Be WARNed: California Expands the Requirements of the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act

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Andrew M. DeLucia

November 26, 2025

Effective January 1, 2026, employers will have to include additional information on their notices under the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“CalWARN”).

What is CalWARN?
Like its federal WARN counterpart, CalWARN requires certain covered employers to give 60-days’ written notice before a mass layoff, plant closure, or relocation.  Employers also must notify certain state and local representatives.  This notice helps workers prepare for job loss, find new jobs, or train for new opportunities.

A covered employer means “any industrial or commercial facility or part thereof that employs, or has employed within the preceding 12 months, 75 or more persons.”

What are the new requirements?
The new requirements for CalWARN written notices include:

• whether the employer plans to coordinate services, such as rapid response services, through the local workforce development board, whether the employer plans to coordinate services through a different entity, or whether the employer does not plan to coordinate services with any entity.
• a functioning email and telephone number of the local workforce development board and the following description of the rapid response activities offered by the local workforce development board: “Local Workforce Development Boards and their partners help laid off workers find new jobs. Visit an America’s Job Center of California location near you.  You can get help with your resume, practice interviewing, search for jobs, and more.  You can also learn about training programs to help start a new career.”
• a description of the statewide food assistance program known as CalFresh, the CalFresh benefits helpline, and a link to the CalFresh internet website.
• a functioning email and telephone number of the employer for contact.

In the event the employer intends to coordinate services with the local workforce development board or other entity, the employer will be required to arrange those services within 30 days from the date of the issuance of the CalWARN notice.  If the employer does not plan to coordinate services with any entity, the employer must state so in the written notice.

What should employers do?
Employers, of course, should continue to comply with all of the existing requirements of both the federal WARN and CalWARN.  The new required content should be included in all CalWARN notices.  Employers considering potential mass layoffs, terminations, or relocations at covered establishments should review and update any prior written CalWARN notice templates to make sure that they comply with the new legal requirements.

The author of this article, Andrew DeLucia, is a member of the Bars of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  This article is designed to provide one perspective regarding recent legal developments, and is not intended to serve as legal advice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California or any other jurisdiction, nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship with any reader of the article where one does not exist.  Always consult an attorney with specific legal issues.