Gov. Newsom’s veto stops industry delay in seismic safety compliance

Registered nurses and health care workers across California applaud Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of S.B. 1432, which would have allowed hospital executives to delay implementation of critical seismic safety standards and risked workers’ and patients’ lives, announced California Nurses Association (CNA).

“This is an important victory for nurses and patients across the state,” said CNA President Michelle Gutierrez Vo, RN. “Hospitals have had over three decades to ensure that they remain open and fully functioning in the event of a major earthquake. Nurses applaud Governor Newsom for standing with nurses, patients, and our communities today by keeping hospital executives accountable to vital seismic safety standards.”  

This legislation was the latest move by hospital executives to delay hospital compliance with seismic safety requirements. California’s legislature enacted earthquake safety standards for hospitals, after the 1994 Northridge earthquake demonstrated the deadly consequences of hospitals failing to remain fully functioning after a major seismic event. Today, as many as one in four hospital buildings would still need to be evacuated and closed after a major earthquake, and most likely will never open again, according to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information. 

“Nurses continue to fight to ensure that hospitals comply with the law,” said Gutierrez Vo. “S.B. 1432 is just the latest attempt to skirt seismic safety compliance. We know hospitals will continue to delay and we’ll continue to fight back against industry attempts to delay.

“Nurses are dedicated to advocating for our patients and will continue to fight to increase transparency and ensure hospitals remain accountable to our state’s seismic safety standards," said Gutierrez Vo. “We will continue to stand against the hospital industry’s failure to prioritize investment into necessary measures that will protect our patients and our communities.”

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and nearly 225,000 RNs nationwide.