Security officers from across California joined together for an energetic rally outside the State Capitol on Wednesday to demand lawmakers pass the Stand for Security Act (SB 1203), a bill introduced by Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas and first-of-its-kind legislation in the state to review the pay and set enhanced training standards for private security officers to help rebuild community trust and ensure the safety of the public.
At the rally, security officers shared stories of the dangerous working conditions they face on the job, urging the state to support better pay and training that match the job’s requirements. Allies, including the bill’s author, Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas, and SEIU-USWW President David Huerta, stood alongside security officers.
“Security officers are the workers who watch over our schools, our hospitals, our workplaces. They are the first to respond in moments of uncertainty. Their job is to keep us safe. And yet, far too often, they are…disrespected, underpaid, and sent into high-risk situations without the training they deserve” Said Sen. Cuevas at the rally.
She continued, “Let me be clear: that is not just wrong, it’s dangerous. And it is deeply unjust. Because we also know who makes up this workforce. Predominantly workers of color. Black workers. Latino workers. Immigrant workers.”
The bill emphasizes in-person de-escalation training, addresses the cost of living crisis for security officers by examining wage floors, strengthens accountability through reporting requirements and increased fines for violations, and establishes safeguards to prevent racial profiling and implicit bias.
“We face a lot of danger. California leads the nation in displaced people,” said San Francisco security officer Malik Erin. “We deal with crimes. We deal with theft. We deal with assaults, we deal with mental illness. More training is going to be better for security officers to make sure that we get home to our families every night and to make sure we do our jobs better in an adequate and efficient way.”
The rally and legislation follows nationwide momentum to raise standards for security officers, who face increasingly dangerous working conditions, putting their lives on the line, while wages remain the same. In Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City, officers have recently won citywide pay and/or training standards – and now, California security officers are calling on lawmakers to follow suit.
“Security officers aren’t staying silent,” said David Huerta, President of SEIU-USWW. “It takes courage to speak out in an industry where too many workers have been made to feel replaceable. It takes courage to demand better when the system has told you to accept less. And that courage is exactly what is driving this moment.”
