Bill Lockyer Named Chair of CA Injured Workers Coalition Amid Fight Over Newsom Budget Proposal

Former AG Bill Lockyer Named Chair of California Injured Workers Coalition Amid Fight Over Newsom Budget Proposal

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, May 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Coalition of California Injured Workers (CCIW) today announced the appointment of former California Attorney General and State Treasurer Bill Lockyer as the new Chair of its coalition. Lockyer will lead the CCIW's urgent efforts to ensure that critical protections for injured Californians are not dismantled through an opaque budget trailer bill, but rather are addressed through the transparent and deliberative regular legislative process.

"The proposed changes to the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) within the budget trailer bill are a profound misstep that threatens to harm thousands of California's most vulnerable injured workers, shift immense costs onto our cities and counties, and undermine public trust," said Bill Lockyer. "My career has been dedicated to responsible governance and protecting the people of this state. I am honored to chair the Coalition and will vigorously advocate for the removal of these provisions from the budget bill. Reforms to the worker safety net should receive the full public scrutiny and comprehensive analysis that they deserve."

A recent, highly respected survey by David Binder Research confirms that California voters overwhelmingly reject these proposed changes. The poll found that 64% of likely voters oppose changes to SIBTF when informed of their impact, and a resounding 79% believe that such significant reforms should go through the regular legislative process – not be fast-tracked via a budget trailer bill.

"As Chair of the Coalition, I want to be clear: The Governor and Legislature shouldn't ignore the needs of critically injured workers," added Lockyer. "These ill-conceived changes threaten devastating consequences for our injured workers, our dedicated public safety personnel, our veterans, and the financial stability of our local governments."

The CCIW, a broad alliance of labor, public safety organizations, and injured worker advocates, highlights several critical concerns with the administration's proposal:
- Impact on 30,000 Pending Claims: The proposal would retroactively apply new standards to approximately 30,000 injured Californians with pending claims, forcing them to restart complex processes or lose earned benefits.

- Threat to Veterans and Public Safety: Weakening SIBTF would create significant disincentives for employers to hire veterans—many of whom have service-related disabilities—and negatively impact the recruitment and retention of public safety personnel like firefighters and police officers. This would send a chilling message to those who served and to our frontline responders.

- Unfunded Mandate on Local Governments: Removing SIBTF as a 'release valve' will push catastrophic injury liabilities directly onto cities, counties, and other public entities. Attorneys, unable to pursue SIBTF, will intensify litigation against local governments for injured public safety personnel and teachers. Even a few such cases could financially cripple smaller jurisdictions, a major concern for organizations like the California League of Cities, CSAC, and RCRC.

- Increased System Costs: Rather than saving money, these changes are predicted to increase overall workers' compensation system costs through expanded litigation, QME panel requests, and long-term medical exposure, ultimately burdening employers and taxpayers.

- Harm to Frontline Trades and Unions: The proposed changes would directly undermine the earned benefits and protections for union members in physically demanding frontline trades where industrial injuries are unfortunately common.

The CCIW urges the Governor and the Legislature to immediately remove the SIBTF provisions from the budget trailer bill and commit to a thorough, public review through the regular legislative process.

Patrick Harbison
Lighthouse Public Affairs
+ +1 916-747-9143
email us here

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