The Santa Maria Valley Chamber has joined California Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to OPPOSE AB 2499 (Schiavo). AB 2499 expands leave mandates for small businesses, which have already been subject to nine new leave laws in just the last four years.

AB 2499 is duplicative and unnecessary as it expands an uncapped leave mandate to cover scenarios addressed under existing leave laws, or where there is no urgency.

California currently has robust protections for employees who are victims of violence as well as for employees who need to care for a family member or non-family member. For example, an employee who is a victim of violence can take unlimited time off to seek medical attention, obtain services, or secure a new residence, or ensure the safety of themselves or a child. They can also receive an ongoing accommodation to ensure their safety. Separately, employees are also entitled to 12 weeks of leave under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) plus another 40 hours of leave under the Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act, which can be used in small increments, to care for their own injury or that of a family member or non-family member or attend appointments. They can also take up to 40 hours of time off per year to care for a child where their current child care provider or school is unexpectedly unavailable.
While well-intentioned, our concern is that AB 2499 is creating new, uncapped leave for scenarios already covered under existing law. And it applies to small businesses with just 5 employees.

Read the full letter of opposition here.