After Veto, Lawmakers Take Another Shot At Passing Repeal Of Taxes On Tampons, Diapers
And in other state government news: the impact of budget cuts on in-home support services worries Stanislaus County officials; regulators face questions about a testing switch in Exide homes; and health care emerges as a campaign issue in the Los Angeles race.
East Bay Times:
Tampon Tax Debate Is Back: California Proposal To Repeal Sales Tax On Feminine Products Reintroduced
A bill to repeal taxes on feminine products that sailed through the Legislature last year with bipartisan support, only to be vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown, is back on the table. Assemblywomen Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego, and Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, are advancing a revised version of last year’s measure. Assembly Bill 479 would deem diapers, tampons, pads and other feminine health products necessities not subject to state tax — much like groceries and prescription medicines. (Murphy, 3/9)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus County Leaders Concerned About Costs Of In-Home Support Services Program
Stanislaus County officials are upset about a state plan to shift rising costs of In-Home Support Services to counties. Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent budget proposal would shift about $625 million in IHSS costs to counties, with Stanislaus County’s share of the costs jumping from $11.2 million this year to $17.1 million next budget year. The costs are projected to keep rising from there, and counties say they can’t afford it. (Carlson, 3/9)
KPCC:
State Testing Switch Risks Leaving Exide Homes Contaminated
Struggling with what officials call the largest and most expensive toxic contamination in California history, embattled state regulators have changed the formula for assessing the level of lead-laced soil in residential areas—a move that could result in a significant number of homes falling off of the priority cleanup list. The little-noticed switch has confused residents living around the now-shuttered Exide Technologies battery recycling plant in southeast Los Angeles and raised suspicions that those with high levels of lead could be bumped so far down the cleanup list that the state will run out of cleanup money before it can help them. (Aguilera, 3/10)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Congressional Candidate Alejandra Campoverdi Makes Healthcare Debate Personal In First TV Ad
Congressional hopeful Alejandra Campoverdi, who's running to replace Xavier Becerra in Los Angeles, opened up to the Washington Post recently about her family's history with breast cancer. That history is also the subject of her first TV ad of the campaign, which focuses on healthcare and Campoverdi's work in the Obama administration, where she says she helped pass Obamacare. (Mai-Duc, 3/9)