Beginning January 1, 2027, Garden Grove hotels will be required to provide panic buttons for their workers, a measure intended to enhance employee safety against unruly guests. This new mandate brings Garden Grove into alignment with Anaheim and Irvine, both of which already have similar requirements in place for hotel staff, particularly those who clean rooms alone.
The personal safety devices are to be supplied to every hotel worker assigned to a guestroom on their own. Should an employee feel threatened, pressing a button on the device will notify on-site responders of the incident. Workers will also have the option to request reassignment away from the guest's room following such an event.
Beyond the provision of panic buttons, the new standards in Garden Grove include additional protections for hotel employees. Workers will be granted up to eight hours of paid time off to report incidents to law enforcement and to consult legal counsel. Hotel employers will also be mandated to train staff on how to use these devices and inform them of their rights through training and posted notices. Furthermore, employers will be prohibited from retaliating against workers who choose to exercise these rights.
Garden Grove City Council members unanimously approved these changes during their meeting on September 8, following an initial approval in late August. This decision comes after discussions about the scope of employee protections within the ordinance.
During an August meeting, Councilmember Ariana Arestegui raised questions regarding the initial proposal for paid time off, which had capped it at three hours for reporting incidents and seeking legal counsel. Councilmember George Brietigam also voiced support for increasing the time off, noting that incidents could require significant time for medical care and police reporting. The city council subsequently amended the ordinance to increase the paid time off provision to eight hours.
However, the hotel workers' union, Unite Here Local 11, expressed concerns that the final version of the ordinance differed substantially from an earlier draft provided to city officials. According to Unite Here Local 11 Press Secretary Maria Hernandez, several sections were either removed or altered. These omitted sections reportedly included provisions for doubled pay if employers assigned excess rooms during an employee’s shift, panic button training for on-site responders, and an increased daily penalty for hotels found in violation of the ordinance.
Unite Here Local 11 spokesman Matthew Richard stated at the August meeting that if the council was serious about hotel worker safety, the answer was not a weaker ordinance. Union member Marco Alcala claimed that no representatives from the Garden Grove City Council reached out to Unite Here Local 11 for collaboration during the drafting process, urging the council to reconsider the legislation.
The Garden Grove ordinance is partly based on Anaheim’s existing laws for hotel staffers. Greg Blodgett, Deputy Director of the city’s Economic Development Department, noted during an August 25 presentation that Garden Grove aimed to be on a "level field with Anaheim" as they operate in the same market and workplace. Cities such as Ontario and Irvine also served as inspiration for Garden Grove’s new ordinance.
Irvine, which passed a similar law in 2022, initially included a provision to double a worker’s pay if they were given heavier workloads during their shift. However, in November 2024, Irvine city officials voted 3-2 to repeal these extra pay provisions, with some councilmembers citing difficulties for hoteliers in running their businesses under those requirements.
