Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, discusses his bill that would pay for the universal health care bill, during a news conference at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. Kalra announced legislation this week to reform a 20-year-old law allowing workers to sue their bosses over labor violations and requires employers found liable to pay employees and the state.
The bills would lower the financial penalty for some employers and compel them to correct violations. They came out of a deal between Gov. Gavin Newsom, lawmakers, business groups and labor leaders to remove a ballot measure asking voters to repeal and replace the law.“We accomplished something that was seemingly impossible,” he said. “It’s easier to address simple problems, but that’s not the California way.
Democratic Assemblymember Ash Kalra, who authored one of the bills, said the deal “demonstrates how things should be done when all sides come together to resolve a longstanding issue of division.”