Does California's whistleblower law protect reports to a supervisor?

What the Law Says

California Labor Code § 1102.5 explicitly protects employees who disclose information to a supervisor about suspected violations of law.

Under California Labor Code § 1102.5, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee for disclosing information to a supervisor (or other designated person) if the employee has reasonable cause to believe the information reveals a violation of state or federal law.

The law applies whether the report is oral or written, internal or external — including reports made solely to a supervisor or manager. No formal complaint or outside agency involvement is required.

Protection extends to disclosures made in writing or orally, and covers both actual violations and situations where the employee reasonably believes a violation occurred — even if later proven incorrect, as long as the belief was genuine and based on facts known at the time.

Statutory Text

An employer may not make, adopt, or enforce any rule, regulation, or policy preventing an employee from disclosing information to a government or law enforcement agency or from disclosing information to a person with authority over the employee or another employee who has the authority to investigate, discover, or correct the violation or noncompliance.

— Labor Code § 1102.5(b) — Disclosure to supervisor or authorized employee

Statutory Text

An employer may not retaliate against an employee for disclosing information, or because the employer believes that the employee disclosed or may disclose information…

— Labor Code § 1102.5(c) — Anti-retaliation protection

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