Employment lawyer in Glendale

Our office is at 701 N Brand Blvd #840 in Glendale. This page collects the rules and offices that matter specifically to Glendale jobs. Our employment law page explains the state protections behind them. To learn about the firm, visit about Glendale Law. You can also read the profile of attorney Avo Nalbandian.

What happens when a Glendale worker has a problem at work, step by step?

1. Confirm where the work was done. Glendale's own wage ordinance covers hotel workers, while the City of Los Angeles, Pasadena and the county, for unincorporated areas such as La Crescenta, set their own rates. The Registrar-Recorder's address lookup at lavote.gov shows whether an address is in a city or an unincorporated area.
2. Check whether the hotel ordinance applies. Glendale Municipal Code chapter 5.120 covers hotel workers, and its wage rule applies only at hotels with 60 or more rooms.
3. File a wage claim for your own unpaid pay. For Glendale ZIP codes, the Labor Commissioner's ZIP code search names its Van Nuys wage claim office. You can file online, by email, by mail or in person.
4. Report violations that affect a group. A Report of Labor Law Violation goes to the Bureau of Field Enforcement, which investigates employers rather than pursuing individual claims.
5. Take discrimination, harassment or leave problems to the Civil Rights Department. An intake form is due within three years of the last harm, and a right-to-sue notice comes before any lawsuit.
6. Settlement conference and hearing. Most wage claims go first to a settlement conference and then, if unresolved, to a hearing; our page on what happens after a Glendale-area worker files a wage claim follows each stage.
7. Court, if needed. Employment lawsuits go to the Los Angeles Superior Court, which decides the courthouse by case type under its filing location form.

What is the minimum wage for work in and around Glendale?

For most jobs in Glendale, the starting point is the state minimum wage of $16.90 an hour in 2026, unless a higher state rate for an industry applies. The Labor Commissioner explains that when a city or county sets a higher rate, the employer must follow the one most beneficial to the employee, so the address of each job site matters.

The California Highway Patrol lists La Crescenta among the unincorporated communities its Altadena office patrols, so work there earns the county's rate rather than Glendale's. The county, the City of Los Angeles and Pasadena all cover employees who work at least two hours in a week inside their boundaries. Our guide to the 2026 minimum wage in Glendale, Los Angeles and Pasadena explains those coverage rules. Our page on the employment lawyer in Los Angeles covers the city's sick leave and hotel rules.

What does Glendale's hotel worker ordinance require?

Glendale's Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance began as a resident petition. The City Council adopted it on June 28, 2022, and it took effect on July 28, 2022. The city's summary describes its main sections:

The City notes that the hourly wage is tied to the rate Los Angeles requires for its hotel workers, and that the health benefit payment required in Los Angeles is not required in Glendale.

Where do Glendale workers file?

When we entered the Glendale ZIP codes 91201 through 91208, and 91214 for La Crescenta, the Labor Commissioner's search returned the Van Nuys office each time. The Los Angeles district office, at 320 W. Fourth Street, Suite 450, came up for downtown ZIP codes instead. If you are deciding between a wage claim and a lawsuit, our comparison of a Labor Commissioner claim and a lawsuit sets out the trade-offs.

Which guides answer the next question?

Glendale's local rules sit on top of state law. Our guides to specific problems:

Wages and hours

• Read how California overtime is calculated.
• Read what you are owed for a missed break.
• Read whether your salaried job is truly exempt.
• Read whether you are an employee or a contractor.
• Read final paycheck deadlines in California.
• Read the penalties for wage violations.
• Read how to request your payroll records.

Time off

• Read California's paid sick leave rules.
• Read your pregnancy leave rights.
• Read the bereavement leave rules.
• Read what to do if you were fired after medical leave.

Unfair treatment

• Read how age discrimination law applies to layoffs.
• Read what comes after a harassment report.
• Read the rules on recording your boss.
• Read the Civil Rights Department complaint process.
• Read California whistleblower protections.
• Read what counts as wrongful termination.

After a job ends

• Read our checklist for the week after a firing.
• Read what to check in a severance agreement.
• Read California's rules on noncompetes.
• Read the deadlines for employment claims.
• Read how lawyer fees work in employment cases.

What changes the answer?

These are the facts that most often change the rules for a Glendale job.

Whether the job site is inside the city limits

Work inside Glendale earns the state rate unless an industry rate or the hotel ordinance applies. Work in an unincorporated area earns the county rate under Los Angeles County Code chapter 8.100, and the county's other ordinances, such as its Fair Workweek rules for large retailers, also apply only in unincorporated areas. Our page on the employment lawyer in Los Angeles County describes those county rules.

Whether the hotel has 60 or more rooms

The city's summary says the hotel wage in section 5.120.040 is mandated only for hotels with 60 or more rooms. The protections in sections 5.120.020 and 5.120.030, such as the security device and the 10-hour consent rule, appear in separate sections, so check the ordinance itself for which hotels each one covers.

Whether you work from home

The Labor Commissioner's office search tells teleworkers that the work is performed where the person was physically located. A worker for a Glendale company who works from a home in another city may therefore be under a different local rate and a different wage claim office.

Whether the problem is yours alone or affects coworkers

The Labor Commissioner's minimum wage guidance explains that the Bureau of Field Enforcement does not pursue individual claims but may investigate and cite the employer. Your own unpaid wages are recovered through a wage claim under Labor Code section 98, a hearing process with its own deadlines.

Whether the employer struck back

Firing, demotion or cuts in hours for asserting labor rights can be raised with the Labor Commissioner within one year (Labor Code section 98.7). If the employer acts within 90 days of a wage complaint, the law presumes retaliation unless the employer shows otherwise (Labor Code section 98.6). Our page on whistleblower claims in California covers related protections.

A worked example

For example, imagine a hypothetical room attendant at a 75-room hotel in Glendale. In August 2026 she is paid $22 an hour, has never been given a personal security device, and is told to stay for an 11-hour shift on busy weekends without being asked to sign anything.

Because the hotel has more than 60 rooms, the city's summary of the ordinance points to a $25.00 hourly wage since July 1, 2026, a security device at no cost, and written consent before any workday longer than 10 hours. The ordinance also requires the hotel to keep three years of records showing her rate of pay, the rooms and square footage she cleaned each day, and any consent forms. She starts by writing down her shifts and photographing her schedules and pay stubs. Which route fits her, whether a wage claim, a lawsuit or another step, depends on the ordinance's terms and the rest of her facts, and nothing here predicts the result.

Common mistakes Glendale workers make

• Assuming the neighbors' rates apply in Glendale. The Los Angeles, Pasadena and county rates apply only to work done inside those places.
• Going to the downtown office by habit. The ZIP code search names the Van Nuys office for Glendale ZIP codes.
• Treating La Crescenta as part of Glendale. Work there falls under county rules and the county rate.
• Not keeping a copy of a consent form. The ordinance requires written consent for hotel workdays over 10 hours, so keep a copy of anything you sign.
• Waiting to see what happens. Retaliation complaints have a one-year limit, and other deadlines can be shorter; see our table of employment claim deadlines.

What to do this week

1. Write down each address where you worked and the hours spent at each.
2. Check any address outside central Glendale on lavote.gov to see whether it is in a city or an unincorporated area.
3. Keep your pay stubs, schedules, the notice of your pay rate from your hire date, and any messages about pay or hours.
4. Hotel workers: keep copies of any consent to work more than 10 hours and notes of the rooms you cleaned each day.
5. If you just lost your job, follow our checklist for the first week after being fired in California.
6. Talk to a lawyer before filing, so the claim goes to the right office with the right documents.

Frequently asked questions

Does Glendale's hotel wage apply to every hotel?

No. The city says the hotel minimum wage, $25.00 an hour since July 1, 2026, is mandated only for hotels with 60 or more rooms. It rises to $25.50 on July 1, 2027 and $28.50 on July 1, 2028.

Which Labor Commissioner office handles a claim from Glendale?

The Labor Commissioner's ZIP code search returns the Van Nuys wage claim office, at 6150 Van Nuys Blvd., Room 206, for Glendale ZIP codes. You can also file online or by email.

Does the Los Angeles hotel health payment apply in Glendale?

No. The City of Glendale says the health benefit payment required in Los Angeles is not required in Glendale. Glendale's hotel wage is tied to the Los Angeles hotel wage rate.

Can a Glendale hotel get out of the ordinance?

Only for a limited time. The city may grant a waiver of up to one year if the hotel documents that compliance would force it to cut its workforce by more than 20 percent or hours by more than 30 percent.

I work in La Crescenta. Which rules apply?

The county's, because La Crescenta is unincorporated. The county minimum wage is $18.47 an hour, and the county's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs takes complaints at (800) 593-8222.

Where would a lawsuit about a Glendale job be filed?

In the Los Angeles Superior Court. Its filing form allows wrongful termination and other employment cases in the Central District or the district where the claim arose, and every class action goes to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse; our page on the Stanley Mosk Courthouse explains what happens there.

How can Glendale Law help?

We represent employees throughout Glendale and across California. We look closely at the timing of a firing, the reasons the employer gave and the pay records, and we guide clients through the Labor Commissioner and Civil Rights Department processes or into court when that is the right step. The full list of what we handle is on our practice areas page. Call (818) 244-9000 or request a consultation.