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Beth V. West

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Beth is a Shareholder and Chair of the Firm’s Labor and Employment Group. She is admitted to practice law in California and Washington. She has years of experience assisting employers in all aspects of their employment relationship with their employees. Her practice focuses on counseling and training employers, HR professionals, and managers.

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Shortly after taking office, President Trump signed Executive Order 14173 (“Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”) commonly referred to as the “Anti-DEI Order” (hereinafter simply referred to as the “Ex. Order”). Among other things, the Ex. Order directs federal agencies “to combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.” However, as pointed out by many legal commentators and at least one federal district court, the Ex. Order conspicuously does not define what constitutes an “illegal DEI preference or program.” Continue Reading The DOJ and EEOC Move Forward With Enforcement Of The President’s Executive Order 14173 (aka ANTI-DEI ORDER) 

Recent legal developments have impacted drug and alcohol policy enforcement in the workplace. In this episode of California Employment News, Weintraub Labor & Employment attorneys Lizbeth “Beth” West and Ryan Abernathy provide an overview of the latest legal updates, best practices for implementing these policies, and how they apply to remote workers.

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This is a follow-up to our recent blog post regarding Senate Bill 399 (“SB 399”) and its prohibition on an employer’s right to take adverse action against an employee who refuses to attend meetings related to “political matters” or “religious matters.” (See post here).  As we indicated in the blog, it was anticipated that SB 399 would be challenged in the courts.  Sure enough! Continue Reading Lawsuit Filed by CA Chamber of Commerce: Challenging Senate Bill 399

If you followed California’s 2024 Legislative term, you know that Senate Bill 399 (“SB 399”) was passed and signed into law by Governor Newsom on September 27, 2024.  For the most part, SB 399 has been described as a new “captive audience” law that prevents most, but not all, employers from taking any adverse action against an employee who declines to attend an employer-sponsored meeting in which the employer or its agents discuss “political matters” or “religious matters.” The law came about during a time of great political division in the US, and was aimed at protecting an employee’s right to hold their own political and religious views, and be free of intimidation by their employer.Continue Reading You Can’t Make Me Go to that Meeting! CA Law Prohibits Adverse Action Against Employees Who Refuse to Go to Certain Meetings

Under California law, employers are prohibited from making, adopting, or enforcing policies that prevent an employee from disclosing violations of a state or federal statute, or a violation or noncompliance with a local, state, or federal regulation to, among others, a government or law enforcement agency.  The law also prohibits employers from retaliating against an employee who makes such a disclosure.Continue Reading CA Labor Commissioner Issues New Whistleblower Notice