SB 616 – Legislation Increasing Paid Sick Days Signed by Governor

SACRAMENTO — On Oct.4, Senator Lena Gonzalez’s (D-Long Beach) Senate Bill (SB) 616 was signed into law by Gov. Newsom. The bill provides critical relief for working Californians and their families, who will be granted a minimum of five guaranteed paid sick days under the new law, up from the three days employers are required to provide their employees under current state law.

It has been nearly a decade since California passed its original paid sick leave law (AB 1522, Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 317, Statutes of 2014) and this expansion is long overdue. The COVID-19 pandemic, and other widespread outbreaks like RSV, have illustrated that just three paid sick days is not enough for most people to recover from such illnesses. California’s pandemic emergency paid leave policy prevented the spread of approximately 400 new COVID-19 cases per day. Unfortunately, those benefits were only temporary.

“Today the Governor signed a critical measure and showed that California is stepping up to do what is right for working families by updating our sick leave policies to meet the real needs that exist today,” said Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). “The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the lifesaving impacts of paid sick leave policies, while clearly exposing the gaps in our existing safety-net for working Californians. Everyone wins when we have a healthy workforce. Workers help keep businesses running and make our economy strong. I’d like to thank Governor Newsom, and my colleagues in the Legislature, for delivering this important new law, which will have a profound positive impact on the lives of California’s working families for years to come.”