special consideration to
Vietnam-era veterans.
(5) (A) This part does not prohibit an employer from refusing to
employ an individual because of his or her age if the law compels or
provides for that refusal. Promotions within the existing staff,
hiring or promotion on the basis of experience and training, rehiring
on the basis of seniority and prior service with the employer, or
hiring under an established recruiting program from high schools,
colleges, universities, or trade schools do not, in and of
themselves, constitute unlawful employment practices.
(B) The provisions of this part relating to discrimination on the
basis of age do not prohibit an employer from providing health
benefits or health care reimbursement plans to retired persons that
are altered, reduced, or eliminated when the person becomes eligible
for Medicare health benefits. This subparagraph applies to all
retiree health benefit plans and contractual provisions or practices
concerning retiree health benefits and health care reimbursement
plans in effect on on or after January 1, 2011.
(b) For a labor organization, because of the race, religious
creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental
disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual
orientation of any person, to exclude, expel, or restrict from its
membership the person, or to provide only second-class or segregated
membership or to discriminate against any person because of the race,
religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical
disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status,
sex, age, or sexual orientation of the person in the election of
officers of the labor organization or in the selection of the labor
organization's staff or to discriminate in any way against any of its
members or against any employer or against any person employed by an
employer.
(c) For any person to discriminate against any person in the
selection or training of that person in any apprenticeship training
program or any other training program leading to employment because
of the race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry,
physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital
status, sex, age, or sexual orientation of the person discriminated
against.
(d) For any employer or employment agency to print or circulate or
cause to be printed or circulated any publication, or to make any
non-job-related inquiry of an employee or applicant, either verbal or
through use of an application form, that expresses, directly or
indirectly, any limitation, specification, or discrimination as to
race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical
disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status,
sex, age, or sexual orientation, or any intent to make any such
limitation, specification, or discrimination. This part does not
prohibit an employer or employment agency from inquiring into the age
of an applicant, or from specifying age limitations, where the law
compels or provides for that action.
(e) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) or (3), for any
employer or employment agency to require any medical or psychological
examination of an applicant, to make any medical or psychological
inquiry of an applicant, to make any inquiry whether an applicant has
a mental disability or physical disability or medical condition, or
to make any inquiry regarding the nature or severity of a physical
disability, mental disability, or medical condition.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an employer or employment
agency may inquire into the ability of an applicant to perform
job-related functions and may respond to an applicant's request for
reasonable accommodation.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an employer or employment
agency may require a medical or psychological examination or make a
medical or psychological inquiry of a job applicant after an
employment offer has been made but prior to the commencement of
employment duties, provided that the examination or inquiry is
job-related and consistent with business necessity and that all
entering employees in the same job classification are subject to the
same examination or inquiry.
(f) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), for any employer or
employment agency to require any medical or psychological examination
of an employee, to make any medical or psychological inquiry of an
employee, to make any inquiry whether an employee has a mental
disability, physical disability, or medical condition, or to make any
inquiry regarding the nature or severity of a physical disability,
mental disability, or medical condition.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an employer or employment
agency may require any examinations or inquiries that it can show to
be job-related and consistent with business necessity. An employer or
employment agency may conduct voluntary medical examinations,
including voluntary medical histories, which are part of an employee
health program available to employees at that worksite.
(g) For any employer, labor organization, or employment agency to
harass, discharge, expel, or otherwise discriminate against any
person because the person has made a report pursuant to Section
11161.8 of the Penal Code that prohibits retaliation against hospital
employees who report suspected patient abuse by health facilities or
community care facilities.
(h) For any employer, labor organization, employment agency, or
person to discharge, expel, or otherwise discriminate against any
person because the person has opposed any practices forbidden under
this part or because the person has filed a complaint, testified, or
assisted in any proceeding under this part.
(i) For any person to aid, abet, incite, compel, or coerce the
doing of any of the acts forbidden under this part, or to attempt to
do so.
(j) (1) For an employer, labor organization, employment agency,
apprenticeship training program or any training program leading to
employment, or any other person, because of race, religious creed,
color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental
disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual
orientation, to harass an employee, an applicant, or a person
providing services pursuant to a contract. Harassment of an employee,
an applicant, or a person providing services pursuant to a contract
by an employee, other than an agent or supervisor, shall be unlawful
if the entity, or its agents or supervisors, knows or should have
known of this conduct and fails to take immediate and appropriate
corrective action. An employer may also be responsible for the acts
of nonemployees, with respect to sexual harassment of employees,
applicants, or persons providing services pursuant to a contract in
the workplace, where the employer, or its agents or supervisors,
knows or should have known of the conduct and fails to take immediate
and appropriate corrective action. In reviewing cases involving the
acts of nonemployees, the extent of the employer's control and any
other legal responsibility which the employer may have with respect
to the conduct of those nonemployees shall be considered. An entity
shall take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment from occurring.
Loss of tangible job benefits shall not be necessary in order to
establish harassment.
(2) The provisions of this subdivision are declaratory of existing
law, except for the new duties imposed on employers with regard to
harassment.
(3) An employee of an entity subject to this subdivision is
personally liable for any harassment prohibited by this section that
is perpetrated by the employee, regardless of whether the employer or
covered entity knows or should have known of the conduct and fails
to take immediate and appropriate corrective action.
(4) (A) For purposes of this subdivision only, "employer" means
any person regularly employing one or more persons or regularly
receiving the services of one or more persons providing services
pursuant to a contract, or any person acting as an agent of an
employer, directly or indirectly, the state, or any political or
civil subdivision of the state, and cities. The definition of
"employer" in subdivision (d) of Section 12926 applies to all
provisions of this section other than this subdivision.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), for purposes of this
subdivision, "employer" does not include a religious association or
corporation not organized for private profit, except as provided in
Section 12926.2.
(C) For purposes of this subdivision, "harassment" because of sex
includes sexual harassment, gender harassment, and harassment based
on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
(5) For purposes of this subdivision, "a person providing services
pursuant to a contract" means a person who meets all of the
following criteria:
(A) The person has the right to control the performance of the
contract for services and discretion as to the manner of performance.
(B) The person is customarily engaged in an independently
established business.
(C) The person has control over the time and place the work is
performed, supplies the tools and instruments used in the work, and
performs work that requires a particular skill not ordinarily used in
the course of the employer's work.
(k) For an employer, labor organization, employment agency,
apprenticeship training program, or any training program leading to
employment, to fail to take all reasonable steps necessary to prevent
discrimination and harassment from occurring.
(l) For an employer or other entity covered by this part to refuse
to hire or employ a person or to refuse to select a person for a
training program leading to employment or to bar or to discharge a
person from employment or from a training program leading to
employment, or to discriminate against a person in compensation or in
terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of a conflict
between the person's religious belief or observance and any
employment requirement, unless the employer or other entity covered
by this part demonstrates that it has explored any available
reasonable alternative means of accommodating the religious belief or
observance, including the possibilities of excusing the person from
those duties that conflict with his or her religious belief or
observance or permitting those duties to be performed at another time
or by another person, but is unable to reasonably accommodate the
religious belief or observance without undue hardship on the conduct
of the business of the employer or other entity covered by this part.
Religious belief or observance, as used in this section, includes,
but is not limited to, observance of a Sabbath or other religious
holy day or days, and reasonable time necessary for travel prior and
subsequent to a religious observance.
(m) For an employer or other entity covered by this part to fail
to make reasonable accommodation for the known physical or mental
disability of an applicant or employee. Nothing in this subdivision
or in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) shall be construed to
require an accommodation that is demonstrated by the employer or
other covered entity to produce undue hardship to its operation.
(n) For an employer or other entity covered by this part to fail
to engage in a timely, good faith, interactive process with the
employee or applicant to determine effective reasonable
accommodations, if any, in response to a request for reasonable
accommodation by an employee or applicant with a known physical or
mental disability or known medical condition.
(o) For an employer or other entity covered by this part, to
subject, directly or indirectly, any employee, applicant, or other
person to a test for the presence of a genetic characteristic.

12940.1. For the purposes of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of
Section 12940, it shall be presumed that an individual with heart
trouble, as referred to in Section 3212 of the Labor Code, applying
for either a firefighter position or participation in an
apprenticeship training program leading to employment in that
position, where the actual duties require physical, active fire
suppression, or a law enforcement position, the principal duties of
which clearly consist of active law enforcement, could not perform
his or her duties in a manner which would not endanger his or her
health or safety or the health or safety of others. This presumption
may be overcome by the applicant or the department proving, by a
preponderance of the evidence, that the applicant would be able to
safely perform the job. Law enforcement, for the purposes of this
section, means police officer, deputy sheriff, or sheriff whose
principal duties consist of active law enforcement service.

12940.3. Prior to January 1, 1996, a study or survey of the costs,
including litigation and reasonable accommodation expenses and other
impacts on California employers of 15 or more employees, resulting
from compliance with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990 (Public Law 101-336), shall be undertaken jointly by the
California Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Fair Employment and
Housing, Protection and Advocacy, Inc., and the State Department of
Rehabilitation. The study shall also include an analysis of the
benefits of the requirements of Title I of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336) to persons with
disabilities. The results of the study shall be submitted to the
Commission on Special Education for their review and recommendations.
The study shall provide a basis for a recommendation to the
Legislature and the Governor concerning whether the hardships imposed
upon businesses outweigh the benefits to persons with disabilities
when the requirements of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336) are extended to California employers
of 5 to 14, inclusive, employees by amending the Fair Employment and
Housing Act to include people with mental disabilities as a
protected class. In conducting the study and making a recommendation,
the parties shall consider whether the additional requirements or
consequences of being subject to the additional requirements will
impose a significant hardship on employers of 5 to 14, inclusive,
employees.
It is the intent to the Legislature that if, at the conclusion of
the study and report to the Legislature, it is determined that
employers of between 5 and 14 employees would not have a significant
hardship in implementing the requirements of Title I of the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336), legislation
should be introduced to require that employers with between 5 and 14
employees are covered by the requirements of Title I of the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336).
The Legislature intends that all employers, including employers of
5 to 14, inclusive, employees, voluntarily comply with the
requirements of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990 (Public Law 101-336) so that persons with mental disabilities
can participate fully in the employment opportunities provided to all
Californians. However, it is the intent of the Legislature that
existing employment discrimination provisions covering employers of 5
to 14, inclusive, employees shall not be altered by amendments to
this part that become effective on January 1, 1993.

12941. The Legislature hereby declares its rejection of the court
of appeal opinion in Marks v. Loral Corp. (1997) 57 Cal.App.4th 30,
and states that the opinion does not affect existing law in any way,
including, but not limited to, the law pertaining to disparate
treatment. The Legislature declares its intent that the use of salary
as the basis for differentiating between employees when terminating
employment may be found to constitute age discrimination if use of
that criterion adversely impacts older workers as a group, and
further declares its intent that the disparate impact theory of proof
may be used in claims of age discrimination. The Legislature further
reaffirms and declares its intent that the courts interpret the
state's statutes prohibiting age discrimination in employment broadly
and vigorously, in a manner comparable to prohibitions against sex
and race discrimination, and with the goal of not only protecting
older workers as individuals, but also of protecting older workers as
a group, since they face unique obstacles in the later phases of
their careers. Nothing in this section shall limit the affirmative
defenses traditionally available in employment discrimination cases
including, but not limited to, those set forth in Section 7286.7 of
Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations.

12942. (a) Every employer in this state shall permit any employee
who indicates in writing a desire in a reasonable time and can
demonstrate the ability to do so, to continue his or her employment
beyond any retirement date contained in any private pension or
retirement plan.
This employment shall continue so long as the employee
demonstrates his or her ability to perform the functions of the job
adequately and the employer is satisfied with the quality of work
performed.
(b) Any employee indicating this desire and continuing the
employment shall give the employer written notice in reasonable time,
of intent to retire or terminate when the retirement or termination
occurs after the employee's retirement date.
(c) Nothing in this section or Section 12941 shall be construed to
prohibit any of the following:
(1) To prohibit an institution of higher education, as defined by
Section 1001 of Title 20 of the United States Code, from imposing a
retirement policy for tenured faculty members, provided that the
institution has a policy permitting reemployment of these individuals
on a year-to-year basis.
(2) To prohibit compulsory retirement of any employee who has
attained 70 years of age and is a physician employed by a
professional medical corporation, the articles or bylaws of which
provide for compulsory retirement.
(3) To prohibit compulsory retirement of any employee who has
attained 65 years of age and who for the two-year period immediately
before retirement was employed in a bona fide executive or a high
policymaking position, if that employee is entitled to an immediate
nonforfeitable annual retirement benefit from a pension,
profit-sharing, savings, or deferred compensation plan, or any
combination of those plans, of the employer for the employee, which
equals in the aggregate at least twenty-seven thousand dollars
($27,000).

12943. It shall be an unlawful employment practice unless based
upon a bona fide occupational qualification:
(a) For the governing board of any school district, because of the
pregnancy of any female person, to refuse to hire or employ her, or
to refuse to select her for a training program leading to employment,
or to bar or to discharge her from employment or from a training
program leading to employment, or to discriminate against her in
compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.
(b) For the governing board of any school district to terminate
any employee who is temporarily disabled, pursuant to or on the basis
of an employment policy under which insufficient or no leave is
available, if the policy has a disparate impact on employees of one
sex and is not justified by necessity of the public schools.

12944. (a) It shall be unlawful for a licensing board to require
any examination or establish any other qualification for licensing
that has an adverse impact on any class by virtue of its race, creed,
color, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, medical condition,
physical disability, mental disability, or sexual orientation, unless
the practice can be demonstrated to be job related.
Where the commission, after hearing, determines that an
examination is unlawful under this subdivision, the licensing board
may continue to use and rely on the examination until such time as
judicial review by the superior court of the determination is
exhausted.
If an examination or other qualification for licensing is
determined to be unlawful under this section, that determination
shall not void, limit, repeal, or otherwise affect any right,
privilege, status, or responsibility previously conferred upon any
person by the examination or by a license issued in reliance on the
examination or qualification.
(b) It shall be unlawful for a licensing board to fail or refuse
to make reasonable accommodation to an individual's mental or
physical disability or medical condition.
(c) It shall be unlawful for any licensing board, unless
specifically acting in accordance with federal equal employment
opportunity guidelines or regulations approved by the commission, to
print or circulate or cause to be printed or circulated any
publication, or to make any non-job-related inquiry, either verbal or
through use of an application form, which expresses, directly or
indirectly, any limitation, specification, or discrimination as to
race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical
disability, mental disability, medical condition, sex, age, or sexual
orientation or any intent to make any such limitation,
specification, or discrimination. Nothing in this subdivision shall
prohibit any licensing board from making, in connection with
prospective licensure or certification, an inquiry as to, or a
request for information regarding, the physical fitness of applicants
if that inquiry or request for information is directly related and
pertinent to the license or the licensed position the applicant is
applying for. Nothing in this subdivision shall prohibit any
licensing board, in connection with prospective examinations,
licensure, or certification, from inviting individuals with physical
or mental disabilities to request reasonable accommodations or from
making inquiries related to reasonable accommodations.
(d) It is unlawful for a licensing board to discriminate against
any person because the person has filed a complaint, testified, or
assisted in any proceeding under this part.
(e) It is unlawful for any licensing board to fail to keep records
of applications for licensing or certification for a period of two
years following the date of receipt of the applications.
(f) As used in this section, "licensing board" means any state
board, agency, or authority in the State and Consumer Services Agency
that has the authority to grant licenses or certificates which are
prerequisites to employment eligibility or professional status.

12945. In addition to the provisions that govern pregnancy,
childbirth, or related medical conditions in Sections 12926 and
12940, it shall be an unlawful employment practice, unless based upon
a bona fide occupational qualification:
(a) For an employer to refuse to allow a female employee disabled
by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions to take a
leave for a reasonable period of time not to exceed four months and
thereafter return to work, as set forth in the commission's
regulations. The employee shall be entitled to utilize any accrued
vacation leave during this period of time. Reasonable period of time
means that period during which the female employee is disabled on
account of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
An employer may require an employee who plans to take a leave
pursuant to this subdivision to give the employer reasonable notice
of the date the leave shall commence and the estimated duration of
the leave.
(b) (1) For an employer to refuse to provide reasonable
accommodation for an employee for conditions related to pregnancy,
childbirth, or related medical conditions, if she so requests, with
the advice of her health care provider.
(2) For an employer who has a policy, practice, or collective
bargaining agreement requiring or authorizing the transfer of
temporarily disabled employees to less strenuous or hazardous
positions for the duration of the disability to refuse to transfer a
pregnant female employee who so requests.
(3) For an employer to refuse to temporarily transfer a pregnant
female employee to a less strenuous or hazardous position for the
duration of her pregnancy if she so requests, with the advice of her
physician, where that transfer can be reasonably accommodated.
However, no employer shall be required by this section to create
additional employment that the employer would not otherwise have
created, nor shall the employer be required to discharge any
employee, transfer any employee with more seniority, or promote any
employee who is not qualified to perform the job.
(c) This section shall not be construed to affect any other
provision of law relating to sex discrimination or pregnancy, or in
any way to diminish the coverage of pregnancy, childbirth, or medical
conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth under any other
provisions of this part, including subdivision (a) of Section 12940.

12945.1. Sections 12945.2 and 19702.3 shall be known, and may be
cited, as the Moore-Brown-Roberti Family Rights Act.

12945.2. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), it shall be an
unlawful employment practice for any employer, as defined in
paragraph (2) of subdivision (c), to refuse to grant a request by any
employee with more than 12 months of service with the employer, and
who has at least 1,250 hours of service with the employer during the
previous 12-month period, to take up to a total of 12 workweeks in
any 12-month period for family care and medical leave. Family care
and medical leave requested pursuant to this subdivision shall not be
deemed to have been granted unless the employer provides the
employee, upon granting the leave request, a guarantee of employment
in the same or a comparable position upon the termination of the
leave. The commission shall adopt a regulation specifying the
elements of a reasonable request.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), it shall not be an unlawful
employment practice for an employer to refuse to grant a request for
family care and medical leave by an employee if the employer employs
less than 50 employees within 75 miles of the worksite where that
employee is employed.
(c) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Child" means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a
stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco
parentis who is either of the following:
(A) Under 18 years of age.
(B) An adult dependent child.
(2) "Employer" means either of the following:
(A) Any person who directly employs 50 or more persons to perform
services for a wage or salary.
(B) The state, and any political or civil subdivision of the state
and cities.
(3) "Family care and medical leave" means any of the following:
(A) Leave for reason of the birth of a child of the employee, the
placement of a child with an employee in connection with the adoption
or foster care of the child by the employee, or the serious health
condition of a child of the employee.
(B) Leave to care for a parent or a spouse who has a serious
health condition.
(C) Leave because of an employee's own serious health condition
that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of the
position of that employee, except for leave taken for disability on
account of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
(4) "Employment in the same or a comparable position" means
employment in a position that has the same or similar duties and pay
that can be performed at the same or similar geographic location as
the position held prior to the leave.
(5) "FMLA" means the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
(P.L. 103-3).
(6) "Health care provider" means any of the following:
(A) An individual holding either a physician's and surgeon's
certificate issued pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section
2080) of Chapter 5 of Division 2 of the Business and Professions
Code, an osteopathic physician's and surgeon's certificate issued
pursuant to Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 2099.5) of Chapter 5
of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, or an individual
duly licensed as a physician, surgeon, or osteopathic physician or
surgeon in another state or jurisdiction, who directly treats or
supervises the treatment of the serious health condition.
(B) Any other person determined by the United States Secretary of
Labor to be capable of providing health care services under the FMLA.
(7) "Parent" means a biological, foster, or adoptive parent, a
stepparent, a legal guardian, or other person who stood in loco
parentis to the employee when the employee was a child.
(8) "Serious health condition" means an illness, injury,
impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves either of
the following:
(A) Inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential health
care facility.
(B) Continuing treatment or continuing supervision by a health
care provider.
(d) An employer shall not be required to pay an employee for any
leave taken pursuant to subdivision (a), except as required by
subdivision (e).
(e) An employee taking a leave permitted by subdivision (a) may
elect, or an employer may require the employee, to substitute, for
leave allowed under subdivision (a), any of the employee's accrued
vacation leave or other accrued time off during this period or any
other paid or unpaid time off negotiated with the employer. If an
employee takes a leave because of the employee's own serious health
condition, the employee may also elect, or the employer may also
require the employee, to substitute accrued sick leave during the
period of the leave. However, an employee shall not use sick leave
during a period of leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or
foster care of a child, or to care for a child, parent, or spouse
with a serious health condition, unless mutually agreed to by the
employer and the employee.
(f) (1) During any period that an eligible employee takes leave
pursuant to subdivision (a) or takes leave that qualifies as leave
taken under the FMLA, the employer shall maintain and pay for
coverage under a "group health plan," as defined in Section 5000(b)
(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, for the duration of the
leave, not to exceed 12 workweeks in a 12-month period, commencing on
the date leave taken under the FMLA commences, at the level and
under the conditions coverage would have been provided if the
employee had continued in employment continuously for the duration of
the leave. Nothing in the preceding sentence shall preclude an
employer from maintaining and paying for coverage under a "group
health plan" beyond 12 workweeks. An employer may recover the premium
that the employer paid as required by this subdivision for
maintaining coverage for the employee under the group health plan if
both of the following conditions occur:
(A) The employee fails to return from leave after the period of
leave to which the employee is entitled has expired.
(B) The employee's failure to return from leave is for a reason
other than the continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health
condition that entitles the employee to leave under subdivision (a)
or other circumstances beyond the control of the employee.
(2) Any employee taking leave pursuant to subdivision (a) shall
continue to be entitled to participate in employee health plans for
any period during which coverage is not provided by the employer
under paragraph (1), employee benefit plans, including life,
short-term, or long-term disability or accident insurance, pension
and retirement plans, and supplemental unemployment benefit plans to
the same extent and under the same conditions as apply to an unpaid
leave taken for any purpose other than those described in subdivision
(a). In the absence of these conditions an employee shall continue
to be entitled to participate in these plans and, in the case of
health and welfare employee benefit plans, including life,
short-term, or long-term disability or accident insurance, or other
similar plans, the employer may, at his or her discretion, require
the employee to pay premiums, at the group rate, during the period of
leave not covered by any accrued vacation leave, or other accrued
time off, or any other paid or unpaid time off negotiated with the
employer, as a condition of continued coverage during the leave
period. However, the nonpayment of premiums by an employee shall not
constitute a break in service, for purposes of longevity, seniority
under any collective bargaining agreement, or any employee benefit
plan.
For purposes of pension and retirement plans, an employer shall
not be required to make plan payments for an employee during the
leave period, and the leave period shall not be required to be
counted for purposes of time accrued under the plan. However, an
employee covered by a pension plan may continue to make contributions
in accordance with the terms of the plan during the period of the
leave.
(g) During a family care and medical leave period, the employee
shall retain employee status with the employer, and the leave shall
not constitute a break in service, for purposes of longevity,
seniority under any collective bargaining agreement, or any employee
benefit plan. An employee returning from leave shall return with no
less seniority than the employee had when the leave commenced, for
purposes of layoff, recall, promotion, job assignment, and
seniority-related benefits such as vacation.
(h) If the employee's need for a leave pursuant to this section is
foreseeable, the employee shall provide the employer with reasonable
advance notice of the need for the leave.
(i) If the employee's need for leave pursuant to this section is
foreseeable due to a planned medical treatment or supervision, the
employee shall make a reasonable effort to schedule the treatment or
supervision to avoid disruption to the operations of the employer,
subject to the approval of the health care provider of the individual
requiring the treatment or supervision.
(j) (1) An employer may require that an employee's request for
leave to care for a child, a spouse, or a parent who has a serious
health condition be supported by a certification issued by the health
care provider of the individual requiring care. That certification
shall be sufficient if it includes all of the following:
(A) The date on which the serious health condition commenced.
(B) The probable duration of the condition.
(C) An estimate of the amount of time that the health care
provider believes the employee needs to care for the individual
requiring the care.
(D) A statement that the serious health condition warrants the
participation of a family member to provide care during a period of
the treatment or supervision of the individual requiring care.
(2) Upon expiration of the time estimated by the health care
provider in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1), the employer may
require the employee to obtain recertification, in accordance with
the procedure provided in paragraph (1), if additional leave is
required.
(k) (1) An employer may require that an employee's request for
leave because of the employee's own serious health condition be
supported by a certification issued by his or her health care
provider. That certification shall be sufficient if it includes all
of the following:
(A) The date on which the serious health condition commenced.
(B) The probable duration of the condition.
(C) A statement that, due to the serious health condition, the
employee is unable to perform the function of his or her position.
(2) The employer may require that the employee obtain subsequent
recertification regarding the employee's serious health condition on
a reasonable basis, in accordance with the procedure provided in
paragraph (1), if additional leave is required.
(3) (A) In any case in which the employer has reason to doubt the
validity of the certification provided pursuant to this section, the
employer may require, at the employer's expense, that the employee
obtain the opinion of a second health care provider, designated or
approved by the employer, concerning any information certified under
paragraph (1).
(B) The health care provider designated or approved under
subparagraph (A) shall not be employed on a regular basis by the
employer.
(C) In any case in which the second opinion described in
subparagraph (A) differs from the opinion in the original
certification, the employer may require, at the employer's expense,
that the employee obtain the opinion of a third health care provider,
designated or approved jointly by the employer and the employee,
concerning the information certified under paragraph (1).
(D) The opinion of the third health care provider concerning the
information certified under paragraph (1) shall be considered to be
final and shall be binding on the employer and the employee.
(4) As a condition of an employee's return from leave taken
because of the employee's own serious health condition, the employer
may have a uniformly applied practice or policy that requires the
employee to obtain certification from his or her health care provider
that the employee is able to resume work. Nothing in this paragraph
shall supersede a valid collective bargaining agreement that governs
the return to work of that employee.
(l) It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to
refuse to hire, or to discharge, fine, suspend, expel, or
discriminate against, any individual because of any of the following:
(1) An individual's exercise of the right to family care and
medical leave provided by subdivision (a).
(2) An individual's giving information or testimony as to his or
her own family care and medical leave, or another person's family
care and medical leave, in any inquiry or proceeding related to
rights guaranteed under this section.
(m) This section shall not be construed to require any changes in
existing collective bargaining agreements during the life of the
contract, or until January 1, 1993, whichever occurs first.
(n) The amendments made to this section by the act adding this
subdivision shall not be construed to require any changes in existing
collective bargaining agreements during the life of the contract, or
until February 5, 1994, whichever occurs first.
(o) The provisions of this section shall be construed as separate
and distinct from those of Section 12945.
(p) Leave provided for pursuant to this section may be taken in
one or more periods. The 12-month period during which 12 workweeks of
leave may be taken under this section shall run concurrently with
the 12-month period under the FMLA, and shall commence the date leave
taken under the FMLA commences.
(q) In any case in which both parents entitled to leave under
subdivision (a) are employed by the same employer, the employer shall
not be required to grant leave in connection with the birth,
adoption, or foster care of a child that would allow the parents
family care and medical leave totaling more than the amount specified
in subdivision (a).
(r) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), an employer may refuse to
reinstate an employee returning from leave to the same or a
comparable position if all of the following apply:
(A) The employee is a salaried employee who is among the highest
paid 10 percent of the employer's employees who are employed within
75 miles of the worksite at which that employee is employed.
(B) The refusal is necessary to prevent substantial and grievous
economic injury to the operations of the employer.
(C) The employer notifies the employee of the intent to refuse
reinstatement at the time the employer determines the refusal is
necessary under subparagraph (B).
(2) In any case in which the leave has already commenced, the
employer shall give the employee a reasonable opportunity to return
to work following the notice prescribed by subparagraph (C).
(s) Leave taken by an employee pursuant to this section shall run
concurrently with leave taken pursuant to the FMLA, except for any
leave taken under the FMLA for disability on account of pregnancy,
childbirth, or related medical conditions. The aggregate amount of
leave taken under this section or the FMLA, or both, except for leave
taken for disability on account of pregnancy, childbirth, or related
medical conditions, shall not exceed 12 workweeks in a 12-month
period. An employee is entitled to take, in addition to the leave
provided for under this section and the FMLA, the leave provided for
in Section 12945, if the employee is otherwise qualified for that
leave.

12945.5. It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an
employer to require any employee to be sterilized as a condition of
employment.

12946. It shall be an unlawful practice for employers, labor
organizations, and employment agencies subject to the provisions of
this part to fail to maintain and preserve any and all applications,
personnel, membership, or employment referral records and files for a
minimum period of two years after the records and files are
initially created or received, or for employers to fail to retain
personnel files of applicants or terminated employees for a minimum
period of two years after the date of the employment action taken.
For the purposes of this section, the State Personnel Board is exempt
from the two-year retention requirement and shall instead, maintain
the records and files for a period of one year. Upon notice that a
verified complaint against it has been filed under this part, any
such employer, labor organization, or employment agency shall
maintain and preserve any and all records and files until the
complaint is fully and finally disposed of and all appeals or related
proceedings terminated. The commission shall adopt suitable rules,
regulations, and standards to carry out the purposes of this section.
Where necessary, the department, pursuant to its powers under
Section 12974, may seek temporary or preliminary judicial relief to
enforce this section.

12947. It shall not be an unlawful practice under this part for an
employer or labor organization to provide or make financial provision
for child care services of a custodial or other nature for its
employees or members who are responsible for minor children.

12947.5. (a) It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an
employer to refuse to permit an employee to wear pants on account of
the sex of the employee.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit an employer from
requiring employees in a particular occupation to wear a uniform.
(c) Nothing in this section shall prohibit an employer from
requiring an employee to wear a costume while that employee is
portraying a specific character or dramatic role.
(d) The commission may exempt an employer from the requirements of
this section for good cause shown and shall adopt standards and
procedures for granting exemptions.

12948. It is an unlawful practice under this part for a person to
deny or to aid, incite, or conspire in the denial of the rights
created by Section 51, 51.5, 51.7, 54, 54.1, or 54.2 of the Civil
Code.

12949. Nothing in this part relating to gender-based discrimination
affects the ability of an employer to require an employee to adhere
to reasonable workplace appearance, grooming, and dress standards not
precluded by other provisions of state or federal law, provided that
an employer shall allow an employee to appear or dress consistently
with the employee's gender identity.

12950. In addition to employer responsibilities set forth in
subdivisions (j) and (k) of Section 12940 and in rules adopted by the
department and the commission, every employer shall act to ensure a
workplace free of sexual harassment by implementing the following
minimum requirements:
(a) The department shall amend its current poster on
discrimination in employment to include information relating to the
illegality of sexual harassment. This amended poster shall be
distributed to employers when the supply of the current poster is
exhausted. One copy of the amended poster shall be provided by the
department to an employer upon request. The amended poster shall be
available at each office of the department, and shall be mailed if
the request includes a self-addressed envelope with postage affixed.
Multiple copies of the amended poster shall be made available online
by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Each employer shall
post the amended poster in a prominent and accessible location in
the workplace.
(b) Each employer shall obtain from the department its information
sheet on sexual harassment, which the department shall make
available to employers for reproduction and distribution to
employees. One copy of the information sheet shall be provided by the
department to an employer upon request. The information sheets shall
be available at each office of the department, and shall be mailed
if the request includes a self-addressed envelope with postage
affixed. Multiple copies of the information sheet shall be made
available online by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
Each employer shall distribute this information sheet to its
employees, unless the employer provides equivalent information to its
employees that contains, at a minimum, components on the following:
(1) The illegality of sexual harassment.
(2) The definition of sexual harassment under applicable state and
federal law.
(3) A description of sexual harassment, utilizing examples.
(4) The internal complaint process of the employer available to
the employee.
(5) The legal remedies and complaint process available through the
department and the commission.
(6) Directions on how to contact the department and the
commission.
(7) The protection against retaliation provided by Section 7287.8
of Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations for opposing the
practices prohibited by this article or for filing a complaint with,
or otherwise participating in an investigation, proceeding, or
hearing conducted by, the department or the commission.
(c) The information sheet or information required to be
distributed to employees pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be
delivered in a manner that ensures distribution to each employee,
such as including the information sheet or information with an
employee's pay.
(d) Notwithstanding subdivisions (j) and (k) of Section 12940, a
claim that the information sheet or information required to be
distributed pursuant to this section did not reach a particular
individual or individuals shall not in and of itself result in the
liability of any employer to any present or former employee or
applicant in any action alleging sexual harassment. Conversely, an
employer's compliance with this section does not insulate the
employer from liability for sexual harassment of any current or
former employee or applicant.
(e) If an employer violates the requirements of this section, the
commission shall issue an order requiring the employer to comply with
these requirements.

12950.1. (a) By January 1, 2006, an employer having 50 or more
employees shall provide at least two hours of classroom or other
effective interactive training and education regarding sexual
harassment to all supervisory employees in California who are
employed as of July 1, 2005, and to all new supervisory employees
within six months of their assumption of a supervisory position. Any
employer who has provided this training and education to a
supervisory employee after January 1, 2003, is not required to
provide training and education by the January 1, 2006, deadline.
After January 1, 2006, each employer covered by this section shall
provide sexual harassment training and education to each supervisory
employee in California once every two years. The training and
education required by this section shall include information and
practical guidance regarding the federal and state statutory
provisions concerning the prohibition against and the prevention and
correction of sexual harassment and the remedies available to victims
of sexual harassment in employment. The training and education shall
also include practical examples aimed at instructing supervisors in
the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and
shall be presented by trainers or educators with knowledge and
expertise in the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and
retaliation.
(b) The state shall incorporate the training required by
subdivision (a) into the 80 hours of training provided to all new
supervisory employees pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 19995.4,
using existing resources.
(c) For purposes of this section only, "employer" means any person
regularly employing 50 or more persons or regularly receiving the
services of 50 or more persons providing services pursuant to a
contract, or any person acting as an agent of an employer, directly
or indirectly, the state, or any political or civil subdivision of
the state, and cities.
(d) Notwithstanding subdivisions (j) and (k) of Section 12940, a
claim that the training and education required by this section did
not reach a particular individual or individuals shall not in and of
itself result in the liability of any employer to any present or
former employee or applicant in any action alleging sexual
harassment. Conversely, an employer's compliance with this section
does not insulate the employer from liability for sexual harassment
of any current or former employee or applicant.
(e) If an employer violates this section, the commission shall
issue an order requiring the employer to comply with these
requirements.
(f) The training and education required by this section is
intended to establish a minimum threshold and should not discourage
or relieve any employer from providing for longer, more frequent, or
more elaborate training and education regarding workplace harassment
or other forms of unlawful discrimination in order to meet its
obligations to take all reasonable steps necessary to prevent and
correct harassment and discrimination.

12951. (a) It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer,
as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 12926, to adopt or enforce a
policy that limits or prohibits the use of any language in any
workplace, unless both of the following conditions exist:
(1) The language restriction is justified by a business necessity.
(2) The employer has notified its employees of the circumstances
and the time when the language restriction is required to be observed
and of the consequences for violating the language restriction.
(b) For the purposes of this section, "business necessity" means
an overriding legitimate business purpose such that the language
restriction is necessary to the safe and efficient operation of the
business, that the language restriction effectively fulfills the
business purpose it is supposed to serve, and there is no alternative
practice to the language restriction that would accomplish the
business purpose equally well with a lesser discriminatory impact.