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California
RESTAURANT ALERT Extended Producer Responsibility update: Effective immediately - SB 54 regulations now in effect
As of May 1, 2026, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has officially approved and implemented the permanent regulations for the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54, Allen, Chapter 75, Statutes of 2022). The regulations are now effective and operational.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
CalRecycle has launched the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility System (PEPRS) – a new electronic portal for producer registration, reporting, document submittals, and compliance monitoring.
CalRecycle has yet to, but announced they will soon publish guidance materials, including:
"Are you a Producer?" A situational screening tool for California's Packaging Law
"Identifying Covered Materials: Guidance for Producers of Single-Use Packaging and Single-Use Plastic Food Service Ware"
CRITICAL DEADLINE: June 1, 2026 (30 days from effective date) Producers must take one of the following actions by June 1, 2026:
✓ Register with Circular Action Alliance (CAA) and submit supply data, OR ✓ Register with CalRecycle as an Independent Producer, OR ✓ Apply for Small Producer Exemption
EmployeeMetrics®️ LiveView™️ helps restaurants monitor breaks in real time, prevents violations before they occur, and documents reasonable efforts to comply—reducing legal risk while improving daily operations.
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH Join us for the upcoming CRA Legal Center Webinar with Jackson Lewis: Restaurants & Mental Health. Stay Supportive. Stay Compliant.
RESTAURANT ALERT City of Los Angeles - Costly Restaurant Ordinance (CRO) Update
LA City’s CRO originally proposed implementing restrictive scheduling, additional paid-time off, and Know-Your-Rights training requirements for quick-service workers in the city of Los Angeles.
Through the process—additional paid-time off for QSR workers was removed from consideration in the CLA.
After about a year in the report-back phase of this proposal, CRA, along with its coalition partners, has been in active advocacy work fighting against these proposals.
Last week, the Chief Legislative Analyst’s office released the report with the following recommendations:
Create a fair work week ordinance that applies to QSRs currently captured by AB 1228 (Fast Act)
The models the CLA suggests as a baseline for LA’s ordinance include Fair Work Week laws in:
City of Los Angeles
New York City
City of Seattle
State of Oregon
Identify and select a "Know Your Rights" program trainer responsible for conducting either 2-hour or 6-hour virtual training, similar to the process utilized in the Public Housekeeping Training.
A 2-hour training would only cover local Labor Laws:
FWW
MWO
Fair Chance
OWS Ordinance
A 6-hour training would cover the above-mentioned topics and the following types of State law violations:
Worker misclassification
Meal and rest breaks
Wage theft
The report may be scheduled for a committee hearing on May 19th; in the meantime, the CRA will continue to fight back against this proposal.
CRA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT STORY Get to know Intrepid Direct Insurance
Intrepid Direct Insurance is a direct-to-consumer commercial insurance provider that specializes in serving restaurants. They connect directly with restaurant owners, cutting out agents and brokers to offer significant cost savings, often up to 20%, while ensuring comprehensive coverage tailored for the industry.
CA RESTAURANT FOUNDATION Meet the 2026 Restaurants Care Champions
Restaurants Care proudly announces its 2026 Champions. These companies are committed to supporting food and beverage workers in times of need. Since 2017, this fund has been a lifeline to more than 3,000 people across California’s restaurant community. Help us celebrate the partners making this critical support possible.
NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION Your input needed on third‑party delivery
The National Restaurant Association prioritizes effective third-party restaurant delivery for both operators and customers. In 2020, the Association and major delivery companies created industry-first Principles for Third-Party Delivery. Since then, platform opportunities and challenges have evolved. A short 10-minute survey is being launched to collect operator input for the Association's FTC submission, ensuring policymakers hear from restaurants.
Express Lanes START is a pilot program that gives income-qualified drivers discounts of 50% or more in the I-80 Express Lanes between Oakland and Milpitas and I-880 Express Lanes in Solano County. When you carpool, you can get larger discounts or even ride in the express lanes for free!
To qualify, you must:
Live in the nine-county Bay Area
Have a household income at or below the established income guidelines, and
Have or open a FasTrak account.
Proof of income required. Applying takes less than 10 minutes.
While all information released by the California Restaurant Association (CRA) is intended to provide accurate information on the subject covered, the CRA does not provide legal advice and any information provided by the CRA shall not constitute legal advice. You are encouraged to consult your attorney, accountant, or other appropriate professional, as needed.
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If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please immediately notify us by telephone at 800.765.4842.
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