CAAA: Give a Damn

Tuesday, August 24, 2021 | 0

Right now, 22 million Californians are receiving their ballots in the mail for the Sept. 14 recall election. And each voter who needs the ballot in a language other than English is getting that ballot in that language.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber is making it happen, just like California’s new U.S. Senator Alex Padilla did when he was Secretary of State.

And just like every elections office in all 58 California counties does every year — red counties, blue counties, big ones and small ones.

No matter how many candidates, how many ballot measures, how many languages or how many voters. 

They make it work because those government offices are populated by people who give a damn.

The same can’t be said about the Division of Workers’ Compensation.

California has more immigrant workers getting more injuries than any other state in the nation.

Language access in workers’ compensation has been the law in California for years.

And yet today, the DWC still has translated only “fact sheets” but has not yet made available the actual claim applications in the language people need.

And as harsh as it sounds, there really is only one real explanation why the DWC still ignores the law.

It simply doesn't give a damn.  

This opinion is republished, with permission, from the California Applicants' Attorneys Association website.