Delta Protective Services

To: Governor Gavin Newsom
Subject: Veto Request - SB 1203

Dear Governor Newsom,

My name is Lawrence Borgens, and I am President of Delta Protective Services, a licensed private security company operating in Stockton and Northern California. We employ about 70 security officers and serve restaurants, distribution and manufacturing facilities, shopping centers, construction sites, hotels, apartment communities, residential properties, and HOAs.

I am writing to respectfully request that you veto SB 1203. While we strongly support rigorous training for security professionals, California already leads the nation in this area. We believe this bill will produce serious unintended consequences:

• California already has the strongest security officer training requirements in the nation. SB 1203 would add substantial new requirements and costs without a demonstrated public safety benefit.
• The added costs will be passed on from security companies to clients and ultimately to California consumers through higher prices for goods, services, housing, and other necessities.
• Higher costs will push some businesses toward unlicensed, untrained, and unregulated security alternatives. Californians could be punished twice by paying more while receiving less protection.

SB 1203 risks making California less safe, not more, by driving up costs and pushing businesses toward unregulated alternatives. We urge a veto.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with your office to discuss our concerns. Please feel free to reach me at 209.425.4484 or [email protected].

Thank you for your time and your service to California.

Sincerely,

Lawrence D. Borgens
President , Delta Protective Services
BSIS Licenses: PPO 15406 | PI 18181 | TFF 1184

When employees start arriving or leaving after dark, workplace safety needs a quick seasonal check.

Businesses should review:

💡 Parking lot and walkway lighting
🚪 Entry and exit visibility
🚗 Where employees are parking after hours
📞 Who staff should contact if something feels off
👀 Whether cameras and patrol coverage actually match closing times

A safe workplace includes the walk to and from the building—not just what happens inside it.

The crew may be gone, but the site is still full of value.

After hours, the biggest risks are often the most predictable ones:

🔒 Tools or equipment left unsecured
🚧 Gates that aren’t fully locked
💡 Dark areas with little visibility
📹 Camera blind spots
🚓 Long stretches with no activity or patrol presence

The goal isn’t to assume something will happen. It’s to make sure your site doesn’t look easy when no one is there.

A strong closing routine can make a big difference before the next shift ever starts.

Before the crowds arrive and the registers get busy, take a look at something that won’t show up on your inventory report: your security plan.

A few things retailers should review before traffic increases:

👀 Are high-theft areas clearly visible to employees?
🚪 Are entrances, exits, and emergency doors being monitored?
📋 Does your team know exactly what to do when they spot suspicious behavior?
🛍️ Are staffing and security coverage adjusted for your busiest hours?
🚗 Are parking lots and employee exit areas well lit after dark?

Busy stores create distractions...and distractions create opportunities.

A little preparation before the rush can make the season safer for your employees, customers, and merchandise.

When temperatures cool down, patios, walkways, parking areas, and common spaces tend to get busier again.

That makes it a good time for property managers to take another look at:

👀 Loitering around entrances or restricted areas
💡 Lighting in parking lots, walkways, and gathering spaces
🚪 Gates and access points being propped open
🚗 Increased activity in parking areas after business hours
🌿 Landscaping that may be blocking visibility

More activity isn’t necessarily a problem. The key is knowing what’s normal for your property so unusual activity stands out faster.

A quick walk around the property at different times of day can reveal a lot.

Cameras are valuable but they work best when the basics around them are already doing their job.

Before investing in more technology, walk your property and check:

🔒 Do gates, doors, and locks actually secure properly?
💡 Are entrances, parking areas, and back alleys well lit?
🌿 Are trees or landscaping creating hiding places or blocking sightlines?
🚪 Can people access areas they shouldn’t without being challenged?
📋 Does your team know what to do when something suspicious happens?

Technology can strengthen a security plan. It shouldn’t have to compensate for basic vulnerabilities that could have been fixed first.

Security plans should never be “set it and forget it.”

If your business hours change, staffing shifts, tenants move in or out, construction begins, or part of the property starts being used differently, your risks change too.

A few things worth reviewing:

🕒 Are patrol times still covering your highest-risk hours?
🚪 Have new access points or restricted areas been added?
👥 Does your current staffing level change who is on-site after hours?
📋 Do your post orders still match how the property actually operates today?

A security plan should evolve with the business it protects.

When it gets dark earlier, little security issues become a lot more noticeable.

Tenants start noticing things like:

💡 Burned-out parking lot lights
🚪 Gates or doors that do not close properly
🌿 Landscaping that blocks visibility
🚗 Dark walkways between parking areas and buildings

These may seem like small maintenance issues, but they can quickly affect how safe a property feels.

A good seasonal security check is simple: walk the property after dark and see what your tenants see.

Seeing someone trespass on camera is useful, but the footage is only the first step.

What matters next is having a clear response plan:

📞 Know who gets notified first
🚓 Decide when security or law enforcement should respond
📋 Document the time, location, and behavior
🔁 Review how the person got onto the property in the first place

The goal isn’t just to capture the incident. It’s to learn from it, close the gap, and reduce the chance of it happening again.