News & Updates
Featured News
Happy Labor Day! California is the #1 for state for workers, #1 economy in the nation
California continues supporting working families, with higher pay, more jobs, and a stronger economy. From raising minimum wages to protecting workers’ rights, Governor Newsom’s leadership has helped California set the pace for the rest of the nation in supporting working people.
Governor Newsom awards $48.5 million to drive economic growth and advance innovation across the state, supporting the creation of 20,000 new jobs
California is investing $48.5 million through the California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative to support 18 projects across eight economic regions. The investments are expected to support the creation of 20,000 jobs while advancing regional economic priorities in key sectors across the state.
California launches first-in-nation AI literacy micro-credential program
The California Labor & Workforce Development Agency today announced the launch of the AI-Ready California pilot, a micro-credential program designed to provide universal AI literacy education across the state.
Latest from the LWDA Blog
LWDA Deputy Secretary Abby Snay Honored for Championing Workforce Equity and Innovation in California
LWDA Deputy Secretary Abby Snay Honored for Championing Workforce Equity and Innovation in California Blog post: April 2, 2026 Abby Snay, the Labor & Workforce Development Agency’s (LWDA)...
Women Who Lead
Women Who Lead Women's History Month Blog post: March 30, 2026 This Women’s History Month, many of the women leaders in the Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) and our departments...
Press Releases
2026
September
- Nicole Richardson appointed DWC Administrative Director (September 11, 2026)
- September Heat Alert: Cal/OSHA reminds employers to protect workers from high heat with temperatures expected to reach triple digits across much of the state (September 9, 2026)
- New expanded crop lien law helps California recover wages for Coachella Valley farmworkers (September 9, 2026)
- Happy Labor Day! California is the #1 state for workers, #1 economy in the nation (September 7, 2026)
- EDD Highlights Workforce Resources and Career Opportunities for Californians this Labor Day (September 3, 2026)
- CHSWC’s School Action for Safety and Health Program offers webinar on weather-related hazards affecting school employees (September 1, 2026)
August
- California kicks off Labor Rights Week with $35 million investment in workers’ rights outreach (August 31, 2026)
- California Expands Radio Outreach to Support Farmworker Communities (August 31, 2026)
- EDD Issues Statement on New U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic AI-Exposure Categories (August 28, 2026)
- DIR, DWC release report on access to medical care in California’s workers’ compensation system (August 27, 2026)
- Governor Newsom awards $48.5 million to drive economic growth and advance innovation across the state, supporting the creation of 20,000 new jobs (August 26, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA urges employers to protect workers as extreme heat continues across Southern California (August 25, 2026)
- California’s Unemployment Rate Improves to 5.1 Percent (August 21, 2026)
- DWC releases report on Senate Bill 1160’s impact on utilization review (August 19, 2026)
- California Employment Training Panel invests in training and upskilling workers in the manufacturing industry (August 14, 2026)
- ICYMI: California’s minimum wage set to increase to $17.40 per hour on January 1, 2027 (August 13, 2026)
- DWC updates hospital outpatient department and ambulatory surgical center fee schedule to reflect additional July 2026 Medicare changes (August 5, 2026)
- California Labor Commissioner secures $2.75 million for hospitality workers denied opportunity to return to work (August 4, 2026)
- As triple-digit heat continues, Cal/OSHA urges employers to protect workers from heat illness (August 3, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA cites three L.A. County roofing contractors $282,420 following fatal fall (August 3, 2026)
July
- State Workforce Board Awards $8M to Meet Hiring Needs of Public Infrastructure and Construction Projects (July 30, 2026)
- As summer heats up, California promotes safety for all workers, including youth (July 23, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA reminds employers to protect workers from heat illness as triple-digit temperatures are expected in Southern California July 22–27 (July 21, 2026)
- DWC updates hospital outpatient department and ambulatory surgical center fee schedule to reflect July 2026 Medicare changes (July 20, 2026)
- California launches first-in-nation AI literacy micro-credential program (July 14, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA urges employers to protect workers as temperatures rise throughout California (July 13, 2026)
- DWC updates fee schedule for physician and non-physician practitioner services to reflect Medicare changes (July 9, 2026)
- DWC now accepting applications for Qualified Medical Evaluator examination (July 8, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA advises employers to prevent heat illness as temperatures increase in Southern California (July 7, 2026)
- DWC updates hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers fee schedule to reflect Medicare changes (July 7, 2026)
- DWC updates pathology and clinical laboratory fee schedule to reflect Medicare changes (July 6, 2026)
- DWC updates the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies fee schedule to reflect Medicare changes (July 2, 2026)
June
- California becomes the first state to launch a tool to monitor and track artificial intelligence’s impacts on the workforce (June 25, 2026)
- DWC posts third quarter adjustments to Official Medical Fee Schedule, Physician Services / Non-Physician Practitioner Services (June 24, 2026)
- California Invests in the Future by Preparing Workers and Employers for Artificial Intelligence (June 23, 2026)
- California Added 3,100 Jobs in May (June 19, 2026)
- During National Trench Safety Stand Down Week Cal/OSHA Urges Employers to Protect Workers (June 15, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA reminds employers to protect workers from heat illness during high temperatures this week (June 10, 2026)
- California Invests $5 Million to Strengthen Career Opportunities for Farmworkers (June 8, 2026)
- California Invests $1.5 Million in Technical Assistance to Support Employment Programs (June 4, 2026)
- DWC Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee meeting scheduled for July 15, 2026 (June 2, 2026)
- Employment Training Panel awards funding to 14 organizations to help immigrants and refugees start of maintain small businesses and cooperatives (June 1, 2026)
May
- Standards Board Advances Efforts to Protect Workers from Silicosis (May 22, 2026)
- California’s April Unemployment Rate Remains Steady at 5.3% (May 22, 2026)
- DWC posts report on California’s workers’ compensation Medical-Legal process and Qualified Medical Evaluators (May 21, 2026)
- California Supports Aerospace Workers Affected by Layoffs at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (May 20, 2026)
- DIR, DWC release Independent Medical Review report for 2025 (May 19, 2026)
- DWC provides clarification on use of Request for Authorization form (May 14, 2026)
- DWC posts 2024 Audit Unit annual report and the ranking report (May 8, 2026)
- DWC issues Notice of Public Hearing on June 5, 2026, for proposed evidence-based update and adoption to the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (May 5, 2026)
- DWC posts proposed amendments to the qualified medical evaluator regulations to online forum for public comment (May 4, 2026)
- California Added 28,700 Jobs in March 2026 (May 1, 2026)
April
- Governor Newsom celebrates National Apprenticeship Week, highlighting pathways connecting workers to good jobs (April 28, 2026)
- California celebrates National Apprenticeship Week (April 27, 2026)
- EDD Simplifies How Unemployed Workers Can Certify for Benefits Online (April 27, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA hosts annual training to help employers prevent heat illness (April 24, 2026)
- Mother and son duo cited $4.4 million for misclassifying caregivers (April 23, 2026)
- California’s February Unemployment Rate Remains at 5.4% (April 17, 2026)
- Governor Newsom expands apprenticeships and workforce training for more than 60,000 Californians (April 9, 2026)
- DWC posts adjustments to Official Medical Fee Schedule (Hospital Outpatient Departments/Ambulatory Surgical Centers) (April 7, 2026)
- DWC posts adjustments to Official Medical Fee Schedule (DMEPOS) (April 6, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA urges employers to protect workers amid smoke conditions from the Springs and Crown fires (April 3, 2026)
- California’s Unemployment Rate Drops to 5.4% for January 2026 (April 3, 2026)
- DWC posts adjustments to Official Medical Fee Schedule for Pathology and Clinical Laboratory (April 2, 2026)
March
- DWC Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee meeting scheduled for April 15, 2026 (March 26, 2026)
- DWC adopts updates to MTUS Drug List effective April 30, 2026 (March 26, 2026)
- Governor Newsom convenes leaders to confront crisis facing boys and men (March 25, 2026)
- DWC posts adjustments to Official Medical Fee Schedule (Physician Services / Non-Physician Practitioner Services) (March 18, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA reminds employers to protect workers from heat illness during heat wave (March 18, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA urges employers to protect workers as California temperatures rise (March 11, 2026)
- DWC posts proposal to update ADA accommodation regulations to online forum for public comment (March 9, 2026)
- California Supports Solano County Workers and Businesses Impacted by Anheuser-Busch and Mare Island Dry Dock Closures (March 6, 2026)
- California celebrates Women in Construction Week with new public awareness campaign (March 3, 2026)
February
- DWC posts adjustments to the Official Medical Fee Schedule (Hospital Outpatient Departments/Ambulatory Surgical Centers) (February 27, 2026)
- DWC posts update to Official Medical Fee Schedule for Physician and Non-Physician Practitioner Services (February 26, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA cites San Jose sheet metal company more than $212,000 following amputation accident (February 26, 2026)
- Blog: Not Your Typical Valentine’s Day Weekend for These California Teens (February 25, 2026)
- California Invests $3 Million to Support Workers and Businesses Affected by Valero Benicia Refinery Closure (February 24, 2026)
- Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation Releases Final Prepaid Card Report (February 19, 2026)
- Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation Releases 2025 WOSHTEP Advisory Board Annual Report (February 19, 2026)
- California’s Employment Reports Delayed Amid Annual Benchmarking and Federal Data Availability (February 19, 2026)
- Employment Training Panel awards $392,000 to Cover Technologies, Inc. to support workforce training following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires (February 18, 2026)
- California announces more than $22 million in apprenticeship funding as the state leads nationally in earn-and-learn opportunities (February 10, 2026)
- California Labor Commissioner secures over $6 million for farmworkers denied paid sick leave and other wage protections (February 4, 2026)
- Governor Newsom’s statewide Jobs First investments created more than 61,000 jobs, trained more than 142,000 workers in 2025 (February 3, 2026)
- CHSWC Announces 2026 Young Worker Leadership Academy on February 12 – February 14 (February 3, 2026)
- DWC posts adjustments to Official Medical Fee Schedule for Physician and Non-Physician Practitioner Services (February 2, 2026)
January
- DWC posts fee schedule adjustments for Hospital Outpatient Departments / Ambulatory Surgical Centers (January 30, 2026)
- New California law requires annual workplace rights notice (January 30, 2026)
- DIR, DWC releases Independent Bill Review (IBR) report for 2023 and 2024 (January 29, 2026)
- Cal/OSHA reminds employers to post 2025 injury and illness summary by February 1 (January 29, 2026)
- New QME process regulation section 55.1 in effect on April 1, 2026 (January 28, 2026)
- DWC posts draft regulation establishing ranges for attorney deposition fees to online forum for public comment (January 26, 2026)
- DWC issues notice of public hearing on February 27, 2026, for proposed evidence-based update and adoption to the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (January 26, 2026)
- DIR reminds contractors, including out-of-state firms working on firefighting and wildfire recovery projects in California, to comply with state labor and safety laws (January 22, 2026)
- DWC announces relocation of Santa Barbara district office to Goleta (January 21, 2026)
- DWC posts completed Utilization Review results for claims administrators conducted in 2025 (January 16, 2026)
- DWC posts reminder for submission of Annual Report of Inventory for claims reported during calendar year 2025 (January 15, 2026)
- Governor Newsom announces funding for construction workforce training program to help support Los Angeles recovery efforts (January 14, 2026)
- DWC now accepting applications for Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) exam on April 11-17 (January 13, 2026)
- California’s Unemployment Rate Improves as Jobs Rise by 32,500 in November 2025 (January 9, 2026)
- California Secretary of Labor highlights worker safety efforts during Los Angeles wildfire recovery (January 7, 2026)
- DWC announces release of Requests for Proposal to modernize EAMS (January 7, 2026)
- California Labor Market Data Release Moved to January 9 (January 7, 2026)
- Mileage rate for medical and medical-legal travel expenses increases effective January 1, 2026 (January 5, 2026)
- DWC Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee meeting scheduled for January 21, 2026 (January 5, 2026)
News Archives
See previous news releases from the Labor Agency.
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries please contact: communications@labor.ca.gov
LWDA Blog
California’s Master Plan for Career Education is supporting real skills for real jobs
California’s Master Plan for Career Education is supporting real skills for real jobs Career and Technical Education Month Blog post: February 26, 2026 February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, a time to recognize the hands‑on learning programs that help...
Celebrating Black Leaders: A Q&A with Jessica Grimes
Celebrating Black Leaders: A Q&A with Dr. Jessica Grimes, Executive Director of ETP Blog post: February 25, 2026 In the spirit of Black History Month, we are thrilled to spotlight a remarkable leader within our Agency: Dr. Jessica Grimes, Executive Director at the...
Not Your Typical Valentine’s Day Weekend for These California Teens
Not Your Typical Valentine’s Day Weekend for These California Teens Blog post: February 24, 2026 Instead of school dances or candy grams, a group of California teens spent their Valentine’s Day building leadership skills and learning how to stay safe at work. The 22nd annual...
Thanking California’s agricultural workforce at annual Farmworkers Appreciation Breakfast
Thanking California’s agricultural workforce and sharing vital worker protections at the annual Farmworkers Appreciation Breakfast Blog post: December 18, 2025 California Secretary of Labor Stewart Knox and leaders from the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), Employment...
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