LA City Council Takes Emergency Action To Curb Skid Row Overdose Outbreak
The city attorney’s office has been asked to draft an ordinance that would ban the synthetic drug "spice."
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. City Council Asks City Attorney To Draft Ordinance To Ban Synthetic Drug 'Spice'
The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved an emergency motion directing the city attorney’s office to draft an ordinance that would ban the manufacture and sale of a synthetic drug that may be linked to dozens of overdoses in downtown’s skid row. The motion, submitted by council members Mitchell Englander and Jose Huizar, asks the city attorney to work with police and fire officials to write the ordinance and to work on strategies to crack down on manufacturers and dealers of the synthetic drug “spice.” Those who make the drug “are taking advantage of those most vulnerable in society,” Englander said. “It’s wreaking havoc in our communities.” (Poston, 8/26)
In other news from across the state —
Los Angeles Times:
After Court Rules Against Parents, Toddler Is Taken Off Life Support
Two-year-old Israel Stinson, the curly-haired, angelic-looking toddler whose fight for life gained international attention, died Thursday after he was removed from a breathing ventilator against his parents wishes. Now, supporters of the family are questioning why a Los Angeles hospital moved so quickly to remove him from life support immediately after a judge upheld the decision. Israel’s parents, Jonee Fonseca and Nathaniel Stinson, sought an injunction Aug. 18 to prevent Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles from taking action while they rushed to make arrangements to put him in home care. (Evans, 8/26)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
New Wave Of Scientists Join San Diego Universities
They’re trying to land humans on Mars, design robots to serve the sick and elderly and identify which areas of Earth will be damaged most by climate change. ...A fifth recruit, bioengineer Shawn O’Connor, will work in SDSU’s new Smart Health Institute, which specializes in wearable health sensors. O’Connor was a postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego, where he explored the issues of balance and mobility, especially in older people. (Robbins, 8/27)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Teen Birth Rates Tumble In Sonoma County, But Cultural Disparities Persist
Lost in the recent good news about declining birth rates among California teens is a Sonoma County statistic that has some local health experts scratching their heads. In the past 15 years, the county’s overall teen birth rate has been cut in half, declining to 13.9 births for every 1,000 teens. But a wide disparity remains for birth rates for white teens and Latina teens. For white teens, the birth rate is only 4.5 births per 1,000 teens, far lower than the state’s rate of 8.4 births for white teens. In contrast, the birth rate for local Latina teens is 27.7 births per 1,000 teens, very close to the state average of 31.3 births for Latina teens. (Espinoza, 8/26)
KPCC:
Orange County To Open Short-Term Psychiatric Crisis Centers
Orange County’s plans to open two crisis centers for people experiencing acute mental health symptoms that should shorten wait times for treatment. The state of California awarded $3 million to Orange County to open the crisis stabilization units. The facilities will be able to triage up to 22 patients a day, usually short stays, before being discharged or referred to a longer term treatment option. (Aguilar, 8/29)