Breakdown of SB-735 Issues

Senate Committee on L, PE & R	Passed
Senate Appropriations Committee	Passed
Senate floor	Passed
Assembly Labor & Employment Committee	TBD
Assembly Appropriations Committee	TBD
Assembly Floor	TBD
Governor Newsom	TBD

5/25/23 - Unfortunately, SB-735 passed the Senate, and has now moved to the Assembly.

There were several last-minute amendments to the bill in the Senate Appropriations Committee. First, all references to an "independent evaluator" have been removed, thus unburdening the CFC (and Vijay) over the pilot program period. Post-filming reports will simply be submitted to the CFC and L-M Safety Committee for archiving, without the immediate follow-ups by such an “evaluator". Then, in 2030, the CFC and LMSC will select an organization or firm to review the documents and evaluate the program to make a non-binding recommendation whether or not to continue it state-wide.

Also, all referenced requirements to “ensuring” safety have been removed, along with several other language adjustments. The phrase “best practices” has been removed from all except one spot which seems to have been overlooked. Requiring a special risk assessment for instances where employees work "60 hours or more" was adjusted to “more than 60 hours”. The list of scenarios requiring this special risk assessment - firearms, major pyrotechnics and explosives, major stunts, etc. - will now remain in force until January 2031, probably to avoid a 6-month loophole gap if the program expands state-wide.

The bill authorizes the advisor to inspect all locations and props, but explicitly DOES NOT AUTHORIZE them to handle or touch firearms.

If the program goes state-wide in 2030, it will still require an advisor to be present for a daily safety meeting (at their location of choice) only if multiple locations have any activities occurring, which will let smaller single-location productions off the hook. We feel this should remain completely at their discretion. They’re still fully liable for safety either way; that should be enough incentive to be vigilant. 

Many studio safety departments currently oversee multiple shows successfully; especially the smaller ones. This bill requires a safety advisor to be assigned to only one production at a time. Not the army of many thousands initially being mandated, but this still requires a much larger contingent than currently exists, and would still likely be unfulfillable with qualified personnel.

Still not acceptable, but definitely dialed back from the original language.

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 Assembly Committee on Labor & Employment

Ash Kalra (chair)	Dist. 25	San Jose, East Foothills, Alum Rock, Santa Clara
Heath Flora (vice-chair)	Dist. 09	Rancho Murieta, Walnut Grove, Woodbridge, Oakdale
Philip Chen	Dist. 59	Chino Hills, Yorba Linda, Fullerton, Orange, N. Tustin
Matt Haney	Dist. 17	San Francisco, Treasure Island, Bernal Heights
Liz Ortega	Dist. 20	San Leandro, Hayward, Union City, Castro Valley
Eloise Gómez Reyes	Dist. 50	Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Colton, Redlands
Christopher M. Ward	Dist. 78	San Diego, Clairemont, Mira Mesa, Spring Valley

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