California Labor Code § 142.3
Authorizes the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to adopt occupational safety and health standards and orders that are at least as effective as federal standards The Board adopted a COVID-19 rule for schools and other workplaces on an emergency basis in 2020 and 2021, and then approved non-emergency COVID-19 regulations in December 2022 (8 Cal. Code Regs. 3205, 3205.1). The non-emergency regulations require employers to develop, implement, and maintain effective methods to prevent transmission of COVID-19, which must include one or more of the following: maximizing outside air, using MERV 13 filters in HVAC systems, and/or using HEPA filtration units where ventilation is inadequate to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In the case of a COVID-19 outbreak at a workplace, employers must: review potentially relevant COVID-19 policies, procedures, and controls (including outdoor air supply and filtration) and implement changes as needed; filter recirculated air in existing HVAC systems with MERV 13 or higher efficiency filters (or the highest efficiency compatible with the system); and use HEPA filtration units in indoor areas occupied by employees for extended periods, where ventilation is inadequate to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk. Rules are in effect until February 2025.
California Public Resources Code §§ 25665.1, 25665.3
Establishes the Equitable Building Decarbonization Program for installing energy efficient appliances and other measures, including efficient air conditioning systems, ceiling fans, and other measures to protect against extreme heat. Provides that the program must reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and must encourage, where feasible, resiliency to extreme heat and IAQ improvements. Provides for participation at minimum or no cost for low-to-moderate income residents, with preference given to buildings located in an under-resourced community or owned/managed by a California Native American tribe or a California tribal organization.
California Education Code § 17661(d)
Requires existing school facilities with HVAC systems to ensure that their "facilities, including, but not limited to, classrooms for students, have HVAC systems that meet the minimum ventilation rate requirements set forth in [the current state building code]…unless the existing HVAC system is not capable of safely and efficiently providing the minimum ventilation rate." Provides that if a school's existing HVAC system is not capable of meeting this standard, the school must ensure that the system meets the minimum ventilation rates in effect at system installation and must document the HVAC system's inability to meet the current ventilation standards in the annual HVAC inspection. Also requires schools to install MERV 13 filtration or higher if feasible; if not feasible, then schools must use the highest MERV level that the school determines is feasible. Also requires state agencies to develop and propose for adoption "mandatory standards for carbon dioxide monitors in classrooms."
California Public Utilities Code §§ 1620-1627

Requires the California Energy Commission, in collaboration with large utilities, to develop and administer the School Reopening Ventilation and Energy Efficiency Verification and Repair Program for the purpose of awarding grants to local educational agencies "to reopen schools with functional ventilation systems that are tested, adjusted, and, if necessary or cost effective, repaired, upgraded, or replaced to increase efficiency and performance." Schools receiving a grant must comply with the law's detailed requirements for HVAC assessment, repairs, and upgrades, including ensuring ventilation rates in accordance with the state building code and MERV 13 filtration or higher where feasible. The grant programs, to be funded through specific allocations in the energy efficiency budgets of the utilities, must prioritize underserved communities, as well as schools located within 500 feet of a busy traffic corridor or within 1,000 feet of certain polluting facilities. (Program guidelines available at: https://www.energy.ca.gov/publications/2021/california-schools-healthy-air-plumbing-and-efficiency-ventilation-program).

California Government Code § 12087.9

Requires the state, by January 2021, to develop a recommended action plan to: (1) ensure greater cross-referral between public health agencies and the state weatherization program for "comprehensive energy and healthy home improvements for low-income multifamily residents in disadvantaged communities"; (2) promote energy improvement projects that provide net financial benefits and health benefits to low income tenants, including projects that improve indoor air quality and address asthma or respiratory issues triggered by mold and moisture; and (3) create mechanisms maintaining the affordability of units receiving energy upgrades. (Plan available at: https://www.csd.ca.gov/Shared%20Documents/AB1232-Report.pdf.)

California Health & Safety Code § 39960
Establishes the Wildfire Smoke Clean Air Centers for Vulnerable Populations Incentive Pilot Program to provide grants, pending appropriations, to schools, community centers, libraries and other public buildings "to retrofit ventilation systems to create a network of clean air centers in order to mitigate the adverse public health impacts due to wildfires and other smoke events." Prioritizes projects located in areas with documented high cumulative smoke exposure burdens, and requires that program guidelines and eligibility criteria consider vulnerable populations (including communities with diverse racial and ethnic populations and low-income communities) and the location of clean air facilities relative to those populations.
California Public Resources Code § 25402
Directs the state to establish and update energy efficiency standards for design and construction of new residential and non-residential buildings. The 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (24 Cal. Code Regs. 120.1(b), 150.0(m)) adopted by the California Energy Commission strengthened the standard for air filtration by requiring that ventilation systems in all new buildings have air filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 when tested under the ASHRAE 52.2 standard, or alternatively meet stated efficiency requirements when tested in accordance with AHRI Standard 680.
California Education Code § 17074.25
Authorizes the use of school modernization funds "to limit pupil exposure to harmful air pollutants by updating air filtration systems" and encourages school districts to add air filtration systems to applications for modernization apportionments "when air pollution occasionally or regularly exceeds levels known to be harmful to public health." A separate public health law (Cal. Health & Safety Code 44391.3) authorizes schools in communities with "high cumulative exposure burdens" to work with school districts to identify school sites in need of air quality improvements and establishes that such schools are eligible for certain state grants to implement air quality mitigation efforts, including air filter upgrades and installations and buffer planting, provided that funds are appropriated for the grants.
California Health & Safety Code § 25257.2
Requires the state to publish guidelines for Healthy Nail Salon Recognition programs that may be voluntarily adopted and implemented by cities and counties in the state. Lists items that may be included in the guidelines (chemical ingredients that should not be used by participating salons, best practices for minimizing exposure, training topics, compliance verification), and requires participating salons to be in compliance with state licensing laws and regulations. Also requires the state to assist local entities in implementing recognition programs and to develop a consumer education program. Separate legislation (Cal. Assembly Bill 2025) incorporates general health and safety awareness into the nail salon licensing process.
California Health & Safety Code §§ 108950--108960
Requires manufacturers of designated cleaning products sold in the state to disclose certain chemicals used in the products. Designated products include: air care, automotive, general cleaning, and floor maintenance products used primarily for janitorial, domestic, or institutional cleaning purposes. Lists the type of information that must be disclosed, on both the product label (by 2021) and the product website (by 2020). Separate statutory section (Cal. Labor Code § 6398.5) requires employers to provide the chemical disclosure information to their employees.
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