‘Dental Lobby’ Gaining Power In Sacramento
A family's tragedy has put the industry in the legislative spotlight.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Assemblyman Jim Wood, California Dental Lobby Opposed Changes After Boy’s Surgery Death
Jim Wood was first elected to the state Assembly three years ago as a former mayor of Healdsburg and a small town dentist. Holding a safe seat in a strongly Democratic district stretching from Santa Rosa to the Oregon border, Wood, 57, has transformed into a political campaign rainmaker, raising nearly $1 million in his successful re-election effort last year. In Sacramento, he serves as chairman of the Assembly’s Health Committee, overseeing the state’s giant $367 billion health care industry. Wood’s presence as the only dentist in the 120-member state Legislature coincides with the rising influence of the so-called “dental lobby,” which has ascended to the ranks of big spenders on state political campaigns, donating four times more money to candidates than it did two decades ago. (Kovner, 7/22)
In other news —
San Francisco Chronicle:
Under-Radar Bill Focuses On Polluters In Poverty Areas
AB617 by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County), was touted as the less-grandiose partner to cap and trade, whose expansive reach allows California polluters to offset their emissions by reducing them in another state. Garcia’s measure is aimed closer to home, attempting to “address air pollution in the most burdened communities,” she said. (Cart, 7/23)