Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), employees may request up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of unpaid, protected leave due to the employee's own serious health condition; to care for a spouse, parent or child with a serious health condition; prenatal care; bonding with a newborn; childbirth; or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.  An employee is eligible for FMLA/CFRA leave if he/she has been employed with the City for at least 12 months and has worked a minimum of 1,250 hour during the 12-month period preceding the leave.

An employee is not required to use the 12-week leave entitlement as one continuous leave.  FMLA/CFRA leave can be taken intermittently (i.e. as-needed).

Although they City recognizes that not all requests for leave are foreseeable, employees are required to provide a 30-day notice of their need for leave.  If an employee is not able to provide a 30-day notice, they need to inform their supervisor and the Human Resources Department of their need for leave as soon as it is practical.  Additionally, employees must make reasonable efforts to request FMLA/CFRA leave in advance for planned medical appointments to avoid the disruption of departmental operations.  As an exception, an employee does not need to provide a 30-day notice for qualifying exigency leave (i.e. Military Leave).  

An employee who is pregnant but does not qualify for FMLA/CFRA, qualifies for Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) under the California Fair Employment Housing Act (FEHA).  Please contact the Human Resources Department for further guidance on this matter. 

Leave Laws and COVID-19 for Employees

FMLA+/EPSL Request Form

FMLA/CFRA Request Form - Self

FMLA/CFRA Request Form - Family Member

FMLA/CFRA/PDL Request Form - Pregnancy