Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, August 14, 2025…
Farmworkers Continue To Die From Heat-Related Illnesses, Even With State Laws In Place To Protect Them
In 2005, then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed landmark legislation aimed at protecting workers from the heat. It came after four farmworkers died that summer in heat-related incidents. But 20 years later, farmworkers are still dying while on the job.
The heat safety rules require employers to provide outdoor workers with fresh water, access to shade, and breaks to cool off whenever workers request them. Employers are also required to train supervisors to recognize the signs of heat stroke, and when necessary, to seek medical help.
But reporting from the Los Angeles Times has found that regulators have not been sufficiently enforcing these laws. An investigation from the paper found that California Department of Occupational Health and Safety field inspections dropped by 30% from 2017 to 2023, and the number of violations also fell by more than 40%.
In a report last month, the state auditor also found that Cal/OSHA inspectors regularly failed to take the right steps when workers suffered heat illness on the job. The audit also found that the agency was severely understaffed, and its procedures were out of date. And a Times investigation found that the agency has often failed to penalize companies where heat-related deaths have occurred.
Attorneys for the state and federal governments gave their final arguments on Wednesday over the legality of President Donald Trump’s ongoing deployment of the National Guard in Southern California.
