Employment Preemption in Long Beach, CA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Long Beach or are thinking about moving there, employment preemption are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Long Beach has 3 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of employment preemption, and some of them might surprise you.

Minimum Wage Preemption

Long Beach follows the California statewide minimum wage of $16.50 per hour for most employers, indexed annually to inflation. The city has no general citywide wage above the state floor.

Key details: State minimum: $16.50 per hour. Long Beach citywide: No higher general wage. Indexing: Annual CPI adjustment. Healthcare floor: SB 525 industry minimum. Fast food floor: $20 under AB 1228.

Wage Theft Prevention Act remedies, Labor Commissioner citations, civil penalties, and private actions. Willful underpayment can yield doubled liquidated damages and attorney fees.

Grocery Worker Wage

Long Beach passed a $4-per-hour grocery worker hazard premium in 2021 during the pandemic. The ordinance was time-limited, faced litigation, and is no longer in effect citywide.

Key details: Adopted: January 2021. Premium: $4 per hour hazard pay. Duration: 120 days, sunset. Status: Expired, not renewed. Coverage: Large grocery chains only.

While in effect, civil penalties, back wages, attorney fees, and a private right of action attached. The ordinance lapsed at the 120-day sunset and is not currently enforced.

The rules around grocery worker wage in Long Beach lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Paid Leave Preemption

California Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act mandates at least 40 hours, or five days, of paid sick leave per year for nearly all employees. Long Beach has no expanded citywide leave ordinance.

Key details: State minimum: 40 hours or 5 days. Authority: Labor Code sections 245-249. Accrual: 1 hour per 30 worked. Long Beach addition: No general citywide expansion. Effective expansion: SB 616 January 2024.

Labor Commissioner citations, civil penalties of up to $4,000, reinstatement, back pay, and attorney fees. Retaliation for using leave is independently unlawful.

The Bottom Line

Long Beach's employment preemption rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Long Beach is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Long Beach's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.