Legislators grilled officials with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal-OSHA, this week about a recent scathing audit released in July, which found that severe staffing shortages have meant that the majority of the agency’s workplace investigations are conducted by letter rather than in person — an approach that relies on employers largely policing themselves.
The audit was requested in 2024 by Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, chair of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, in response to numerous complaints from farmworker advocates and others about workplace violations going unchecked by the agency.
During the opening moments of a hearing by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee Wednesday, Ortega said the audit confirmed her worst fears…