Wrongful Termination Lawyer in Vallejo

If you experienced wrongful termination at a Vallejo workplace, you have strong protections under California law. We represent employees only, never employers, and offer a free, confidential consultation. 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Wrongful Termination in Vallejo

California is an at-will state, but the at-will rule has many exceptions. The leading case is Tameny v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (1980) 27 Cal.3d 167, which established the public-policy tort: an employee fired for refusing to commit an illegal act, for asserting a statutory right, or for reporting illegal conduct can sue in tort. Other Vallejo wrongful-termination grounds include FEHA (Cal. Government Code section 12940), Labor Code section 1102.5 (whistleblower retaliation), Labor Code section 6310 (Cal/OSHA retaliation), Labor Code section 232 (wage-discussion retaliation), and Labor Code section 132a (workers' compensation retaliation).

Vallejo Industries Where Wrongful Termination Claims Are Most Common

• Healthcare workers at Sutter Solano and Kaiser Vallejo - at Sutter Solano Medical Center (300 Hospital Drive, Vallejo, CA 94589 - 106 licensed beds; HCAI ID 106481094; part of Sutter Health) and Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center (975 Sereno Drive, Vallejo, CA 94589 - one of Kaiser's major Northern California medical centers). Covered by SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16), California Health & Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation), and CNA / SEIU-UHW / NUHW collective bargaining agreements.
• Maritime, shipyard, and Mare Island workers - at Mare Island (the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, established 1854 as the first U.S. Navy installation on the West Coast - at WWII peak employed nearly 39,000 civilians plus thousands in uniform; declined to 12,000 by the early 1980s and 5,600 by the 1996 BRAC closure). Mare Island Dry Dock LLC permanently ceased operations effective January 1, 2026 after losing a $10 million U.S. Coast Guard contract - a closure triggering California WARN Act (Cal. Labor Code section 1400 et seq.) notice obligations and federal WARN Act (29 U.S.C. section 2101 et seq.) coverage. Maritime workers are protected by the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (33 U.S.C. section 901 et seq. / LHWCA) and the Jones Act (46 U.S.C. section 30104) for injuries occurring on or near navigable waters; whistleblower protections include 46 U.S.C. section 2114 (seamen) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. section 1367).
• Maritime academy and education workers at Cal Poly Maritime Academy - at the Cal Poly Maritime Academy (200 Maritime Academy Drive, Vallejo - formerly the California State University Maritime Academy "Cal Maritime"; effective July 1, 2025, Cal Maritime was officially integrated into California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as a satellite campus, with formal full integration scheduled for fall 2026). CSU employees are covered by the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA / Cal. Gov. Code sections 3560-3599), CSU collective bargaining agreements (CFA for faculty, CSUEU for staff, APC for academic professionals), the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Gov. Code section 911.2), PEPRA, and Title IX (20 U.S.C. section 1681).
• Theme-park and entertainment workers at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (1001 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo) - a major theme-park, marine-mammal park, and zoo (advertised hourly rates include $25.00/hour Safety Sanitation Supervisors, $21.00/hour Security Officers, and $17.50/hour Ride Operators per Six Flags job postings). Seasonal and full-time workers are covered by Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Order 10 (amusement and recreation), Cal. Labor Code section 226.7 (meal/rest breaks), section 510 (overtime), and FEHA (Gov. Code section 12940). Animal-care workers (aquarists, marine-mammal trainers) may have additional federal Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. section 2131 et seq.) whistleblower considerations.
• Public-sector, municipal, and Vallejo bankruptcy-impacted workers - at the City of Vallejo (555 Santa Clara Street - charter city operating under the council-manager form of government per Charter Section 106; Harry Black was appointed interim city manager effective May 16, 2026), the Vallejo Police Department, and the Vallejo Fire Department. Vallejo filed for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy on May 23, 2008 - the first major California city to file since the 2008 financial crisis, and exited in 2011 with a court-approved plan that included sharply increased CalPERS pension payments and significant changes to employee compensation and retiree benefits. Police officers are covered by POBR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.); firefighters by FBOR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3250 et seq.); all public employees by PEPRA, MMBA, and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Gov. Code section 911.2).
• K-12 education workers at Vallejo City Unified School District - at the Vallejo City Unified School District / VCUSD (one of the largest employers in the city with nearly 1,200 teachers and staff). K-12 teachers are covered by the California Education Code sections 44930-44987 (permanent-employee dismissal protections), the Educational Employment Relations Act (EERA / Cal. Gov. Code sections 3540-3549.3), Cal. Education Code section 44113 (Whistleblower Protection Act for school employees), and CTA-affiliated collective bargaining agreements. All public-school employees are subject to PEPRA and the 6-month government-claim deadline.
• Community-college and post-secondary workers at Solano Community College - at Solano Community College (4000 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield - with a Vallejo Center campus serving Vallejo students), part of the Solano Community College District. Community-college employees are covered by HEERA (for management and excluded employees) or the Educational Employment Relations Act (for faculty and classified staff), the Cal. Education Code sections 87600-87683 (faculty tenure and dismissal), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Retail, restaurant, and consumer-services workers - at retailers along Sonoma Boulevard, Tennessee Street, and the Gateway Plaza Shopping Center, plus chain retailers throughout Vallejo. Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474). Retail workers are covered by Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Order 7 (mercantile industry).

Vallejo Mass-Layoff Notice Rights

If you were part of a Vallejo mass layoff, the California WARN Act (California Labor Code sections 1400 through 1408) requires covered employers with 75 or more workers to give 60 days' advance written notice of a mass layoff of 50 or more employees in any 30-day period, a plant closing, or a relocation. Federal WARN (29 U.S.C. sections 2101-2109) applies to employers with 100+ employees. Damages: up to 60 days of back pay and benefits, plus an additional civil penalty of up to $500 per day under federal WARN if notice is not given to the local government. SB 617 (effective January 1, 2026) expanded the required notice content. Beyond the recently announced January 1, 2026 Mare Island Dry Dock closure, Vallejo's 2008 Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy (the first major California city to file since the 2008 financial crisis) provides a defining precedent for Vallejo public employees' MMBA, PEPRA, and CalPERS rights. Vallejo Mayor and Council recent actions affecting interim City Manager Harry Black (May 16, 2026) also shape city-employee precedent.

California Law

For the full California framework, including Tameny, Labor Code section 1102.5, FEHA, Cal-WARN, and public-employee due-process rights, see our California employment law page.

What Compensation Can You Recover

Back pay, front pay (or reinstatement where appropriate), emotional-distress damages, punitive damages (unlimited under FEHA and under the Tameny tort), 60-day Cal-WARN back-pay damages where applicable, and attorneys' fees and costs (Cal. Government Code section 12965(c); Labor Code section 1102.5(j)). For details, see our California employment law page.

How to File a Wrongful Termination Claim in Vallejo

FEHA charges go to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Oakland Office, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 701, Oakland, CA 94612. Federal charges go to the EEOC San Francisco District Office, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 5 West, San Francisco, CA 94102. Whistleblower and wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE Oakland Office, 1515 Clay Street, Room 401, Oakland, CA 94612). Civil suits are heard at the Solano County Superior Court, Vallejo Branch - Solano Justice Building, 321 Tuolumne Street, Vallejo, CA 94590 (the main Hall of Justice is at 600 Union Avenue, Fairfield, CA 94533). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.