California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health voted in favor of a rule that would require hospitals to develop violence prevention protocols. Currently, California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey are the only states who require public employers to take preventive measures when it comes to workplace assaults and violence. The new rule has been lobbied for by two unions in California, the California Nurses Association and the Service Employees International Union, who were concerned after workplace violence started to become more prevalent. The rule would go into effect this January if it is approved by the Office of Administrative Law.
See "California Rules About Violence Against Health Workers Could Become A Model", Pauline Bartolone, NPR, October 28, 2016