PG&E warned about 13,455 customers in 13 California counties that it may turn off power in some areas Monday due to elevated wildfire risk, the company said.

The utility is monitoring forecasts for breezy offshore winds and low humidity for possible Public Safety Power Shutoffs, according to a press release Saturday.

PG&E, which has paid millions in fines related to its role in wildfires, proactively cuts power in certain instances to reduce fire risk from energized power lines.

“These customers received notifications starting early Saturday and will be updated on Sunday morning,” the utility said. “Those notifications will inform customers of any changes in the forecast and how it will impact a possible Public Safety Power Shutoff.”

In the Bay Area, notices were sent to 346 customers in Alameda County, 286 in Contra Costa County, 140 in Napa County and 268 in Sonoma County, PG&E said.

New laws targeting campus antisemitism and ensuring K-12 education on the Holocaust and genocide will be signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom, his office announced this week. 

The policies, authored by Assembly members Laura Friedman and Josh Lowenthal, Senator Steve Glazer, and Senator Henry Stern respectfully, will see increased education on the Holocaust in K-12 classrooms and antisemitism training included in California colleges’ diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. 

The three new legislations were rated the highest priority by the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California in light of growing antisemitism.  JPAC is also supporting several dozen other bills. To date, 16 have been signed into law. 

The new legislation

The deadline to submit or veto bills is September 30, meaning the legislation may still be turned down. Should bill AB 2925 pass, then, from January 1, Californian college campuses will be required to teach on antisemitism, and staff will be trained on how to combat discrimination against the five most targeted groups. This would likely see antisemitism training added to existing DEI policies.

Under SB 1287, the second of the three bills up for consideration, college campuses could be required to enforce and update student codes to prevent intimidation, harassment, and violence. Students would be given training on appropriate channels of civil discourse, allowing room for debates and discussions. 

Finally, under SB 1277, the California Teachers Collaborative on Holocaust and Genocide Education would become an official state program. This is led by the JFCS Holocaust Center in San Francisco, which brings together 14 genocide education institutions across the state to create curriculum and training materials for K-12 teachers. If implemented, the educational materials would reach one million students by 2027.

Campus life

The legislation comes in the wake of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Some American universities saw pro-Palestinian groups set up illegal encampments on campus, preventing the free movement of students paying to attend the institutes.

In one such instance, at the California-based University of Berkeley, anti-Israel protesters allegedly firebombed buildings. In another, a pro-Palestinian group interrupted a private dinner being held at the home of a Jewish professor. Other incidents have seen students physically assaulted for supporting Israel.

Wide support for bills

All three of these bills faced fierce opposition from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Jewish Voice for Peace, the governor’s office said. However, the bills have maintained strong bipartisan support – thanks in part to the advocacy efforts made by JPAC and a coalition of over 40 Jewish organizations.  Additionally, over 3,500 letters of support for the bill were sent to the governor.

However, they passed out the legislature with overwhelming, bipartisan majorities in both houses. JPAC led advocacy efforts throughout the legislative process – building a coalition of over 40 Jewish organizations – and organized over 3,500 letters to the Governor. These bills were also top priorities for the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.

“In a post-October 7th world, our school and campus leaders need more tools to keep students safe and provide accessible educational opportunities for all,” said David Bocarsly, JPAC Executive Director. “This is true for both Jewish students and other targeted students. These bills meaningfully counter antisemitism and hate by creating greater empathy and understanding and ensuring all students feel safe on their campus. We are incredibly grateful to our partners and champions in the Legislative Jewish Caucus, led by Assemblymember Gabriel and Senator Wiener, and we thank Governor Newsom for signing these bills into law.”

The unique proposal would have made it easier for farmworkers to get workers’ compensation when claiming they suffered heat illness on the job. Senate Bill 1299 was pitched by the United Farm Workers, which said it was needed to supplement weakened enforcement of the state’s workplace heat safety rules.

In his veto message, Newsom wrote the enforcement of heat safety rules should be done only by the state’s workplace safety agency, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and not be determined by the workers’ compensation system.

The outdoor heat rules, in place for nearly 20 years, require employers to provide shade, water and rest breaks for outdoor workers and further monitor them for signs of heat illness in high-risk jobs like agriculture and construction. The state this year added similar rules for indoor workers.

But the understaffed Cal/OSHA has in recent years conducted 1,000 fewer heat inspections of worksites a year, and issued hundreds fewer violations, compared to pre-pandemic, CalMatters reported this summer. That’s despite heat waves in California growing longer and more intense.

The United Farm Workers said SB 1299 would have forced employers to comply with the heat rules, by more strictly tying them to liability for workers’ compensation claims. The bill would have required workers’ comp judges to presume farmworkers who claim heat illness developed it at work.

“There is no doubt that climate change is causing an increase in extreme temperatures and that California farmworkers need strong protections from the risk of heat-related illness,” Newsom wrote. “However, the creation of a heat-illness presumption in the workers’ compensation system is not an effective way to accomplish this goal.”

Such presumptions are used for other workers; firefighters, for example, have an easier time making workers’ comp claims for cancer because judges can assume they developed it from exposures to hazards on the job. In the case of farmworkers, the bill would have made the presumption apply only if employers can’t prove they were following the heat rules.

The California Chamber of Commerce and insurance carriers opposed the bill, arguing that it would unfairly mix the workers’ comp system with Cal/OSHA, which enforces safety rules. They also warned the bill could saddle employers and insurance companies with unrelated injuries, and said it was unnecessary.

Farm employers said the heat rules are well-known and effective. A study conducted by an insurers’ organization found that less than 1% of California agricultural workers’ comp claims involved heat injuries.

Newsom said his administration was taking extreme heat seriously. He’s signed bills convening a Cal/OSHA advisory committee that began meeting last year to recommend how to study heat-related injuries, he wrote in the veto message, and to allow farmworkers to accrue paid sick leave to avoid working during natural disasters. The agency is also starting a new agricultural unit with Central Valley offices.

In a brief statement, United Farm Workers president Teresa Romero said despite the veto, “the UFW will continue to work to save farm worker lives.”

Newsom in recent years also clashed with the United Farm Workers over a controversial new law making it easier for farmworkers to form unions. After vetoing that bill in 2021 and expressing his opposition again the following year, the powerful organization founded by Cesar Chavez applied considerable political pressure — including marching up the Central Valley to Sacramento and garnering a statement of support from President Joe Biden — to secure Newsom’s signature.

Originally Published: September 28, 2024 at 4:34 p.m.