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ARTICLE · 16 OCTOBER 2026

California Amends Its WARN Act (Again)

Littler Mendelson
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California's new Senate Bill 951 amends the Cal-WARN Act to require employers to disclose when mass layoffs or relocations are substantially caused by artificial intelligence or automated technology. What specific information must employers now include in their notices, and how will these technology-driven workforce reductions be tracked and reported by state agencies?

United StatesEmployment and HR
Shawn Matthew Clark
Shawn Matthew Clark
Robert J. Wilger
Robert J. Wilger
Kerry Notestine
Kerry Notestine
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At a Glance

  • California Senate Bill 951, signed on September 30, 2026, adds disclosure requirements to the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act for certain reductions caused by artificial intelligence or other automated technology. 
  • The changes take effect on January 1, 2027, while the law’s existing coverage thresholds, 60-day notice period, and penalties remain unchanged.

On September 30, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 951, which amends the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (Cal-WARN) to require additional disclosures when a mass layoff, relocation, or termination is caused by artificial intelligence (AI) or other automated technology. The law does not change Cal-WARN’s coverage thresholds, 60-day notice period, or penalty provisions. Instead, it adds new notice content requirements, directs the Employment Development Department (EDD) to publish summaries of these “technology displacement” notices, and

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