In the News

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has broken its silence on the staffing crisis at Cal-OSHA. But former agency employees say they’re underwhelmed by the governor’s vague response to a four-month Sacramento Bee investigation into the troubled worker safety agency.

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California lawmakers and labor leaders are calling for change within the state’s workplace safety agency following a four-month Sacramento Bee investigation into the organization’s hiring practices.




 “People are worried that right now that the sophistication level of the AVs is limited,” said California state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San José), who has introduced a bill that would give local officials more control of autonomous vehicles. Among other things, it would allow local government to cap the number of robotaxis and limit where the cars can drive.




A bill aimed at granting California cities increased authority over self-driving car companies is gaining momentum statewide. This move comes amidst the expansion of services by autonomous vehicle giant Waymo into San Mateo County. 




On Monday in San Jose, city and county leaders will gather to announce support for Senate Bill 1395. The proposed bill is set to speed up the time it takes to build interim housing throughout the state.

As cities and counties throughout the state continue to struggle to reduce homelessness, local leaders are looking for ways to get people off the street immediately. 




To be clear, Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, says he doesn’t want to ban autonomous vehicles, or AVs. He says he’s even willing to ride in one, sometime.

“I’ve done more perilous things in my life,” he joked.




California lawmakers and labor unions rallied on Monday to call for laws to not allow autonomous trucks without human drivers, amid rising safety concerns after accidents involving self-driving taxis from General Motors and Alphabet.




California Democrats lambasted the state’s workplace safety agency on Wednesday after hearing testimony from farmworkers who said they have been exposed to extreme heat and pesticides on the job and have faced wage theft and other labor law violations.