Santa Monica, CA Hotels & Lodging: Hotel Worker Retention (2026)
Key Facts
- Retention period
- 90 days from hotel reopening under new employer
- Worker list deadline
- Within 15 days of change in control
- Minimum prior employment for eligibility
- 2 months before change in control
- Civil penalty
- $100 per worker per day; trebled for willful violations
- Performance evaluation
- Required in writing at end of retention period
- Discharge standard during retention
- Only for documented individual performance or conduct
Summary
When a Santa Monica hotel changes ownership or control, the incoming employer must retain all eligible hotel workers for a 90-day retention period and may only discharge them during that period for documented individual cause.
§ 4.67.050. Hotel worker retention.
(a) Within fifteen days of a change in control, an incumbent hotel employer shall provide a successor hotel employer with a list of eligible hotel workers. This list shall include the name, date of hire, and job classification of each eligible hotel worker. A successor hotel employer shall be required to maintain and hire from this list during the hotel worker retention period.
(b) A successor hotel employer shall, during the hotel worker retention period, offer each eligible hotel worker employment for no less than ninety days, except that:
(1) A successor hotel employer shall not be required to offer employment to an eligible hotel worker if the successor hotel employer has reasonable and substantiated cause not to retain that eligible hotel worker based on that eligible hotel worker's individual performance or conduct while employed by the incumbent hotel employer.
(c) An eligible hotel worker retained pursuant to this Section shall be employed under terms and conditions established by the successor hotel employer as required by law and shall not be discharged except for good cause based on individual performance or conduct.
Full Breakdown
The hotel worker retention period runs for 90 days from the first date the hotel is open to the public under the new employer. During that period, the successor employer can reduce headcount only by seniority and job classification, following any collective bargaining agreement first. At the end of the 90-day period, the successor must give each retained worker a written performance evaluation. Workers covered include all non-managerial, non-supervisory hotel workers employed at the hotel for at least two months before the change.
Violations & Fines
Violations expose the hotel employer to civil liability of $100 per aggrieved worker per day; willful violations are subject to treble damages. Prevailing workers are entitled to attorneys' fees and costs. Employers may not retaliate against workers for exercising rights under this chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a hotel sale trigger worker retention requirements?
Can the new owner reduce staff after buying a hotel?
What happens to workers at the end of the 90 days?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Monica
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Hotel Worker Retention in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle hotel worker retention.