LOS ANGELES, CA – Following Wednesday’s guilty verdict in the tragic and brutal 2024 murder of Brianna Kupfer, a Pacific Palisades resident, Councilwoman Park introduced a motion asking for a report on the implementation of SB 553, a new California law that requires employers to create workplace violence and prevention plans.

“While the conviction of Brianna’s murderer brings some measure of justice, it highlights the urgent need for measures to protect workers, in addition to getting violent, dangerous people off our streets for good,” said Councilmember Park. “Workplace Violence and Prevention Plans like those now required under SB 553 are one tool that can help prevent future deaths and tragedies.”

According to Cal OSHA, 57 working people died from acts of workplace violence in California in 2021, while more than 17,000 workers have been victims of workplace homicides across our nation between 1992 and 2019.

California’s SB 553 (Cortese), signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2023 and effective July 1, 2024, responds to this crisis by mandating that California employers implement a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP). Requirements include comprehensive training, procedures for addressing violence, and data reporting requirements to prevent tragedies like Brianna’s and enhance workplace safety.

Councilmember Park’s motion asks the Chief Legislative Analyst, in collaboration with the Police Department and City Attorney, to report on the implementation of SB 553 and assess the City’s progress toward establishing its own WVPP.

Read the full motion here.

Photo courtesy of the Traci Park Campaign, 2022.