©2025 Seyfarth Shaw LLP www.seyfarth.com 2025 Cal-Peculiarities | 35 Employees are entitled up to a maximum benefit set by formula.58 Employers need not provide SFPPLO pay that exceeds a state cap on income (for the purposes of PFL). The maximum weekly PFL pay for claims beginning on or after January 1, 2025, is 70% or 90%, with a maximum payment of $1,681.59 SFPPLO requires employers to supplement the remainder of an employee’s compensation, up to a cap of approximately $2,400 per week for 2025.60 Changes in the percentage of income replacement by PFL and the state income cap will affect the supplemental amount that San Francisco employers must pay. 2.5 Accommodation of Addicts and Individuals Who Cannot Read Employers of 25 or more employees must provide a “reasonable accommodation” (e.g., an unpaid leave) for employees who wish to participate in alcohol or drug rehabilitation programs or adult literacy programs,61 and must take reasonable steps to safeguard the privacy of the employee who has enrolled in a rehabilitation program.62 Unpaid leave is also an entitlement under CFRA for employees wishing to participate in an alcohol rehabilitation program, if the employee provides medical certification for an alcohol-related dependency. 2.6 Time Off for Court Appearances (Jury Duty, Witness Leave, etc.) California employers must grant unpaid leave to, and must not discriminate against, employees who (1) are summoned for jury duty or for a court appearance as a witness, (2) appear in court to seek relief as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault, or (3) are victims of certain felonies or are closely related to such victims.63 Generally a condition of leave is giving reasonable notice to the employer. 2.6.1 Jury duty California law does not prohibit an employer from requiring that employees on jury duty report to work when not called to serve on a jury. Although employers who provide paid jury duty typically limit the pay to two weeks, both federal and California law generally require, as a condition of exempt status, that exempt employees receive a salary of a fixed amount per week regardless of the amount worked that week, so that a partial-week jury leave may amount, as a practical matter, to fully paid leave for exempt employees. 2.6.2 Victim-related court appearances California employers must not discharge, discriminate, or retaliate against an employee who takes time off, after giving reasonable advance notice (where feasible), to appear at any proceeding involving the right of a victim of any of certain crimes.64 The law specifies that the information needed to certify the absence can include a police report, court order, or medical documentation.65 A “victim” protected under this law includes the employee or the employee’s spouse, parent, child, sibling, or guardian.66 2.7 Qualifying Act of Violence Leave and Accommodation California has created rights for employees who are victims of qualifying acts of violence or whose covered family members are victims. These individuals may not only need to miss work for victim-related judicial proceedings (see § 2.6.2), but may also have special safety and other needs that employers must consider (see §§ 2.7.1, 2.7.2). Employers must provide employees with notice of their rights to qualifying act of violence leave and reasonable accommodations upon hire or upon request and may do so by using a form developed by the Civil Rights Department. 67 As of January 1, 2025, all victims of a qualifying act of violence are entitled to take time off from work to obtain relief, including but not limited to a temporary restraining order, restraining order, or injunctive relief, to help ensure the health, safety, or welfare of the victim or the victim’s child or to serve as a witness in a judicial
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