What’s Behind Gavin Newsom’s U-Turn on Worker Heat Protections?

By Willy Blackmore | Word In Black (WIB) – In late summer 2022, a heatwave set temperature records across California, with seaside Long Beach hitting 109 degrees and Sacramento reaching 116. During the 10-day period, at least 395 excess deaths occurred, according to a study from the state’s public health department.  RELATED: If Climate Deaths Are Homicide, Who Are the Victims? “This week’s unprecedented heat wave is a painful reminder of the costs and impacts of climate change — and it won’t be the last,” Governor Gavin Newsom said at the time, promising that he was working on a “a comprehensive strategy to protect Californians from extreme heat ”— including indoor workers, who are increasingly at risk of heat-related injuries and sickness due to climate change.  “With lives and livelihoods on the line,” Newsom said, “we cannot afford to delay.” Apparently, the Governor’s feelings have changed, because his administration has& “abandoned”& the long-pending plans for new protections for indoor workers, which were on the brink of being enacted after years of work.& The new rules would require warehouses and other indoor workspaces to be cooled to under 87 degrees, and the threshold would drop to 82 degrees in environments where...