Solano County Employment Lawyers

Why Solano County Employees Need an Employment Lawyer

Solano County faces an unusual cluster of mass-layoff challenges. Genentech sold its Vacaville facility to Lonza (Swiss CDMO) in October 2024 ($1.2 billion sale completed October 1, 2024); Lonza offered continued employment to approximately 750 Genentech employees at Vacaville (asset/site transfer with workforce continuity, not a WARN-triggering mass layoff). Should any subsequent layoffs occur, California WARN Act 60-day-notice obligations would apply; the Jelly Belly Candy Company (now owned by Ferrara) and other Fairfield/Vacaville employers have triggered additional WARN filings. Travis Air Force Base civilian employees use the federal MSPB / EEOC federal-sector process (45-day deadline). Anheuser-Busch's Fairfield brewery is a major union (Teamsters) workplace with NLRA, FEHA, Title VII, and Labor Code section 1102.5 protections. Kaiser Vacaville/Vallejo and NorthBay Healthcare hospitals face Cal. Health & Safety Code section 1278.5 retaliation cases. Cal Poly Maritime Academy (Cal Poly Solano Campus, Vallejo - effective July 1, 2025 merger with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) is a public CSU institution subject to FEHA, Title IX, and the Government Claims Act 6-month notice rule. We represent employees only - never employers - and we know the WARN, FEHA, Labor Code section 1102.5, Sarbanes-Oxley, and federal MSPB tactics that work in Solano Superior Court. All other claims against public entities (e.g., breach of contract) must be presented within 1 year under Government Code section 911.2. No fee unless we win.

Common Employment Law Violations Across Solano County

• Genentech Vacaville mass layoffs and WARN Act - Genentech sold its Vacaville facility to Lonza (Swiss CDMO) for $1.2 billion (completed October 1, 2024); approximately 750 Genentech employees at the Vacaville site were offered continued employment by Lonza (asset/site transfer with workforce continuity, not a WARN-triggering mass layoff per Lonza's own announcements). Should any subsequent layoffs occur at the Lonza-operated site, California WARN Act 60-day-notice obligations would apply. Genentech is publicly traded (Roche subsidiary) - Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank protect whistleblowers from retaliation.
• Ferrara Candy Company / Jelly Belly Fairfield closure (2026 WARN) - Ferrara filed a California WARN notice for the closure of the Jelly Belly Fairfield corporate / commercial office, eliminating 69 positions beginning June 1, 2026, with all positions closed by mid-January 2027 (per TheStreet, AOL, Independent). (Source: CBS News Sacramento · Sacramento Bee · Mercury News.)
• NorthBay Healthcare $3.6M data-breach class settlement (October 2025) - while not strictly an employment case, NorthBay Healthcare (Fairfield) reached a $3.6 million class-action settlement following a 2024 data breach; final approval October 29, 2025. The settlement covers patients, but employees affected by similar data breaches have parallel California Consumer Records Act and CIPA claims. (Source: The Reporter.)
• Travis Air Force Base civilian retaliation - 10,000+ active duty and civilian; federal civilian employees use the MSPB / EEOC federal-sector process (45-day EEO counselor deadline). Defense Contractor Whistleblower Protection Act (10 U.S.C. section 4701) covers contractor employees.
• Anheuser-Busch Fairfield Brewery (closed February 22, 2026; 238 employees laid off) - pre-closure Teamsters representation, post-closure ongoing FEHA, Title VII, Labor Code section 1102.5, and Cal-WARN claims.
• Kaiser Vacaville/Vallejo and NorthBay Healthcare - hospital wage-and-hour, off-the-clock charting, and Cal. Health & Safety Code section 1278.5 patient-safety retaliation.
• Cal Poly Maritime Academy (Cal Poly Solano Campus, Vallejo - effective July 1, 2025 merger with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) - public CSU institution subject to FEHA, Title VII, Title IX, ADA, the CSU Whistleblower Protection Policy, and Government Claims Act 6-month notice.
• Solano County government, Travis USD, Vallejo City USD, Vacaville USD - public-sector employers with Skelly rights and Government Claims Act 6-month notice.
• Mare Island (former Naval Shipyard, now redeveloped) tenant industries - Cal Poly Maritime Academy (Cal Poly Solano Campus), Touro University California, and former-shipyard tenants face standard FEHA, Title VII, and Labor Code wage-and-hour rules.

Sources: UC Berkeley Labor Center · CA DIR · California Civil Rights Department

Solano County Worker Protections by Industry

We represent employees across all Solano County industries. Below are the largest employers and the rules that govern wage, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful-termination claims in this county.

Largest Solano County employers

• Travis Air Force Base (Fairfield) - Solano County's largest employer with over 10,000 personnel per Daily Republic 2025 reporting; federal civilian employees use the federal MSPB / EEOC process (45-day EEO counselor deadline); DoD contractors under 10 U.S.C. section 4701; other federal contractors under 41 U.S.C. section 4712
• Genentech (Vacaville manufacturing campus) - major biotech employer (subsidiary of Roche); publicly-traded parent; SOX section 806, Dodd-Frank section 922; FDA Whistleblower (21 U.S.C. section 399d); California Equal Pay Act (Labor Code section 1197.5); SB 1162 pay-transparency
• Kaiser Permanente Vallejo & Vacaville Medical Centers - major regional healthcare; section 1278.5; SB 525
• NorthBay Health (Fairfield, Vacaville) - regional hospital system; section 1278.5; SB 525
• County of Solano - large public-sector employer; Skelly pre-discipline rights, MOU grievance procedures, 6-month Government Claims Act notice (Gov't Code section 911.2), FEHA, Labor Code section 1102.5
• City of Vallejo / City of Fairfield / City of Vacaville - municipal public-sector; Skelly + 6-month Government Claims Act notice
• Solano Community College + Vallejo City Unified / Fairfield-Suisun Unified / Vacaville Unified school districts - public-sector education employers; Government Claims Act 6-month notice, FEHA, Title VII, Title IX, Labor Code section 1102.5
• USDA Forest Service (Vallejo regional office) - federal civilian employer; MSPB / EEOC federal-sector process; WPEA (5 U.S.C. section 2302)
• Cal Poly Maritime Academy (Cal Poly Solano Campus, Vallejo) - CSU campus (effective July 1, 2025 merger with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo); FEHA + Title IX + Government Claims Act 6-month notice

Local wage rules

Solano County follows the California state minimum wage of $16.90/hour effective January 1, 2026. No city or county in Solano is on the UC Berkeley Labor Center 2026 inventory of separate local minimum-wage ordinances. Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn $20.00/hour under AB 1228 (Labor Code section 1474+). Healthcare workers at covered facilities earn the SB 525 tiered minimum wage ($18-$23/hour depending on facility type). Sources: UC Berkeley Labor Center · CA DIR

Industry-specific protections

• Federal civilian and federal contractor employees (Travis AFB, USDA Forest Service Vallejo) - federal-sector MSPB / EEOC process; DCWPA (10 U.S.C. section 4701 / 41 U.S.C. section 4712); WPEA (5 U.S.C. section 2302)
• Biotech / publicly-traded employers (Genentech Vacaville) - SOX section 806 (180 days to OSHA); Dodd-Frank section 922; FDA Whistleblower (21 U.S.C. section 399d); SB 1162 pay transparency
• Hospital workers (Kaiser Vallejo/Vacaville, NorthBay Health, Sutter Solano) - Cal. Health & Safety Code section 1278.5; SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum wage
• Public-sector workers (County, cities, school districts, Cal Poly Maritime Academy at Cal Poly Solano Campus, Solano Community College) - Skelly + 6-month Government Claims Act notice (Gov't Code section 911.2)
• California WARN Act (Labor Code sections 1400-1408) - applies to employers with 75 or more employees; requires 60 days' written notice for mass layoffs of 50 or more employees in any 30-day period; up to 60 days back-pay damages
• All workers - FEHA, Title VII, EFAA, PWFA, CFRA, PDL, Cal/OSHA Labor Code section 6310, Labor Code section 1102.5 whistleblower (civil penalty up to $10,000 per violation)

How to File an Employment Claim in Solano County

Solano County Superior Court's Civil Division is filed through the Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533. The court lists the Civil Filing Clerk at (707) 207-7330, with phone hours from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., and drop-in clerk hours from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Clerk services | Solano Civil Court

For discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other California civil-rights claims, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) says employment complaints generally must be started within 3 years of the last harmful act, and workers can begin the process online through the California Civil Rights System (CCRS), or by mail, email, phone, or in person. CRD complaint process

For unpaid wages, overtime, meal and rest breaks, sick leave, reimbursements, and other wage-theft issues, the California Labor Commissioner's Office (DLSE) explains that wage claims can be filed online, by email, by mail, or in person, and the filing windows generally range from 1 to 4 years depending on the type of claim. DLSE wage-claim process

Government Resources for Solano County Workers

Why Solano County Workers Choose Eghbali Law Firm

• Employees only

  We never represent employers. Every resource goes toward winning your case.

• No fee unless we win

  You pay nothing unless we recover for you. No upfront costs. No hidden fees.

• Free confidential consultation

  No cost to speak with us. Everything you share is protected by attorney-client privilege.

• Statewide California practice

  We serve workers across all of California regardless of where you live or work.

• Phone or video - no office visit needed

  Most consultations happen by phone or video. You only attend if your testimony is required.

• Multilingual staff available

  We serve clients in multiple languages - contact us to discuss your case in your preferred language.