2026 Public & Federal Holidays in California

Essential Dates for Job Seekers, Recruiters, and Employers

The holidays make running a healthcare facility a total juggling act when it comes to sorting out shifts and managing operations.

It’s a similar headache for virtual assistants working across different time zones, who find it nearly impossible to coordinate schedules and lock down a meeting time.

The list below covers the public, state, and federal holidays for California to help recruiters and job seekers plan their time off and check on candidate availability. Take the time to note your next long weekend and strategically plan those leaves from work.

Tips for Healthcare Recruiters and Employers

Holidays don’t always mean a day off in healthcare. You need to plan carefully for extra logistics and holiday premium pay.

• Watch out for the sandwich effect. If a holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, expect that there will be time-off requests for the days right before or after. Everyone loves stretching a three-day weekend into four, so keep track of the schedule surrounding these days.
• Highlight your organization’s strengths. When you’re advertising roles (especially for nurses and other health professionals), highlight how your organization handles holiday shifts and embodies work-life balance.
• Organize your end-of-year schedule. Veterans Day falls on a Wednesday, while Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving fall on Thursday and Friday. This creates a major scheduling challenge right before Christmas and the New Year. Make sure to review and prepare your operations during the final two months of the year before these holidays occur.

Tips for Job Seekers and Virtual Assistants

Long weekends are the perfect time to get some well-deserved rest while still being productive.

• Maximize your long weekends. Take advantage of the long weekends built into the year to recharge or travel without using too much of your PTOs.
• Strategize for mid-week holidays. When holidays fall in the middle of the week, it’s the perfect time to sneak in a strategic day off. Having just one mid-week PTO day can easily give you a three or four-day rest from work, so just make sure to request it early.
• Use the quiet time to catch up. If your client is based in California, expect them to be completely offline during these public holidays. Use this time to catch up on administrative tasks, organize your mail, or plan for the upcoming months.

Balance your operations with professionals who keep things on track and a job that actually respects your personal time, with the help of De Vore Recruiting.

We focus on matching skilled virtual assistants and healthcare professionals with organizations that respect and value your expertise.