California Just Added Anti-Hate Speech Training to Its Harassment Prevention Training Requirements

Compliance and what’s needed to remain compliant is always evolving. California continues to prove that.

On September 27, 2026, Governor Newsom signed AB 1803. It amends California's mandatory sexual harassment training statute, Government Code section 12950.1, to add a new requirement. Harassment prevention training now has to cover anti-hate speech too.

This does not change the audience or the hours. Employers with five or more employees still must provide two hours to supervisors and one hour to everyone else, every two years.

But starting January 1, 2028, that training also needs to address hate speech.
Let’s get into what it is and what it means for your business.

What the Anti-Hate Speech Training Now Has to Cover

Training now has to do three specific things:

1. It has to help supervisors and employees recognize workplace speech that "vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred" against someone because of a protected characteristic
2. It must report it through the usual channels.
3. It must also include a plan to confront it directly when it happens.

Those characteristics aren't new. They're the same list FEHA already covers, including race, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and military and veteran status, per Gov. Code § 12940(a).

However, the confronting piece is what’s genuinely new. Now, your training must enable employees to walk away with practical guidance for handling this kind of speech in the moment, not just a reminder to flag it and move on.

What this means for your program

Here's the short version: you don't need to do anything. At least right this second.

While the amendment doesn't take effect until January 1, 2028, the anti-hate speech component is being built into every EasyLlama California Harassment Prevention course a full year early, starting January 1, 2027. When your training renews after that date, it's already there. For EasyLlama users, that means no separate module to assign, no new line item to add to your compliance checklist, nothing to source or build yourself. You’re already good to go.

The Legislature wrote this requirement to directly address a worsening problem in the workplace.
From my legal experience, when laws like this are put into effect, it’s worth having training ready long before a deadline forces the issue, so you’re prepared, fully covered, and not scrambling to remain compliant.

If you're already running EasyLlama's California Harassment Prevention training, there's nothing to schedule and nothing to request. This shows up on its own.

Stay Ahead of Regulations → Get a demo of EasyLlama.