California lawmakers pass scaled-back protections for domestic workers, one year after Newsom veto

House cleaners, nannies and other domestic workers employed by agencies will get new workplace safety protections next year under a bill California lawmakers sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom Saturday, the final day of the legislative session.

The measure is a scaled-back version of a bill Newsom vetoed last year . It would protect about 175,000 California workers employed by agencies that provide maid services, at-home caregiving, and other domestic tasks.

It exempts privately-employed house cleaners, cooks, caregivers and at-home daycare workers. It also would not apply to home care workers employed by state or local agencies.

“Since the governor’s veto last year of my prior legislation, we have been in conversation with his office regarding the health and safety of domestic workers,” Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, told the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee Friday evening. “This legislation is a product of those discussions.”

Durazo said the legislation will bring the state into compliance with federal standards protecting domestic workers.

Workers in the industry are primarily women of color. Compared to workers in other industries, they earn lower wages and are more likely to be immigrants.

Lawmakers approved the legislation Saturday, sending it to Newsom’s desk.

In an interview, Friday, Durazo said this year’s version “was the next step that we feel that they’re open to, and would also be a big step for the domestic workers themselves.”

“It would be limited to the private sector and agencies. That’s still a significant number, 175,000 (people). But we know that there are many more – double that number that actually exist in private homes. We feel good that we’re moving forward,” she said.

Durazo’s previous attempt in 2023 would have covered privately employed house cleaners and caregivers.

In a veto message last year, Newsom wrote that “private households and families cannot be regulated in the exact same manner as traditional businesses.”

He noted that under the previous legislation, households would have been required to provide eyewash stations and implement illness prevention programs required by California’s occupational safety agency.