More than 2.7 million Californians lost their jobs during the pandemic-fueled recession and some businesses never recovered. But the state’s strict public health measures protected the economy overall, lowering virus rates and allowing faster reopening, according to UCLA economists. The state budget also thrived during COVID-19, as California’s tax structure relies heavily on high earners who did not suffer financially.
There is no federal law requiring paid sick leave. California issued its annual three-day minimum paid sick leave requirement in 2014. The benefit can be used to recover from physical and mental illnesses, attend medical appointments or care for ill family members.
Most states do not require paid sick time, including Florida and Montana. Among the 15 states that do, some provide more than California, including New York, which requires some businesses to provide seven days of paid leave, and New Mexico, which passed a law last year that allows employees up to eight paid sick days.
Some cities in California require more than the state standard, including Los Angeles, where employers must provide at least six paid days of sick leave.
California’s current paid sick leave mandate, signed into law nearly a decade ago, came after a long fight in the state Legislature, with unions split over who should benefit and concerns about costs to businesses and to the state.
Similar attempts to expand paid sick leave beyond the hard-fought three-day requirement have since failed.
The latest proposal is estimated to cost $34.6 million in its first year and $67.2 million annually after that as part of an expansion of the policy to include home health workers. Additional one-time costs — such as $1 million for payroll logistics — are also expected.
Newsom has warned that he will veto bills based on cost, as the state faces a $31-billion budget deficit. His Department of Finance opposes the bill, citing new state costs not included in California’s budget.
The Department of Finance has also voiced implementation concerns about the potential ramifications for the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, which investigates wage theft and other workplace complaints. The agency already has “a backlog of cases,” resulting in some wait times lasting more than a year, the department said in a statement.
People like Jim Riffel, an instructional aide in Sacramento schools and a member of SEIU 1021, are optimistic that minds have changed about work and public health because of COVID-19.
Workers need to have the ability to stay home when they’re sick or their children are sick, so that children are not sent to schools while contagious, he said, causing a ripple effect in communities.
Without paid sick time, he watches families choose between health and pay, he said.
“When kids get sick, working poor families too often face terrible choices,” Riffel said. “These families are walking a tightrope with a very long way to fall.”