California law pushes VTA workplace safety to prevent violence following 2021 shooting

Tragedy and a lack of workplace safety measures led one Silicon Valley lawmaker to call for tighter regulations to protect employees.

Senate Bill 553, state Sen. Dave Cortese’s bill relating to occupational safety and workplace violence, took effect this summer. The bill focuses on preventing violent incidents like the 2021 VTA shooting at the hands of an unstable transit employee. VTA began training employees on its workplace violence prevention plan in mid-July, and about a quarter of the workforce is trained. The new law also allows union leaders to file restraining orders against violent people on behalf of employees. Prior law only gave company management the authority.