Newsom Signs California Workplace Speech Training Law

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1803 on September 27, adding instruction on certain hostile workplace speech to the state’s existing harassment-training requirements. The new requirement is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2028, and has drawn questions about how it will apply to religious employers and protected religious expression. The law requires employers covered by California’s existing training framework to include guidance on recognizing, reporting and addressing workplace speech that vilifies, humiliates or incites hatred based on protected characteristics. Those characteristics include religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. AB 1803 amends existing training rather than creating a separate course, and does not prescribe additional training hours, according to the available descriptions of the legislation. Critics, including California Family Council vice president Greg Burt and several pastors, argue that the wording could leave employers uncertain about whether traditional religious views on sexuality and gender might be treated as hateful speech. They warn that disputes could arise when workplace policies intersect with religious convictions....