Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
‘It’s a Mission’: Volunteers Treat Refugees Massing at the Border
A growing number of Mexican and Central American migrants are trying to cross into the U.S. at the southern border. Volunteers at one free clinic in Tijuana tend to the health needs of migrants waiting for their immigration cases to come up — and simply trying to survive in packed and dangerous encampments. (Heidi de Marco, )
Nurses and Docs at Long Beach Center ‘Consider It an Honor’ to Care for Migrant Children
Health care workers find it easy to empathize with Central American children after their painful journeys to the U.S. (Stephanie Stephens, )
Vaccinated Workers Can Officially Ditch The Mask: Eliminating a major stumbling block to his plan for a smooth reopening of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Thursday that he said would allow vaccinated workers in most jobs to go mask-free Friday. Read more from the Bay Area News Group, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and CapRadio.
State Of Emergency Issued For Heat Wave: Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Thursday over the heat wave gripping California and the West, while the managers of the state’s power grid issued another call for conservation — the second in two days — as temperatures surged past 100 degrees. Residents are urged to turn thermostats up to 78 degrees or higher and to avoid using heavy appliances. Read more from The Sacramento Bee. Continued coverage, below.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Politico:
Obamacare Now Appears Safe. The Battle Over Its Future Continues.
For once, Democrats and Republicans are offering the same message on Obamacare: The landmark health care law is here to stay. But so are the partisan battles over the law’s future, even after the final shreds of the GOP’s decade-long effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act appeared to be demolished by the Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision Thursday affirming the law for the third time. (Luthi, 6/17)
NBC News:
What Now? Congress Eyes New Era Of Health Policy After Obamacare Survives
Lawmakers in Congress wrestled with what the new era of federal health care policy would look like after the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the latest existential challenge to Obamacare. Democrats said the next step was to build on the sprawling 2010 law, which touched on nearly all aspects of the health care system, by pushing policies to lower costs. (Kapur, 6/17)
The New York Times:
Obamacare Is Here To Stay. Brace For New Health Care Battles.
The waning repeal effort has given Democrats their first chance in a decade to press forward on a new campaign: moving the country toward a system of universal health coverage. It seems the end of a period when Democrats played constant defense, fighting back against legislative and legal challenges. Their recent expansion of health insurance subsidies had widespread support in the party. The stimulus package that Democrats passed in January spent $34 billion to make coverage more affordable for nearly all Americans who purchase their own health plans. That change, however, was temporary and is currently set to expire at the end of 2022. (Sanger-Katz and Kliff, 6/17)
The Atlantic:
The Next Major Challenge To The Affordable Care Act
The Supreme Court’s rejection of the latest effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act does not mark the end of lawsuits over the law’s constitutionality. The next big case has already been filed, and it involves a clash between an obscure constitutional provision and the law’s guarantee of zero-dollar coverage for preventive services. The stakes will be lower this time around—the whole law isn’t threatened. But they’re significant nonetheless. If the plaintiffs win, insurers could force their customers to pay out of pocket for contraception, breastfeeding equipment and support, and drugs to prevent HIV infection. They could even start charging people for COVID-19 vaccines, including any boosters. This time, the law’s opponents stand a good chance of succeeding. (Bagley, 6/17)
AP:
GOP Needs New Health Care Target; 'Obamacare' Survives Again
Along with the public’s gradual but decisive acceptance of the statute, the court rulings and legislative defeats underscore that the law, passed in 2010 despite overwhelming GOP opposition, is probably safe. And it spotlights a remarkable progression of the measure from a political liability that cost Democrats House control just months after enactment to a widely accepted bedrock of the medical system, delivering care to what the government says is more than 30 million people. “The Affordable Care Act remains the law of the land,” President Joe Biden said, using the statute’s more formal name, after the court ruled that Texas and other GOP-led states had no right to bring their lawsuit to federal court. (Fram, 6/18)
Axios:
Supreme Court’s ACA Ruling Saves Republicans From Themselves
The Supreme Court saved the health care system from imploding Thursday by dismissing a Republican challenge to the Affordable Care Act. But it also saved the GOP itself from another round of intraparty chaos. Most GOP lawmakers privately admit (and some will even say publicly) they don't want to deal with health care again. The issue generally isn't a good one for them with voters — as they learned the hard way after they failed to repeal the ACA in 2017. (Treene, Owens and Mucha, 6/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Why Is ACA Still Controversial 11 Years After Healthcare Law Known As Obamacare Was Passed?
Republicans have argued that the law’s government-backed coverage expansion is too costly. Indeed, some Republican-led states, including Texas and Florida, have declined to expand their Medicaid programs under the ACA. They have also opposed some of the ACA’s prescriptive rules, saying that consumers should have more freedom to choose the types of plans they want, even if those are limited or don’t cover certain things. Some also objected to provisions of the law that deal with reproductive issues, including a mandate that employer plans generally cover contraception. (Mathews, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Tries To Beat The Heat With Temperatures Soaring Past 100 - And Even Hitting 110
Temperatures soared to above 100 degrees across the Bay Area on Thursday — with Fairfield peaking at 110 — as the sweaty and sweltering sought ways to stay cool, plunging into pools and swarming to the coast for a cool breeze. Triple-digit temperatures scorched the inland East Bay, the North Bay hills and valleys, the South Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains, stressing not only residents but also the region’s energy grid, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency. (Cabanatuan, Mishanec and Talley, 6/17)
Bay Area News Group:
Heat Wave Bakes Bay Area As Triple-Digit Temperatures Spread
A high-pressure heat dome that sent temperatures skyrocketing along most of the western United States this week did not spare the Bay Area and California on Thursday, with temperatures rising into the triple digits as power grid operators asked Californians to conserve electricity for a second day. “We’re seeing temperatures between 106 and 110 in Contra Costa County and 104 up in Santa Rosa,” David King, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Thursday afternoon. “But the onshore winds are keeping the coast cool. It’s a stark difference — 60s on the coast in some places, and a 40-degree temperature swing inland.” (Rogers and Hurd, 6/17)
Los Angeles Times:
California Pushes Flex Alert, Smart Energy Use Amid Heat Wave
Despite assurances that the power grid remains stable, California’s energy operator has issued statewide Flex Alerts for electricity conservation Thursday and Friday evenings as temperatures around the region continue to break records. The mercury soared in the Southland on Thursday, with some areas seeing triple-digit highs for the fourth day in a row. Death Valley hit 128 degrees, surpassing a record of 122 for the date set in 1917, said meteorologist Clay Morgan of the National Weather Service in Las Vegas. (Smith, 6/17)
Orange County Register:
Second Flex Alert Issued For Friday As Heat Wave Continues Into Weekend
The second “flex alert” of the week — this one scheduled for Friday evening — was issued Thursday by the California Independent System Operator in an ongoing effort to urge energy consumers to reduce stress on the electrical grid and avoid power outages amid a heat wave that is expected to linger through the weekend. On Wednesday, state energy officials issued their first flex alert of the year, urging residents to cut back on their energy consumption on Thursday, June 17, between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.. The second flex alert, with similar guidance for energy consumers, is targeted for Friday between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., according to the California ISO. (Wilson, 6/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Disneyland Keeps Some COVID-Era Changes, Drops Others
With the government-imposed attendance caps and physical distance requirements gone, the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks are expected to relaunch several rides, musical acts and nighttime extravaganzas over the next few weeks and other attractions later this summer. In some ways, the parks will never return to pre-pandemic operations. Disney executives say the 15-month closure helped them rethink how best to manage one of the biggest headaches at the resort: the enormous throngs of Disney-loving visitors. (Martin, 6/18)
Southern California News Group:
UTLA Members Ratify Agreement On Health/Safety Protocols For LAUSD’s New School Year
Teachers in Los Angeles Unified have ratified a tentative agreement with the school district, paving the way for the nation’s second largest K-12 system to fully reopen campuses for the upcoming academic year. Ninety-four percent of the teachers, counselors, librarians, school nurses and other certificated employees who voted supported the deal, the union announced late Thursday, June 17, at the conclusion of a three-day voting period. According to United Teachers Los Angeles, 12,193 of its more than 30,000 members cast ballots. (Tat, 6/17)
KQED:
California And Florida Took Dramatically Divergent Pandemic Paths. Who Did Better?
From the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, the governors of California and Florida have taken almost polar opposite approaches to managing an unprecedented health crisis: California Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down his state early, prioritizing public health; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis largely kept his state open for business, prioritizing the economy. California just fully reopened on Tuesday, while Florida has been open all year, save for a short lockdown last spring. The split mirrors the political divisions that have bedeviled the United States during the pandemic — with both sides claiming victory at various times. But now, more than a year of data is offering some clear takeaways on which state’s approach has produced better outcomes on a number of fronts. (Lagos and Switalski Muñoz, 6/17)
Southern California News:
‘Delta’ COVID-19 Variant Stokes Growing Worries In LA County As Vaccine Rates Slide
Young Black and Latino residents in Los Angeles County continue to lag behind the rest of the population in COVID-19 vaccination rates, a gap the public health director said on Thursday, June 17, could put the group more at risk as the state’s economy reopens, workplaces get more crowded and public gatherings increase. Creating further concern is the slow but steady rise in the local number of COVID-19 cases involving the so-called “Delta” variant of the virus. The variant is blamed for rampant infections ravaging India and select other areas worldwide. (6/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern Public Health Reports 23 New Coronavirus Cases Thursday
Kern County Public Health Services reported 23 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday, and no new deaths. That brings the county's case count since the pandemic began to 110,710. There have been 1,401 deaths. Public Health reports that 40,143 people have recovered from the illness, and 68,207 people are presumed to have recovered. (6/17)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Can Artificial Intelligence Predict How Sick You'll Get From COVID-19? UC San Diego Scientists Think So
A team of San Diego scientists is harnessing artificial intelligence to understand why COVID-19 symptoms can vary dramatically from one person to the next — information that could prove useful in the continued fight against the coronavirus and future pandemics. Researchers pored through publicly available data to see how other viruses alter which genes our cells turn on or off. Using that information, they found a set of genes activated across a wide range of infections, including the novel coronavirus. Those genes predicted whether someone would have a mild or a severe case of COVID-19, and whether they were likely to have a lengthy hospital stay. (Wosen, 6/17)
NBC News:
Over 300 Cases Of Heart Issue After Covid Vaccination Reported In Young People, CDC Says
More than 300 cases of heart inflammation after Covid-19 vaccinations have been reported in young people, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday. "The case are rare," she said. "Over 20 million adolescents and young adults [have been] vaccinated in the United States." (Edwards, 6/17)
CNN:
Myocarditis: Heart Inflammation Condition Looked Like Heart Attack In Kids, Pediatrician Says
The teenaged boys all looked like they were having heart attacks. They complained of chest pain and general discomfort, and tests looked at first as if they were suffering an acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack. But they weren't. Instead, the seven youths ages 14 to 19 were suffering from a very rare type of heart inflammation. It's one that public health officials are beginning to link to Covid-19 vaccines. (Fox, 6/17)
Bay Area News Group:
CDC Panel To Weigh Youth Heart Risk From COVID Vaccine
A federal panel of health experts Friday will weigh possible changes in the effort to vaccinate youths against COVID-19 amid rare but concerning reports of heart inflammation in some adolescents, teens and young adults after receiving the shots. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will debate whether young people — who largely face minimal risk from the disease itself — are still better off getting the shots, and if so, whether lowering doses or spacing them farther apart might make them safer. (Woolfolk, 6/18)
The Washington Post:
CDC Lowers Warning For Cruises, Recommends Only Fully Vaccinated Travel
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaxed its warning for cruise travel for the first time since several outbreaks on ships brought the industry to a halt last year. But it also recommended that only fully vaccinated people embark when cruises resume from U.S. ports this summer. “Since the virus spreads more easily between people in close quarters aboard ships, the chance of getting covid-19 on cruise ships is high,” the agency said. It recommended that all passengers get tested a few days before and after their trip, while urging unvaccinated travelers to self-isolate for seven days after disembarkation. (Miller and Hassan, 6/18)
Bay Area News Group:
What Will California’s Vaccine Verification System Look Like?
Don’t call it a “vaccine passport,” Gov. Gavin Newsom insists. But California is poised to roll out some sort of electronic vaccine verification system to help residents show businesses and others that they are inoculated against the coronavirus. Promising more details in the coming days, Newsom earlier this week touted that the state is working on a digital version of the official paper immunization cards that people received when they got their shots. How the system will work, who will have access to it, and when it will launch are among the critical questions that the governor’s office did not respond to Wednesday. (DeRuy and Moore, 6/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Some Vaccine Experts Having Second Thoughts About Rushing To Inoculate Kids
From the earliest days of the pandemic, doctors and public health officials have seen widespread vaccination as the most effective way to stop COVID-19 in its tracks. But a growing contingent of medical experts is now questioning whether that conventional wisdom ought to apply to children. Their doubts are not borne of conspiracy beliefs, but couched in the carefully calibrated language of risk and benefit. And they’re expected to get a public airing Friday as advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ponder a spate of post-vaccine heart problems in adolescents and young adults. (Healy, 6/18)
Modesto Bee:
Is It Better To Get Immunity From COVID Or Vaccines?
Research shows both coronavirus infection and vaccination offers immunity that can protect people from getting sick again. But by how much and for how long remains unclear — a scientific gap that only time could fill. Regardless of how immunity is acquired, there’s no telling whose bodies will or won’t create effective antibodies, and why they last longer for some than others; doctors speculate age or certain medical conditions might play a role. (Camero, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
400 Sutter Health Jobs Cut In Northern California Amid 'Growing Fiscal Gap,' Sutter Says
Sutter Health, which serves millions of people at 23 Northern California hospitals, cut about 400 positions throughout its network earlier this month, officials confirmed Thursday. The news comes two months after Kaiser Permanente eliminated about 200 jobs across its Northern California region. (Mishanec, 6/17)
inewsource:
San Diego Doctor Faces Negligence Charge Over Diabetes Treatment
A San Diego doctor who was a key figure in a 2018 inewsource investigation into a diabetes treatment some called a scam is facing charges before the state medical board that could result in probation or the loss of his license and ability to practice medicine. The accusation was filed in May against Dr. James Novak and involves two diabetes patients treated at his medical office with the controversial four-hour IV insulin procedure. The treatment was being offered through a Trina Health clinic Novak previously told inewsource he established in August 2016 as part of his Pacific Beach family practice. (Plummer, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Cyberattack On Bay Area Water Supply: 'No Specific Threat To Public Safety'
A hacker accessed the computer system of a Bay Area water treatment plant in January and deleted programs the plant used to treat drinking water, a senior intelligence official confirmed Thursday. NBC News first reported Thursday that the unidentified hacker used a former plant employee's username and password to gain entry to the unidentified Bay Area water treatment facility on Jan. 15. (Mishanec, 6/17)
CapRadio:
Californians Receiving Unemployment Benefits Will Once Again Need To Prove They're Looking For Work
Californians receiving unemployment benefits will once again have to swear they are actively looking for work in order to qualify. Beginning July 11, unemployment benefits will be contingent on filers certifying to the state Employment Development Department that they’ve made at least two attempts each week to find work. (6/17)
Politico:
Child Tax Credit Checks Could Come As A Surprise To Some
The Biden administration is preparing to send money to millions of Americans — including to some who may not want it. Its plan to have people claim a portion of their child tax credit each month, starting in July, is primarily designed to provide a steady stream of cash to low-income Americans. But the administration intends to automatically enroll everyone who takes the credit — some 50 million families, earning up to $400,000 — in the monthly payment program unless they opt out. (Faler, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Obamacare Just Survived The Supreme Court. Again. It Never Should Have Been In Danger
The Affordable Care Act endured perhaps the last and certainly the least of the legal threats to its existence Thursday when the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge that even dedicated critics of the law characterized as meritless. Times being what they are, any victory for reason and humanity should be celebrated, and the end of this case, California v. Texas, qualifies as such. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who led the defense of the law as California’s attorney general, rightly noted that the frivolous lawsuit had the serious consequence of putting many Americans “in immediate danger of losing their health care in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic.” (6/17)
Los Angeles Times:
The Supreme Court Saves Obamacare Again
In rejecting yet another in a seemingly endless series of Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act, a divided Supreme Court did more than just preserve a crucial protection for millions of Americans with preexisting health conditions that make them vulnerable to gouging or exclusion by insurers. It also preserved the notions that people have to be injured in order to sue and that Congress, not the courts, write the laws in this country. Writing for a 7-2 majority Thursday, Justice Stephen G. Breyer held that the two individuals and 18 Republican-controlled states behind the lawsuit hadn’t shown that a change Congress made in the Affordable Care Act in 2017 was responsible for the financial harm they claimed to have suffered. The court ordered the case dismissed. (6/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Another Conservative Attack On Obamacare, Another Loss At The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act breaks no new legal ground, but it has enormous practical significance in that it means that 21 million people will keep their health insurance coverage. In 2012, in National Federation of Independent Business vs. Sebelius, the court in a 5-4 decision upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. One of the key issues before the court was the constitutionality of the individual mandate, the requirement that people purchase insurance or pay a penalty. The court, in an opinion by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., held that the individual mandate was a valid exercise of Congress’ power to impose a tax for the general welfare. (Erwin Chemerinsky, 6/17)
Los Angeles Times:
It's OK To Keep Your Mask On Even When You Don't Have To
Californians who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are no longer required to wear a face covering in most settings now that the state has lifted pandemic restrictions. Those who have yet to get a jab are not so lucky, though scofflaws probably won’t be tracked down and punished. But that doesn’t mean that all vaccinated people will choose to expose their faces immediately for a variety of valid reasons. Some people may not be ready to go maskless because of the risk to others. The risk of infection is very low for vaccinated people, but it’s not zero and they can pass it on to others who are not yet fully inoculated. Others do so for their own safety. Vaccines may not work as well for people whose immune systems are compromised. (6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Californians Are Heading Back Out Into The World. Expect Some Bad Behavior
California is open. On Tuesday, the state relaxed its most stringent anti-COVID precautions, including indoor masking rules for vaccinated people and rules governing social distancing. With fewer COVID restrictions, we can expect to see more people out in public in the near future. Are we prepared for how they will behave? Evidence is growing that many people have forgotten how to behave in public. It doesn’t take much scrolling on social media to witness an explosion of bad behavior: fighting on airplanes, spitting at service workers, fans attacking athletes and others at sporting events. (Thomas Plante, 6/15)
Sacramento Bee:
As CA Economy Reopens, We Must Learn From COVID-19 Mistakes
Starting Tuesday, there are no capacity limits or social distancing rules in public. Highly-effective vaccines are abundant. Masks are no longer required in most indoor settings — excluding health care, transportation and child care — as long as you’re vaccinated. In many respects, it feels like we reached the “light at the end of the tunnel” that everyone was talking about. For those who are vaccinated, the desire to ditch facial coverings and go somewhere crowded is understandable. Isolating for 15 months came with sacrifices that profoundly affected our livelihoods and our physical and mental well-beings. (6/15)
Capital & Main:
As California Reopens, A Brutal 'Normal' Awaits Many
A powerful tidal wave is building, feeding off the primal desire to reclaim a lost sense of normalcy. There is no place in the country where that desire is closer to fruition than in California, with COVID infection rates lower than in any other state and a full reopening only a day away. Even for those who have had a taste of liberation from the purgatory of the past 15 months, June 15 looms large, promising a return to something we thought might be gone forever. Amidst our collective sense of relief, it is so easy to forget what normalcy actually means. For many, it is material comfort, an abundance of food, shelter and leisure without the stalking horse of an invisible killer that cut off physical contact and rendered everyone vulnerable. (Danny Feingold, 6/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How California's COVID Restrictions Saved Its Economy
California’s reopening this week marks the end of more than a year of nation-leading pandemic restrictions that, as critics would have it, smothered the economy in the name of questionable public health benefits. Meanwhile, states like Florida and Texas braved the contagion and reaped the rewards of relative normalcy. The economic facts, however, aren’t cooperating with this politically polarized interpretation. (6/16)
The Mercury News:
California Pandemic Cataclysm Requires A 3/13 Commission
When an irreplaceable foundation of our free society is threatened — as our national democracy was during the Jan. 6 insurrection — an independent body must investigate so that there’s accountability for those responsible, and the attack doesn’t happen again. For these same reasons, the ongoing California cataclysm that began on March 13, 2020 needs its own commission. On that fateful day, California, facing a new pandemic, shut down the foundation of its economy, its culture, and its civic life — our schools. The closures came with little notice or planning, and in defiance of California’s constitutional guarantee of education for its children. (Joe Mathews, 6/18)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Craving Human Touch After So Much COVID Distancing? Give Blood
Over the past 15 months, we’ve watched in terror as more than half a million of our neighbors have died. We’ve dodged each other’s breath and given up kissing strangers. Physical touch with those outside our bubble has been inextricably connected with fears of death. And yet in its total absence, we have felt less alive. My modest proposal for people who are vaccinated and feel the visceral ache of identification with the phrase “skin hunger”: donate blood. Those who are eligible and comfortable should schedule blood donations among our first post-vaccine appointments, like haircuts and dentist appointments. (Jenny Singer, 6/14)
Orange County Register:
Pass Senate Bill 519 To Ease Access To Psychedelic Treatments
Because of my experience with psychedelic therapies, I started the Bailey Collective to help former pro-athletes who are suffering from trauma and connect them with resources to help them emerge on the other side. After my experience with these treatments I became passionate about making psychedelic therapies accessible to those who need it most. That’s why I am urging legislators to vote yes on Senate Bill 519, which would decriminalize psychedelics in California and open the door to these breakthrough treatments. (Rodney Bailey, 6/17)
The Mercury News and East Bay Times:
Bay Area Refinery Rules Would Improve Environment And Health
For far too long, Bay Area residents have paid a steep environmental and health price for our dependence on gas-powered vehicles. While emissions from cars and trucks are a major contributor to climate change, emissions from the region’s refineries that fuel those vehicles exacerbate the Bay Area’s particulate matter pollution. Specifically, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, fine particulate matter is the most-significant air pollution health hazard in the Bay Area, especially in terms of premature deaths. The district board is considering rules that would force Bay Area refineries to install the best available retrofit technology to markedly reduce their particulate emissions. It’s about time. (6/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento’s Homeless Plan Is Too Small To Address Crisis
In January, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg presented the City Council with what he described as a “comprehensive” proposal to address homelessness. It’s called the “City Master Siting, Operations, Programmatic and Financing Plan to Address Homelessness.” Each council member was challenged to identify potential sites for short-term shelter, medium-term housing and permanent housing. As it turned out, and as many advocates feared, this process went well in some districts and was fairly non-existent in others. In fact, 75% of the proposed 47 sites are in just two districts. (Erlenbusch, 6/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Homeless Crisis Has Life-Or-Death Consequences
One of the most visible and troubling impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic during the past year has been a pervasive rise in the number of homeless individuals in Sacramento. While much of the recent hope for reviving the prosperity of our region has centered on wider vaccine distribution, dropping infection rates and a lifting of restrictions, it is obvious to us that Sacramento’s future must include a new and collaborative approach to assisting the homeless. The most obvious sign of deterioration of quality of life in our community is homelessness. Current efforts, while well-intended, are not working and the suffering continues. Our local jurisdictions have invested millions of dollars in a variety of attempts to provide lasting relief, working cooperatively with service providers, yet the exploding population of unhoused continues to grow in size and complexity. (Michael Ault and Mike Jaske, 6/16)