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"content": "\n\u003cp>A legal challenge seeking to pressure \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> to correct long delays in deciding wage-theft claims can move forward, according to a state judge in Alameda County.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By law, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement must resolve worker complaints of underpayment within 135 days, or less than five months. But the agency, also known as the Labor Commissioner’s Office, often takes years to determine whether employers owe any money. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The failure hurts low-income people seeking restitution for wages owed and undermines state efforts to hold employers accountable, said Alexx Campbell, an attorney with Legal Aid at Work in San Francisco, who has seen clients mired in a backlog impacting thousands of Californians. Many workers give up, he added. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We just need the state government as a whole, and that includes the Labor Commissioner’s Office, to come up with solutions to figure out how to provide workers with access to a functional process where they can recover their wages,” Campbell said. “Because right now, that’s not happening.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1273\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people holding signs in Spanish, protesting in front of a Burger King restaurant.\" class=\"wp-image-11903335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers demand a Burger King franchisee pay wages owed to them, on Oct. 25, 2019. The company operating the franchise, Golden Gate Restaurant Group, was cited by the state Labor Commissioner’s Office for multiple violations, including failing to pay workers minimum wage and other violations. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Researchers estimate that workers statewide lose $2 billion to $4 billion per year in pay due to employer violations of minimum wage, overtime, meal breaks and other required protections. Those most impacted are often in lower-income jobs in construction, garment manufacturing, agriculture, restaurants and other industries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s wage-claim process was designed as a faster, no-cost, accessible alternative to the court system. But persistent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">understaffing\u003c/a> at the agency contributed to a growing backlog of cases. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, the agency took a median processing time of 854 days, or more than two years — six times longer than the maximum allowed by law — according to a 2024 state auditor’s report requested by lawmakers. Thousands of complaints had been pending for five years or more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office, declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the agency has since cut its intake backlog from 30,000 cases to about 6,000, and lowered overall vacancy rates from 33% to 20%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The DIR does not comment on pending litigation,” the spokesperson wrote. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered $78 million in owed wages last year, about a third more than in 2024, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In February, a worker with an unresolved claim, represented by Moss Bollinger LLP, sued the agency over its processing delays. A second worker, represented by Legal Aid at Work, later joined the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State attorneys for the division and Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower, who is also named as a defendant, argued the case should be dismissed, saying it is too complicated for a judge to weigh in and that the court would be intruding on the executive branch’s role. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rebekah Evenson disagreed, determining \u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/workers-advocates-sue-the-labor-commissioners-office-over-years-long-delays/\">on Sept. 10\u003c/a> that the case can continue. A hearing is expected in the coming months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a good decision from the judge at this early stage in the case that allows the workers to continue to fight for changes,” Campbell said. “It’s not a question of a court telling the labor commissioner how to allocate their budget or how to staff their agency. It’s really just a question of a court requiring the labor commissioner to follow these very clear deadlines in the law.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the Californians waiting years for restitution is Ali Jahansir, who estimates an Orange County employer owes him more than $6,000 in overtime pay for frequent 12-hour shifts as a security guard. Jahansir said he was fired after his employer learned he had filed a wage claim with the labor commissioner in 2023. 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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is a good decision from the judge at this early stage in the case that allows the workers to continue to fight for changes,” Campbell said. “It’s not a question of a court telling the labor commissioner how to allocate their budget or how to staff their agency. It’s really just a question of a court requiring the labor commissioner to follow these very clear deadlines in the law.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the Californians waiting years for restitution is Ali Jahansir, who estimates an Orange County employer owes him more than $6,000 in overtime pay for frequent 12-hour shifts as a security guard. Jahansir said he was fired after his employer learned he had filed a wage claim with the labor commissioner in 2023. He has yet to receive a hearing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the Californians waiting years for restitution is Ali Jahansir, who estimates an Orange County employer owes him more than $6,000 in overtime pay for frequent 12-hour shifts as a security guard. Jahansir said he was fired after his employer learned he had filed a wage claim with the labor commissioner in 2023. He has yet to receive a hearing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I never thought it would take this long, and, especially at my age, that’s difficult,” said Jahansir, now 76 and a Legal Aid at Work client. “I believe I did the right thing by speaking up to my employer and filing a claim, but having to wait so long makes me worry that I will never see the wages that the company kept from me.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I never thought it would take this long, and, especially at my age, that’s difficult,” said Jahansir, now 76 and a Legal Aid at Work client. “I believe I did the right thing by speaking up to my employer and filing a claim, but having to wait so long makes me worry that I will never see the wages that the company kept from me.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The Labor Commissioner’s Office often takes years to decide workers’ claims of unpaid wages, though the agency said it has made improvements to reduce its backlog.",
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"title": "Lawsuit Pressuring California to Decide Wage-Theft Claims Faster Moves Forward | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>A legal challenge seeking to pressure \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> to correct long delays in deciding wage-theft claims can move forward, according to a state judge in Alameda County.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By law, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement must resolve worker complaints of underpayment within 135 days, or less than five months. But the agency, also known as the Labor Commissioner’s Office, often takes years to determine whether employers owe any money. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The failure hurts low-income people seeking restitution for wages owed and undermines state efforts to hold employers accountable, said Alexx Campbell, an attorney with Legal Aid at Work in San Francisco, who has seen clients mired in a backlog impacting thousands of Californians. Many workers give up, he added. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We just need the state government as a whole, and that includes the Labor Commissioner’s Office, to come up with solutions to figure out how to provide workers with access to a functional process where they can recover their wages,” Campbell said. “Because right now, that’s not happening.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1273\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people holding signs in Spanish, protesting in front of a Burger King restaurant.\" class=\"wp-image-11903335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers demand a Burger King franchisee pay wages owed to them, on Oct. 25, 2019. The company operating the franchise, Golden Gate Restaurant Group, was cited by the state Labor Commissioner’s Office for multiple violations, including failing to pay workers minimum wage and other violations. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Researchers estimate that workers statewide lose $2 billion to $4 billion per year in pay due to employer violations of minimum wage, overtime, meal breaks and other required protections. Those most impacted are often in lower-income jobs in construction, garment manufacturing, agriculture, restaurants and other industries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s wage-claim process was designed as a faster, no-cost, accessible alternative to the court system. But persistent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">understaffing\u003c/a> at the agency contributed to a growing backlog of cases. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, the agency took a median processing time of 854 days, or more than two years — six times longer than the maximum allowed by law — according to a 2024 state auditor’s report requested by lawmakers. Thousands of complaints had been pending for five years or more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office, declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the agency has since cut its intake backlog from 30,000 cases to about 6,000, and lowered overall vacancy rates from 33% to 20%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The DIR does not comment on pending litigation,” the spokesperson wrote. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered $78 million in owed wages last year, about a third more than in 2024, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In February, a worker with an unresolved claim, represented by Moss Bollinger LLP, sued the agency over its processing delays. A second worker, represented by Legal Aid at Work, later joined the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State attorneys for the division and Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower, who is also named as a defendant, argued the case should be dismissed, saying it is too complicated for a judge to weigh in and that the court would be intruding on the executive branch’s role. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rebekah Evenson disagreed, determining \u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/workers-advocates-sue-the-labor-commissioners-office-over-years-long-delays/\">on Sept. 10\u003c/a> that the case can continue. A hearing is expected in the coming months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a good decision from the judge at this early stage in the case that allows the workers to continue to fight for changes,” Campbell said. “It’s not a question of a court telling the labor commissioner how to allocate their budget or how to staff their agency. It’s really just a question of a court requiring the labor commissioner to follow these very clear deadlines in the law.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the Californians waiting years for restitution is Ali Jahansir, who estimates an Orange County employer owes him more than $6,000 in overtime pay for frequent 12-hour shifts as a security guard. Jahansir said he was fired after his employer learned he had filed a wage claim with the labor commissioner in 2023. He has yet to receive a hearing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I never thought it would take this long, and, especially at my age, that’s difficult,” said Jahansir, now 76 and a Legal Aid at Work client. “I believe I did the right thing by speaking up to my employer and filing a claim, but having to wait so long makes me worry that I will never see the wages that the company kept from me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-security-workers-guarding-big-tech-offices-strike",
"title": "Bay Area Security Workers Guarding Big Tech Offices Strike",
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"headTitle": "Bay Area Security Workers Guarding Big Tech Offices Strike | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099765/14000-security-guards-for-major-tech-companies-plan-to-strike\">security guards\u003c/a> across \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> walked off the job Friday, demanding a pathway to a $30 minimum wage and improved benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, a union that represents 14,000 security guards, announced the strike on Tuesday after months of negotiations with 15 private-security contractors and employers, including Allied Universal and Securitas, which staff some of the Bay Area’s largest businesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Workers, union leaders and their supporters rallied outside of the Salesforce headquarters in downtown San Francisco on Friday morning, where they called attention to inequality in the Bay Area and the guards’ critical role in protecting the city’s economic engines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Here in San Francisco, we have extremely profitable companies, big tech companies, that are doing well,” Sanjay Garla, SEIU-USWW vice president, said. “There’s a whole host of service workers that help contribute to that success.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100575\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officers and supporters rally outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026, during a strike over wages, benefits and working conditions. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100573\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100573\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officer Jakia Lane speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though not legal first responders, security workers often act as the first line of defense by being the first people on the scene in emergency situations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Right now, our minimum rate in San Francisco in our contract is less than $2 over minimum wage,” Garla said. “That’s just unthinkable for me when you have to get licensed to do this job and stand in front of a building and put your life and limb at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Guards report receiving \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080245/northern-california-security-officers-campaign-for-better-wages-training\">limited training\u003c/a> and low wages — making an annual mean wage of just \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes339032.ht\">$21.61\u003c/a> in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keven Adams, who has worked as a security guard for 36 years, said that in that time he’s “seen it all.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100569\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SEIU-USWW union officer and security guard Keven Adams speaks at a rally with security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100572\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100572\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Supervisor Alan Wong speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100568\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100568\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officers and supporters rally outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100570\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officer Maxray Garibay speaks at a rally with striking workers and supporters, in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve been assaulted at work. I’ve been robbed at work. I’ve been held at gunpoint at work. I’ve saved people’s lives. I’ve found a dead body,” Adams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Garla said that the union “saw real change at the bargaining table” after giving 72-hour notice of their strike, and they are “hopeful” that today’s action will get the employers to the table. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have made substantial progress in negotiations as part of our commitment to finding common ground,” Allied Universal wrote in a statement. Securitas did not respond to KQED’s request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union and the companies will return to the bargaining table on Wednesday, Adams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, a union that represents 14,000 security guards, announced the strike on Tuesday after months of negotiations with 15 private-security contractors and employers, including Allied Universal and Securitas, which staff some of the Bay Area’s largest businesses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Here in San Francisco, we have extremely profitable companies, big tech companies, that are doing well,” Sanjay Garla, SEIU-USWW vice president, said. “There’s a whole host of service workers that help contribute to that success.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Right now, our minimum rate in San Francisco in our contract is less than $2 over minimum wage,” Garla said. “That’s just unthinkable for me when you have to get licensed to do this job and stand in front of a building and put your life and limb at risk.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve been assaulted at work. I’ve been robbed at work. I’ve been held at gunpoint at work. I’ve saved people’s lives. I’ve found a dead body,” Adams said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Garla said that the union “saw real change at the bargaining table” after giving 72-hour notice of their strike, and they are “hopeful” that today’s action will get the employers to the table. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have made substantial progress in negotiations as part of our commitment to finding common ground,” Allied Universal wrote in a statement. Securitas did not respond to KQED’s request for comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099765/14000-security-guards-for-major-tech-companies-plan-to-strike\">security guards\u003c/a> across \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> walked off the job Friday, demanding a pathway to a $30 minimum wage and improved benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, a union that represents 14,000 security guards, announced the strike on Tuesday after months of negotiations with 15 private-security contractors and employers, including Allied Universal and Securitas, which staff some of the Bay Area’s largest businesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Workers, union leaders and their supporters rallied outside of the Salesforce headquarters in downtown San Francisco on Friday morning, where they called attention to inequality in the Bay Area and the guards’ critical role in protecting the city’s economic engines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Here in San Francisco, we have extremely profitable companies, big tech companies, that are doing well,” Sanjay Garla, SEIU-USWW vice president, said. “There’s a whole host of service workers that help contribute to that success.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100575\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officers and supporters rally outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026, during a strike over wages, benefits and working conditions. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100573\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100573\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officer Jakia Lane speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though not legal first responders, security workers often act as the first line of defense by being the first people on the scene in emergency situations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Right now, our minimum rate in San Francisco in our contract is less than $2 over minimum wage,” Garla said. “That’s just unthinkable for me when you have to get licensed to do this job and stand in front of a building and put your life and limb at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Guards report receiving \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080245/northern-california-security-officers-campaign-for-better-wages-training\">limited training\u003c/a> and low wages — making an annual mean wage of just \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes339032.ht\">$21.61\u003c/a> in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keven Adams, who has worked as a security guard for 36 years, said that in that time he’s “seen it all.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100569\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SEIU-USWW union officer and security guard Keven Adams speaks at a rally with security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100572\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100572\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Supervisor Alan Wong speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100568\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100568\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officers and supporters rally outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100570\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officer Maxray Garibay speaks at a rally with striking workers and supporters, in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve been assaulted at work. I’ve been robbed at work. I’ve been held at gunpoint at work. I’ve saved people’s lives. I’ve found a dead body,” Adams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Garla said that the union “saw real change at the bargaining table” after giving 72-hour notice of their strike, and they are “hopeful” that today’s action will get the employers to the table. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have made substantial progress in negotiations as part of our commitment to finding common ground,” Allied Universal wrote in a statement. Securitas did not respond to KQED’s request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union and the companies will return to the bargaining table on Wednesday, Adams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-regulators-unveil-plan-to-ban-new-quartz-countertops-amid-rising-worker-deaths",
"title": "California Regulators Unveil Plan to Ban New Quartz Countertops Amid Rising Worker Deaths",
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"headTitle": "California Regulators Unveil Plan to Ban New Quartz Countertops Amid Rising Worker Deaths | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> workplace regulators pushing to ban the use of a popular countertop material linked to a deadly lung disease released a proposed roadmap, the nation’s first, on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/silica-2026/\">discussion draft\u003c/a> would give fabrication shops nearly six months from the date a final rule goes into effect to phase out their use of artificial stone with more than 1% crystalline silica, common in kitchen and bathroom countertops and other construction surfaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The factory-made slabs, also known as quartz or engineered stone, release ultratoxic silica particles that have sickened more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/essdashboard.aspx\">650 stoneworkers\u003c/a> who inhaled them while cutting or polishing the material, according to the California Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dozens of Latino men, often immigrants who didn’t know about the dangers of handling engineered stone until they got sick, have undergone lung transplants or died from silicosis since 2019. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA officials estimate that without a prohibition about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084910/california-steps-closer-to-ban-on-engineered-stone-after-silicosis-surge\">1,000 more silicosis cases\u003c/a> will develop over the next two years in California, the only state actively tracking the disease in the multibillion-dollar industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man's hand is seen resting on a table.\" class=\"wp-image-11969878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jorge Moreno places his hand on a table that he cut at his home in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consumers prefer quartz to lower-silica natural stones because it’s cheaper, stain-resistant and designed in attractive palettes. But its skyrocketing popularity has coincided with a deadly silicosis trail among stoneworkers in countries like Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia, which became the first to prohibit the material’s import, supply and fabrication in 2024. Australia’s ban triggered cost increases and supply-chain delays in the construction industry, according to some reports, but warnings that residential and commercial development would collapse have not proven to be true. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some large manufacturers developed alternatives made with amorphous silica, which is considered safer for stonecutters. Public health experts like Michaels believe that California’s proposed ban would encourage more big-box stores, designers and consumers to opt for safer alternatives for the workers who shape and install countertops.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Banning fabrication and installation of artificial stone products in California is the first step in stopping this deadly work nationally,” Michaels said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on Cal/OSHA’s draft regulation before the agency can submit it to an occupational safety board for final approval, a process that could take months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the draft emergency regulation, fabrication shops would be required to notify workers in English and Spanish that engineered stone with crystalline silica is dangerous and prohibited. Cal/OSHA inspectors could halt operations at businesses that work on this material after a two-month grace period. Employers would have 180 days to use up inventory they already purchased or contracted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some employers worry they’ll need more time to adjust, as artificial stone makes up a majority of their business. A countertop sold today may be installed four to eight months from now, said Laurie Weber, who heads the International Surface Fabricators Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the prohibition reaches repair work, warranty work, remnants and material already in distribution, then 180 days isn’t a wind-down period, it’s a cliff,” wrote Weber in an e-mail. “Slabs already ordered and in transit aren’t in anyone’s shop yet, and no one has said who absorbs that cost.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Industry representatives have pointed out that banning artificial stone could raise prices for building and remodeling, and add expenses for fabrication shop owners who have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount\">spent heavily\u003c/a> to protect their workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084039\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eleazar Resendiz Cortes’ wife shows scans of his chest that revealed particles around his lungs linked to his silicosis diagnosis, in their home in Bakersfield, California, on May 14, 2026. (Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nate Kolenski, president of Black Tops Countertop Surfaces in Sacramento, told Cal/OSHA staffers at a July public meeting that his company has two years’ worth of inventory already stockpiled, valued at $1 million or less. He said the state should consider a buy-back program, akin to those related to guns, to minimize financial losses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the state wants to ban this product, they should be buying back our inventory because we’ll have no use for it. It will be worthless, and thousands of fabricators will have the same situation with inventory and capital that’s sitting out there that they won’t get,” said Kolenski, who opposes a prohibition. “Plus we’ll have to buy the new product.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state’s plan comes as major manufacturers of high-silica quartz have pushed for a bill in Congress that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">would dismiss hundreds\u003c/a> of lawsuits against them by sick stoneworkers seeking damages. Most of the handful of cases that have reached trial resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts for workers or their families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The largest U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, fought efforts by worker advocates and doctors to get California to take steps toward a prohibition, maintaining that their products can be handled safely if the proper precautions are followed. But growing evidence shows that the dust generated when cutting or polishing artificial stone is so toxic that it can sicken people at sophisticated fabrication shops following Cal/OSHA’s current rules, which prohibit dry cutting of the material and require advanced respiratory protection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A representative for Cambria did not immediately return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man's hand is seen resting on a table.\" class=\"wp-image-11969878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jorge Moreno places his hand on a table that he cut at his home in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Consumers prefer quartz to lower-silica natural stones because it’s cheaper, stain-resistant and designed in attractive palettes. But its skyrocketing popularity has coincided with a deadly silicosis trail among stoneworkers in countries like Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia, which became the first to prohibit the material’s import, supply and fabrication in 2024. Australia’s ban triggered cost increases and supply-chain delays in the construction industry, according to some reports, but warnings that residential and commercial development would collapse have not proven to be true. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Consumers prefer quartz to lower-silica natural stones because it’s cheaper, stain-resistant and designed in attractive palettes. But its skyrocketing popularity has coincided with a deadly silicosis trail among stoneworkers in countries like Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia, which became the first to prohibit the material’s import, supply and fabrication in 2024. Australia’s ban triggered cost increases and supply-chain delays in the construction industry, according to some reports, but warnings that residential and commercial development would collapse have not proven to be true. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some large manufacturers developed alternatives made with amorphous silica, which is considered safer for stonecutters. Public health experts like Michaels believe that California’s proposed ban would encourage more big-box stores, designers and consumers to opt for safer alternatives for the workers who shape and install countertops.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some large manufacturers developed alternatives made with amorphous silica, which is considered safer for stonecutters. Public health experts like Michaels believe that California’s proposed ban would encourage more big-box stores, designers and consumers to opt for safer alternatives for the workers who shape and install countertops.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Banning fabrication and installation of artificial stone products in California is the first step in stopping this deadly work nationally,” Michaels said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Banning fabrication and installation of artificial stone products in California is the first step in stopping this deadly work nationally,” Michaels said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on Cal/OSHA’s draft regulation before the agency can submit it to an occupational safety board for final approval, a process that could take months. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on Cal/OSHA’s draft regulation before the agency can submit it to an occupational safety board for final approval, a process that could take months. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under the draft emergency regulation, fabrication shops would be required to notify workers in English and Spanish that engineered stone with crystalline silica is dangerous and prohibited. Cal/OSHA inspectors could halt operations at businesses that work on this material after a two-month grace period. Employers would have 180 days to use up inventory they already purchased or contracted.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under the draft emergency regulation, fabrication shops would be required to notify workers in English and Spanish that engineered stone with crystalline silica is dangerous and prohibited. Cal/OSHA inspectors could halt operations at businesses that work on this material after a two-month grace period. Employers would have 180 days to use up inventory they already purchased or contracted.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some employers worry they’ll need more time to adjust, as artificial stone makes up a majority of their business. A countertop sold today may be installed four to eight months from now, said Laurie Weber, who heads the International Surface Fabricators Association.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some employers worry they’ll need more time to adjust, as artificial stone makes up a majority of their business. A countertop sold today may be installed four to eight months from now, said Laurie Weber, who heads the International Surface Fabricators Association.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If the prohibition reaches repair work, warranty work, remnants and material already in distribution, then 180 days isn’t a wind-down period, it’s a cliff,” wrote Weber in an e-mail. “Slabs already ordered and in transit aren’t in anyone’s shop yet, and no one has said who absorbs that cost.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If the prohibition reaches repair work, warranty work, remnants and material already in distribution, then 180 days isn’t a wind-down period, it’s a cliff,” wrote Weber in an e-mail. “Slabs already ordered and in transit aren’t in anyone’s shop yet, and no one has said who absorbs that cost.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Industry representatives have pointed out that banning artificial stone could raise prices for building and remodeling, and add expenses for fabrication shop owners who have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount\">spent heavily\u003c/a> to protect their workers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Industry representatives have pointed out that banning artificial stone could raise prices for building and remodeling, and add expenses for fabrication shop owners who have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount\">spent heavily\u003c/a> to protect their workers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084039\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eleazar Resendiz Cortes’ wife shows scans of his chest that revealed particles around his lungs linked to his silicosis diagnosis, in their home in Bakersfield, California, on May 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084039\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eleazar Resendiz Cortes’ wife shows scans of his chest that revealed particles around his lungs linked to his silicosis diagnosis, in their home in Bakersfield, California, on May 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nate Kolenski, president of Black Tops Countertop Surfaces in Sacramento, told Cal/OSHA staffers at a July public meeting that his company has two years’ worth of inventory already stockpiled, valued at $1 million or less. He said the state should consider a buy-back program, akin to those related to guns, to minimize financial losses.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nate Kolenski, president of Black Tops Countertop Surfaces in Sacramento, told Cal/OSHA staffers at a July public meeting that his company has two years’ worth of inventory already stockpiled, valued at $1 million or less. He said the state should consider a buy-back program, akin to those related to guns, to minimize financial losses.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If the state wants to ban this product, they should be buying back our inventory because we’ll have no use for it. It will be worthless, and thousands of fabricators will have the same situation with inventory and capital that’s sitting out there that they won’t get,” said Kolenski, who opposes a prohibition. “Plus we’ll have to buy the new product.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If the state wants to ban this product, they should be buying back our inventory because we’ll have no use for it. It will be worthless, and thousands of fabricators will have the same situation with inventory and capital that’s sitting out there that they won’t get,” said Kolenski, who opposes a prohibition. “Plus we’ll have to buy the new product.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state’s plan comes as major manufacturers of high-silica quartz have pushed for a bill in Congress that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">would dismiss hundreds\u003c/a> of lawsuits against them by sick stoneworkers seeking damages. Most of the handful of cases that have reached trial resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts for workers or their families.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state’s plan comes as major manufacturers of high-silica quartz have pushed for a bill in Congress that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">would dismiss hundreds\u003c/a> of lawsuits against them by sick stoneworkers seeking damages. Most of the handful of cases that have reached trial resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts for workers or their families.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The largest U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, fought efforts by worker advocates and doctors to get California to take steps toward a prohibition, maintaining that their products can be handled safely if the proper precautions are followed. But growing evidence shows that the dust generated when cutting or polishing artificial stone is so toxic that it can sicken people at sophisticated fabrication shops following Cal/OSHA’s current rules, which prohibit dry cutting of the material and require advanced respiratory protection. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The largest U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, fought efforts by worker advocates and doctors to get California to take steps toward a prohibition, maintaining that their products can be handled safely if the proper precautions are followed. But growing evidence shows that the dust generated when cutting or polishing artificial stone is so toxic that it can sicken people at sophisticated fabrication shops following Cal/OSHA’s current rules, which prohibit dry cutting of the material and require advanced respiratory protection. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A representative for Cambria did not immediately return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Cal/OSHA draft would give fabrication shops nearly six months to phase out inventory of the popular countertop material, which is linked to a deadly lung disease among stonecutters. ",
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"title": "California Regulators Unveil Plan to Ban New Quartz Countertops Amid Rising Worker Deaths | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> workplace regulators pushing to ban the use of a popular countertop material linked to a deadly lung disease released a proposed roadmap, the nation’s first, on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/silica-2026/\">discussion draft\u003c/a> would give fabrication shops nearly six months from the date a final rule goes into effect to phase out their use of artificial stone with more than 1% crystalline silica, common in kitchen and bathroom countertops and other construction surfaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The factory-made slabs, also known as quartz or engineered stone, release ultratoxic silica particles that have sickened more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/essdashboard.aspx\">650 stoneworkers\u003c/a> who inhaled them while cutting or polishing the material, according to the California Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dozens of Latino men, often immigrants who didn’t know about the dangers of handling engineered stone until they got sick, have undergone lung transplants or died from silicosis since 2019. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA officials estimate that without a prohibition about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084910/california-steps-closer-to-ban-on-engineered-stone-after-silicosis-surge\">1,000 more silicosis cases\u003c/a> will develop over the next two years in California, the only state actively tracking the disease in the multibillion-dollar industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man's hand is seen resting on a table.\" class=\"wp-image-11969878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jorge Moreno places his hand on a table that he cut at his home in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consumers prefer quartz to lower-silica natural stones because it’s cheaper, stain-resistant and designed in attractive palettes. But its skyrocketing popularity has coincided with a deadly silicosis trail among stoneworkers in countries like Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia, which became the first to prohibit the material’s import, supply and fabrication in 2024. Australia’s ban triggered cost increases and supply-chain delays in the construction industry, according to some reports, but warnings that residential and commercial development would collapse have not proven to be true. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some large manufacturers developed alternatives made with amorphous silica, which is considered safer for stonecutters. Public health experts like Michaels believe that California’s proposed ban would encourage more big-box stores, designers and consumers to opt for safer alternatives for the workers who shape and install countertops.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Banning fabrication and installation of artificial stone products in California is the first step in stopping this deadly work nationally,” Michaels said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on Cal/OSHA’s draft regulation before the agency can submit it to an occupational safety board for final approval, a process that could take months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the draft emergency regulation, fabrication shops would be required to notify workers in English and Spanish that engineered stone with crystalline silica is dangerous and prohibited. Cal/OSHA inspectors could halt operations at businesses that work on this material after a two-month grace period. Employers would have 180 days to use up inventory they already purchased or contracted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some employers worry they’ll need more time to adjust, as artificial stone makes up a majority of their business. A countertop sold today may be installed four to eight months from now, said Laurie Weber, who heads the International Surface Fabricators Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the prohibition reaches repair work, warranty work, remnants and material already in distribution, then 180 days isn’t a wind-down period, it’s a cliff,” wrote Weber in an e-mail. “Slabs already ordered and in transit aren’t in anyone’s shop yet, and no one has said who absorbs that cost.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Industry representatives have pointed out that banning artificial stone could raise prices for building and remodeling, and add expenses for fabrication shop owners who have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount\">spent heavily\u003c/a> to protect their workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084039\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eleazar Resendiz Cortes’ wife shows scans of his chest that revealed particles around his lungs linked to his silicosis diagnosis, in their home in Bakersfield, California, on May 14, 2026. (Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nate Kolenski, president of Black Tops Countertop Surfaces in Sacramento, told Cal/OSHA staffers at a July public meeting that his company has two years’ worth of inventory already stockpiled, valued at $1 million or less. He said the state should consider a buy-back program, akin to those related to guns, to minimize financial losses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the state wants to ban this product, they should be buying back our inventory because we’ll have no use for it. It will be worthless, and thousands of fabricators will have the same situation with inventory and capital that’s sitting out there that they won’t get,” said Kolenski, who opposes a prohibition. “Plus we’ll have to buy the new product.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state’s plan comes as major manufacturers of high-silica quartz have pushed for a bill in Congress that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">would dismiss hundreds\u003c/a> of lawsuits against them by sick stoneworkers seeking damages. Most of the handful of cases that have reached trial resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts for workers or their families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The largest U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, fought efforts by worker advocates and doctors to get California to take steps toward a prohibition, maintaining that their products can be handled safely if the proper precautions are followed. But growing evidence shows that the dust generated when cutting or polishing artificial stone is so toxic that it can sicken people at sophisticated fabrication shops following Cal/OSHA’s current rules, which prohibit dry cutting of the material and require advanced respiratory protection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A representative for Cambria did not immediately return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "oakland-city-council-to-consider-pay-raises-for-police",
"title": "Oakland City Council Advances Pay Raises for Police",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> City Council members voted Tuesday to advance a proposal that would give hefty raises and bonuses to police officers, despite some residents’ concerns about skyrocketing expenses amid a budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The tentative deal negotiated by the police union and city staff, \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/News-Releases/Oakland-Reaches-Tentative-5-Year-Agreement-with-Oakland-Police-Officers-Association\">announced last month,\u003c/a> would increase base wages by 14% over five years and offer longevity premium pay aimed at retaining and attracting qualified personnel to the understaffed department. The City Council plans to give the proposed salary changes a second reading on Oct. 6, a required step before the ordinance can take effect. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staffers praised the development as a compromise, with officers agreeing to pay more for their pension and healthcare costs. The city currently covers 100% of healthcare premiums for police rank-and-file as well as managers. Under the agreement, Oakland Police Officers’ Association members would contribute 10% to their employee healthcare by 2030 and an additional 3% to their pension later that year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These agreements strike an important balance between supporting officer retention, improving public safety and protecting the city’s long-term financial stability,” City Council President Kevin Jenkins said in a statement before the vote. “These contracts help the city remain competitive while recognizing the service of the officers who serve our community every day.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12038002\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Oakland Police Department squad car in downtown Oakland on April 28, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But residents who packed the council’s chambers on Tuesday voiced concerns that the deal’s total cost would overprioritize police over other needed services like trash pickup and fixing potholes, and leave fewer funds for lower-paid city employees who are still negotiating labor contracts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a nod to concerns that police-overtime spending has often gone over budget by millions of dollars in recent years, employees would need written agreement from the police chief or his designee to earn compensatory time off when working overtime. But many Oaklanders said greater controls are needed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We got to make sure we are doing what’s best for the city,” said John Jones III, a longtime community activist, after noting that dozens of officers \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-police-overtime/\">made more than $200,000\u003c/a> in overtime alone in 2024. “I know what’s best for my soon-to-be-12-year-old son, and it is not just throwing tons of money at OPD because there are other needs that our children need as well in this city. Please hold them accountable on this.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some councilmembers questioned city staff on the long-term costs of longevity premium pay and whether the overtime pay process had been corrected. The directors for human resources, Mary Hao, and the finance department, Bradley Johnson, responded that the police department has recently decreased overtime costs, while the incentives to retain officers would be largely covered by employees contributing more to healthcare and pensions benefits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The additional savings the city has regarding those benefit costs more than offset the additional increases, leading to a total package that, over the course of the five years, is affordable within a reasonable estimation of the city’s budget,” Johnson said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember Carrol Fife asked why the tentative agreement also includes a clause that would allow police officers to benefit from even-higher-percentage raises in the future if other employee unions negotiate them for their members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just disagree,” said Fife, whose district includes West Oakland and downtown. “This feels like apples and oranges, because some of our highest-paid staff are in the Oakland Police Department. So how do we compare that with someone in SEIU who is working at a library that’s a temporary part-time worker?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the end, councilmembers voted 7 to 1 to move the proposal forward, with Fife casting the lone dissenting vote. The move comes after San Francisco and its police union earlier this year \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/04/police-fire-union-contract-poa-sf-city-budget-deficit/\">agreed\u003c/a> to give officers a 14% pay increase over four years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A city study by the Office of the Inspector General shows the department is \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/inspector-general/documents/published-reports/pfm-llc-opd-staffing-study.pdf\">370 officers short\u003c/a> of what it needs to be fully staffed. Out of 603 sworn officers, only 507 are available to work on any given day, according to the Oakland Police Officers’ Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want police officers to stay in the city, to serve,” said Sgt. Huy Nguyen, the union president. “This is a significant time for our officers to see that there is a structure of support from our city government that appreciates the men and women of this agency who go out there and provide service to our community at a very challenging time.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12049035\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1.jpg 1900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1-1536x1078.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Oakland police officer walks by patrol cars at police headquarters on Dec. 6, 2012. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nguyen said that officers recognize the city is in a financial crisis and made concessions on benefits to which other city employee unions have not agreed. He acknowledged that the proposed longevity premium pay — which was previously paid as a lump sum — would be added to salary, with compounding impacts for raises and pensions. Those premiums would reach up to 15% of base wages for those with 20 or more years of service.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At a time when police departments nationwide are struggling to recruit officers, Nguyen said the pay incentives are crucial to ensure the department can respond in a timely way to 911 calls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our community members deserve better. They deserve a responsive police department, meaning an adequately staffed police department where, when they call, that police officer will show up, versus waiting for hours or even days until a police officer shows up,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staffers estimated the recent labor agreement would cost \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15830813&GUID=72FEF3E1-F781-456B-A057-F8D4C71E9343\">an additional $88.9 million \u003c/a>in wages and premiums over five years, after savings in benefit costs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Anne Janks, an advocate with the Coalition for Police Accountability, said she is disappointed that the public has not had a real chance to weigh in on the tentative deal or get more information about it. She doubted the city’s cost estimate factored in pay for nonunion officers and pension costs, which if true means the total could be higher. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This contract as proposed, it’s going to be a major, major hit on our budget,” said Janks, an Oakland resident for more than 25 years. “The question is, is it going to accomplish what they are proposing? That it’s gonna do retention? Let’s have a really open discussion about how much it’s actually gonna cost.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Policing is Oakland’s most expensive city service, with a \u003ca href=\"https://stories.opengov.com/oaklandca/3ce39ec8-ff7a-4ac4-9b21-3d6501715f3c/published/ua7_mOgX9?currentPageId=686ea3412dc9751cf6e6ee47\">$410.6 million budget\u003c/a> this fiscal year. The tentative labor agreement comes as the city faces annual \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14218302&GUID=DF96B4E0-3176-48D2-8DC3-55C9B4608017\">budget shortfalls\u003c/a> of about $120 million until 2030, and increased scrutiny over its police-overtime spending. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oaklandside \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-police-overtime/\">reported\u003c/a> earlier this year that a single lieutenant was paid more than $490,000 in overtime in 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The cops are already well paid — the overtime is ridiculous — there wasn’t a transparent process. And the other piece of this is they have 45 officers sitting at home pulling a paycheck for months because they are waiting for disciplinary hearings,” said Jose Dorado, a former Oakland police commissioner from 2017 through 2021. “We need better management, better deployment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland police officers receive base pay ranging between about $106,000 to $148,000 per year, plus additional pay incentives, according to a department recruiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.joinoaklandpd.com/\">website\u003c/a>. That’s above what some officers in the state make but in line with what police in other Bay Area cities earn. The mean annual wage for police and sheriff’s patrol officers in California is about $112,000, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes333051.htm\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> City Council members voted Tuesday to advance a proposal that would give hefty raises and bonuses to police officers, despite some residents’ concerns about skyrocketing expenses amid a budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The tentative deal negotiated by the police union and city staff, \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/News-Releases/Oakland-Reaches-Tentative-5-Year-Agreement-with-Oakland-Police-Officers-Association\">announced last month,\u003c/a> would increase base wages by 14% over five years and offer longevity premium pay aimed at retaining and attracting qualified personnel to the understaffed department. The City Council plans to give the proposed salary changes a second reading on Oct. 6, a required step before the ordinance can take effect. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The tentative deal negotiated by the police union and city staff, \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/News-Releases/Oakland-Reaches-Tentative-5-Year-Agreement-with-Oakland-Police-Officers-Association\">announced last month,\u003c/a> would increase base wages by 14% over five years and offer longevity premium pay aimed at retaining and attracting qualified personnel to the understaffed department. The City Council plans to give the proposed salary changes a second reading on Oct. 6, a required step before the ordinance can take effect. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>City staffers praised the development as a compromise, with officers agreeing to pay more for their pension and healthcare costs. The city currently covers 100% of healthcare premiums for police rank-and-file as well as managers. Under the agreement, Oakland Police Officers’ Association members would contribute 10% to their employee healthcare by 2030 and an additional 3% to their pension later that year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>City staffers praised the development as a compromise, with officers agreeing to pay more for their pension and healthcare costs. The city currently covers 100% of healthcare premiums for police rank-and-file as well as managers. Under the agreement, Oakland Police Officers’ Association members would contribute 10% to their employee healthcare by 2030 and an additional 3% to their pension later that year. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These agreements strike an important balance between supporting officer retention, improving public safety and protecting the city’s long-term financial stability,” City Council President Kevin Jenkins said in a statement before the vote. “These contracts help the city remain competitive while recognizing the service of the officers who serve our community every day.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“These agreements strike an important balance between supporting officer retention, improving public safety and protecting the city’s long-term financial stability,” City Council President Kevin Jenkins said in a statement before the vote. “These contracts help the city remain competitive while recognizing the service of the officers who serve our community every day.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But residents who packed the council’s chambers on Tuesday voiced concerns that the deal’s total cost would overprioritize police over other needed services like trash pickup and fixing potholes, and leave fewer funds for lower-paid city employees who are still negotiating labor contracts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But residents who packed the council’s chambers on Tuesday voiced concerns that the deal’s total cost would overprioritize police over other needed services like trash pickup and fixing potholes, and leave fewer funds for lower-paid city employees who are still negotiating labor contracts. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a nod to concerns that police-overtime spending has often gone over budget by millions of dollars in recent years, employees would need written agreement from the police chief or his designee to earn compensatory time off when working overtime. But many Oaklanders said greater controls are needed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a nod to concerns that police-overtime spending has often gone over budget by millions of dollars in recent years, employees would need written agreement from the police chief or his designee to earn compensatory time off when working overtime. But many Oaklanders said greater controls are needed.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We got to make sure we are doing what’s best for the city,” said John Jones III, a longtime community activist, after noting that dozens of officers \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-police-overtime/\">made more than $200,000\u003c/a> in overtime alone in 2024. “I know what’s best for my soon-to-be-12-year-old son, and it is not just throwing tons of money at OPD because there are other needs that our children need as well in this city. Please hold them accountable on this.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We got to make sure we are doing what’s best for the city,” said John Jones III, a longtime community activist, after noting that dozens of officers \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-police-overtime/\">made more than $200,000\u003c/a> in overtime alone in 2024. “I know what’s best for my soon-to-be-12-year-old son, and it is not just throwing tons of money at OPD because there are other needs that our children need as well in this city. Please hold them accountable on this.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some councilmembers questioned city staff on the long-term costs of longevity premium pay and whether the overtime pay process had been corrected. The directors for human resources, Mary Hao, and the finance department, Bradley Johnson, responded that the police department has recently decreased overtime costs, while the incentives to retain officers would be largely covered by employees contributing more to healthcare and pensions benefits.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some councilmembers questioned city staff on the long-term costs of longevity premium pay and whether the overtime pay process had been corrected. The directors for human resources, Mary Hao, and the finance department, Bradley Johnson, responded that the police department has recently decreased overtime costs, while the incentives to retain officers would be largely covered by employees contributing more to healthcare and pensions benefits.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The additional savings the city has regarding those benefit costs more than offset the additional increases, leading to a total package that, over the course of the five years, is affordable within a reasonable estimation of the city’s budget,” Johnson said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The additional savings the city has regarding those benefit costs more than offset the additional increases, leading to a total package that, over the course of the five years, is affordable within a reasonable estimation of the city’s budget,” Johnson said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Councilmember Carrol Fife asked why the tentative agreement also includes a clause that would allow police officers to benefit from even-higher-percentage raises in the future if other employee unions negotiate them for their members. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Councilmember Carrol Fife asked why the tentative agreement also includes a clause that would allow police officers to benefit from even-higher-percentage raises in the future if other employee unions negotiate them for their members. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I just disagree,” said Fife, whose district includes West Oakland and downtown. “This feels like apples and oranges, because some of our highest-paid staff are in the Oakland Police Department. So how do we compare that with someone in SEIU who is working at a library that’s a temporary part-time worker?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I just disagree,” said Fife, whose district includes West Oakland and downtown. “This feels like apples and oranges, because some of our highest-paid staff are in the Oakland Police Department. So how do we compare that with someone in SEIU who is working at a library that’s a temporary part-time worker?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the end, councilmembers voted 7 to 1 to move the proposal forward, with Fife casting the lone dissenting vote. The move comes after San Francisco and its police union earlier this year \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/04/police-fire-union-contract-poa-sf-city-budget-deficit/\">agreed\u003c/a> to give officers a 14% pay increase over four years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the end, councilmembers voted 7 to 1 to move the proposal forward, with Fife casting the lone dissenting vote. The move comes after San Francisco and its police union earlier this year \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/04/police-fire-union-contract-poa-sf-city-budget-deficit/\">agreed\u003c/a> to give officers a 14% pay increase over four years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A city study by the Office of the Inspector General shows the department is \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/inspector-general/documents/published-reports/pfm-llc-opd-staffing-study.pdf\">370 officers short\u003c/a> of what it needs to be fully staffed. Out of 603 sworn officers, only 507 are available to work on any given day, according to the Oakland Police Officers’ Association.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A city study by the Office of the Inspector General shows the department is \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/inspector-general/documents/published-reports/pfm-llc-opd-staffing-study.pdf\">370 officers short\u003c/a> of what it needs to be fully staffed. Out of 603 sworn officers, only 507 are available to work on any given day, according to the Oakland Police Officers’ Association.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We want police officers to stay in the city, to serve,” said Sgt. Huy Nguyen, the union president. “This is a significant time for our officers to see that there is a structure of support from our city government that appreciates the men and women of this agency who go out there and provide service to our community at a very challenging time.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We want police officers to stay in the city, to serve,” said Sgt. Huy Nguyen, the union president. “This is a significant time for our officers to see that there is a structure of support from our city government that appreciates the men and women of this agency who go out there and provide service to our community at a very challenging time.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12049035\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1.jpg 1900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1-1536x1078.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Oakland police officer walks by patrol cars at police headquarters on Dec. 6, 2012.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nguyen said that officers recognize the city is in a financial crisis and made concessions on benefits to which other city employee unions have not agreed. He acknowledged that the proposed longevity premium pay — which was previously paid as a lump sum — would be added to salary, with compounding impacts for raises and pensions. Those premiums would reach up to 15% of base wages for those with 20 or more years of service.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nguyen said that officers recognize the city is in a financial crisis and made concessions on benefits to which other city employee unions have not agreed. He acknowledged that the proposed longevity premium pay — which was previously paid as a lump sum — would be added to salary, with compounding impacts for raises and pensions. Those premiums would reach up to 15% of base wages for those with 20 or more years of service.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At a time when police departments nationwide are struggling to recruit officers, Nguyen said the pay incentives are crucial to ensure the department can respond in a timely way to 911 calls.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At a time when police departments nationwide are struggling to recruit officers, Nguyen said the pay incentives are crucial to ensure the department can respond in a timely way to 911 calls.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our community members deserve better. They deserve a responsive police department, meaning an adequately staffed police department where, when they call, that police officer will show up, versus waiting for hours or even days until a police officer shows up,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our community members deserve better. They deserve a responsive police department, meaning an adequately staffed police department where, when they call, that police officer will show up, versus waiting for hours or even days until a police officer shows up,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>City staffers estimated the recent labor agreement would cost \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15830813&GUID=72FEF3E1-F781-456B-A057-F8D4C71E9343\">an additional $88.9 million \u003c/a>in wages and premiums over five years, after savings in benefit costs. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>City staffers estimated the recent labor agreement would cost \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15830813&GUID=72FEF3E1-F781-456B-A057-F8D4C71E9343\">an additional $88.9 million \u003c/a>in wages and premiums over five years, after savings in benefit costs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Anne Janks, an advocate with the Coalition for Police Accountability, said she is disappointed that the public has not had a real chance to weigh in on the tentative deal or get more information about it. She doubted the city’s cost estimate factored in pay for nonunion officers and pension costs, which if true means the total could be higher. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Anne Janks, an advocate with the Coalition for Police Accountability, said she is disappointed that the public has not had a real chance to weigh in on the tentative deal or get more information about it. She doubted the city’s cost estimate factored in pay for nonunion officers and pension costs, which if true means the total could be higher. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This contract as proposed, it’s going to be a major, major hit on our budget,” said Janks, an Oakland resident for more than 25 years. “The question is, is it going to accomplish what they are proposing? That it’s gonna do retention? Let’s have a really open discussion about how much it’s actually gonna cost.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This contract as proposed, it’s going to be a major, major hit on our budget,” said Janks, an Oakland resident for more than 25 years. “The question is, is it going to accomplish what they are proposing? That it’s gonna do retention? Let’s have a really open discussion about how much it’s actually gonna cost.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Policing is Oakland’s most expensive city service, with a \u003ca href=\"https://stories.opengov.com/oaklandca/3ce39ec8-ff7a-4ac4-9b21-3d6501715f3c/published/ua7_mOgX9?currentPageId=686ea3412dc9751cf6e6ee47\">$410.6 million budget\u003c/a> this fiscal year. The tentative labor agreement comes as the city faces annual \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14218302&GUID=DF96B4E0-3176-48D2-8DC3-55C9B4608017\">budget shortfalls\u003c/a> of about $120 million until 2030, and increased scrutiny over its police-overtime spending. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Policing is Oakland’s most expensive city service, with a \u003ca href=\"https://stories.opengov.com/oaklandca/3ce39ec8-ff7a-4ac4-9b21-3d6501715f3c/published/ua7_mOgX9?currentPageId=686ea3412dc9751cf6e6ee47\">$410.6 million budget\u003c/a> this fiscal year. The tentative labor agreement comes as the city faces annual \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14218302&GUID=DF96B4E0-3176-48D2-8DC3-55C9B4608017\">budget shortfalls\u003c/a> of about $120 million until 2030, and increased scrutiny over its police-overtime spending. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oaklandside \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-police-overtime/\">reported\u003c/a> earlier this year that a single lieutenant was paid more than $490,000 in overtime in 2024. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Oaklandside \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-police-overtime/\">reported\u003c/a> earlier this year that a single lieutenant was paid more than $490,000 in overtime in 2024. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The cops are already well paid — the overtime is ridiculous — there wasn’t a transparent process. And the other piece of this is they have 45 officers sitting at home pulling a paycheck for months because they are waiting for disciplinary hearings,” said Jose Dorado, a former Oakland police commissioner from 2017 through 2021. “We need better management, better deployment.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The cops are already well paid — the overtime is ridiculous — there wasn’t a transparent process. And the other piece of this is they have 45 officers sitting at home pulling a paycheck for months because they are waiting for disciplinary hearings,” said Jose Dorado, a former Oakland police commissioner from 2017 through 2021. “We need better management, better deployment.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland police officers receive base pay ranging between about $106,000 to $148,000 per year, plus additional pay incentives, according to a department recruiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.joinoaklandpd.com/\">website\u003c/a>. That’s above what some officers in the state make but in line with what police in other Bay Area cities earn. The mean annual wage for police and sheriff’s patrol officers in California is about $112,000, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes333051.htm\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Oakland police officers receive base pay ranging between about $106,000 to $148,000 per year, plus additional pay incentives, according to a department recruiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.joinoaklandpd.com/\">website\u003c/a>. That’s above what some officers in the state make but in line with what police in other Bay Area cities earn. The mean annual wage for police and sheriff’s patrol officers in California is about $112,000, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes333051.htm\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "City staffers praised the deal as a compromise that will help retain and recruit qualified officers, but some residents have unanswered questions. \n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> City Council members voted Tuesday to advance a proposal that would give hefty raises and bonuses to police officers, despite some residents’ concerns about skyrocketing expenses amid a budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The tentative deal negotiated by the police union and city staff, \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/News-Releases/Oakland-Reaches-Tentative-5-Year-Agreement-with-Oakland-Police-Officers-Association\">announced last month,\u003c/a> would increase base wages by 14% over five years and offer longevity premium pay aimed at retaining and attracting qualified personnel to the understaffed department. The City Council plans to give the proposed salary changes a second reading on Oct. 6, a required step before the ordinance can take effect. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staffers praised the development as a compromise, with officers agreeing to pay more for their pension and healthcare costs. The city currently covers 100% of healthcare premiums for police rank-and-file as well as managers. Under the agreement, Oakland Police Officers’ Association members would contribute 10% to their employee healthcare by 2030 and an additional 3% to their pension later that year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These agreements strike an important balance between supporting officer retention, improving public safety and protecting the city’s long-term financial stability,” City Council President Kevin Jenkins said in a statement before the vote. “These contracts help the city remain competitive while recognizing the service of the officers who serve our community every day.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12038002\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Oakland Police Department squad car in downtown Oakland on April 28, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But residents who packed the council’s chambers on Tuesday voiced concerns that the deal’s total cost would overprioritize police over other needed services like trash pickup and fixing potholes, and leave fewer funds for lower-paid city employees who are still negotiating labor contracts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a nod to concerns that police-overtime spending has often gone over budget by millions of dollars in recent years, employees would need written agreement from the police chief or his designee to earn compensatory time off when working overtime. But many Oaklanders said greater controls are needed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We got to make sure we are doing what’s best for the city,” said John Jones III, a longtime community activist, after noting that dozens of officers \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-police-overtime/\">made more than $200,000\u003c/a> in overtime alone in 2024. “I know what’s best for my soon-to-be-12-year-old son, and it is not just throwing tons of money at OPD because there are other needs that our children need as well in this city. Please hold them accountable on this.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some councilmembers questioned city staff on the long-term costs of longevity premium pay and whether the overtime pay process had been corrected. The directors for human resources, Mary Hao, and the finance department, Bradley Johnson, responded that the police department has recently decreased overtime costs, while the incentives to retain officers would be largely covered by employees contributing more to healthcare and pensions benefits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The additional savings the city has regarding those benefit costs more than offset the additional increases, leading to a total package that, over the course of the five years, is affordable within a reasonable estimation of the city’s budget,” Johnson said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember Carrol Fife asked why the tentative agreement also includes a clause that would allow police officers to benefit from even-higher-percentage raises in the future if other employee unions negotiate them for their members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just disagree,” said Fife, whose district includes West Oakland and downtown. “This feels like apples and oranges, because some of our highest-paid staff are in the Oakland Police Department. So how do we compare that with someone in SEIU who is working at a library that’s a temporary part-time worker?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the end, councilmembers voted 7 to 1 to move the proposal forward, with Fife casting the lone dissenting vote. The move comes after San Francisco and its police union earlier this year \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/04/police-fire-union-contract-poa-sf-city-budget-deficit/\">agreed\u003c/a> to give officers a 14% pay increase over four years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A city study by the Office of the Inspector General shows the department is \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/inspector-general/documents/published-reports/pfm-llc-opd-staffing-study.pdf\">370 officers short\u003c/a> of what it needs to be fully staffed. Out of 603 sworn officers, only 507 are available to work on any given day, according to the Oakland Police Officers’ Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want police officers to stay in the city, to serve,” said Sgt. Huy Nguyen, the union president. “This is a significant time for our officers to see that there is a structure of support from our city government that appreciates the men and women of this agency who go out there and provide service to our community at a very challenging time.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12049035\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1.jpg 1900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/OaklandPoliceCar_qed-1-1536x1078.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Oakland police officer walks by patrol cars at police headquarters on Dec. 6, 2012. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nguyen said that officers recognize the city is in a financial crisis and made concessions on benefits to which other city employee unions have not agreed. He acknowledged that the proposed longevity premium pay — which was previously paid as a lump sum — would be added to salary, with compounding impacts for raises and pensions. Those premiums would reach up to 15% of base wages for those with 20 or more years of service.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At a time when police departments nationwide are struggling to recruit officers, Nguyen said the pay incentives are crucial to ensure the department can respond in a timely way to 911 calls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our community members deserve better. They deserve a responsive police department, meaning an adequately staffed police department where, when they call, that police officer will show up, versus waiting for hours or even days until a police officer shows up,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staffers estimated the recent labor agreement would cost \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15830813&GUID=72FEF3E1-F781-456B-A057-F8D4C71E9343\">an additional $88.9 million \u003c/a>in wages and premiums over five years, after savings in benefit costs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Anne Janks, an advocate with the Coalition for Police Accountability, said she is disappointed that the public has not had a real chance to weigh in on the tentative deal or get more information about it. She doubted the city’s cost estimate factored in pay for nonunion officers and pension costs, which if true means the total could be higher. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This contract as proposed, it’s going to be a major, major hit on our budget,” said Janks, an Oakland resident for more than 25 years. “The question is, is it going to accomplish what they are proposing? That it’s gonna do retention? Let’s have a really open discussion about how much it’s actually gonna cost.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Policing is Oakland’s most expensive city service, with a \u003ca href=\"https://stories.opengov.com/oaklandca/3ce39ec8-ff7a-4ac4-9b21-3d6501715f3c/published/ua7_mOgX9?currentPageId=686ea3412dc9751cf6e6ee47\">$410.6 million budget\u003c/a> this fiscal year. The tentative labor agreement comes as the city faces annual \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14218302&GUID=DF96B4E0-3176-48D2-8DC3-55C9B4608017\">budget shortfalls\u003c/a> of about $120 million until 2030, and increased scrutiny over its police-overtime spending. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oaklandside \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/29/oakland-police-overtime/\">reported\u003c/a> earlier this year that a single lieutenant was paid more than $490,000 in overtime in 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The cops are already well paid — the overtime is ridiculous — there wasn’t a transparent process. And the other piece of this is they have 45 officers sitting at home pulling a paycheck for months because they are waiting for disciplinary hearings,” said Jose Dorado, a former Oakland police commissioner from 2017 through 2021. “We need better management, better deployment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland police officers receive base pay ranging between about $106,000 to $148,000 per year, plus additional pay incentives, according to a department recruiting \u003ca href=\"https://www.joinoaklandpd.com/\">website\u003c/a>. That’s above what some officers in the state make but in line with what police in other Bay Area cities earn. The mean annual wage for police and sheriff’s patrol officers in California is about $112,000, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes333051.htm\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Security workers guarding some of the biggest names in the tech industry said they will strike starting Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike comes after months of negotiations over fair wages and improved benefits with 15 private-security contractors and employers, during which the union has called attention to the disparity between compensation for guards and the vast wealth that they protect.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A press release for the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, which represents some of the security guards, states they will strike after “bad faith bargaining, surveillance of officers, retaliatory discipline, making unilateral changes, illegally coercing, restraining, and interfering with officers’ right to strike, and other unfair practices on the job as they fight for a fair contract.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Allied Universal said that they “do not comment on ongoing labor negotiations.” Securitas did not respond to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098181\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A security officer chants during a Sept. 2, 2026, press conference at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District, where the union representing security officers from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice strike authorization. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The offer on the bargaining table is a 65-cent raise over the next two years, according to the press release — guards currently make a median hourly wage of $20.09, according to a UC Berkeley study.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re looking for a path for $30 [an hour] for all officers,” said Stephen Boardman, a spokesperson for the SEIU-USWW.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jerry Longoria, a security guard with Allied Universal, said he has gone through five contract negotiations in his 25 years as a security guard.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This contract is so bad,” Longoria said. “We are going to fight for what we deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Longaria recalled working as a security guard for jewelry brand Cartier, where he watched a woman walk up to the counter and buy a $1.5 million necklace.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If people got that kind of money, and they wanna pay us pennies, that’s unfair, that’s mistreatment,” Longoria said. “I live in an SRO. I don’t even have a bathroom or a kitchen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Longoria said that he cannot find a new place to live due to high rents across the city, adding: “I’m ready to go on strike.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The security officers marched through downtown San Francisco on Tuesday, passing by the Dreamforce Conference, an annual tech gathering hosted by software giant Salesforce. Many tech employees, as well as leaders of the companies that the security guards protect, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, will attend Dreamforce.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jane Martin, an organizer with the activist group Bay Resistance, joined the security workers on Tuesday, holding signs with slogans like “Keep families together,” “Good jobs to security officers” and “No ICE, no fear.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Salesforce logo is a cloud, and the name of the conference is Dreamforce, so we wrote our own hopes and dreams into the cloud signs,” Martin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This contract is so bad,” Longoria said. “We are going to fight for what we deserve.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If people got that kind of money, and they wanna pay us pennies, that’s unfair, that’s mistreatment,” Longoria said. “I live in an SRO. I don’t even have a bathroom or a kitchen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The security officers marched through downtown San Francisco on Tuesday, passing by the Dreamforce Conference, an annual tech gathering hosted by software giant Salesforce. Many tech employees, as well as leaders of the companies that the security guards protect, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, will attend Dreamforce.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Security workers guarding some of the biggest names in the tech industry said they will strike starting Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike comes after months of negotiations over fair wages and improved benefits with 15 private-security contractors and employers, during which the union has called attention to the disparity between compensation for guards and the vast wealth that they protect.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A press release for the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, which represents some of the security guards, states they will strike after “bad faith bargaining, surveillance of officers, retaliatory discipline, making unilateral changes, illegally coercing, restraining, and interfering with officers’ right to strike, and other unfair practices on the job as they fight for a fair contract.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Allied Universal said that they “do not comment on ongoing labor negotiations.” Securitas did not respond to KQED’s request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098181\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A security officer chants during a Sept. 2, 2026, press conference at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District, where the union representing security officers from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice strike authorization. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The offer on the bargaining table is a 65-cent raise over the next two years, according to the press release — guards currently make a median hourly wage of $20.09, according to a UC Berkeley study.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re looking for a path for $30 [an hour] for all officers,” said Stephen Boardman, a spokesperson for the SEIU-USWW.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jerry Longoria, a security guard with Allied Universal, said he has gone through five contract negotiations in his 25 years as a security guard.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This contract is so bad,” Longoria said. “We are going to fight for what we deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Longaria recalled working as a security guard for jewelry brand Cartier, where he watched a woman walk up to the counter and buy a $1.5 million necklace.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If people got that kind of money, and they wanna pay us pennies, that’s unfair, that’s mistreatment,” Longoria said. “I live in an SRO. I don’t even have a bathroom or a kitchen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Longoria said that he cannot find a new place to live due to high rents across the city, adding: “I’m ready to go on strike.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The security officers marched through downtown San Francisco on Tuesday, passing by the Dreamforce Conference, an annual tech gathering hosted by software giant Salesforce. Many tech employees, as well as leaders of the companies that the security guards protect, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, will attend Dreamforce.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jane Martin, an organizer with the activist group Bay Resistance, joined the security workers on Tuesday, holding signs with slogans like “Keep families together,” “Good jobs to security officers” and “No ICE, no fear.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Salesforce logo is a cloud, and the name of the conference is Dreamforce, so we wrote our own hopes and dreams into the cloud signs,” Martin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar Refinery workers\u003c/a> have reached a tentative agreement with the company after a weekslong strike, a union spokesperson told KQED on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dozens of warehouse employees at the Crockett refinery would be covered by the deal, which a representative for the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 6 said addresses some of workers’ main concerns regarding sick time and retiree benefits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>ILWU Local 6 member Cesar Garibay said the tentative agreement reached this week allows employees to keep medical benefits at a lower cost to the company. Workers still need to vote to ratify the deal, but Garibay told KQED he felt confident it would pass. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260812_CHHistory_GC-36-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096042\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260812_CHHistory_GC-36-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260812_CHHistory_GC-36-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260812_CHHistory_GC-36-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">C&H Sugar paraphernalia is displayed at the Crockett Historical Museum in Crockett on Aug. 12, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Warehouse workers walked off the job in June amid stalled contract negotiations with C&H. Union members told KQED in July that the company proposed a 20% cumulative raise over five years, while cutting sick days in half and slashing benefits for retirees — a deal they said wasn’t a worthy trade-off.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, also refused to cross picket lines in solidarity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike disrupted operations at the site — which usually processes 6 million pounds of raw cane sugar per day — for weeks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tensions reached a fever pitch in July when C&H hired nonunion labor to unload a ship at the Crockett refinery. At least 400 IWLU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports to rally at the site. Sheriff’s officials arrested nine protesters on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer. Most were cited and released, but three were held in custody overnight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Days later, workers agreed to return to work for 60 days while negotiations continued. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier on, the company had diverted some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, raising health concerns from local officials. C&H previously told KQED that handling raw sugar at facilities like the Levin Terminal is “common practice,” and assured the quality of the processed, finished sugar. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air District also inspected the site and found no visible emissions from sugar or coal handling operations and documented no violations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Garibay said a date for the ratification vote hasn’t been set. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>C&H did not respond to a request for comment on the tentative agreement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous headline incorrectly stated that the strike ended today.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tensions reached a fever pitch in July when C&H hired nonunion labor to unload a ship at the Crockett refinery. At least 400 IWLU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports to rally at the site. Sheriff’s officials arrested nine protesters on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer. Most were cited and released, but three were held in custody overnight.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Earlier on, the company had diverted some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, raising health concerns from local officials. C&H previously told KQED that handling raw sugar at facilities like the Levin Terminal is “common practice,” and assured the quality of the processed, finished sugar. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous headline incorrectly stated that the strike ended today.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar Refinery workers\u003c/a> have reached a tentative agreement with the company after a weekslong strike, a union spokesperson told KQED on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dozens of warehouse employees at the Crockett refinery would be covered by the deal, which a representative for the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 6 said addresses some of workers’ main concerns regarding sick time and retiree benefits.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>ILWU Local 6 member Cesar Garibay said the tentative agreement reached this week allows employees to keep medical benefits at a lower cost to the company. Workers still need to vote to ratify the deal, but Garibay told KQED he felt confident it would pass. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260812_CHHistory_GC-36-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096042\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260812_CHHistory_GC-36-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260812_CHHistory_GC-36-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260812_CHHistory_GC-36-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">C&H Sugar paraphernalia is displayed at the Crockett Historical Museum in Crockett on Aug. 12, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Warehouse workers walked off the job in June amid stalled contract negotiations with C&H. Union members told KQED in July that the company proposed a 20% cumulative raise over five years, while cutting sick days in half and slashing benefits for retirees — a deal they said wasn’t a worthy trade-off.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, also refused to cross picket lines in solidarity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike disrupted operations at the site — which usually processes 6 million pounds of raw cane sugar per day — for weeks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tensions reached a fever pitch in July when C&H hired nonunion labor to unload a ship at the Crockett refinery. At least 400 IWLU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports to rally at the site. Sheriff’s officials arrested nine protesters on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer. Most were cited and released, but three were held in custody overnight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Days later, workers agreed to return to work for 60 days while negotiations continued. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier on, the company had diverted some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, raising health concerns from local officials. C&H previously told KQED that handling raw sugar at facilities like the Levin Terminal is “common practice,” and assured the quality of the processed, finished sugar. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Air District also inspected the site and found no visible emissions from sugar or coal handling operations and documented no violations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Garibay said a date for the ratification vote hasn’t been set. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>C&H did not respond to a request for comment on the tentative agreement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous headline incorrectly stated that the strike ended today.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Francisco, a 52-year-old window installer, couldn’t sleep. He burst into tears during family dinners. The sight of an unfamiliar black Suburban parked near his longtime apartment in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>, California, sent him rushing to lock the doors and hide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His employer threatened to report him to federal immigration authorities this spring, Francisco said, to discourage him from collaborating with state labor officials investigating a co-worker’s complaint against the business. KQED is not using Francisco’s full name or naming their employer because he lacks legal immigration status and fears retaliation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was afraid,” Francisco said. “I tried to not show it to my family so they wouldn’t get nervous or upset. But inside, I was afraid. It’s traumatic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supervisors threatening immigration consequences is nothing new in industries with a large noncitizen workforce and lower-wage jobs, such as construction, hospitality and in-home care. But as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up immigration arrests to levels not seen in years, bad-faith employers are taking advantage of the political climate to exploit vulnerable workers, who are now more fearful of deportation, according to state officials and employment attorneys. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s hard to estimate the extent of this kind of workplace intimidation, which is generally unlawful, because relatively few people report it to labor regulators. Still, state figures point to a spike in immigration-related threats during both the first and current Trump administration. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098284\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty-1536x983.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Construction workers rebuild a house that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire on June 25, 2026, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I do believe that this is the tip of the iceberg and that there are many, many more of these immigration-related threats,” said Ruth Silver Taube, supervising attorney at the Santa Clara and San Mateo County Legal Advice Line. “These threats are designed to deter workers from coming forward. And I think they’re successful.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Francisco, who has worked in California for 25 years, mostly in construction, said he had never before faced an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related threat. Francisco worried his wife and two older children, who also don’t have legal status, could be detained and separated from a younger son, a U.S. citizen by birth. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The father of three became so anxious, imagining that he was being watched or followed, that his wife took him to see a psychiatrist. Francisco eventually found a different job and is seeking legal aid to figure out next steps. A spokesperson for the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, which investigates retaliation complaints, identified two open investigations against Francisco’s former employer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It makes me angry,” Francisco said, adding that more construction workers he knows are facing similar rhetoric. “Unfortunately, it is the price we pay — those of us who are undocumented here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state agency, which tracks reports of employers threatening workers, has received nearly 200 immigration-related complaints since 2025, almost as many as during President Joe Biden’s entire administration, according to agency figures. Similarly, an analysis of the office’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DLSEreports.htm#RCReports\">data\u003c/a> indicates more than 460 immigration-threat allegations during Trump’s first term, a significant increase from years prior. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The increase comes as the Trump administration has weakened or discarded protections aimed at encouraging immigrant workers to report potential workplace violations. Trump rescinded a Biden-era program that offered temporary protection from deportation and a work permit to people who collaborated with labor investigators. And an agreement that largely kept immigration authorities out of workplaces the U.S. Department of Labor was investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096562/trump-administration-nixes-longstanding-deal-to-help-investigate-labor-abuses\">is no longer in effect\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Worker advocates in Southern and Northern California said workplace immigration threats are on the rise across the state, part of an effort to silence immigrants during disputes over wages or other job conditions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yunuen Trujillo, who directs the workers’ rights program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, related the story of an in-home caregiver in Los Angeles County. Trujillo said a former employer sought the caregiver out at her new job and threatened to go to ICE against her — and her school-age son — unless the worker withdrew a wage complaint she had filed with state regulators. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That kind of emboldened attitude, we’re seeing more and more,” said Trujillo, who assisted the L.A. caregiver in reaching a settlement. “Bad actors who are employers are using the opportunity to engage in wage theft, to retaliate, to coerce workers into doing what they want by using immigration-related threats.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075046\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Middle housing units under construction in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Trujillo’s team has documented dozens of reports of veiled or explicit threats this year, though most workers decline to pursue the cases or seek redress, she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Silver Taube believes just one of dozens of clients has been arrested and deported after reporting immigration threats and wage theft to state regulators during the first Trump term. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered unpaid wages for the man and ensured he received them in Mexico, she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state agency also intervenes to stop retaliation from happening or continuing by promptly informing employers that they could be on the hook for up to $10,000 in penalties per violation if the allegations of immigration threats against them are corroborated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Counterintuitively, if [workers] speak up, there might be less of a likelihood that it’ll happen because the eyes of the government are on the employer,” said Silver Taube, who recommends workers document the perceived threat in writing, perhaps via text message or email to the same supervisor who made it, as evidence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Labor Commission will prioritize the case … and call the employer to inform them about the civil and criminal penalties for threats to call ICE, which may deter the employer from acting on the threat,” she said. “But that’s part of the calculus for workers who are undocumented. Will the employer call ICE?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For every person who speaks up about the issue, many others don’t, deciding it’s not worth the risk to complain about wage theft, unsafe conditions, harassment or other workplace issues, worker advocates and labor officials said. The dynamic has been exacerbated by the federal government’s focus on aggressive immigration enforcement, said Jaime Arteaga, a labor compliance investigator with the North Coast States Carpenters Union. Immigration authorities conducted about \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-arrests-50-thousand-people-august-continuing-record-rcna595510\">100,000 arrests\u003c/a> nationwide just over the last two months.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Somebody might say, ‘We might get deported,’ and that shuts everything down. The workers are not going to come forward,” said Arteaga, who regularly speaks with nonunionized laborers at construction sites in San José. “It doesn’t have to be real, it can just be said, and the people are fearful. It can be a rumor.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, declined to comment on advocates’ concerns about a chilling effect on the reporting of labor abuses, or whether employers are actually identifying current or former employees for arrest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect public safety, national security and economic stability while rescuing individuals who may be victims of labor trafficking or exploitation,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets, and threaten American communities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Employing noncitizens without work authorization also incentivizes “dangerous and illegal practices, including social security fraud,” the spokesperson said, because those immigrants often use stolen, fabricated or expired social security numbers to get jobs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Labor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under federal and state laws, employees have a right to minimum wage, overtime, a safe workplace and other protections, regardless of their immigration status. Punishing a worker for trying to exercise those rights is unlawful. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers approved \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2495\">a bill\u003c/a> last week that would clarify the law to explicitly say that all immigration-related threats, including preemptive ones to dissuade employees from exercising their rights, are illegal. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about his state budget proposal on May 14, 2026, in Sacramento, California. (Jeff Chiu/AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yet, managers may ignore the rules. Threats can be made in the heat of the moment, and not as a well-thought-out management tool, said Paul DeCamp, who represents employers with the firm Epstein, Becker & Green in Washington, D.C. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If a supervisor gets annoyed, perhaps because the workers are talking about unionizing or they’re complaining about working conditions, the supervisor, in an attempt to try to take control of the situation, may make a threat like this, which of course is illegal,” said DeCamp, a former administrator of the wage and hour division at the U.S. Department of Labor. “But the supervisor may not understand that or may think that the workers would be afraid to do anything about the threat.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower said her agency anticipated that Trump’s efforts to deport millions of immigrants would have a chilling effect on undocumented and other noncitizen workers. The labor commissioner has expanded its education and outreach efforts, including by partnering closely with advocacy organizations and community leaders who have workers’ trust. An estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/undocumented-immigrants-in-california/\">1.5 million undocumented\u003c/a> immigrants make up less than 10% of the state’s workforce.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We do not collaborate with the federal government. We do not ask about immigration status. We don’t ask for Social Security numbers. And it is safe for them to proceed in cooperating with us,” Garcia-Brower said. “I don’t need a statistic to reiterate that there is a significant amount of fear in the community. What I want to make sure that I am continuously communicating: worker protections.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1397\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12001145\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-800x559.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-1020x712.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-1536x1073.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-1920x1341.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers fill food orders at a Chipotle restaurant on April 1, 2024, in San Rafael, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Edith, a fast food worker in the San José area, said she decided to come forward with a complaint because she is desperate for relief. Her manager has discriminated against her and other older employees, unfairly cutting their work hours, she said. Edith said that when she asked the manager about it last summer, they replied that anyone complaining about their schedule would be reported to ICE. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Edith stopped asking questions, even after her work hours were slashed again. KQED is not using Edith’s full name or naming her employer because she fears losing her job.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t know that was illegal — what she told us. I was afraid of going to work. But I have to work because I need to,” the 56-year-old said in Spanish. “It has been, and still is, a huge deal. It is something very difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She had never been threatened with deportation in the 35 years she’s worked in the state cleaning homes and in restaurants, she said. Eventually, Edith and co-workers sought advice from the California Fast Food Workers Union. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By then, the manager had also told employees that they should “hide in the garbage” or “jump out of the window” if ICE agents came to the workplace, according to two age-discrimination complaints against the business with the California Civil Rights Department that were reviewed by KQED. The department also \u003ca href=\"https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/10/Immigration-Rights-Fact-Sheet_ENG.pdf\">investigates immigration threats\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You have to do something,” said Edith, referring to her complaint, which she hopes will lead the restaurant owners to ensure employees are treated fairly. “We do have rights, and we shouldn’t be treated this way.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His employer threatened to report him to federal immigration authorities this spring, Francisco said, to discourage him from collaborating with state labor officials investigating a co-worker’s complaint against the business. KQED is not using Francisco’s full name or naming their employer because he lacks legal immigration status and fears retaliation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supervisors threatening immigration consequences is nothing new in industries with a large noncitizen workforce and lower-wage jobs, such as construction, hospitality and in-home care. But as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up immigration arrests to levels not seen in years, bad-faith employers are taking advantage of the political climate to exploit vulnerable workers, who are now more fearful of deportation, according to state officials and employment attorneys. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098284\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty-1536x983.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Construction workers rebuild a house that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire on June 25, 2026, in Pacific Palisades, California. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I do believe that this is the tip of the iceberg and that there are many, many more of these immigration-related threats,” said Ruth Silver Taube, supervising attorney at the Santa Clara and San Mateo County Legal Advice Line. “These threats are designed to deter workers from coming forward. And I think they’re successful.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I do believe that this is the tip of the iceberg and that there are many, many more of these immigration-related threats,” said Ruth Silver Taube, supervising attorney at the Santa Clara and San Mateo County Legal Advice Line. “These threats are designed to deter workers from coming forward. And I think they’re successful.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Francisco, who has worked in California for 25 years, mostly in construction, said he had never before faced an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related threat. Francisco worried his wife and two older children, who also don’t have legal status, could be detained and separated from a younger son, a U.S. citizen by birth. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Francisco, who has worked in California for 25 years, mostly in construction, said he had never before faced an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related threat. Francisco worried his wife and two older children, who also don’t have legal status, could be detained and separated from a younger son, a U.S. citizen by birth. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The father of three became so anxious, imagining that he was being watched or followed, that his wife took him to see a psychiatrist. Francisco eventually found a different job and is seeking legal aid to figure out next steps. A spokesperson for the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, which investigates retaliation complaints, identified two open investigations against Francisco’s former employer.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The father of three became so anxious, imagining that he was being watched or followed, that his wife took him to see a psychiatrist. Francisco eventually found a different job and is seeking legal aid to figure out next steps. A spokesperson for the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, which investigates retaliation complaints, identified two open investigations against Francisco’s former employer.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It makes me angry,” Francisco said, adding that more construction workers he knows are facing similar rhetoric. “Unfortunately, it is the price we pay — those of us who are undocumented here.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It makes me angry,” Francisco said, adding that more construction workers he knows are facing similar rhetoric. “Unfortunately, it is the price we pay — those of us who are undocumented here.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state agency, which tracks reports of employers threatening workers, has received nearly 200 immigration-related complaints since 2025, almost as many as during President Joe Biden’s entire administration, according to agency figures. Similarly, an analysis of the office’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DLSEreports.htm#RCReports\">data\u003c/a> indicates more than 460 immigration-threat allegations during Trump’s first term, a significant increase from years prior. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state agency, which tracks reports of employers threatening workers, has received nearly 200 immigration-related complaints since 2025, almost as many as during President Joe Biden’s entire administration, according to agency figures. Similarly, an analysis of the office’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DLSEreports.htm#RCReports\">data\u003c/a> indicates more than 460 immigration-threat allegations during Trump’s first term, a significant increase from years prior. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The increase comes as the Trump administration has weakened or discarded protections aimed at encouraging immigrant workers to report potential workplace violations. Trump rescinded a Biden-era program that offered temporary protection from deportation and a work permit to people who collaborated with labor investigators. And an agreement that largely kept immigration authorities out of workplaces the U.S. Department of Labor was investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096562/trump-administration-nixes-longstanding-deal-to-help-investigate-labor-abuses\">is no longer in effect\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The increase comes as the Trump administration has weakened or discarded protections aimed at encouraging immigrant workers to report potential workplace violations. Trump rescinded a Biden-era program that offered temporary protection from deportation and a work permit to people who collaborated with labor investigators. And an agreement that largely kept immigration authorities out of workplaces the U.S. Department of Labor was investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096562/trump-administration-nixes-longstanding-deal-to-help-investigate-labor-abuses\">is no longer in effect\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Worker advocates in Southern and Northern California said workplace immigration threats are on the rise across the state, part of an effort to silence immigrants during disputes over wages or other job conditions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Worker advocates in Southern and Northern California said workplace immigration threats are on the rise across the state, part of an effort to silence immigrants during disputes over wages or other job conditions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yunuen Trujillo, who directs the workers’ rights program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, related the story of an in-home caregiver in Los Angeles County. Trujillo said a former employer sought the caregiver out at her new job and threatened to go to ICE against her — and her school-age son — unless the worker withdrew a wage complaint she had filed with state regulators. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yunuen Trujillo, who directs the workers’ rights program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, related the story of an in-home caregiver in Los Angeles County. Trujillo said a former employer sought the caregiver out at her new job and threatened to go to ICE against her — and her school-age son — unless the worker withdrew a wage complaint she had filed with state regulators. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That kind of emboldened attitude, we’re seeing more and more,” said Trujillo, who assisted the L.A. caregiver in reaching a settlement. “Bad actors who are employers are using the opportunity to engage in wage theft, to retaliate, to coerce workers into doing what they want by using immigration-related threats.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That kind of emboldened attitude, we’re seeing more and more,” said Trujillo, who assisted the L.A. caregiver in reaching a settlement. “Bad actors who are employers are using the opportunity to engage in wage theft, to retaliate, to coerce workers into doing what they want by using immigration-related threats.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075046\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Middle housing units under construction in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 7, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075046\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Middle housing units under construction in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 7, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Trujillo’s team has documented dozens of reports of veiled or explicit threats this year, though most workers decline to pursue the cases or seek redress, she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Trujillo’s team has documented dozens of reports of veiled or explicit threats this year, though most workers decline to pursue the cases or seek redress, she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Silver Taube believes just one of dozens of clients has been arrested and deported after reporting immigration threats and wage theft to state regulators during the first Trump term. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered unpaid wages for the man and ensured he received them in Mexico, she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Silver Taube believes just one of dozens of clients has been arrested and deported after reporting immigration threats and wage theft to state regulators during the first Trump term. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered unpaid wages for the man and ensured he received them in Mexico, she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state agency also intervenes to stop retaliation from happening or continuing by promptly informing employers that they could be on the hook for up to $10,000 in penalties per violation if the allegations of immigration threats against them are corroborated. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state agency also intervenes to stop retaliation from happening or continuing by promptly informing employers that they could be on the hook for up to $10,000 in penalties per violation if the allegations of immigration threats against them are corroborated. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Counterintuitively, if [workers] speak up, there might be less of a likelihood that it’ll happen because the eyes of the government are on the employer,” said Silver Taube, who recommends workers document the perceived threat in writing, perhaps via text message or email to the same supervisor who made it, as evidence. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Counterintuitively, if [workers] speak up, there might be less of a likelihood that it’ll happen because the eyes of the government are on the employer,” said Silver Taube, who recommends workers document the perceived threat in writing, perhaps via text message or email to the same supervisor who made it, as evidence. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Labor Commission will prioritize the case … and call the employer to inform them about the civil and criminal penalties for threats to call ICE, which may deter the employer from acting on the threat,” she said. “But that’s part of the calculus for workers who are undocumented. Will the employer call ICE?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The Labor Commission will prioritize the case … and call the employer to inform them about the civil and criminal penalties for threats to call ICE, which may deter the employer from acting on the threat,” she said. “But that’s part of the calculus for workers who are undocumented. Will the employer call ICE?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For every person who speaks up about the issue, many others don’t, deciding it’s not worth the risk to complain about wage theft, unsafe conditions, harassment or other workplace issues, worker advocates and labor officials said. The dynamic has been exacerbated by the federal government’s focus on aggressive immigration enforcement, said Jaime Arteaga, a labor compliance investigator with the North Coast States Carpenters Union. Immigration authorities conducted about \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-arrests-50-thousand-people-august-continuing-record-rcna595510\">100,000 arrests\u003c/a> nationwide just over the last two months.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For every person who speaks up about the issue, many others don’t, deciding it’s not worth the risk to complain about wage theft, unsafe conditions, harassment or other workplace issues, worker advocates and labor officials said. The dynamic has been exacerbated by the federal government’s focus on aggressive immigration enforcement, said Jaime Arteaga, a labor compliance investigator with the North Coast States Carpenters Union. Immigration authorities conducted about \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-arrests-50-thousand-people-august-continuing-record-rcna595510\">100,000 arrests\u003c/a> nationwide just over the last two months.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Somebody might say, ‘We might get deported,’ and that shuts everything down. The workers are not going to come forward,” said Arteaga, who regularly speaks with nonunionized laborers at construction sites in San José. “It doesn’t have to be real, it can just be said, and the people are fearful. It can be a rumor.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Somebody might say, ‘We might get deported,’ and that shuts everything down. The workers are not going to come forward,” said Arteaga, who regularly speaks with nonunionized laborers at construction sites in San José. “It doesn’t have to be real, it can just be said, and the people are fearful. It can be a rumor.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, declined to comment on advocates’ concerns about a chilling effect on the reporting of labor abuses, or whether employers are actually identifying current or former employees for arrest. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, declined to comment on advocates’ concerns about a chilling effect on the reporting of labor abuses, or whether employers are actually identifying current or former employees for arrest. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect public safety, national security and economic stability while rescuing individuals who may be victims of labor trafficking or exploitation,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets, and threaten American communities.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect public safety, national security and economic stability while rescuing individuals who may be victims of labor trafficking or exploitation,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets, and threaten American communities.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Employing noncitizens without work authorization also incentivizes “dangerous and illegal practices, including social security fraud,” the spokesperson said, because those immigrants often use stolen, fabricated or expired social security numbers to get jobs. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Employing noncitizens without work authorization also incentivizes “dangerous and illegal practices, including social security fraud,” the spokesperson said, because those immigrants often use stolen, fabricated or expired social security numbers to get jobs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Labor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Labor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under federal and state laws, employees have a right to minimum wage, overtime, a safe workplace and other protections, regardless of their immigration status. Punishing a worker for trying to exercise those rights is unlawful. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Under federal and state laws, employees have a right to minimum wage, overtime, a safe workplace and other protections, regardless of their immigration status. Punishing a worker for trying to exercise those rights is unlawful. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California lawmakers approved \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2495\">a bill\u003c/a> last week that would clarify the law to explicitly say that all immigration-related threats, including preemptive ones to dissuade employees from exercising their rights, are illegal. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the measure. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California lawmakers approved \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2495\">a bill\u003c/a> last week that would clarify the law to explicitly say that all immigration-related threats, including preemptive ones to dissuade employees from exercising their rights, are illegal. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the measure. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yet, managers may ignore the rules. Threats can be made in the heat of the moment, and not as a well-thought-out management tool, said Paul DeCamp, who represents employers with the firm Epstein, Becker & Green in Washington, D.C. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yet, managers may ignore the rules. Threats can be made in the heat of the moment, and not as a well-thought-out management tool, said Paul DeCamp, who represents employers with the firm Epstein, Becker & Green in Washington, D.C. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If a supervisor gets annoyed, perhaps because the workers are talking about unionizing or they’re complaining about working conditions, the supervisor, in an attempt to try to take control of the situation, may make a threat like this, which of course is illegal,” said DeCamp, a former administrator of the wage and hour division at the U.S. Department of Labor. “But the supervisor may not understand that or may think that the workers would be afraid to do anything about the threat.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If a supervisor gets annoyed, perhaps because the workers are talking about unionizing or they’re complaining about working conditions, the supervisor, in an attempt to try to take control of the situation, may make a threat like this, which of course is illegal,” said DeCamp, a former administrator of the wage and hour division at the U.S. Department of Labor. “But the supervisor may not understand that or may think that the workers would be afraid to do anything about the threat.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower said her agency anticipated that Trump’s efforts to deport millions of immigrants would have a chilling effect on undocumented and other noncitizen workers. The labor commissioner has expanded its education and outreach efforts, including by partnering closely with advocacy organizations and community leaders who have workers’ trust. An estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/undocumented-immigrants-in-california/\">1.5 million undocumented\u003c/a> immigrants make up less than 10% of the state’s workforce.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower said her agency anticipated that Trump’s efforts to deport millions of immigrants would have a chilling effect on undocumented and other noncitizen workers. The labor commissioner has expanded its education and outreach efforts, including by partnering closely with advocacy organizations and community leaders who have workers’ trust. An estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/undocumented-immigrants-in-california/\">1.5 million undocumented\u003c/a> immigrants make up less than 10% of the state’s workforce.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We do not collaborate with the federal government. We do not ask about immigration status. We don’t ask for Social Security numbers. And it is safe for them to proceed in cooperating with us,” Garcia-Brower said. “I don’t need a statistic to reiterate that there is a significant amount of fear in the community. What I want to make sure that I am continuously communicating: worker protections.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We do not collaborate with the federal government. We do not ask about immigration status. We don’t ask for Social Security numbers. And it is safe for them to proceed in cooperating with us,” Garcia-Brower said. “I don’t need a statistic to reiterate that there is a significant amount of fear in the community. What I want to make sure that I am continuously communicating: worker protections.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Edith, a fast food worker in the San José area, said she decided to come forward with a complaint because she is desperate for relief. Her manager has discriminated against her and other older employees, unfairly cutting their work hours, she said. Edith said that when she asked the manager about it last summer, they replied that anyone complaining about their schedule would be reported to ICE. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Edith, a fast food worker in the San José area, said she decided to come forward with a complaint because she is desperate for relief. Her manager has discriminated against her and other older employees, unfairly cutting their work hours, she said. Edith said that when she asked the manager about it last summer, they replied that anyone complaining about their schedule would be reported to ICE. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Edith stopped asking questions, even after her work hours were slashed again. KQED is not using Edith’s full name or naming her employer because she fears losing her job.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Edith stopped asking questions, even after her work hours were slashed again. KQED is not using Edith’s full name or naming her employer because she fears losing her job.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We didn’t know that was illegal — what she told us. I was afraid of going to work. But I have to work because I need to,” the 56-year-old said in Spanish. “It has been, and still is, a huge deal. It is something very difficult.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We didn’t know that was illegal — what she told us. I was afraid of going to work. But I have to work because I need to,” the 56-year-old said in Spanish. “It has been, and still is, a huge deal. It is something very difficult.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She had never been threatened with deportation in the 35 years she’s worked in the state cleaning homes and in restaurants, she said. Eventually, Edith and co-workers sought advice from the California Fast Food Workers Union. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She had never been threatened with deportation in the 35 years she’s worked in the state cleaning homes and in restaurants, she said. Eventually, Edith and co-workers sought advice from the California Fast Food Workers Union. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By then, the manager had also told employees that they should “hide in the garbage” or “jump out of the window” if ICE agents came to the workplace, according to two age-discrimination complaints against the business with the California Civil Rights Department that were reviewed by KQED. The department also \u003ca href=\"https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/10/Immigration-Rights-Fact-Sheet_ENG.pdf\">investigates immigration threats\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>By then, the manager had also told employees that they should “hide in the garbage” or “jump out of the window” if ICE agents came to the workplace, according to two age-discrimination complaints against the business with the California Civil Rights Department that were reviewed by KQED. The department also \u003ca href=\"https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/10/Immigration-Rights-Fact-Sheet_ENG.pdf\">investigates immigration threats\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You have to do something,” said Edith, referring to her complaint, which she hopes will lead the restaurant owners to ensure employees are treated fairly. “We do have rights, and we shouldn’t be treated this way.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You have to do something,” said Edith, referring to her complaint, which she hopes will lead the restaurant owners to ensure employees are treated fairly. “We do have rights, and we shouldn’t be treated this way.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The Trump administration’s emphasis on deportations has made vulnerable workers more fearful and advantaged bad-faith employers, worker advocates say. ",
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"title": "Complaints of Employer ICE Threats on the Rise in California | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Francisco, a 52-year-old window installer, couldn’t sleep. He burst into tears during family dinners. The sight of an unfamiliar black Suburban parked near his longtime apartment in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>, California, sent him rushing to lock the doors and hide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His employer threatened to report him to federal immigration authorities this spring, Francisco said, to discourage him from collaborating with state labor officials investigating a co-worker’s complaint against the business. KQED is not using Francisco’s full name or naming their employer because he lacks legal immigration status and fears retaliation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was afraid,” Francisco said. “I tried to not show it to my family so they wouldn’t get nervous or upset. But inside, I was afraid. It’s traumatic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supervisors threatening immigration consequences is nothing new in industries with a large noncitizen workforce and lower-wage jobs, such as construction, hospitality and in-home care. But as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up immigration arrests to levels not seen in years, bad-faith employers are taking advantage of the political climate to exploit vulnerable workers, who are now more fearful of deportation, according to state officials and employment attorneys. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s hard to estimate the extent of this kind of workplace intimidation, which is generally unlawful, because relatively few people report it to labor regulators. Still, state figures point to a spike in immigration-related threats during both the first and current Trump administration. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098284\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/ConstructionWorkersLAGetty-1536x983.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Construction workers rebuild a house that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire on June 25, 2026, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I do believe that this is the tip of the iceberg and that there are many, many more of these immigration-related threats,” said Ruth Silver Taube, supervising attorney at the Santa Clara and San Mateo County Legal Advice Line. “These threats are designed to deter workers from coming forward. And I think they’re successful.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Francisco, who has worked in California for 25 years, mostly in construction, said he had never before faced an Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related threat. Francisco worried his wife and two older children, who also don’t have legal status, could be detained and separated from a younger son, a U.S. citizen by birth. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The father of three became so anxious, imagining that he was being watched or followed, that his wife took him to see a psychiatrist. Francisco eventually found a different job and is seeking legal aid to figure out next steps. A spokesperson for the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, which investigates retaliation complaints, identified two open investigations against Francisco’s former employer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It makes me angry,” Francisco said, adding that more construction workers he knows are facing similar rhetoric. “Unfortunately, it is the price we pay — those of us who are undocumented here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state agency, which tracks reports of employers threatening workers, has received nearly 200 immigration-related complaints since 2025, almost as many as during President Joe Biden’s entire administration, according to agency figures. Similarly, an analysis of the office’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DLSEreports.htm#RCReports\">data\u003c/a> indicates more than 460 immigration-threat allegations during Trump’s first term, a significant increase from years prior. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The increase comes as the Trump administration has weakened or discarded protections aimed at encouraging immigrant workers to report potential workplace violations. Trump rescinded a Biden-era program that offered temporary protection from deportation and a work permit to people who collaborated with labor investigators. And an agreement that largely kept immigration authorities out of workplaces the U.S. Department of Labor was investigating \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096562/trump-administration-nixes-longstanding-deal-to-help-investigate-labor-abuses\">is no longer in effect\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Worker advocates in Southern and Northern California said workplace immigration threats are on the rise across the state, part of an effort to silence immigrants during disputes over wages or other job conditions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yunuen Trujillo, who directs the workers’ rights program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, related the story of an in-home caregiver in Los Angeles County. Trujillo said a former employer sought the caregiver out at her new job and threatened to go to ICE against her — and her school-age son — unless the worker withdrew a wage complaint she had filed with state regulators. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That kind of emboldened attitude, we’re seeing more and more,” said Trujillo, who assisted the L.A. caregiver in reaching a settlement. “Bad actors who are employers are using the opportunity to engage in wage theft, to retaliate, to coerce workers into doing what they want by using immigration-related threats.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075046\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/251007-sacramentomiddlehousing_00240_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Middle housing units under construction in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Trujillo’s team has documented dozens of reports of veiled or explicit threats this year, though most workers decline to pursue the cases or seek redress, she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Silver Taube believes just one of dozens of clients has been arrested and deported after reporting immigration threats and wage theft to state regulators during the first Trump term. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered unpaid wages for the man and ensured he received them in Mexico, she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state agency also intervenes to stop retaliation from happening or continuing by promptly informing employers that they could be on the hook for up to $10,000 in penalties per violation if the allegations of immigration threats against them are corroborated. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Counterintuitively, if [workers] speak up, there might be less of a likelihood that it’ll happen because the eyes of the government are on the employer,” said Silver Taube, who recommends workers document the perceived threat in writing, perhaps via text message or email to the same supervisor who made it, as evidence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Labor Commission will prioritize the case … and call the employer to inform them about the civil and criminal penalties for threats to call ICE, which may deter the employer from acting on the threat,” she said. “But that’s part of the calculus for workers who are undocumented. Will the employer call ICE?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For every person who speaks up about the issue, many others don’t, deciding it’s not worth the risk to complain about wage theft, unsafe conditions, harassment or other workplace issues, worker advocates and labor officials said. The dynamic has been exacerbated by the federal government’s focus on aggressive immigration enforcement, said Jaime Arteaga, a labor compliance investigator with the North Coast States Carpenters Union. Immigration authorities conducted about \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-arrests-50-thousand-people-august-continuing-record-rcna595510\">100,000 arrests\u003c/a> nationwide just over the last two months.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Somebody might say, ‘We might get deported,’ and that shuts everything down. The workers are not going to come forward,” said Arteaga, who regularly speaks with nonunionized laborers at construction sites in San José. “It doesn’t have to be real, it can just be said, and the people are fearful. It can be a rumor.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, declined to comment on advocates’ concerns about a chilling effect on the reporting of labor abuses, or whether employers are actually identifying current or former employees for arrest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect public safety, national security and economic stability while rescuing individuals who may be victims of labor trafficking or exploitation,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets, and threaten American communities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Employing noncitizens without work authorization also incentivizes “dangerous and illegal practices, including social security fraud,” the spokesperson said, because those immigrants often use stolen, fabricated or expired social security numbers to get jobs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Labor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under federal and state laws, employees have a right to minimum wage, overtime, a safe workplace and other protections, regardless of their immigration status. Punishing a worker for trying to exercise those rights is unlawful. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers approved \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2495\">a bill\u003c/a> last week that would clarify the law to explicitly say that all immigration-related threats, including preemptive ones to dissuade employees from exercising their rights, are illegal. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GavinNewsomAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about his state budget proposal on May 14, 2026, in Sacramento, California. (Jeff Chiu/AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yet, managers may ignore the rules. Threats can be made in the heat of the moment, and not as a well-thought-out management tool, said Paul DeCamp, who represents employers with the firm Epstein, Becker & Green in Washington, D.C. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If a supervisor gets annoyed, perhaps because the workers are talking about unionizing or they’re complaining about working conditions, the supervisor, in an attempt to try to take control of the situation, may make a threat like this, which of course is illegal,” said DeCamp, a former administrator of the wage and hour division at the U.S. Department of Labor. “But the supervisor may not understand that or may think that the workers would be afraid to do anything about the threat.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower said her agency anticipated that Trump’s efforts to deport millions of immigrants would have a chilling effect on undocumented and other noncitizen workers. The labor commissioner has expanded its education and outreach efforts, including by partnering closely with advocacy organizations and community leaders who have workers’ trust. An estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/undocumented-immigrants-in-california/\">1.5 million undocumented\u003c/a> immigrants make up less than 10% of the state’s workforce.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We do not collaborate with the federal government. We do not ask about immigration status. We don’t ask for Social Security numbers. And it is safe for them to proceed in cooperating with us,” Garcia-Brower said. “I don’t need a statistic to reiterate that there is a significant amount of fear in the community. What I want to make sure that I am continuously communicating: worker protections.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1397\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12001145\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-800x559.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-1020x712.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-1536x1073.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/FastFoodWorkersGetty1-1920x1341.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers fill food orders at a Chipotle restaurant on April 1, 2024, in San Rafael, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Edith, a fast food worker in the San José area, said she decided to come forward with a complaint because she is desperate for relief. Her manager has discriminated against her and other older employees, unfairly cutting their work hours, she said. Edith said that when she asked the manager about it last summer, they replied that anyone complaining about their schedule would be reported to ICE. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Edith stopped asking questions, even after her work hours were slashed again. KQED is not using Edith’s full name or naming her employer because she fears losing her job.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t know that was illegal — what she told us. I was afraid of going to work. But I have to work because I need to,” the 56-year-old said in Spanish. “It has been, and still is, a huge deal. It is something very difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She had never been threatened with deportation in the 35 years she’s worked in the state cleaning homes and in restaurants, she said. Eventually, Edith and co-workers sought advice from the California Fast Food Workers Union. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By then, the manager had also told employees that they should “hide in the garbage” or “jump out of the window” if ICE agents came to the workplace, according to two age-discrimination complaints against the business with the California Civil Rights Department that were reviewed by KQED. The department also \u003ca href=\"https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/10/Immigration-Rights-Fact-Sheet_ENG.pdf\">investigates immigration threats\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You have to do something,” said Edith, referring to her complaint, which she hopes will lead the restaurant owners to ensure employees are treated fairly. “We do have rights, and we shouldn’t be treated this way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "immigration-related-threats-by-employers-spiking-in-california-worker-advocates-say",
"title": "Immigration Related Threats by Employers Spiking in California, Worker Advocates Say",
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"headTitle": "Immigration Related Threats by Employers Spiking in California, Worker Advocates Say | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, September 8, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>The City of Fresno will soon ban A-I data centers within city limits. That’s after the Fresno City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution opposing their construction. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Earlier this summer, California signed off on an agreement to share state driver’s license data with a national database. Our partner\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/09/driver-license-database-subpoena/\"> CalMatters has reported \u003c/a>the Department of Homeland Security was actively pursuing driver data from the group that manages the database, at the same time California was weighing concerns that information of non-citizens would be vulnerable in a national database.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>As the Trump administration ramps up immigration arrests to levels not seen in years, worker advocates and state officials say \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097644/complaints-of-employer-ice-threats-on-the-rise-in-california\">some employers are taking advantage\u003c/a> of the political climate to exploit immigrant workers in lower-wage jobs. \u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/09/driver-license-database-subpoena/\">Gov. Newsom Office Calls Complaints Over License-Data Sharing Overblown\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/driver-license-sharing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrestled with a difficult question earlier this summer\u003c/a>: Could the state safely share driver’s license data with a national group, as the federal government demanded, without \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/04/california-dmv-shares-immigrant-driver-data/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exposing more than a million people to immigration\u003c/a> and law enforcement agencies? Ultimately, amid fears that state IDs wouldn’t be accepted at airports and federal buildings, they voted to let the DMV share driver data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Non-citizens are legally allowed to obtain driver’s licenses in California, and immigration and privacy advocates worried that information would be vulnerable in a national database.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal agencies \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.603338/gov.uscourts.vaed.603338.1.2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first requested, then subpoenaed\u003c/a>, bulk commercial driver data from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, or AAMVA, a nonprofit that acts as a clearinghouse for information from state motor vehicle departments nationwide. That’s the same organization California plans to entrust with all its driver records by next year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s license-data demands appear to be part of a broader and escalating \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/11/immigrant-drivers/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crackdown on non-citizen truck drivers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began in May 2025 strictly enforcing English proficiency standards. The agency also in February 2026 finalized \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/13/2026-02965/restoring-integrity-to-the-issuance-of-non-domiciled-commercial-drivers-licenses-cdl\">a new rule\u003c/a> that would block immigrants with work permits, like asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders or DACA recipients, who are in the United States legally, from qualifying for commercial driver’s licenses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Basically, the fears of some of the advocates came to fruition here,” says reporter Wendy Fry with CalMatters, who has been following this story. “So the Trump administration was already seeking access to information about 17 million commercial drivers. The Department of Homeland Security said in their subpoena they specifically want these records because they want to do immigration enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CalMatters reports that subpoena from DHS came to light because of a recent lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the national driver database that got the subpoena declined to comment. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, which backed the data sharing, has said the concerns from advocates are overblown — much as it did this summer after critics warned that any California data shared with AAMVA was at risk of federal subpoena.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097644/complaints-of-employer-ice-threats-on-the-rise-in-california\">‘Bad Faith’ Employers Taking Advantage of Workers’ Deportation Fears\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Francisco has made and installed windows in the Bay Area for more than 16 years, and he’s a proud father of three. But earlier this year, he couldn’t sleep. He’d burst out crying during family meals. One day, when he saw a black suburban parked near his apartment, he rushed to lock all the doors and hide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He says his boss threatened to report him to ICE if Francisco spoke with state regulators investigating claims the company underpaid workers. KQED is withholding his full name because he does not have a legal immigration status and fears retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Tenía miedo. Pues es traumático todo eso. Es traumatico.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Francisco says he was afraid and traumatized. He was so stressed out, his wife took him to see a psychiatrist. Francisco ended up finding a new job. But he’s still angry about the emotional toll on him and his family.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Sí, me da coraje por todo eso, por todas las amenazas que estuve recibiendo ahí, que me iban a echar a Migración.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supervisors threatening to call ICE? That’s nothing new. But with federal agents dramatically detaining so many people under the Trump Administration, workers are taking the threat seriously. And many decide it’s not worth the risk to complain about wage-theft, harassment or other workplace issues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But it doesn’t have to be real, it can just be said and the people are fearful,” said Jaime Arteaga with the North Coast States Carpenters’ Union. “It can be a rumor. Somebody might say we might get deported and that shuts everything down. The workers are not going to come forward.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State figures show complaints of retaliation involving immigration threats have spiked under the first and current Trump administration. Relatively few workers will go to the authorities, but the California Labor Commissioner’s Office reports about 200 complaints involving immigration threats since 2025. That’s nearly as many as during the entire four years of President Joe Biden’s administration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Employment attorney Ruth Silver Taube supervises a legal advice line in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. She’s also supervising attorney of the workers’ rights practice at Santa Clara University’s School of Law.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I do believe that this is the tip of the iceberg, and that there’s many, many more of these immigration-related threats,” said Silver Taube. “These threats are designed to deter workers from coming forward. And I think they’re successful.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under federal and state laws, employees have the right to minimum wage and other workplace protections regardless of their immigration status. Threatening a worker for trying to exercise those rights is illegal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some managers don’t know that, says Paul DeCamp, an attorney in Washington D.C. who represents employers. He’s a former administrator at the U.S. Department of Labor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If a manager or supervisor gets annoyed, perhaps because the workers are talking about unionizing, or they’re complaining about working conditions, or otherwise asserting their rights, the manager or a supervisor, in an attempt to try to take control of the situation may make a threat like this, which of course is illegal,” said DeCamp.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We do not collaborate with the federal government,” said California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia Brower. She says her agency collaborates closely with advocates and community leaders to educate employers and workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We do not ask about immigration status. We don’t ask for social security numbers. And it is safe for them to proceed in cooperating with us.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That said, every worker is making an individual calculation as to how safe they actually are.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2495\">A bill that just landed\u003c/a> on the Governor’s desk would clarify the law to say that ALL threats to call immigration – even if preemptive – are illegal, and punishable with up to $10,000 dollars in penalties per violation. The governor has until the end of September to sign or veto the measure.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>The City of Fresno will soon ban A-I data centers within city limits. That’s after the Fresno City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution opposing their construction. \u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Earlier this summer, California signed off on an agreement to share state driver’s license data with a national database. Our partner\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/09/driver-license-database-subpoena/\"> CalMatters has reported \u003c/a>the Department of Homeland Security was actively pursuing driver data from the group that manages the database, at the same time California was weighing concerns that information of non-citizens would be vulnerable in a national database.\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Earlier this summer, California signed off on an agreement to share state driver’s license data with a national database. Our partner\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/09/driver-license-database-subpoena/\"> CalMatters has reported \u003c/a>the Department of Homeland Security was actively pursuing driver data from the group that manages the database, at the same time California was weighing concerns that information of non-citizens would be vulnerable in a national database.\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>As the Trump administration ramps up immigration arrests to levels not seen in years, worker advocates and state officials say \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097644/complaints-of-employer-ice-threats-on-the-rise-in-california\">some employers are taking advantage\u003c/a> of the political climate to exploit immigrant workers in lower-wage jobs. \u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>As the Trump administration ramps up immigration arrests to levels not seen in years, worker advocates and state officials say \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097644/complaints-of-employer-ice-threats-on-the-rise-in-california\">some employers are taking advantage\u003c/a> of the political climate to exploit immigrant workers in lower-wage jobs. \u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/driver-license-sharing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrestled with a difficult question earlier this summer\u003c/a>: Could the state safely share driver’s license data with a national group, as the federal government demanded, without \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/04/california-dmv-shares-immigrant-driver-data/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exposing more than a million people to immigration\u003c/a> and law enforcement agencies? Ultimately, amid fears that state IDs wouldn’t be accepted at airports and federal buildings, they voted to let the DMV share driver data.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/driver-license-sharing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrestled with a difficult question earlier this summer\u003c/a>: Could the state safely share driver’s license data with a national group, as the federal government demanded, without \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/04/california-dmv-shares-immigrant-driver-data/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exposing more than a million people to immigration\u003c/a> and law enforcement agencies? Ultimately, amid fears that state IDs wouldn’t be accepted at airports and federal buildings, they voted to let the DMV share driver data.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Non-citizens are legally allowed to obtain driver’s licenses in California, and immigration and privacy advocates worried that information would be vulnerable in a national database.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Non-citizens are legally allowed to obtain driver’s licenses in California, and immigration and privacy advocates worried that information would be vulnerable in a national database.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Federal agencies \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.603338/gov.uscourts.vaed.603338.1.2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first requested, then subpoenaed\u003c/a>, bulk commercial driver data from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, or AAMVA, a nonprofit that acts as a clearinghouse for information from state motor vehicle departments nationwide. That’s the same organization California plans to entrust with all its driver records by next year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Federal agencies \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.603338/gov.uscourts.vaed.603338.1.2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first requested, then subpoenaed\u003c/a>, bulk commercial driver data from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, or AAMVA, a nonprofit that acts as a clearinghouse for information from state motor vehicle departments nationwide. That’s the same organization California plans to entrust with all its driver records by next year. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s license-data demands appear to be part of a broader and escalating \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/11/immigrant-drivers/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crackdown on non-citizen truck drivers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s license-data demands appear to be part of a broader and escalating \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/11/immigrant-drivers/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crackdown on non-citizen truck drivers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began in May 2025 strictly enforcing English proficiency standards. The agency also in February 2026 finalized \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/13/2026-02965/restoring-integrity-to-the-issuance-of-non-domiciled-commercial-drivers-licenses-cdl\">a new rule\u003c/a> that would block immigrants with work permits, like asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders or DACA recipients, who are in the United States legally, from qualifying for commercial driver’s licenses.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began in May 2025 strictly enforcing English proficiency standards. The agency also in February 2026 finalized \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/13/2026-02965/restoring-integrity-to-the-issuance-of-non-domiciled-commercial-drivers-licenses-cdl\">a new rule\u003c/a> that would block immigrants with work permits, like asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders or DACA recipients, who are in the United States legally, from qualifying for commercial driver’s licenses.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Basically, the fears of some of the advocates came to fruition here,” says reporter Wendy Fry with CalMatters, who has been following this story. “So the Trump administration was already seeking access to information about 17 million commercial drivers. The Department of Homeland Security said in their subpoena they specifically want these records because they want to do immigration enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Basically, the fears of some of the advocates came to fruition here,” says reporter Wendy Fry with CalMatters, who has been following this story. “So the Trump administration was already seeking access to information about 17 million commercial drivers. The Department of Homeland Security said in their subpoena they specifically want these records because they want to do immigration enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CalMatters reports that subpoena from DHS came to light because of a recent lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the national driver database that got the subpoena declined to comment. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, which backed the data sharing, has said the concerns from advocates are overblown — much as it did this summer after critics warned that any California data shared with AAMVA was at risk of federal subpoena.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the national driver database that got the subpoena declined to comment. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, which backed the data sharing, has said the concerns from advocates are overblown — much as it did this summer after critics warned that any California data shared with AAMVA was at risk of federal subpoena.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "‘Bad Faith’ Employers Taking Advantage of Workers’ Deportation Fears",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Francisco has made and installed windows in the Bay Area for more than 16 years, and he’s a proud father of three. But earlier this year, he couldn’t sleep. He’d burst out crying during family meals. One day, when he saw a black suburban parked near his apartment, he rushed to lock all the doors and hide.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Francisco has made and installed windows in the Bay Area for more than 16 years, and he’s a proud father of three. But earlier this year, he couldn’t sleep. He’d burst out crying during family meals. One day, when he saw a black suburban parked near his apartment, he rushed to lock all the doors and hide.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He says his boss threatened to report him to ICE if Francisco spoke with state regulators investigating claims the company underpaid workers. KQED is withholding his full name because he does not have a legal immigration status and fears retaliation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He says his boss threatened to report him to ICE if Francisco spoke with state regulators investigating claims the company underpaid workers. KQED is withholding his full name because he does not have a legal immigration status and fears retaliation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Tenía miedo. Pues es traumático todo eso. Es traumatico.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Francisco says he was afraid and traumatized. He was so stressed out, his wife took him to see a psychiatrist. Francisco ended up finding a new job. But he’s still angry about the emotional toll on him and his family.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Francisco says he was afraid and traumatized. He was so stressed out, his wife took him to see a psychiatrist. Francisco ended up finding a new job. But he’s still angry about the emotional toll on him and his family.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Sí, me da coraje por todo eso, por todas las amenazas que estuve recibiendo ahí, que me iban a echar a Migración.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supervisors threatening to call ICE? That’s nothing new. But with federal agents dramatically detaining so many people under the Trump Administration, workers are taking the threat seriously. And many decide it’s not worth the risk to complain about wage-theft, harassment or other workplace issues. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Supervisors threatening to call ICE? That’s nothing new. But with federal agents dramatically detaining so many people under the Trump Administration, workers are taking the threat seriously. And many decide it’s not worth the risk to complain about wage-theft, harassment or other workplace issues. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“But it doesn’t have to be real, it can just be said and the people are fearful,” said Jaime Arteaga with the North Coast States Carpenters’ Union. “It can be a rumor. Somebody might say we might get deported and that shuts everything down. The workers are not going to come forward.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“But it doesn’t have to be real, it can just be said and the people are fearful,” said Jaime Arteaga with the North Coast States Carpenters’ Union. “It can be a rumor. Somebody might say we might get deported and that shuts everything down. The workers are not going to come forward.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State figures show complaints of retaliation involving immigration threats have spiked under the first and current Trump administration. Relatively few workers will go to the authorities, but the California Labor Commissioner’s Office reports about 200 complaints involving immigration threats since 2025. That’s nearly as many as during the entire four years of President Joe Biden’s administration.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>State figures show complaints of retaliation involving immigration threats have spiked under the first and current Trump administration. Relatively few workers will go to the authorities, but the California Labor Commissioner’s Office reports about 200 complaints involving immigration threats since 2025. That’s nearly as many as during the entire four years of President Joe Biden’s administration.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Employment attorney Ruth Silver Taube supervises a legal advice line in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. She’s also supervising attorney of the workers’ rights practice at Santa Clara University’s School of Law.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I do believe that this is the tip of the iceberg, and that there’s many, many more of these immigration-related threats,” said Silver Taube. “These threats are designed to deter workers from coming forward. And I think they’re successful.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under federal and state laws, employees have the right to minimum wage and other workplace protections regardless of their immigration status. Threatening a worker for trying to exercise those rights is illegal.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some managers don’t know that, says Paul DeCamp, an attorney in Washington D.C. who represents employers. He’s a former administrator at the U.S. Department of Labor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If a manager or supervisor gets annoyed, perhaps because the workers are talking about unionizing, or they’re complaining about working conditions, or otherwise asserting their rights, the manager or a supervisor, in an attempt to try to take control of the situation may make a threat like this, which of course is illegal,” said DeCamp.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If a manager or supervisor gets annoyed, perhaps because the workers are talking about unionizing, or they’re complaining about working conditions, or otherwise asserting their rights, the manager or a supervisor, in an attempt to try to take control of the situation may make a threat like this, which of course is illegal,” said DeCamp.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We do not collaborate with the federal government,” said California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia Brower. She says her agency collaborates closely with advocates and community leaders to educate employers and workers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We do not ask about immigration status. We don’t ask for social security numbers. And it is safe for them to proceed in cooperating with us.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2495\">A bill that just landed\u003c/a> on the Governor’s desk would clarify the law to say that ALL threats to call immigration – even if preemptive – are illegal, and punishable with up to $10,000 dollars in penalties per violation. The governor has until the end of September to sign or veto the measure.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2495\">A bill that just landed\u003c/a> on the Governor’s desk would clarify the law to say that ALL threats to call immigration – even if preemptive – are illegal, and punishable with up to $10,000 dollars in penalties per violation. The governor has until the end of September to sign or veto the measure.\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, September 8, 2026\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>The City of Fresno will soon ban A-I data centers within city limits. That’s after the Fresno City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution opposing their construction. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Earlier this summer, California signed off on an agreement to share state driver’s license data with a national database. Our partner\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/09/driver-license-database-subpoena/\"> CalMatters has reported \u003c/a>the Department of Homeland Security was actively pursuing driver data from the group that manages the database, at the same time California was weighing concerns that information of non-citizens would be vulnerable in a national database.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>As the Trump administration ramps up immigration arrests to levels not seen in years, worker advocates and state officials say \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097644/complaints-of-employer-ice-threats-on-the-rise-in-california\">some employers are taking advantage\u003c/a> of the political climate to exploit immigrant workers in lower-wage jobs. \u003cbr>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/09/driver-license-database-subpoena/\">Gov. Newsom Office Calls Complaints Over License-Data Sharing Overblown\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/driver-license-sharing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrestled with a difficult question earlier this summer\u003c/a>: Could the state safely share driver’s license data with a national group, as the federal government demanded, without \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/technology/2026/04/california-dmv-shares-immigrant-driver-data/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exposing more than a million people to immigration\u003c/a> and law enforcement agencies? Ultimately, amid fears that state IDs wouldn’t be accepted at airports and federal buildings, they voted to let the DMV share driver data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Non-citizens are legally allowed to obtain driver’s licenses in California, and immigration and privacy advocates worried that information would be vulnerable in a national database.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal agencies \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.603338/gov.uscourts.vaed.603338.1.2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first requested, then subpoenaed\u003c/a>, bulk commercial driver data from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, or AAMVA, a nonprofit that acts as a clearinghouse for information from state motor vehicle departments nationwide. That’s the same organization California plans to entrust with all its driver records by next year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s license-data demands appear to be part of a broader and escalating \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/11/immigrant-drivers/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crackdown on non-citizen truck drivers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began in May 2025 strictly enforcing English proficiency standards. The agency also in February 2026 finalized \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/13/2026-02965/restoring-integrity-to-the-issuance-of-non-domiciled-commercial-drivers-licenses-cdl\">a new rule\u003c/a> that would block immigrants with work permits, like asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders or DACA recipients, who are in the United States legally, from qualifying for commercial driver’s licenses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Basically, the fears of some of the advocates came to fruition here,” says reporter Wendy Fry with CalMatters, who has been following this story. “So the Trump administration was already seeking access to information about 17 million commercial drivers. The Department of Homeland Security said in their subpoena they specifically want these records because they want to do immigration enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CalMatters reports that subpoena from DHS came to light because of a recent lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the national driver database that got the subpoena declined to comment. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, which backed the data sharing, has said the concerns from advocates are overblown — much as it did this summer after critics warned that any California data shared with AAMVA was at risk of federal subpoena.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097644/complaints-of-employer-ice-threats-on-the-rise-in-california\">‘Bad Faith’ Employers Taking Advantage of Workers’ Deportation Fears\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Francisco has made and installed windows in the Bay Area for more than 16 years, and he’s a proud father of three. But earlier this year, he couldn’t sleep. He’d burst out crying during family meals. One day, when he saw a black suburban parked near his apartment, he rushed to lock all the doors and hide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He says his boss threatened to report him to ICE if Francisco spoke with state regulators investigating claims the company underpaid workers. KQED is withholding his full name because he does not have a legal immigration status and fears retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Tenía miedo. Pues es traumático todo eso. Es traumatico.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Francisco says he was afraid and traumatized. He was so stressed out, his wife took him to see a psychiatrist. Francisco ended up finding a new job. But he’s still angry about the emotional toll on him and his family.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Sí, me da coraje por todo eso, por todas las amenazas que estuve recibiendo ahí, que me iban a echar a Migración.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supervisors threatening to call ICE? That’s nothing new. But with federal agents dramatically detaining so many people under the Trump Administration, workers are taking the threat seriously. And many decide it’s not worth the risk to complain about wage-theft, harassment or other workplace issues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But it doesn’t have to be real, it can just be said and the people are fearful,” said Jaime Arteaga with the North Coast States Carpenters’ Union. “It can be a rumor. Somebody might say we might get deported and that shuts everything down. The workers are not going to come forward.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State figures show complaints of retaliation involving immigration threats have spiked under the first and current Trump administration. Relatively few workers will go to the authorities, but the California Labor Commissioner’s Office reports about 200 complaints involving immigration threats since 2025. That’s nearly as many as during the entire four years of President Joe Biden’s administration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Employment attorney Ruth Silver Taube supervises a legal advice line in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. She’s also supervising attorney of the workers’ rights practice at Santa Clara University’s School of Law.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I do believe that this is the tip of the iceberg, and that there’s many, many more of these immigration-related threats,” said Silver Taube. “These threats are designed to deter workers from coming forward. And I think they’re successful.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under federal and state laws, employees have the right to minimum wage and other workplace protections regardless of their immigration status. Threatening a worker for trying to exercise those rights is illegal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some managers don’t know that, says Paul DeCamp, an attorney in Washington D.C. who represents employers. He’s a former administrator at the U.S. Department of Labor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If a manager or supervisor gets annoyed, perhaps because the workers are talking about unionizing, or they’re complaining about working conditions, or otherwise asserting their rights, the manager or a supervisor, in an attempt to try to take control of the situation may make a threat like this, which of course is illegal,” said DeCamp.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We do not collaborate with the federal government,” said California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia Brower. She says her agency collaborates closely with advocates and community leaders to educate employers and workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We do not ask about immigration status. We don’t ask for social security numbers. And it is safe for them to proceed in cooperating with us.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That said, every worker is making an individual calculation as to how safe they actually are.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2495\">A bill that just landed\u003c/a> on the Governor’s desk would clarify the law to say that ALL threats to call immigration – even if preemptive – are illegal, and punishable with up to $10,000 dollars in penalties per violation. The governor has until the end of September to sign or veto the measure.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003c/h2>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kqed\">KQED\u003c/a> has agreed to pay nearly $900,000 to settle a class action lawsuit that accuses the news organization of wage theft and other labor violations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Plaintiff Dominic Dulaney, on behalf of other KQED hourly employees, filed the suit in February 2024, alleging the San Francisco-based nonprofit failed to pay for all hours worked, including overtime; failed to provide meal breaks or permit rest periods; and failed to furnish accurate wage statements or produce employment records upon request, among other allegations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Defendants would, at times, manufacture time keeping records to falsely show that [Dulaney] and the Class took meal periods when in fact they worked ‘off-the-clock,’ uncompensated,” the complaint states. “Much of this unpaid work should have been paid at the overtime rate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED spokesperson Peter Cavagnaro said Thursday the organization denied the claims, but agreed to settle to “protect the station, our members and the community we serve from a protracted and more expensive legal battle.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/240522-KQEDheadquarters-13-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098302\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/240522-KQEDheadquarters-13-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/240522-KQEDheadquarters-13-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/240522-KQEDheadquarters-13-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">KQED headquarters in San Francisco on May 22, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dulaney worked at KQED as an hourly employee between May 2018 and November 2022. He was not a member of the station’s newsroom. He could not immediately be reached for comment, and attorneys representing Dulaney did not respond to requests for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman granted preliminary approval of the settlement on May 4, and some KQED employees began receiving notices of the proposed payouts earlier this week. A hearing to grant or deny final approval of the settlement terms is scheduled for Nov. 4. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the proposed terms, KQED will pay a total of approximately $895,000, a little less than two-thirds of which could be distributed to more than 580 members of the settlement class — hourly employees who worked at KQED between August 2019 and May 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of that, KQED will pay $37,500 in fines to the state Labor and Workforce Development Agency, with an additional $12,500 in fines paid to hourly employees who worked at KQED between November 2022 and May 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The amount each individual will receive from the settlement or associated fine depends on how many hours they worked during the time periods in question. Employees are also able to opt out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the class representative, Dulaney will receive up to $10,000, according to court records. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Representatives of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers of America — two unions representing KQED employees, including those who are party to the lawsuit — did not respond to requests for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was reported and written by KQED senior editor Erin Baldassari and edited by KQED senior digital editor Emily DeRuy. Under KQED’s standard practices for reporting on itself, no member of KQED management or its news executives reviewed this story before it was posted publicly. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Full Disclosure: Erin Baldassari was an hourly employee at KQED during a portion of the time period covered in the lawsuit. As of the time of publication, she has not received any correspondence regarding the proposed settlement.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Plaintiff Dominic Dulaney, on behalf of other KQED hourly employees, filed the suit in February 2024, alleging the San Francisco-based nonprofit failed to pay for all hours worked, including overtime; failed to provide meal breaks or permit rest periods; and failed to furnish accurate wage statements or produce employment records upon request, among other allegations.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As the class representative, Dulaney will receive up to $10,000, according to court records. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kqed\">KQED\u003c/a> has agreed to pay nearly $900,000 to settle a class action lawsuit that accuses the news organization of wage theft and other labor violations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Plaintiff Dominic Dulaney, on behalf of other KQED hourly employees, filed the suit in February 2024, alleging the San Francisco-based nonprofit failed to pay for all hours worked, including overtime; failed to provide meal breaks or permit rest periods; and failed to furnish accurate wage statements or produce employment records upon request, among other allegations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Defendants would, at times, manufacture time keeping records to falsely show that [Dulaney] and the Class took meal periods when in fact they worked ‘off-the-clock,’ uncompensated,” the complaint states. “Much of this unpaid work should have been paid at the overtime rate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED spokesperson Peter Cavagnaro said Thursday the organization denied the claims, but agreed to settle to “protect the station, our members and the community we serve from a protracted and more expensive legal battle.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/240522-KQEDheadquarters-13-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098302\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/240522-KQEDheadquarters-13-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/240522-KQEDheadquarters-13-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/240522-KQEDheadquarters-13-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">KQED headquarters in San Francisco on May 22, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dulaney worked at KQED as an hourly employee between May 2018 and November 2022. He was not a member of the station’s newsroom. He could not immediately be reached for comment, and attorneys representing Dulaney did not respond to requests for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman granted preliminary approval of the settlement on May 4, and some KQED employees began receiving notices of the proposed payouts earlier this week. A hearing to grant or deny final approval of the settlement terms is scheduled for Nov. 4. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the proposed terms, KQED will pay a total of approximately $895,000, a little less than two-thirds of which could be distributed to more than 580 members of the settlement class — hourly employees who worked at KQED between August 2019 and May 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of that, KQED will pay $37,500 in fines to the state Labor and Workforce Development Agency, with an additional $12,500 in fines paid to hourly employees who worked at KQED between November 2022 and May 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The amount each individual will receive from the settlement or associated fine depends on how many hours they worked during the time periods in question. Employees are also able to opt out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the class representative, Dulaney will receive up to $10,000, according to court records. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Representatives of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers of America — two unions representing KQED employees, including those who are party to the lawsuit — did not respond to requests for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was reported and written by KQED senior editor Erin Baldassari and edited by KQED senior digital editor Emily DeRuy. Under KQED’s standard practices for reporting on itself, no member of KQED management or its news executives reviewed this story before it was posted publicly. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Full Disclosure: Erin Baldassari was an hourly employee at KQED during a portion of the time period covered in the lawsuit. As of the time of publication, she has not received any correspondence regarding the proposed settlement.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "workers-guarding-san-franciscos-wealthiest-companies-vote-to-authorize-a-strike",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914652/the-challenges-and-dangers-security-guards-face\">security workers\u003c/a> who guard tech companies and other offices across San Francisco took a step toward a walkout Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amid months of negotiations with massive contractors like Allied Universal and Securitas, members of the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, the union that represents some security workers, voted to authorize a strike in response to unfair labor practices.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As drums pounded and workers chanted at the Mechanic Monument Plaza in downtown San Francisco on Wednesday, David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW, called for improved benefits and a $30 minimum wage. This is more than what the private companies are offering in negotiations, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098185\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-8_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SEIU-USWW President David Huerta speaks at a press conference announcing that union security officers from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike authorization at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District on Sept. 2, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098180\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-2_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098180\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-2_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-2_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-2_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jerry Longoria, who works as a security officer at Cartier on behalf of Allied Universal, wears an SEIU-USWW pin at a Sept. 2, 2026, press conference at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District. The union representing union security officers from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike authorization.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098183\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-12_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098183\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-12_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-12_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-12_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An advocate holds a sign during a Sept. 2, 2026, press conference at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District. Security officers represented by the union from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice strike authorization. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Who can survive with $22 an hour in San Francisco?” Huerta asked as members of the crowd shouted, “Shame.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Allied Universal declined to comment on ongoing labor negotiations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tejinder Singh, a security officer at Google and bargaining committee member, said that the union and the security giants have their last round of negotiations Wednesday, and that officers are ready to strike if the companies do not agree to their demands. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A union press release states that their roughly 14,000 members asked for raises, employer-paid family health care, retirement benefits and job security, and were offered “a mere 25-cent raise over the next four years, including no raise at all in three of those years.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Singh said that he did not know how he and his colleagues would survive without a pay increase, given how much prices have skyrocketed across the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everything has increased, gas costs, food costs, rent, medical costs … everything,” Singh said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union announcement came days after artificial intelligence giant \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097028/bay-area-security-workers-threaten-action-after-anthropic-office-closure\">Anthropic shuttered\u003c/a> the doors to its San Francisco office and told employees to work from home after its security contractor, Allied Universal, warned of a possible strike. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speaking directly to companies like Anthropic, Salesforce, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google, Cisco and others, which rely on guards, Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) reminded the lucrative industry how essential security workers are to keep their employees and operations safe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“None of this wealth would be possible if it wasn’t for [the guards],” Haney said. “They need to support you like you support them. They need to protect you like you protect them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098181\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A security officer chants during a Sept. 2, 2026, press conference at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District, where the union representing security officers from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice strike authorization. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Anthropic and the other tech companies did not respond to KQED’s request for comment in time for publication. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Private contractors like Allied Universal and Securitas also provide guards for hospitals, transit agencies and other offices — including KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are prepared, if necessary, to do what labor has the ultimate power to do,” Huerta said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/nvoynovskaya\">\u003cem>Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A union press release states that their roughly 14,000 members asked for raises, employer-paid family health care, retirement benefits and job security, and were offered “a mere 25-cent raise over the next four years, including no raise at all in three of those years.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union announcement came days after artificial intelligence giant \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097028/bay-area-security-workers-threaten-action-after-anthropic-office-closure\">Anthropic shuttered\u003c/a> the doors to its San Francisco office and told employees to work from home after its security contractor, Allied Universal, warned of a possible strike. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Speaking directly to companies like Anthropic, Salesforce, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google, Cisco and others, which rely on guards, Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) reminded the lucrative industry how essential security workers are to keep their employees and operations safe. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/nvoynovskaya\">\u003cem>Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Security guards working for Silicon Valley’s AI giants could go on strike as soon as union leaders call for it. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914652/the-challenges-and-dangers-security-guards-face\">security workers\u003c/a> who guard tech companies and other offices across San Francisco took a step toward a walkout Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amid months of negotiations with massive contractors like Allied Universal and Securitas, members of the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, the union that represents some security workers, voted to authorize a strike in response to unfair labor practices.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As drums pounded and workers chanted at the Mechanic Monument Plaza in downtown San Francisco on Wednesday, David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW, called for improved benefits and a $30 minimum wage. This is more than what the private companies are offering in negotiations, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098185\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-8_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SEIU-USWW President David Huerta speaks at a press conference announcing that union security officers from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike authorization at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District on Sept. 2, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098180\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-2_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098180\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-2_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-2_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-2_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jerry Longoria, who works as a security officer at Cartier on behalf of Allied Universal, wears an SEIU-USWW pin at a Sept. 2, 2026, press conference at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District. The union representing union security officers from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike authorization.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098183\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-12_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098183\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-12_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-12_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-12_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An advocate holds a sign during a Sept. 2, 2026, press conference at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District. Security officers represented by the union from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice strike authorization. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Who can survive with $22 an hour in San Francisco?” Huerta asked as members of the crowd shouted, “Shame.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Allied Universal declined to comment on ongoing labor negotiations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tejinder Singh, a security officer at Google and bargaining committee member, said that the union and the security giants have their last round of negotiations Wednesday, and that officers are ready to strike if the companies do not agree to their demands. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A union press release states that their roughly 14,000 members asked for raises, employer-paid family health care, retirement benefits and job security, and were offered “a mere 25-cent raise over the next four years, including no raise at all in three of those years.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Singh said that he did not know how he and his colleagues would survive without a pay increase, given how much prices have skyrocketed across the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everything has increased, gas costs, food costs, rent, medical costs … everything,” Singh said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union announcement came days after artificial intelligence giant \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097028/bay-area-security-workers-threaten-action-after-anthropic-office-closure\">Anthropic shuttered\u003c/a> the doors to its San Francisco office and told employees to work from home after its security contractor, Allied Universal, warned of a possible strike. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speaking directly to companies like Anthropic, Salesforce, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google, Cisco and others, which rely on guards, Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) reminded the lucrative industry how essential security workers are to keep their employees and operations safe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“None of this wealth would be possible if it wasn’t for [the guards],” Haney said. “They need to support you like you support them. They need to protect you like you protect them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098181\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260902-SecurityStrike-NG-1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A security officer chants during a Sept. 2, 2026, press conference at Mechanics Monument Plaza in San Francisco’s Financial District, where the union representing security officers from across San Francisco and Silicon Valley voted in favor of an Unfair Labor Practice strike authorization. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Anthropic and the other tech companies did not respond to KQED’s request for comment in time for publication. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Private contractors like Allied Universal and Securitas also provide guards for hospitals, transit agencies and other offices — including KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are prepared, if necessary, to do what labor has the ultimate power to do,” Huerta said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/nvoynovskaya\">\u003cem>Nastia Voynovskaya\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk",
"title": "Chatbots, Data Centers and Surveillance: 5 Silicon Valley Bills Land on Newsom’s Desk",
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"headTitle": "Chatbots, Data Centers and Surveillance: 5 Silicon Valley Bills Land on Newsom’s Desk | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/politics\">legislative session\u003c/a> ended at midnight on Monday, and numerous bills ranging from housing to health care to technology cleared both the Senate and the Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether he’ll veto or sign the measures. Here’s where some of the most closely watched \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech\u003c/a> bills landed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Companion chatbots and children’s safety\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved a sweeping set of safety requirements for artificial intelligence chatbots used by children and teens. The bill, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1119\">Adam’s Law\u003c/a>, builds on last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052617/newsoms-tightrope-walk-between-ai-regulation-and-silicon-valley-cash\">SB 243\u003c/a>, which required chatbot operators to disclose when users were interacting with AI companions and to maintain protocols for detecting self-harm content. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Co-authored by San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the bill adds requirements for user age checks, safety-risk assessments before new or substantially modified companion chatbots are released, independent audits and crisis-support resources. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a phone screen in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024, displaying Claude, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot from Anthropic powered by large language model (or LLM). (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bill also requires default protections for young users, including limits on notifications, usage and persistent conversational memory. It restricts targeted advertising to children and imposes additional privacy protections. Chatbot operators could face liability for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent certain harmful outputs, including content involving self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic role-playing and emotionally manipulative behavior. Families would have a private right of redress for certain violations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation is named for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080610/california-mom-who-lost-her-son-to-an-ai-chatbot-is-now-fighting-to-regulate-them\">Adam Raine\u003c/a>, a California teenager who died by suicide in 2025. Raine’s parents have said that Adam spent months discussing his loneliness and plans to harm himself with ChatGPT before his death. In a joint statement released after the bill successfully passed through the Legislature, Maria Raine called it “a serious and much-needed step forward for AI companion chatbot safety.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers also passed another bill by Padilla that enacts a four-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of AI-chatbot-powered toys over concerns that the technology can harm children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The technology industry has not been uniformly opposed. OpenAI supports SB 1119 and has urged Newsom to sign it, saying the legislation establishes meaningful safeguards while preserving young people’s ability to use AI for learning, creativity and other purposes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Teens are the first generation growing up with AI,” OpenAI said in a \u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/supporting-california-bill-advance-ai-youth-safety/\">statement\u003c/a>. “Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building, or productivity in a given week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That opportunity comes with a clear responsibility: teens should have experiences designed around their distinct developmental needs, with strong default protections and appropriate opportunities to learn, create, and explore.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents of the legislation include the California Chamber of Commerce, the Software Information Industry Association and TechNet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom vetoed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059714/newsom-vetoes-most-watched-childrens-ai-bill-signs-16-others-targeting-tech\">stronger child-safety bill\u003c/a> last year after raising concerns that its restrictions could effectively prevent teenagers from accessing conversational AI. Though his office has not indicated whether Newsom will sign, the version now on his desk was negotiated with those concerns in mind. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Data centers and ratepayer protections \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved two linked bills that would require the state to establish special rules for how large data centers pay for electricity and the infrastructure needed to serve them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">SB 886\u003c/a>, also authored by Padilla, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">AB 2383\u003c/a>, by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates and updated interconnection rules for data centers. The measures are designed to prevent electricity customers from bearing the costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed to serve the facilities. AB 2383 is contingent on SB 886 becoming law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Big Tech keeps promising to be good neighbors, and these bills will make those promises legally enforceable,” Padilla said in a press release celebrating the passage of SB 886 and a related bill, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>. “No more saying one thing in the White House and doing the opposite in our local communities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1231\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-1536x955.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation follows a year of intensifying political pressure over the expansion of data centers, which are being built to meet the enormous computing demands of AI. California has fewer giant data centers than Virginia and Texas, but the state still has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912379/californias-ai-data-centers-taking-growing-environmental-toll\">one of the largest counts overall\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The facilities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028158/crackdown-on-power-guzzling-data-centers-may-soon-come-online-in-california\">generated growing concern\u003c/a> over their electricity and water use, as well as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064265/new-report-reveals-strain-of-data-centers-on-californias-grid\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> about their potential effect on utility bills. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in July found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">73%\u003c/a> of Californians opposed building data centers in their communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March 2026, the Little Hoover Commission released \u003ca href=\"https://lhc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHC-Report-292-Data-Centers-California-Electricity-Policy-FINAL-PUBLIC-3.3.26.pdf\">\u003cem>Data Centers and California Electricity Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a report that explicitly recommends making tech companies and data center developers cover their own grid-integration costs rather than shifting the burden to everyday ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“California’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, and affordability remains a top concern for residents,” the report states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters — including The Utility Reform Network, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and utility-worker unions — argued that companies building the facilities should pay for the infrastructure their electricity demand requires. Bill sponsor TURN pointed to a California grid-planning estimate that increased demand from data centers in PG&E’s service territory, where most of the state’s projects are concentrated, could generate as much as $1.8 billion in transmission-upgrade costs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097519\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which represents companies including Google and Microsoft, opposed the legislation, arguing that it unfairly singled out one type of electricity customer. PG&E also opposed the original approach, warning that it could increase costs for customers and delay infrastructure needed to meet the state’s broader energy demand. Business groups argued that California’s high energy costs, limited land and additional regulation could make the state less attractive for data-center development. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills were substantially worked over in the final weeks of the session. Earlier drafts were far more prescriptive, including provisions for mandatory on-site batteries and 100% carbon-free power for data centers by 2030. Both were stripped out in favor of giving the CPUC until July 1, 2027, to establish special tariffs and rules. Newsom and regulators in turn secured more control over how the new rate structure will work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The final compromise drew criticism from some environmental and consumer advocates. They say data centers could find loopholes to avoid paying some grid costs and wriggle out of clean-energy requirements for facilities that generate their own electricity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom’s position has shifted noticeably during the course of the debate. Last year, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">vetoed \u003c/a>legislation requiring data centers to disclose their water consumption, writing: “I am reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details on this sector without understanding the full impact on businesses and the consumers of their technology.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, however, Newsom became directly involved in negotiations over both bills. On Monday in the state Capitol, he said his administration had been working with lawmakers on several data-center bills, and that the final versions “landed fairly well,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/california-lawmakers-big-swing-newsom-data-centers-01058848\">\u003cem>Politico \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’re seeing states all across this country leaning in,” Newsom said. “We’ll be leaning in.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He also said last month that companies, rather than other electricity customers, should bear the costs associated with their data-center investments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We believe that all of these investments, the costs, should be borne by the companies,” Newsom said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That makes a Newsom signature more likely here than it appeared earlier in the year, although the governor has not formally committed to signing either bill.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media’s addictive features\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Senate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1709\">voted\u003c/a> to bar social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering certain addictive features to users younger than 16. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), targets features on so-called “covered platforms” — which predominantly share user-generated content — designed to keep people engaged, including algorithmically driven feeds and other mechanisms that can encourage prolonged use. It also would establish an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise state officials on online safety and report annually to the governor and Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Common Sense Media, which sponsored the bill, is among its major supporters, along with Mothers Against Media Addiction and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill was amended as it moved through the Legislature, narrowing some of its provisions and changing how the state would oversee online safety. For supporters, the changes don’t go nearly far enough. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092171\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media and messaging apps on March 29, 2026. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-statement-on-passage-of-ab-1709\">wrote Monday\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">recent litigation\u003c/a> against major technology companies has exposed how deliberately social media platforms have been designed to keep children engaged.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Social media companies have engineered their products to hook children, and their own researchers proved it worked,” Steyer said in a statement. “Parents cannot out-parent an algorithm built in a lab to keep kids scrolling.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Civil Justice Association of California and trade group NetChoice, which represents major technology companies including Google, Meta and Snap, oppose the measure. Civil liberties advocates, in particular, have raised First Amendment and privacy concerns, particularly around how platforms would determine which users are under 16 and which features should be considered addictive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation, cuts young people off from essential information and experiences, particularly harming vulnerable youth and marginalized groups who often find safety in supportive online communities they can’t access offline,” the EFF \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709\">wrote\u003c/a> in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has already signed several California laws aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005803/newsom-signs-law-to-protect-children-from-social-media-addiction\">protecting children online\u003c/a>, including legislation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. But AB 1709 could face the same free-speech and age-verification challenges that have complicated the state’s broader effort to regulate social media. A federal judge has already blocked portions of California’s existing law restricting addictive social media feeds while a legal challenge proceeds.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he called on lawmakers to explore stricter youth online safety guardrails during his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069094/in-final-state-of-state-speech-gov-newsom-says-california-offers-model-for-the-nation\">final State of the State\u003c/a> address. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workplace surveillance\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California employers could face new limits on the use of AI to monitor workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1883\">AB 1883\u003c/a>, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit employers from using AI-powered workplace-surveillance tools to collect \u003ca href=\"https://law.stanford.edu/2024/12/02/what-are-neural-data-an-invitation-to-flexible-regulatory-implementation/\">neural data\u003c/a> — sensitive personal information from a user’s nervous system — or recognize an employee’s emotional state, with some exceptions. It also covers certain other AI-based inferences about workers and allows civil penalties of up to $500 per violation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure is part of a small but growing effort by states to regulate how employers use AI to monitor and manage their workers. California’s bill is unusually focused on technologies that attempt to infer what is happening inside an employee’s body or mind. There is a narrower approach in Illinois, which regulates AI-analyzed video interviews in hiring, and in Maryland, which restricts the use of facial-recognition technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg\" alt=\"""\" class=\"wp-image-11849216\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view of Slack headquarters on April 2, 2019, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1883 was sponsored by major state labor unions and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Business groups representing various employers opposed the bill, ranging from the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association to the Wine Institute.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation’s ambitions were softened in committees. The latest version exempts certain workplace-surveillance uses required by federal law, regulation or binding federal contracts involving aircraft, national security, military, space or defense work. Senate amendments also modified the bill’s enforcement provisions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, the core prohibition survived.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Workers should have a general expectation of privacy in certain areas,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who heads up the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, to KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097046/california-labor-leader-on-ai-bills-and-billionaire-tax-measure-splitting-unions\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a> last week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Employers, Gonzalez said, are able to take advantage of outdated laws that don’t account for changes in technology. Labor interests have been at the forefront of legislation addressing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076608/what-do-san-franciscos-ai-vs-humans-billboards-say-about-our-working-futures\">AI anxieties\u003c/a> this session. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You don’t want the boss reading your mind,” Gonzalez added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure comes a year after Newsom vetoed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to notify workers when AI was used in disciplinary or termination decisions and let employees challenge certain AI-generated decisions. In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SB-7-Veto.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> last year, Newsom wrote the bill “imposes unfocused notification requirements on any business using even the most innocuous tools.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1883 is narrower in scope. Rather than governing how AI makes decisions about workers, it bans a single, especially invasive use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has not said whether he will sign it. With a widely expected presidential run ahead, his decision will signal whether he’s willing to side with workers over employers and draw a hard line against AI that tries to read a worker’s mind.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether he’ll veto or sign the measures. Here’s where some of the most closely watched \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech\u003c/a> bills landed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether he’ll veto or sign the measures. Here’s where some of the most closely watched \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech\u003c/a> bills landed.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved a sweeping set of safety requirements for artificial intelligence chatbots used by children and teens. The bill, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1119\">Adam’s Law\u003c/a>, builds on last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052617/newsoms-tightrope-walk-between-ai-regulation-and-silicon-valley-cash\">SB 243\u003c/a>, which required chatbot operators to disclose when users were interacting with AI companions and to maintain protocols for detecting self-harm content. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved a sweeping set of safety requirements for artificial intelligence chatbots used by children and teens. The bill, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1119\">Adam’s Law\u003c/a>, builds on last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052617/newsoms-tightrope-walk-between-ai-regulation-and-silicon-valley-cash\">SB 243\u003c/a>, which required chatbot operators to disclose when users were interacting with AI companions and to maintain protocols for detecting self-harm content. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Co-authored by San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the bill adds requirements for user age checks, safety-risk assessments before new or substantially modified companion chatbots are released, independent audits and crisis-support resources. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Co-authored by San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the bill adds requirements for user age checks, safety-risk assessments before new or substantially modified companion chatbots are released, independent audits and crisis-support resources. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a phone screen in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024, displaying Claude, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot from Anthropic powered by large language model (or LLM).\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a phone screen in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024, displaying Claude, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot from Anthropic powered by large language model (or LLM).\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bill also requires default protections for young users, including limits on notifications, usage and persistent conversational memory. It restricts targeted advertising to children and imposes additional privacy protections. Chatbot operators could face liability for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent certain harmful outputs, including content involving self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic role-playing and emotionally manipulative behavior. Families would have a private right of redress for certain violations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bill also requires default protections for young users, including limits on notifications, usage and persistent conversational memory. It restricts targeted advertising to children and imposes additional privacy protections. Chatbot operators could face liability for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent certain harmful outputs, including content involving self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic role-playing and emotionally manipulative behavior. Families would have a private right of redress for certain violations. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legislation is named for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080610/california-mom-who-lost-her-son-to-an-ai-chatbot-is-now-fighting-to-regulate-them\">Adam Raine\u003c/a>, a California teenager who died by suicide in 2025. Raine’s parents have said that Adam spent months discussing his loneliness and plans to harm himself with ChatGPT before his death. In a joint statement released after the bill successfully passed through the Legislature, Maria Raine called it “a serious and much-needed step forward for AI companion chatbot safety.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legislation is named for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080610/california-mom-who-lost-her-son-to-an-ai-chatbot-is-now-fighting-to-regulate-them\">Adam Raine\u003c/a>, a California teenager who died by suicide in 2025. Raine’s parents have said that Adam spent months discussing his loneliness and plans to harm himself with ChatGPT before his death. In a joint statement released after the bill successfully passed through the Legislature, Maria Raine called it “a serious and much-needed step forward for AI companion chatbot safety.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers also passed another bill by Padilla that enacts a four-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of AI-chatbot-powered toys over concerns that the technology can harm children.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers also passed another bill by Padilla that enacts a four-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of AI-chatbot-powered toys over concerns that the technology can harm children.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The technology industry has not been uniformly opposed. OpenAI supports SB 1119 and has urged Newsom to sign it, saying the legislation establishes meaningful safeguards while preserving young people’s ability to use AI for learning, creativity and other purposes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The technology industry has not been uniformly opposed. OpenAI supports SB 1119 and has urged Newsom to sign it, saying the legislation establishes meaningful safeguards while preserving young people’s ability to use AI for learning, creativity and other purposes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Teens are the first generation growing up with AI,” OpenAI said in a \u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/supporting-california-bill-advance-ai-youth-safety/\">statement\u003c/a>. “Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building, or productivity in a given week.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Teens are the first generation growing up with AI,” OpenAI said in a \u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/supporting-california-bill-advance-ai-youth-safety/\">statement\u003c/a>. “Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building, or productivity in a given week.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That opportunity comes with a clear responsibility: teens should have experiences designed around their distinct developmental needs, with strong default protections and appropriate opportunities to learn, create, and explore.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That opportunity comes with a clear responsibility: teens should have experiences designed around their distinct developmental needs, with strong default protections and appropriate opportunities to learn, create, and explore.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opponents of the legislation include the California Chamber of Commerce, the Software Information Industry Association and TechNet.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Opponents of the legislation include the California Chamber of Commerce, the Software Information Industry Association and TechNet.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom vetoed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059714/newsom-vetoes-most-watched-childrens-ai-bill-signs-16-others-targeting-tech\">stronger child-safety bill\u003c/a> last year after raising concerns that its restrictions could effectively prevent teenagers from accessing conversational AI. Though his office has not indicated whether Newsom will sign, the version now on his desk was negotiated with those concerns in mind. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Newsom vetoed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059714/newsom-vetoes-most-watched-childrens-ai-bill-signs-16-others-targeting-tech\">stronger child-safety bill\u003c/a> last year after raising concerns that its restrictions could effectively prevent teenagers from accessing conversational AI. Though his office has not indicated whether Newsom will sign, the version now on his desk was negotiated with those concerns in mind. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Data centers and ratepayer protections ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Data centers and ratepayer protections \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Data centers and ratepayer protections \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved two linked bills that would require the state to establish special rules for how large data centers pay for electricity and the infrastructure needed to serve them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved two linked bills that would require the state to establish special rules for how large data centers pay for electricity and the infrastructure needed to serve them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">SB 886\u003c/a>, also authored by Padilla, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">AB 2383\u003c/a>, by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates and updated interconnection rules for data centers. The measures are designed to prevent electricity customers from bearing the costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed to serve the facilities. AB 2383 is contingent on SB 886 becoming law. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">SB 886\u003c/a>, also authored by Padilla, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">AB 2383\u003c/a>, by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates and updated interconnection rules for data centers. The measures are designed to prevent electricity customers from bearing the costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed to serve the facilities. AB 2383 is contingent on SB 886 becoming law. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Big Tech keeps promising to be good neighbors, and these bills will make those promises legally enforceable,” Padilla said in a press release celebrating the passage of SB 886 and a related bill, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>. “No more saying one thing in the White House and doing the opposite in our local communities.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Big Tech keeps promising to be good neighbors, and these bills will make those promises legally enforceable,” Padilla said in a press release celebrating the passage of SB 886 and a related bill, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>. “No more saying one thing in the White House and doing the opposite in our local communities.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-1536x955.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094084\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legislation follows a year of intensifying political pressure over the expansion of data centers, which are being built to meet the enormous computing demands of AI. California has fewer giant data centers than Virginia and Texas, but the state still has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912379/californias-ai-data-centers-taking-growing-environmental-toll\">one of the largest counts overall\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legislation follows a year of intensifying political pressure over the expansion of data centers, which are being built to meet the enormous computing demands of AI. California has fewer giant data centers than Virginia and Texas, but the state still has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912379/californias-ai-data-centers-taking-growing-environmental-toll\">one of the largest counts overall\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The facilities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028158/crackdown-on-power-guzzling-data-centers-may-soon-come-online-in-california\">generated growing concern\u003c/a> over their electricity and water use, as well as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064265/new-report-reveals-strain-of-data-centers-on-californias-grid\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> about their potential effect on utility bills. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in July found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">73%\u003c/a> of Californians opposed building data centers in their communities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The facilities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028158/crackdown-on-power-guzzling-data-centers-may-soon-come-online-in-california\">generated growing concern\u003c/a> over their electricity and water use, as well as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064265/new-report-reveals-strain-of-data-centers-on-californias-grid\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> about their potential effect on utility bills. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in July found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">73%\u003c/a> of Californians opposed building data centers in their communities. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In March 2026, the Little Hoover Commission released \u003ca href=\"https://lhc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHC-Report-292-Data-Centers-California-Electricity-Policy-FINAL-PUBLIC-3.3.26.pdf\">\u003cem>Data Centers and California Electricity Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a report that explicitly recommends making tech companies and data center developers cover their own grid-integration costs rather than shifting the burden to everyday ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In March 2026, the Little Hoover Commission released \u003ca href=\"https://lhc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHC-Report-292-Data-Centers-California-Electricity-Policy-FINAL-PUBLIC-3.3.26.pdf\">\u003cem>Data Centers and California Electricity Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a report that explicitly recommends making tech companies and data center developers cover their own grid-integration costs rather than shifting the burden to everyday ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“California’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, and affordability remains a top concern for residents,” the report states.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“California’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, and affordability remains a top concern for residents,” the report states.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supporters — including The Utility Reform Network, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and utility-worker unions — argued that companies building the facilities should pay for the infrastructure their electricity demand requires. Bill sponsor TURN pointed to a California grid-planning estimate that increased demand from data centers in PG&E’s service territory, where most of the state’s projects are concentrated, could generate as much as $1.8 billion in transmission-upgrade costs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Supporters — including The Utility Reform Network, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and utility-worker unions — argued that companies building the facilities should pay for the infrastructure their electricity demand requires. Bill sponsor TURN pointed to a California grid-planning estimate that increased demand from data centers in PG&E’s service territory, where most of the state’s projects are concentrated, could generate as much as $1.8 billion in transmission-upgrade costs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097519\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097519\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which represents companies including Google and Microsoft, opposed the legislation, arguing that it unfairly singled out one type of electricity customer. PG&E also opposed the original approach, warning that it could increase costs for customers and delay infrastructure needed to meet the state’s broader energy demand. Business groups argued that California’s high energy costs, limited land and additional regulation could make the state less attractive for data-center development. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which represents companies including Google and Microsoft, opposed the legislation, arguing that it unfairly singled out one type of electricity customer. PG&E also opposed the original approach, warning that it could increase costs for customers and delay infrastructure needed to meet the state’s broader energy demand. Business groups argued that California’s high energy costs, limited land and additional regulation could make the state less attractive for data-center development. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bills were substantially worked over in the final weeks of the session. Earlier drafts were far more prescriptive, including provisions for mandatory on-site batteries and 100% carbon-free power for data centers by 2030. Both were stripped out in favor of giving the CPUC until July 1, 2027, to establish special tariffs and rules. Newsom and regulators in turn secured more control over how the new rate structure will work. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bills were substantially worked over in the final weeks of the session. Earlier drafts were far more prescriptive, including provisions for mandatory on-site batteries and 100% carbon-free power for data centers by 2030. Both were stripped out in favor of giving the CPUC until July 1, 2027, to establish special tariffs and rules. Newsom and regulators in turn secured more control over how the new rate structure will work. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The final compromise drew criticism from some environmental and consumer advocates. They say data centers could find loopholes to avoid paying some grid costs and wriggle out of clean-energy requirements for facilities that generate their own electricity. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The final compromise drew criticism from some environmental and consumer advocates. They say data centers could find loopholes to avoid paying some grid costs and wriggle out of clean-energy requirements for facilities that generate their own electricity. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom’s position has shifted noticeably during the course of the debate. Last year, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">vetoed \u003c/a>legislation requiring data centers to disclose their water consumption, writing: “I am reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details on this sector without understanding the full impact on businesses and the consumers of their technology.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Newsom’s position has shifted noticeably during the course of the debate. Last year, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">vetoed \u003c/a>legislation requiring data centers to disclose their water consumption, writing: “I am reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details on this sector without understanding the full impact on businesses and the consumers of their technology.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This year, however, Newsom became directly involved in negotiations over both bills. On Monday in the state Capitol, he said his administration had been working with lawmakers on several data-center bills, and that the final versions “landed fairly well,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/california-lawmakers-big-swing-newsom-data-centers-01058848\">\u003cem>Politico \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This year, however, Newsom became directly involved in negotiations over both bills. On Monday in the state Capitol, he said his administration had been working with lawmakers on several data-center bills, and that the final versions “landed fairly well,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/california-lawmakers-big-swing-newsom-data-centers-01058848\">\u003cem>Politico \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You’re seeing states all across this country leaning in,” Newsom said. “We’ll be leaning in.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You’re seeing states all across this country leaning in,” Newsom said. “We’ll be leaning in.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He also said last month that companies, rather than other electricity customers, should bear the costs associated with their data-center investments. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He also said last month that companies, rather than other electricity customers, should bear the costs associated with their data-center investments. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We believe that all of these investments, the costs, should be borne by the companies,” Newsom said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We believe that all of these investments, the costs, should be borne by the companies,” Newsom said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That makes a Newsom signature more likely here than it appeared earlier in the year, although the governor has not formally committed to signing either bill.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That makes a Newsom signature more likely here than it appeared earlier in the year, although the governor has not formally committed to signing either bill.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Social media’s addictive features",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media’s addictive features\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media’s addictive features\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The California Senate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1709\">voted\u003c/a> to bar social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering certain addictive features to users younger than 16. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The California Senate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1709\">voted\u003c/a> to bar social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering certain addictive features to users younger than 16. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), targets features on so-called “covered platforms” — which predominantly share user-generated content — designed to keep people engaged, including algorithmically driven feeds and other mechanisms that can encourage prolonged use. It also would establish an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise state officials on online safety and report annually to the governor and Legislature.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), targets features on so-called “covered platforms” — which predominantly share user-generated content — designed to keep people engaged, including algorithmically driven feeds and other mechanisms that can encourage prolonged use. It also would establish an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise state officials on online safety and report annually to the governor and Legislature.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Common Sense Media, which sponsored the bill, is among its major supporters, along with Mothers Against Media Addiction and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill was amended as it moved through the Legislature, narrowing some of its provisions and changing how the state would oversee online safety. For supporters, the changes don’t go nearly far enough. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Common Sense Media, which sponsored the bill, is among its major supporters, along with Mothers Against Media Addiction and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill was amended as it moved through the Legislature, narrowing some of its provisions and changing how the state would oversee online safety. For supporters, the changes don’t go nearly far enough. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092171\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media and messaging apps on March 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-statement-on-passage-of-ab-1709\">wrote Monday\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">recent litigation\u003c/a> against major technology companies has exposed how deliberately social media platforms have been designed to keep children engaged.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-statement-on-passage-of-ab-1709\">wrote Monday\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">recent litigation\u003c/a> against major technology companies has exposed how deliberately social media platforms have been designed to keep children engaged.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Social media companies have engineered their products to hook children, and their own researchers proved it worked,” Steyer said in a statement. “Parents cannot out-parent an algorithm built in a lab to keep kids scrolling.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Social media companies have engineered their products to hook children, and their own researchers proved it worked,” Steyer said in a statement. “Parents cannot out-parent an algorithm built in a lab to keep kids scrolling.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Civil Justice Association of California and trade group NetChoice, which represents major technology companies including Google, Meta and Snap, oppose the measure. Civil liberties advocates, in particular, have raised First Amendment and privacy concerns, particularly around how platforms would determine which users are under 16 and which features should be considered addictive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Civil Justice Association of California and trade group NetChoice, which represents major technology companies including Google, Meta and Snap, oppose the measure. Civil liberties advocates, in particular, have raised First Amendment and privacy concerns, particularly around how platforms would determine which users are under 16 and which features should be considered addictive.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation, cuts young people off from essential information and experiences, particularly harming vulnerable youth and marginalized groups who often find safety in supportive online communities they can’t access offline,” the EFF \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709\">wrote\u003c/a> in a statement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation, cuts young people off from essential information and experiences, particularly harming vulnerable youth and marginalized groups who often find safety in supportive online communities they can’t access offline,” the EFF \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709\">wrote\u003c/a> in a statement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom has already signed several California laws aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005803/newsom-signs-law-to-protect-children-from-social-media-addiction\">protecting children online\u003c/a>, including legislation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. But AB 1709 could face the same free-speech and age-verification challenges that have complicated the state’s broader effort to regulate social media. A federal judge has already blocked portions of California’s existing law restricting addictive social media feeds while a legal challenge proceeds.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Newsom has already signed several California laws aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005803/newsom-signs-law-to-protect-children-from-social-media-addiction\">protecting children online\u003c/a>, including legislation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. But AB 1709 could face the same free-speech and age-verification challenges that have complicated the state’s broader effort to regulate social media. A federal judge has already blocked portions of California’s existing law restricting addictive social media feeds while a legal challenge proceeds.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he called on lawmakers to explore stricter youth online safety guardrails during his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069094/in-final-state-of-state-speech-gov-newsom-says-california-offers-model-for-the-nation\">final State of the State\u003c/a> address. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Newsom has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he called on lawmakers to explore stricter youth online safety guardrails during his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069094/in-final-state-of-state-speech-gov-newsom-says-california-offers-model-for-the-nation\">final State of the State\u003c/a> address. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California employers could face new limits on the use of AI to monitor workers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1883\">AB 1883\u003c/a>, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit employers from using AI-powered workplace-surveillance tools to collect \u003ca href=\"https://law.stanford.edu/2024/12/02/what-are-neural-data-an-invitation-to-flexible-regulatory-implementation/\">neural data\u003c/a> — sensitive personal information from a user’s nervous system — or recognize an employee’s emotional state, with some exceptions. It also covers certain other AI-based inferences about workers and allows civil penalties of up to $500 per violation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1883\">AB 1883\u003c/a>, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit employers from using AI-powered workplace-surveillance tools to collect \u003ca href=\"https://law.stanford.edu/2024/12/02/what-are-neural-data-an-invitation-to-flexible-regulatory-implementation/\">neural data\u003c/a> — sensitive personal information from a user’s nervous system — or recognize an employee’s emotional state, with some exceptions. It also covers certain other AI-based inferences about workers and allows civil penalties of up to $500 per violation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure is part of a small but growing effort by states to regulate how employers use AI to monitor and manage their workers. California’s bill is unusually focused on technologies that attempt to infer what is happening inside an employee’s body or mind. There is a narrower approach in Illinois, which regulates AI-analyzed video interviews in hiring, and in Maryland, which restricts the use of facial-recognition technology.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure is part of a small but growing effort by states to regulate how employers use AI to monitor and manage their workers. California’s bill is unusually focused on technologies that attempt to infer what is happening inside an employee’s body or mind. There is a narrower approach in Illinois, which regulates AI-analyzed video interviews in hiring, and in Maryland, which restricts the use of facial-recognition technology.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AB 1883 was sponsored by major state labor unions and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Business groups representing various employers opposed the bill, ranging from the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association to the Wine Institute.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>AB 1883 was sponsored by major state labor unions and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Business groups representing various employers opposed the bill, ranging from the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association to the Wine Institute.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legislation’s ambitions were softened in committees. The latest version exempts certain workplace-surveillance uses required by federal law, regulation or binding federal contracts involving aircraft, national security, military, space or defense work. Senate amendments also modified the bill’s enforcement provisions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legislation’s ambitions were softened in committees. The latest version exempts certain workplace-surveillance uses required by federal law, regulation or binding federal contracts involving aircraft, national security, military, space or defense work. Senate amendments also modified the bill’s enforcement provisions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Workers should have a general expectation of privacy in certain areas,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who heads up the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, to KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097046/california-labor-leader-on-ai-bills-and-billionaire-tax-measure-splitting-unions\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a> last week. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Workers should have a general expectation of privacy in certain areas,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who heads up the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, to KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097046/california-labor-leader-on-ai-bills-and-billionaire-tax-measure-splitting-unions\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a> last week. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Employers, Gonzalez said, are able to take advantage of outdated laws that don’t account for changes in technology. Labor interests have been at the forefront of legislation addressing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076608/what-do-san-franciscos-ai-vs-humans-billboards-say-about-our-working-futures\">AI anxieties\u003c/a> this session. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You don’t want the boss reading your mind,” Gonzalez added.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure comes a year after Newsom vetoed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to notify workers when AI was used in disciplinary or termination decisions and let employees challenge certain AI-generated decisions. In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SB-7-Veto.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> last year, Newsom wrote the bill “imposes unfocused notification requirements on any business using even the most innocuous tools.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure comes a year after Newsom vetoed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to notify workers when AI was used in disciplinary or termination decisions and let employees challenge certain AI-generated decisions. In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SB-7-Veto.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> last year, Newsom wrote the bill “imposes unfocused notification requirements on any business using even the most innocuous tools.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AB 1883 is narrower in scope. Rather than governing how AI makes decisions about workers, it bans a single, especially invasive use. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>AB 1883 is narrower in scope. Rather than governing how AI makes decisions about workers, it bans a single, especially invasive use. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom has not said whether he will sign it. With a widely expected presidential run ahead, his decision will signal whether he’s willing to side with workers over employers and draw a hard line against AI that tries to read a worker’s mind.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "California lawmakers took on data centers, addictive social media features and AI-powered workplace monitoring with this legislative session’s bills. Which will Newsom sign into law?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/politics\">legislative session\u003c/a> ended at midnight on Monday, and numerous bills ranging from housing to health care to technology cleared both the Senate and the Assembly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether he’ll veto or sign the measures. Here’s where some of the most closely watched \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech\u003c/a> bills landed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Companion chatbots and children’s safety\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved a sweeping set of safety requirements for artificial intelligence chatbots used by children and teens. The bill, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1119\">Adam’s Law\u003c/a>, builds on last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052617/newsoms-tightrope-walk-between-ai-regulation-and-silicon-valley-cash\">SB 243\u003c/a>, which required chatbot operators to disclose when users were interacting with AI companions and to maintain protocols for detecting self-harm content. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Co-authored by San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla and Assemblymembers Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the bill adds requirements for user age checks, safety-risk assessments before new or substantially modified companion chatbots are released, independent audits and crisis-support resources. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a phone screen in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024, displaying Claude, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot from Anthropic powered by large language model (or LLM). (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bill also requires default protections for young users, including limits on notifications, usage and persistent conversational memory. It restricts targeted advertising to children and imposes additional privacy protections. Chatbot operators could face liability for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent certain harmful outputs, including content involving self-harm, sexually explicit material, romantic role-playing and emotionally manipulative behavior. Families would have a private right of redress for certain violations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation is named for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080610/california-mom-who-lost-her-son-to-an-ai-chatbot-is-now-fighting-to-regulate-them\">Adam Raine\u003c/a>, a California teenager who died by suicide in 2025. Raine’s parents have said that Adam spent months discussing his loneliness and plans to harm himself with ChatGPT before his death. In a joint statement released after the bill successfully passed through the Legislature, Maria Raine called it “a serious and much-needed step forward for AI companion chatbot safety.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, lawmakers also passed another bill by Padilla that enacts a four-year moratorium on the sale and manufacturing of AI-chatbot-powered toys over concerns that the technology can harm children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The technology industry has not been uniformly opposed. OpenAI supports SB 1119 and has urged Newsom to sign it, saying the legislation establishes meaningful safeguards while preserving young people’s ability to use AI for learning, creativity and other purposes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Teens are the first generation growing up with AI,” OpenAI said in a \u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/supporting-california-bill-advance-ai-youth-safety/\">statement\u003c/a>. “Nearly nine in ten teens who use ChatGPT turn to it for learning, information, skill-building, or productivity in a given week.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That opportunity comes with a clear responsibility: teens should have experiences designed around their distinct developmental needs, with strong default protections and appropriate opportunities to learn, create, and explore.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents of the legislation include the California Chamber of Commerce, the Software Information Industry Association and TechNet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom vetoed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059714/newsom-vetoes-most-watched-childrens-ai-bill-signs-16-others-targeting-tech\">stronger child-safety bill\u003c/a> last year after raising concerns that its restrictions could effectively prevent teenagers from accessing conversational AI. Though his office has not indicated whether Newsom will sign, the version now on his desk was negotiated with those concerns in mind. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Data centers and ratepayer protections \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers on Monday approved two linked bills that would require the state to establish special rules for how large data centers pay for electricity and the infrastructure needed to serve them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb886\">SB 886\u003c/a>, also authored by Padilla, and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab2383\">AB 2383\u003c/a>, by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create separate electricity rates and updated interconnection rules for data centers. The measures are designed to prevent electricity customers from bearing the costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed to serve the facilities. AB 2383 is contingent on SB 886 becoming law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Big Tech keeps promising to be good neighbors, and these bills will make those promises legally enforceable,” Padilla said in a press release celebrating the passage of SB 886 and a related bill, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb887\">887\u003c/a>. “No more saying one thing in the White House and doing the opposite in our local communities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1231\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2267080472-1536x955.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Diego Democrat Sen. Steve Padilla. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation follows a year of intensifying political pressure over the expansion of data centers, which are being built to meet the enormous computing demands of AI. California has fewer giant data centers than Virginia and Texas, but the state still has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101912379/californias-ai-data-centers-taking-growing-environmental-toll\">one of the largest counts overall\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The facilities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028158/crackdown-on-power-guzzling-data-centers-may-soon-come-online-in-california\">generated growing concern\u003c/a> over their electricity and water use, as well as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064265/new-report-reveals-strain-of-data-centers-on-californias-grid\">lack of transparency\u003c/a> about their potential effect on utility bills. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released in July found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-californians-and-the-environment-july-2026/\">73%\u003c/a> of Californians opposed building data centers in their communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In March 2026, the Little Hoover Commission released \u003ca href=\"https://lhc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHC-Report-292-Data-Centers-California-Electricity-Policy-FINAL-PUBLIC-3.3.26.pdf\">\u003cem>Data Centers and California Electricity Policy\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a report that explicitly recommends making tech companies and data center developers cover their own grid-integration costs rather than shifting the burden to everyday ratepayers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“California’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, and affordability remains a top concern for residents,” the report states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters — including The Utility Reform Network, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Natural Resources Defense Council and utility-worker unions — argued that companies building the facilities should pay for the infrastructure their electricity demand requires. Bill sponsor TURN pointed to a California grid-planning estimate that increased demand from data centers in PG&E’s service territory, where most of the state’s projects are concentrated, could generate as much as $1.8 billion in transmission-upgrade costs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097519\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260829-oakdatacentermeeting-TV00394_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A flyer that says, “No Data Center,” is posted at the Church of All Faiths in Oakland, California, on Aug. 29, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Data Center Coalition, which represents companies including Google and Microsoft, opposed the legislation, arguing that it unfairly singled out one type of electricity customer. PG&E also opposed the original approach, warning that it could increase costs for customers and delay infrastructure needed to meet the state’s broader energy demand. Business groups argued that California’s high energy costs, limited land and additional regulation could make the state less attractive for data-center development. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bills were substantially worked over in the final weeks of the session. Earlier drafts were far more prescriptive, including provisions for mandatory on-site batteries and 100% carbon-free power for data centers by 2030. Both were stripped out in favor of giving the CPUC until July 1, 2027, to establish special tariffs and rules. Newsom and regulators in turn secured more control over how the new rate structure will work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The final compromise drew criticism from some environmental and consumer advocates. They say data centers could find loopholes to avoid paying some grid costs and wriggle out of clean-energy requirements for facilities that generate their own electricity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom’s position has shifted noticeably during the course of the debate. Last year, he \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-93-Veto.pdf\">vetoed \u003c/a>legislation requiring data centers to disclose their water consumption, writing: “I am reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details on this sector without understanding the full impact on businesses and the consumers of their technology.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GavinJenniferNewsomGetty-1536x1027.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom (left), looks on during an election night gathering at California Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 4, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This year, however, Newsom became directly involved in negotiations over both bills. On Monday in the state Capitol, he said his administration had been working with lawmakers on several data-center bills, and that the final versions “landed fairly well,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/california-lawmakers-big-swing-newsom-data-centers-01058848\">\u003cem>Politico \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’re seeing states all across this country leaning in,” Newsom said. “We’ll be leaning in.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He also said last month that companies, rather than other electricity customers, should bear the costs associated with their data-center investments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We believe that all of these investments, the costs, should be borne by the companies,” Newsom said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That makes a Newsom signature more likely here than it appeared earlier in the year, although the governor has not formally committed to signing either bill.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media’s addictive features\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Senate \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1709\">voted\u003c/a> to bar social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering certain addictive features to users younger than 16. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), targets features on so-called “covered platforms” — which predominantly share user-generated content — designed to keep people engaged, including algorithmically driven feeds and other mechanisms that can encourage prolonged use. It also would establish an e-Safety Advisory Commission within the California Department of Justice to advise state officials on online safety and report annually to the governor and Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Common Sense Media, which sponsored the bill, is among its major supporters, along with Mothers Against Media Addiction and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The bill was amended as it moved through the Legislature, narrowing some of its provisions and changing how the state would oversee online safety. For supporters, the changes don’t go nearly far enough. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092171\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/AIGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 14-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen displaying various social media and messaging apps on March 29, 2026. (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-statement-on-passage-of-ab-1709\">wrote Monday\u003c/a> that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096647/why-metas-landmark-settlement-could-be-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment\">recent litigation\u003c/a> against major technology companies has exposed how deliberately social media platforms have been designed to keep children engaged.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Social media companies have engineered their products to hook children, and their own researchers proved it worked,” Steyer said in a statement. “Parents cannot out-parent an algorithm built in a lab to keep kids scrolling.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Civil Justice Association of California and trade group NetChoice, which represents major technology companies including Google, Meta and Snap, oppose the measure. Civil liberties advocates, in particular, have raised First Amendment and privacy concerns, particularly around how platforms would determine which users are under 16 and which features should be considered addictive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This well-intentioned, but deeply flawed piece of legislation, cuts young people off from essential information and experiences, particularly harming vulnerable youth and marginalized groups who often find safety in supportive online communities they can’t access offline,” the EFF \u003ca href=\"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709\">wrote\u003c/a> in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has already signed several California laws aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12005803/newsom-signs-law-to-protect-children-from-social-media-addiction\">protecting children online\u003c/a>, including legislation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. But AB 1709 could face the same free-speech and age-verification challenges that have complicated the state’s broader effort to regulate social media. A federal judge has already blocked portions of California’s existing law restricting addictive social media feeds while a legal challenge proceeds.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he called on lawmakers to explore stricter youth online safety guardrails during his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069094/in-final-state-of-state-speech-gov-newsom-says-california-offers-model-for-the-nation\">final State of the State\u003c/a> address. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workplace surveillance\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California employers could face new limits on the use of AI to monitor workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1883\">AB 1883\u003c/a>, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would prohibit employers from using AI-powered workplace-surveillance tools to collect \u003ca href=\"https://law.stanford.edu/2024/12/02/what-are-neural-data-an-invitation-to-flexible-regulatory-implementation/\">neural data\u003c/a> — sensitive personal information from a user’s nervous system — or recognize an employee’s emotional state, with some exceptions. It also covers certain other AI-based inferences about workers and allows civil penalties of up to $500 per violation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure is part of a small but growing effort by states to regulate how employers use AI to monitor and manage their workers. California’s bill is unusually focused on technologies that attempt to infer what is happening inside an employee’s body or mind. There is a narrower approach in Illinois, which regulates AI-analyzed video interviews in hiring, and in Maryland, which restricts the use of facial-recognition technology.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg\" alt=\"""\" class=\"wp-image-11849216\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/12/RS46155_GettyImages-1139953504-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view of Slack headquarters on April 2, 2019, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1883 was sponsored by major state labor unions and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Business groups representing various employers opposed the bill, ranging from the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association to the Wine Institute.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legislation’s ambitions were softened in committees. The latest version exempts certain workplace-surveillance uses required by federal law, regulation or binding federal contracts involving aircraft, national security, military, space or defense work. Senate amendments also modified the bill’s enforcement provisions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, the core prohibition survived.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Workers should have a general expectation of privacy in certain areas,” said Lorena Gonzalez, who heads up the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions, to KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097046/california-labor-leader-on-ai-bills-and-billionaire-tax-measure-splitting-unions\">Political Breakdown\u003c/a> last week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Employers, Gonzalez said, are able to take advantage of outdated laws that don’t account for changes in technology. Labor interests have been at the forefront of legislation addressing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076608/what-do-san-franciscos-ai-vs-humans-billboards-say-about-our-working-futures\">AI anxieties\u003c/a> this session. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You don’t want the boss reading your mind,” Gonzalez added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure comes a year after Newsom vetoed the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would have required employers to notify workers when AI was used in disciplinary or termination decisions and let employees challenge certain AI-generated decisions. In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SB-7-Veto.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> last year, Newsom wrote the bill “imposes unfocused notification requirements on any business using even the most innocuous tools.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1883 is narrower in scope. Rather than governing how AI makes decisions about workers, it bans a single, especially invasive use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom has not said whether he will sign it. With a widely expected presidential run ahead, his decision will signal whether he’s willing to side with workers over employers and draw a hard line against AI that tries to read a worker’s mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "in-oakland-kaiser-nurses-take-staffing-ai-concerns-to-the-picket-lines",
"title": "In Oakland, Kaiser Nurses Take Staffing, AI Concerns to the Picket Lines",
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"headTitle": "In Oakland, Kaiser Nurses Take Staffing, AI Concerns to the Picket Lines | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Nurses at nearly two dozen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kaiser\">Kaiser\u003c/a> facilities across California are picketing to protest their concerns about inadequate staffing and potentially questionable AI practices in the company’s future patient care technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The scarlet-clad nurses gathered outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Tuesday, holding signs and chanting for “safe staffing” levels. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Kaiser workers’ latest action is a sign that ongoing contract negotiations between the hospital and its union, the California Nurses Association, are already hitting a snag since their existing deal expired Aug. 31.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097886\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-5-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Tuesday to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" data-id=\"12097892\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097892\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses gathered outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Sept. 1, 2026. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" data-id=\"12097883\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097883\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers also voiced their concerns about the steadily increasing use of AI in health care systems, which they believe could adversely impact staffing decisions and patient care. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Outside the center on Broadway, veteran pediatric nurse Craig Cedotal said that, in nearly a dozen bargaining sessions so far, management has failed to properly address his concerns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cedotal said he believes Kaiser’s short staffing is evidenced by the Assignment Despite Objection forms that procedure nurses use to signal concerns on a shift. “We’re talking about 5,000 of them altogether,” he said, regarding the volume of forms submitted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We know what the problems are — they disagree with what we say — but that’s not uncommon for management to disagree,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it staffs at state-mandated ratios using a system that the company co-developed alongside the California Nurses Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Workers accused management of manipulating that system to their advantage, with avoidable consequences.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mixing infectious patients with noninfectious patients … that happens. Now, we do have PPE that we can put on,” Cedotal said, using shorthand for personal protective equipment. “But if you can staff to a point where you don’t even have to risk the exposure, why would you?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The protest also marked \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097097/bay-area-nurses-protest-use-of-palantirs-ai-tech-at-hospitals\">yet another opportunity\u003c/a> for workers to voice their objections to the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the health care system, which they said could inappropriately influence staffing decisions and care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nursing, we need to speak to our patients. We’re compassionate because we’re humans, right?” said patient care coordinator and bargaining team member Robin Carson. “AI does not have compassion.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser said its deal with CNA already ensures that technology supports its nurses to care for patients and apply their clinical expertise, not to replace them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Union leaders said the two sides have not yet discussed wages. Talks are expected to resume Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Mixing infectious patients with noninfectious patients … that happens. Now, we do have PPE that we can put on,” Cedotal said, using shorthand for personal protective equipment. “But if you can staff to a point where you don’t even have to risk the exposure, why would you?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Ongoing contract negotiations between Kaiser and its unionized nurses have reportedly faced roadblocks since their existing deal expired on Aug. 31.",
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"title": "In Oakland, Kaiser Nurses Take Staffing, AI Concerns to the Picket Lines | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Nurses at nearly two dozen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kaiser\">Kaiser\u003c/a> facilities across California are picketing to protest their concerns about inadequate staffing and potentially questionable AI practices in the company’s future patient care technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The scarlet-clad nurses gathered outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Tuesday, holding signs and chanting for “safe staffing” levels. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Kaiser workers’ latest action is a sign that ongoing contract negotiations between the hospital and its union, the California Nurses Association, are already hitting a snag since their existing deal expired Aug. 31.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097886\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-5-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-5-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-5-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Tuesday to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" data-id=\"12097892\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097892\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses gathered outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Sept. 1, 2026. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" data-id=\"12097883\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097883\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers also voiced their concerns about the steadily increasing use of AI in health care systems, which they believe could adversely impact staffing decisions and patient care. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Outside the center on Broadway, veteran pediatric nurse Craig Cedotal said that, in nearly a dozen bargaining sessions so far, management has failed to properly address his concerns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cedotal said he believes Kaiser’s short staffing is evidenced by the Assignment Despite Objection forms that procedure nurses use to signal concerns on a shift. “We’re talking about 5,000 of them altogether,” he said, regarding the volume of forms submitted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We know what the problems are — they disagree with what we say — but that’s not uncommon for management to disagree,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it staffs at state-mandated ratios using a system that the company co-developed alongside the California Nurses Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Workers accused management of manipulating that system to their advantage, with avoidable consequences.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mixing infectious patients with noninfectious patients … that happens. Now, we do have PPE that we can put on,” Cedotal said, using shorthand for personal protective equipment. “But if you can staff to a point where you don’t even have to risk the exposure, why would you?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The protest also marked \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097097/bay-area-nurses-protest-use-of-palantirs-ai-tech-at-hospitals\">yet another opportunity\u003c/a> for workers to voice their objections to the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the health care system, which they said could inappropriately influence staffing decisions and care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nursing, we need to speak to our patients. We’re compassionate because we’re humans, right?” said patient care coordinator and bargaining team member Robin Carson. “AI does not have compassion.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser said its deal with CNA already ensures that technology supports its nurses to care for patients and apply their clinical expertise, not to replace them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Union leaders said the two sides have not yet discussed wages. Talks are expected to resume Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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