In the waning hours of the 2026 state legislative session, a bill that makes care less safe for hospital patients squeaked through by a single vote.
If signed into law by the governor, Assembly Bill 2575 (Ortega, D-Hayward), would create a new protected class for health care workers who override a clinical support system even when a patient is harmed.
But Gov. Gavin Newsom still has a chance to prevent this ill-conceived policy from becoming state law. That’s why every hospital leader in California should submit a written request to the governor to veto this bill — so that hospital patients can continue to have confidence that their safety is the highest priority.
Please submit your letters as soon as possible asking Gov. Newsom to veto the bill, which would allow a health care worker to override a clinical decision support system without fear of consequence. The bill’s retaliation provisions prevent hospitals from taking corrective action, even if patient harm occurred as a result of that override.
Time is of the essence as the governor could act any time to sign this bill into law. And volume matters. The more hospitals that weigh in, the stronger the message will be that, plain and simple, this bill hurts patient care.
A template letter for your modification and use is here. And CHA’s veto request letter for your reference is here.
Please send your letters as PDFs to leg.unit@gov.ca.gov and copy Nicole Hoffman, CHA advocacy operations manager, at nhoffman@calhospital.org.
