Measles Outbreak Spreads To California, 20 More States With 107 People Taken Ill
Health officials urge parents to vaccinate their children for the disease. In other news from around California, lawmakers reboot efforts to fight tainted drinking water and reject a state-run bank for marijuana growers.
Detroit Free Press:
Measles Outbreak Hits 21 States, District Of Columbia, CDC Says
Federal health officials are investigating a outbreak of measles this year that has spread to 21 states and the District of Columbia. From Jan. 1 to July 14, 107 people had contracted the disease, federal Centers for Disease Control officials said Wednesday. Measles cases have been reported in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington. (8/15)
Sacramento Bee:
California Tax To Clean Up Drinking Water Would Be Voluntary
Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers are rebooting an effort to pass a new tax to attack unsafe drinking water in California. But there’s a twist: The proposed tax on water bills would be voluntary, increasing its chances of success among skittish lawmakers in an election year. (Luna, 8/17)
Los Angeles Times:
California Lawmakers Reject Marijuana Banking Plan And Panic Buttons For Hotel Workers In A Frenzy Of Sacramento Action
Facing a key deadline for legislation to move forward, California lawmakers on Thursday rejected dozens of bills, including a state-run bank for marijuana growers, government healthcare services for those in the U.S. illegally and hotel panic buttons for cleaning crews who fear sexual assault. Lawmakers on the appropriations committees in both houses of the California Legislature acted on more than 600 bills, rejecting about 150 of them. (Myers, 8/16)