Northern California: Cal/OSHA and California Labor and Employment Law Summit 2026

Tuesday, Oct 6 | Residence Inn by Marriott Berkeley

Southern California: Cal/OSHA and California Labor and Employment Law Summit 2026

About The Event

Conn Maciel Carey LLP’s Cal/OSHA and California Labor and Employment Law Summit is an in-person program conducted by the California-based attorneys in CMC’s national OSHA & Workplace Safety and Labor & Employment Practice Groups, to update California employers on important developments involving workplace safety and health and employment law issues in California.

Learn How to Navigate California Requirements

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is the most aggressive and enforcement-heavy approved State OSH Program in the nation, and as a result, California employers face a host of requirements that other employers around the country do not. And with a packed rulemaking agenda on the horizon, most employers stand to be impacted by at least one new standard.

In addition, California continues to experience regular changes in the labor and employment law landscape through new legislation and decisions from the California courts and the National Labor Relations Board. California employers always have something new to learn as the legislative session closes at the end of September, and we become certain of what new laws will take effect in 2027.

Our Cal/OSHA and California Labor and Employment Law Summit will cover what employers can expect in the coming months from the latest legislative and rulemaking updates to changes in enforcement priorities, and best practices for compliance.

Two Dates and Locations to Choose From

Registrants can join the program in Northern California on October 6th or in Southern California on October 8th. Each day will consist of networking, panelist sessions, and open forums to collaborate with the CMC team and your fellow attendees.

Continental breakfast, lunch, and program materials will be included with registration at both locations.

This program will be submitted to the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) for review. We will also submit the program for California CLE credits.

Jump to Locations

2025 Agenda

8:30 am – 9:00 am PDT

Registration/Continental Breakfast/Networking

9:00 am – 9:15 am PDT

Opening Remarks

9:15 am – 10:00 am PDT

Updates from California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB)

The California occupational safety and health landscape is constantly evolving with new and revised regulations impacting general industry and specific workplaces alike. This session will include updates on the OSHSB and what to expect for the remainder of 2025 and 2026.

SPEAKERS:

Rachel L. Conn, California Practice Chair, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Joseph M. Alioto Jr., Chair, Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board
Rob Moutrie, Policy Advocate, California Chamber of Commerce (Oct. 21)

10:00 am – 10:15 am PDT

Break

10:15 am – 11:45 am PDT

Cal/OSHA Appeals Boards and Enforcement Updates: What to Expect in 2026

Cal/OSHA is showing no signs of slowing down on its enforcement efforts. This session will offer insights into the agency’s enforcement priorities and trends, as well as the latest on personnel updates, such as the expansion of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI). We will also dig into the latest Appeals Board cases impacting employers.

Updates on other West Coast state plans such as Oregon, Nevada, and Washington, will also be covered.

SPEAKERS:

Rachel L. Conn, California Practice Chair, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Megan S. Shaked, California Practice Lead, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Eric J. Conn, OSHA Practice Chair, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Fred Walter, Of Counsel, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Andrea O. Chavez, Senior Counsel, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Daniel C. Deacon, Partner, Conn Maciel Carey LLP

11:45 am – 12:00 pm PDT

Break

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm PDT

Lunch and Panel Discussion on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence in OSHA, Employment, and Labor

As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to grow, employers must learn to navigate the use of AI in the workplace. While AI use may provide significant benefits, there are risk and limitations, including privacy, discrimination, confidentiality, and reliability concerns.

Join us for a lunchtime panel about how to manage AI use while navigating OSH, labor, and employment laws.

SPEAKERS:

Ashley Hoffman, Sr. Policy Advocate, California Chamber of Commerce (Oct. 21)
Rachel L. Conn, California Practice Chair, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Megan S. Shaked, California Practice Lead, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Letitia Silas, Partner, Conn Maciel Carey LLP

1:30 pm – 1:45 pm PDT

Break

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm PDT

California Labor and Employment Update

With the legislative session coming to a close in mid-September, our California labor and employment team will present an overview of key new laws for 2025/2026. We will also discuss key decisions from the California courts impacting California employers. Finally, a year into PAGA reform, we will survey the landscape for wage and hour representative actions and the impact of the significant changes to the law that went into effect last year.

SPEAKERS:

Ashley Hoffman, Sr. Policy Advocate, California Chamber of Commerce (Oct. 21)
Kara M. Maciel, L&E Practice Chair, Conn Maciel Carey LLP (Oct. 21)
Megan S. Shaked, California Practice Lead, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Letitia Silas, Partner, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Andrea O. Chavez, Senior Counsel, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Kimberly Cole, Senior Counsel, Conn Maciel Carey LLP

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm PDT

Q&A and Closing Remarks

Throughout the Summit and following Closing Remarks, we welcome the opportunity to discuss any questions you may have with the Conn Maciel Carey team and collaborate with your fellow attendees.

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm PDT

Post-Event Reception

Join us for a casual post-event gathering with drinks, conversation, and networking.

The agenda may be subject to change.

Who Should Attend?

Safety Managers
In-House Safety and Health Attorneys
In-House Employment Attorneys
C-Suite Executives
Regulatory Affairs Specialists

Operations Managers
Process Safety Consultants and Experts
Trade Association Staff
Human Resources Professionals

2025 Guest Speakers

Joseph M. Alioto Jr. is the Chair of California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA). Appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2023, Joseph leads statewide efforts to safeguard workers while considering business needs. Joseph is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and public advocate with 25 years of experience representing individuals, small businesses, and executives in high-stakes cases against government and corporate overreach. As founder of Alioto Legal, he blends his prosecutorial rigor with business acumen (JD/MBA, UC Berkeley) to pursue public-impact litigation while advising clients facing institutional and regulatory battles.

Read more about Joseph.

Rob Moutrie is a Policy Advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce. He lobbies on workplace safety issues, both at the legislature and at Cal/OSHA. Rob was one of the primary industry-side negotiators involved in California’s COVID-19 emergency regulation, as well as California’s wildfire smoke emergency regulation and others. Most recently, he was the lead industry negotiator on Senate Bill 553, which requires a workplace violence safety plan for virtually all California employers and went into effect in July 2024.

Read more about Rob.

Ashley Hoffman is a Senior Policy Advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce. She specializes in labor and employment and workers’ compensation issues. Before joining the CalChamber policy team, she was an associate attorney in the Sacramento office of a national law firm, representing employers in civil litigation and administrative matters as well as advising employers on best practices, including compliance with laws such as the California Labor Code, California Wage Orders, and the Fair Employment and Housing Act.

Read more about Ashley.