Workplace surveillance.

Assembly Member Elhawary's workplace surveillance legislation establishes new restrictions on employer monitoring practices while carving out specific exemptions for national security operations. The bill prohibits surveillance in employee-only areas like bathrooms, locker rooms, break rooms, and lactation spaces, while allowing workers to leave monitoring devices behind during off-duty hours and meal periods.

Under the proposed rules, employers may use video cameras in break rooms and cafeterias solely for safety purposes, provided they meet strict requirements: no audio recording, posted notification signs, no artificial intelligence capabilities, and limited access to footage. The bill explicitly bars employers from requiring workers to implant data collection devices. On multi-employer job sites, the controlling employer must post notices describing any surveillance activities and their purposes.

The legislation creates enforcement mechanisms through both the Labor Commissioner and public prosecutors, establishing civil penalties of $500 per employee for each violation. While the bill preserves stronger local worker protections and maintains existing surveillance requirements under state and federal law, it exempts employers developing products for national security, military, space, defense, or aircraft operations. The provisions include anti-retaliation protections for workers who exercise their rights or participate in enforcement actions.