Newsom Should Reverse Funding Cuts to Worker Safety Enforcement
WASHINGTON, D.C. – California Gov. Gavin Newsom should reverse his proposed cuts to Cal/OSHA enforcement funding, Public Citizen said in a letter sent last week. For FY 26-27, Newsom has proposed a $725,000 reduction to Cal/OSHA Enforcement, in addition to the $16 million already cut from the agency in the current budget.
“California’s agricultural, construction, warehouse, and disaster recovery workers require immediate and decisive action to ensure their safety,” said A’Ishah Johnson, workers’ health & safety advocate for Public Citizen and author of the letter. “The California Legislature should investigate why OSH Fund revenues are not being directed to benefit the workers whose employers contributed these resources.”
Cal/OSHA is predominantly financed through the Occupational Safety and Health Fund, which is supported by a small employer surcharge on workers’ compensation premiums and receives no state tax revenues. The OSHA Fund reported a $200 million surplus last fiscal year and is projected to have a $130 million surplus this year. However, as of December 2025, Newsom directed that 50% of OSHA Fund revenues – approximately $100 million – be withheld from Cal/OSHA. As a result, safety funds financed by employers remain unused while worker protections are being reduced.
Funding cuts are already harming workers. On-site inspections followed serious injuries and fatalities reports by employers a meager 42% of the time. Currently, 58% of all Cal/OSHA enforcement activity consists of letter investigations, which require employers to self-report hazards, rather than on-site visits. Cal/OSHA now responds to worker complaints with on-site inspections less than 45% of the time. California has only one field inspector for every 99,000 workers, while Oregon has one per 23,000 and Washington has one per 28,000.
Tough and aggressive enforcement, rather than standards existing solely on paper, is essential to safeguarding workers’ lives. California enacted the nation’s first outdoor heat standard in 2005 and later expanded these protections to indoor workers. Peer-reviewed research published in Health Affairs in December 2025 found that stronger enforcement of California’s heat standard from 2010–2014 resulted in a 33% reduction in heat-related outdoor worker deaths, with a 51% reduction following the 2015 revision of the standard.