Everybody seems to be overlooking the "18 and up" clause. There is a specific exemption for people under 18. How many people over 18 do you know that work as babysitters? We aren't talking about people who work at day-care centers—employment law already applies to them. And we aren't talking about grandma looking after the kids, either. There is an exemption for relatives, too. All they are saying is, people over 18 deserve to be paid a living wage. Either that or you need to hire someone under 18.

As far as being required to hire 2 babysitters, one to take over while the other takes a break, that sounds like an over-strict interpretation of the law. I doubt that the law was ever applied that strictly to ANY occupation, let alone babysitters. Do you suppose firefighters, police officers, etc., refuse to respond to emergency calls when they're on break? Why would you expect a babysitter to be any different?

There are breaks and there are breaks—I don't know about California, but here in Minnesota, although the law requires breaks, the law is widely ignored. Or breaks are officially allowed, but in a half-assed way. For example, at your break time, you're officially allowed to eat a snack or read a magazine for 15 minutes, but if the phone rings, you're expected to answer it. Or if the boss decides to hold an impromptu meeting, you're expected to attend.