Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 1299, which proposed strengthening protections for California farmworkers who work in extreme heat conditions. The bill, authored by Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), would have made workers’ compensation claims presumed to be work-related when agricultural employers failed to comply with heat safety standards. In his veto statement, Newsom argued that “conditioning workers’ compensation presumption on compliance with standards established and enforced by another regulatory division is not an effective way to improve working conditions.” The bill would have required the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) to determine whether Cal-OSHA’s heat-related illness standards were violated. … Continue reading Newsom Blocks Heat Safety Bill as Farmworkers Face 35x Higher Heat Death Risk