CALIFORNIA: New leave for members of civil air patrol

California employers have another category of protected leave to contend with pursuant to the recently enacted Civil Air Patrol Employment Protection Act. Effective January 1, 2010, employers with fifteen or more employees must grant up to ten days of unpaid leave per year to eligible employees needing time off to respond to an emergency operational mission of the California Civil Air Patrol. Employees are eligible to take the leave if they’ve been employed for at least ninety days. Leave is limited to three days on any one occasion, unless the employer agrees to an extension that’s been authorized by the appropriate government entity (AB 485, 2009 Cal Stat Ch 242). For more information about this new leave law, call your Vigilant staff representative.