- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Gun Control Vs. Mental Health Care: Debate After Mass Shootings Obscures Murky Reality
- Public Health and Education 4
- Number Of Unaccounted People In Camp Fire Spikes To More Than 600
- Fire Evacuees Now Living In Parking Lot Tent Cities Dealing With Harsh Conditions, Aggressive Norovirus Outbreak
- Serious Health Effects From California's Wildfires Almost Inevitable Despite Precautions, Experts Warn
- California's Forests Are Prone To Devastating Wildfires. Experts Think Controlled Burns Could Help With That.
- Coverage And Access 1
- 'Medicare For All' Has Become A Litmus Test For Progressive Dems. But Carrying Through On Promise Also Holds Big Risk.
- Marketplace 1
- CVS-Aetna Merger Passes One Of Remaining Hurdles As California Regulators OK The $69B Deal
- Around California 1
- 'We Want To Leave Nobody Behind': Covered California Director Continues Statewide Push For Enrollment
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Gun Control Vs. Mental Health Care: Debate After Mass Shootings Obscures Murky Reality
More than half of mass shooters have serious mental health disorders, experts say, but the vast majority of mentally ill people are not violent. Some clinicians suggest strategic interventions, including closing loopholes in background checks to buy firearms and allowing family members to confiscate guns under temporary court orders for relatives at risk of doing harm. (Rob Waters, )
More News From Across The State
Number Of Unaccounted People In Camp Fire Spikes To More Than 600
The death toll continued its steady rise as well, climbing to 63. “We have never had anything of this magnitude,” said Wendy Bailey, 58, whose search team had found the remains of two victims the previous day. “I have seen burned bodies before, but never just disintegrated. It’s usually not like this.”
Los Angeles Times:
Paradise Vows To Rebuild Even As Death Toll And Number Of Missing Rises
The number of people unaccounted for soared to 631 — up from 130 on Wednesday evening — after authorities combed through additional 911 calls and other reports generated at the peak of the chaotic evacuation. Honea said that number may include some people who are counted twice or others who may not know they were reported missing. (Tchekmedyian, Santa Cruz and Panzar, 11/15)
San Jose Mercury News:
Camp Fire: 63 Dead, 631 Missing; Second Origin Spot Probed
When the Camp Fire first tore through Butte County, John Pohmajevich stayed put in the small town of Magalia — a place he’s called home for several years now. He knew if he left, there would be no telling when he would be able to return. On Thursday, the San Mateo native surveyed the devastating damage the fire’s left in its wake and recalled the last time he saw something like this: the Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the Bay Area in 1989. (Salonga and DeRuy, 11/15)
The Washington Post:
Camp Fire’s Destruction In Northern California Leaves Rescue Teams Sifting Through Debris For Human Remains
Wendy Bailey, a widow and retired stay-at-home mother, hunched over a charred bathtub, surrounded by ash, looking for any trace of human remains. It was her second day searching for victims of the ferocious wildfire that destroyed this city of about 26,000 residents last week, an effort that authorities say has become the largest search operation in California history. (Craig, 11/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
After Camp Fire, Cops Patrol A Ruined Paradise: ‘There’s Really No One To Watch Over’
A pink ribbon decorates the town police station. That means the building’s been cleared. So everyone reports to work — all 21 sworn officers — even though there is no community left to serve. After the Camp Fire destroyed much of Paradise, the local cops had hundreds of welfare and property checks to complete. So they were busy until they were done, and then the small force was suddenly thrust into the quiet in-between. There’s not much to do here, not until the victims’ bodies are recovered, the electrical lines repaired and the checkpoints removed from the edge of town. (Johnson, 11/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Trump To Visit California Wildfire Victims; Death Toll Rises
President Donald Trump will visit California on Saturday to visit with individuals affected by California fires. Details on the time and place have yet to be determined, according to a White House press pool report. “The president will travel to California this Saturday to meet with individuals impacted by the wildfires,” said Lindsay Walters, Trump’s deputy press secretary. “We will keep you updated on details as they are available.” (Anderson, 11/15)
Evacuees huddled together for warmth as temperatures dropped to near freezing this week. Many are dealing with nightmares from their evacuation, others have been sickened with a virus that's spreading quickly through the evacuation camps.
Los Angeles Times:
Made Homeless By Flames, Camp Fire Evacuees Face Hardship, Disease And Desperation
Don Hardin burrowed between blankets in his SUV, and switched on the heater whenever the shivers returned. Even during the day Thursday, the 81-year-old Camp fire evacuee, who has arthritis, struggled to stay warm. When temperatures dropped near freezing Wednesday night, Hardin popped a sleeping pill. (Santa Cruz, La Ganga and Gerber, 11/15)
The Washington Post:
Norovirus Sickens Camp Fire Evacuees In Chico California Shelter
Nearly two dozen people who evacuated to escape the devastating Camp Fire in Northern California have been sickened by a contagious virus that has spread through an emergency shelter, officials say. Lisa Almaguer, a spokeswoman for the Butte County Public Health Department, said Thursday in a statement that 21 people being housed at the Chico Neighborhood Church Shelter have tested positive for norovirus, an extremely contagious virus known to spread easily, causing vomiting and diarrhea. (Bever, 11/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Thousands Of Camp Fire Evacuees In Shelters, Tents Face Long Wait For Normalcy
Tents sprawled in a parking lot. Cots jammed side by side at a fairgrounds. Desperation on the faces of the parents and children with nothing but smoking ruins to go home to. The devastating Camp Fire that wiped out the town of Paradise and savaged neighborhoods for miles around in Butte County has shoved 52,000 people out of their homes. And with roads closed and flames still devouring area forest lands, there is no timetable for when they might be able to either go home or find some semblance of normalcy in a new place. (Asimov and Fagan, 11/15)
Beyond the current fires burning in California, doctors, scientists and public health officials are concerned that the changing face of wildfires will pose a much broader health hazard than just bothersome smoke.
The Associated Press:
Smoke Spreading From California Fires Sparks Health Concerns
Smoke masks. Eye drops. No outdoor exercise. This is how Californians are trying to cope with wildfires choking the state, but experts say an increase in serious health problems may be almost inevitable for vulnerable residents as the disasters become more commonplace. Research suggests children, the elderly and those with existing health problems are most at risk. (11/15)
Sacramento Bee:
No Wildfire Smoke Days For CA State Workers In Sacramento
State buildings in downtown Sacramento are open and public employees are expected to go to work despite the heavy smoke from the Camp Fire that seems to be seeping into some downtown office buildings. State workers who are sensitive to the smoke that has settled in downtown Sacramento can ask their supervisors to work from home, Cal HR spokesman Andrew LaMar said. (Ashton, 11/15)
Controlled burns allow experts to control the time smoke is released, keep the destruction contained and away from vulnerable people, and can make it easier for firefighters to control wildfires' behavior.
Capital Public Radio:
Should California Deliberately Set Its Forests On Fire? Some Experts Say Prescribed Burns Could Prevent Disaster.
David Murray is a burn boss — at least that’s what his colleagues call him. He leads a crew of firefighters in the Tahoe region, and on a recent October afternoon he was concerned, because the winds were set to kick up overnight. “We were hoping that the wind event wouldn’t happen,” Murray said while working a fire at Sugar Pine Point State Park on Lake Tahoe’s northwest side. To prepare, his crews used hoses to put out the fire perimeter. (Romero, 11/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Power Lines Keep Sparking Wildfires. Why Don’t California Utility Companies Bury Them?
Why don’t they just put the damn power lines underground? In fire-scarred California communities, that question is being posed, often angrily, as evidence mounts that the state’s traditional overhead electrical power grid is at times a liability, culpable for starting some of the state’s biggest blazes. (Bizjak, Bollag and Kasler, 11/16)
Calif. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom ran in part on his support for a single-payer system in his state, but no matter how he moves forward he's bound to anger a section of his base. His situation is emblematic of the dilemma the rest of the party faces as the 2020 campaign starts up.
Politico:
California's New Governor Embodies Democrats' Dilemma On Single Payer
California’s next governor Gavin Newsom is an avowed single-payer supporter in the country’s most populous state. But how much of his stand is principle and how much is policy is not totally clear. And no matter how he handles it, he'll inevitably anger part of his base. That, in a nutshell, is a preview of the Democrats' health policy dilemma heading into the 2020 election cycle. Single payer, or “Medicare for All,” has become a litmus test for the growing number of Democrats who are contemplating challenging President Donald Trump. (Colliver, 11/15)
The Hill:
Left Wants A Vote On Single-Payer Bill In New Congress
Progressive Democrats are pushing for a vote on a controversial health-care bill after the party takes control of the House early next year. But the left’s push for “Medicare for all” legislation would likely divide Democrats and pose a headache for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is poised to become Speaker in the next Congress. (Sullivan, 11/15)
CVS-Aetna Merger Passes One Of Remaining Hurdles As California Regulators OK The $69B Deal
Among other conditions, CVS and Aetna also agreed to not raise insurance premiums as a direct result of acquisition costs.
Modern Healthcare:
CVS-Aetna Merger OK'd By California Regulators
California regulators approved the $69 billion CVS-Aetna merger with conditions on Thursday, bringing the deal another step closer to the finish line. The state's Department of Managed Health Care said CVS and Aetna agreed to keep premium increases "to a minimum" after the merger, though the agency didn't define a threshold in its announcement. Like other commercial health insurers, Aetna will still be subject to rate reviews by the department. (Livingston, 11/15)
Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said nearly half of uninsured Californians — 1.1 million — are eligible for coverage under Covered California.
The Bakersfield Californian:
Covered California Bus Tour Comes To Bakersfield To Promote Open Enrollment
Life can change in an instant. That’s the message Covered California officials tried to convey during a pit stop in Bakersfield on Thursday as part of a statewide bus tour to encourage people to sign up for health coverage during open enrollment, which lasts through Jan. 15. The event, held at Mill Creek Park, included a dance performance by the Penn Point Dance Academy in Bakersfield, depicting a group participating in a jog when a member has an accident and tears a tendon in her foot. The goal of the performance was to show that accidents can happen at any time. (Luiz, 11/15)
In more news from across the state —
The Associated Press:
California Recommends Ending Use Of Chlorpyrifos On Most Crops
California regulators recommended new restrictions Thursday on a widely used pesticide blamed for harming the brains of babies. The Department of Pesticide Regulation issued temporary guidelines for chlorpyrifos that include banning it from crop dusting, discontinuing its use on most crops and increasing perimeters around where it's applied. (Melley, 11/15)
Capital Public Radio:
Watch: California Mayors’ Forum On Homelessness And Housing
Today the California Dream project is hosting a wide-ranging conversation with the mayors of four of California's largest cities about our crisis in homelessness and housing. Watch the conversation here live at noon to find out what they're doing at a local level and what else they think California can do to help those struggling to get by. (11/16)
The agency is allowing sales of flavored products in stores as long as their in an age-restricted section or areas inside stores that are not accessible to people under 18. Earlier versions of the proposal had contained a ban on the sales completely. But, in one of its most aggressive actions to date, the FDA did announce it would implement a ban on menthol products.
The Washington Post:
FDA Unveils Sweeping Anti-Tobacco Effort To Reduce Underage Vaping And Smoking
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday launched a multipronged attack on the rising underage use of tobacco products, imposing sales restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes and announcing plans to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The FDA says it will limit sales of many flavored e-cigarettes to bricks-and-mortar outlets that have either age-restricted entry or areas inside stores that are not accessible to people under 18. The agency also will require stepped-up age verification for online sales. (McGinley and Bernstein, 11/15)
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Seeks Restrictions On Teens’ Access To Flavored E-Cigarettes And A Ban On Menthol Cigarettes
The proposed menthol ban would be the most aggressive action the F.D.A. has taken against the tobacco industry in nearly a decade, and it was notable given the Trump administration’s business-friendly approach to regulatory issues. But the proposal is likely to face a protracted legal battle, so it could be years in the making. The effort to cut off access to flavored e-cigarettes stopped short of a ban that the F.D.A. had threatened in recent months as it sought to persuade e-cigarette makers like Juul Labs to drop marketing strategies that might appeal to minors. The agency said it would allow stores to continue selling such flavored products, but only from closed off-areas that would be inaccessible to teenagers. (Kaplan and Hoffman, 11/15)
NPR:
FDA Moves To Ban Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Cigars
In a statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb says the moves are aimed at fighting smoking among young people. Flavored e-cigarettes, menthol-flavored tobacco cigarettes and flavored cigars are all popular among teenagers. "Today, I'm pursuing actions aimed at addressing the disturbing trend of youth nicotine use and continuing to advance the historic declines we've achieved in recent years in the rates of combustible cigarette use among kids," Gottlieb says. (Stein, 11/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
Youth Use Of E-Cigarettes Jumped 78%, Government Study Shows
Youth use of e-cigarettes soared between 2017 and 2018, thanks largely to the popularity of the Juul and similar thumb-drive shaped vaporizers, according to a federal survey released Thursday. The number of U.S. high-school students who used e-cigarettes rose 78% between the spring of 2017 and the spring of 2018 to 3.05 million, according to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey. That is 20.8%, or one out of every five high-school students. (McKay, 11/15)
The Associated Press:
FDA To Crack Down On Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Vapes
Battery-powered e-cigarettes are more popular among teens than regular smokes and are considered safer. But many versions contain potentially addictive nicotine, and health officials believe they set kids who try them on a path toward regular cigarettes. Gottlieb called for additional steps to prevent the marketing of e-cigarettes directly to kids and online sales to minors. He also proposed beefing up measures to ensure that convenience stores and some other retailers do not sell e-cigarettes in kid-friendly flavors such as cherry and vanilla. They could still be sold in vape shops or other businesses that do not admit minors. (Stobbe, 11/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Seeks Ban On Menthol Cigarettes
The FDA concluded in 2013 that menthols are harder to quit and likely pose a greater health risk than regular cigarettes. But it wasn’t until last year that the agency signaled it was considering a ban on menthol and other flavored tobacco products. (Maloney and McGinty, 11/15)
The New York Times:
She Couldn’t Quit Smoking. Then She Tried Juul.
Try as she might, Brittany Kligman couldn’t free herself of a pack-a-day cigarette habit, eight years in duration. And she ached to. She was mortified the time that a taxi driver sniffed as she entered his cab and remarked, “You’re a smoker, huh?” (And she had just showered!) She was getting more sinus infections. Because her chest felt uncomfortably tight when she exercised, she stopped high intensity interval training. Then SoulCycle classes. Finally, she quit working out. (Hoffman, 11/16)
The New York Times:
The Price Of Cool: A Teen, A Juul And Nicotine Addiction
He was supposed to inhale on something that looked like a flash drive and threw off just a wisp of a cloud? What was the point? A skeptical Matt Murphy saw his first Juul at a high school party in the summer of 2016, in a suburban basement crowded with kids shouting over hip-hop and swigging from Poland Spring water bottles filled with bottom-shelf vodka, followed by Diet Coke chasers. (Hoffman, 11/16)
The New York Times:
Q&A: The ABCs Of E-Cigarettes
The term “electronic cigarette” refers to a battery-powered device that heats a tank or cartridge of liquid usually containing nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals, but not the cancer-causing tar found in tobacco cigarettes. Users inhale and exhale the vapor. The devices come in numerous shapes, including ones that look like pens, flash drives and hookahs. Many consumers are confused about the health implications of e-cigarettes. This is a primer about what research so far shows about these devices. (Hoffman, 11/15)
East Bay Times:
'Vaping Epidemic': Health Advocates Call For Tighter Rules
As the Food and Drug Administration captured national headlines Thursday announcing plans to reduce underage tobacco product use, health advocates in Fremont hosted a meeting on the issue, and called on local leaders to take further steps to protect youth from nicotine addiction. About 50 people showed up Thursday evening to hear about the results of a recent study examining the offerings and pricing of tobacco products at retailers in Fremont. Students, school board members and educators also spoke, sharing data about the negative health effects of tobacco and e-cigarette use, as well as personal anecdotes about the depth of the vaping trend in local high schools. (Geha, 11/16)
Since the 1970s, NRA has been a big player in politics, pouring millions into lawmakers' campaigns. But the organization may finally have a formidable foe.
The New York Times:
Gun Control Groups Eclipse N.R.A. In Election Spending
Amid a numbing succession of mass shootings, gun control groups outspent the National Rifle Association in the midterm election cycle, federal filings and additional reporting indicate, upending the usual order in the partisan battle over gun use. Two groups that are focused on gun control, Giffords and Everytown for Gun Safety, spent at least $37 million at the state and federal level in the midterms, compared with at least $20 million by the N.R.A. (Hakim and Shorey, 11/16)
In other national health care news —
Stat:
An Industry Outsider Tries To Salvage Pharma's Bruised Reputation
Patrick O’Connor wants to emphasize that he’s not running a shadowy pharma front group. That’s why he’s attached his name to the group, the Alliance to Protect Medical Innovation, even as most of its donors have remained in the dark. It’s why he keeps repeating that the industry trade group PhRMA is not involved. And it’s why he agreed to sit down with STAT for this story, even though he cast himself as uninteresting. O’Connor is the executive director of APMI, a coalition that aims to “help educate policymakers and the public about medical breakthroughs developed by the biopharmaceutical industry.” (Swetlitz, 11/16)
Stat:
As New Therapies Arrive, Pressure Builds To Figure Out How To Pay For Them
The launch of a handful of inventive cell and gene therapies is already testing players in the health care system to figure out how to pay for them. But the real strain could be five years away, when a wave of these pioneering treatments could enter the market and overwhelm the system. That explains the growing pressure on drug companies, insurers, and others to develop value-based pricing — a mechanism to determine how much value any given therapy will provide over time. (Joseph, 11/15)
The Hill:
CDC: Suicide Rates Increasing Among American Workers
The suicide rate among Americans of working age increased 34 percent from 2000 to 2016, according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Increasing suicide rates in the U.S. are a concerning trend that represent a tragedy for families and communities and impact the American workforce,” said Dr. Debra Houry, director of the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (Hellmann, 11/15)
The New York Times:
Blacks Are Twice As Likely As Whites To Experience Sudden Cardiac Death
The rate of sudden cardiac death in African-Americans is twice as high as in whites, and no one knows why. Sudden cardiac death is an unexpected fatality from cardiac causes that happens within an hour of the onset of symptoms, usually with no known cause. (Bakalar, 11/15)
The Battle Quietly Brewing Over Privatization Of Veterans' Health Care
President Donald Trump is an enthusiastic supporter of moving veterans into private care. But many experts, veterans groups and lawmakers have warned that it will cost the taxpayers a lot of money and veterans will get worse care. Meanwhile, technological failures are leaving some veterans without GI Bill money.
ProPublica:
Trump Administration Plots Costly Private-Care Expansion For Veterans
The administration is working on a plan to shift millions more veterans to private doctors and is aiming to unveil the proposal during Trump’s State of Union address in January, according to four people briefed on the proposal. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose information about the administration’s plans. The cost of expanding private care is hard to predict, but VA officials have told Congress and veterans groups that it will range from $13.9 billion to $32.1 billion over five years, the four people said. Since the administration opposes lifting overall government spending, Democrats say the increased cost of private care will come at the expense of the VA’s own health system. Some lawmakers said the administration’s plan defies the purpose of the law they passed. (Arnsdorf, 11/15)
The Washington Post:
GI Bill: Veterans Wait Months For Payments Because Of VA Technology Failures
Daniel Gorman knows what it’s like to return from war, and he wants to help fellow veterans come home, too: The former sailor turned New York National Guardsman is finishing a graduate degree in social work at Fordham University. But the Department of Veterans Affairs has thrown his fall semester into chaos by underpaying him without notice or explanation — making him one veteran among potentially tens of thousands on the GI Bill who have watched their bank accounts dwindle because of the agency’s ongoing technology failures. (Horton, 11/15)
Viewpoints: The Status Quo Isn't Working. We Need A Wildfire Prevention Plan.
Also, following the shooting in a California bar, opinion writers weigh in on how to reduce gun violence.
San Jose Mercury News:
Newsom Must Seek California Summit On Wildfires
The devastation caused by California’s wildfires demands dramatic, immediate action. The status quo in forest management isn’t working. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom should invite federal and state leaders for a California Summit on Wildfires on Jan. 8, the day after his inauguration. The goal: forge a comprehensive wildfire prevention plan that can be implemented in 2019. Taking immediate action will stamp the governor as a man of action and offers the best chance the state has to fix a deadly crisis. (11/13)
McClatchy:
How We Can Slow California’s Fires
The Camp Fire has claimed more than 50 victims, and we continue to look for those who are missing. The Tubbs Fire, around Santa Rosa, killed 22 in 2017. Mudslides following the Thomas Fire in Southern California killed 20 people last year. Just months ago, seven people perished in the Carr Fire in Redding. There are nearly 9,000 firefighters battling blazes this week in Malibu and Butte County. Californians are anxious. And with our attention fixed on Paradise, we wonder: who’s going to be next? (11/15)
San Jose Mercury News:
Hold PG&E Accountable For California Wildfires
Californians will have to wait to discover the cause of the tragic Camp Fire that has claimed at least 48 lives and burned nearly the entire city of Paradise. But they shouldn’t have to wait to make PG&E more accountable for the utility’s failure to properly maintain its equipment. It’s unacceptable that the Legislature continues to enable a utility business model that favors putting profits before safety. Enough is enough. (11/15)
Orange County Register:
California’s Predictably Blue Midterm Elections – And What It Means For You
As any devoted follower of the political left’s playbook should [know, San Francisco] has adopted a government health care system for the poor, Healthy San Francisco. The program places a financial burden on the small businesses that collect fees to fund it, and their customers who are taxed with passed-on costs. Now imagine such a program operating statewide. Costs would be enormous. There’s no coincidence that the program was signed into law by [Gov.-elect Gavin] Newsom, an unapologetic proponent of a single-payer health care system modeled after Healthy San Francisco that would surely break the state if implemented. (Kerry Jackson, 11/14)
Los Angeles Times:
To Stop Mass Shootings, Put Tighter Restrictions On Semiautomatic Guns
Recent history shows that mass killings in the U.S. don’t follow a single script. But there is one common element shared by many of these tragedies: legal access to semiautomatic guns. Domestic terrorists such as the mass shooters in Thousand Oaks, Pittsburgh and Parkland, Fla., come from different demographic backgrounds and have different characteristics. Few reforms are likely to stop them all. But all three killers used semiautomatic guns, which research has shown are more lethal on average in terrorist attacks than explosives or other weapons. And all three managed to kill and injure more people than the terrorist who mailed homemade pipe bombs to high-profile targets in October. (Benjamin Bahney, 11/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Mass Shootings — When The ‘War On Terror’ Comes Home
Even as gun control advocates celebrated election gains last week, the country was in the grip of terror following mass shootings in Pittsburgh and Thousand Oaks. This terrorism is not purely a domestic phenomenon, but a product of America’s relationship with the world: Terrorism in American life is inseparable from American violence in the world. (Priya Satia, 11/14)
Los Angeles Times:
The Sooner We Build Housing For Homeless People, The Sooner They Can Get Off The Sidewalk
Building housing is a long, slow affair. It’s even slower when developers are building housing for homeless people. Just cobbling together financing from myriad sources can take up to two years, and then there’s the permitting, the political haggling, the inevitable negotiations with neighbors. So it’s encouraging to see two different attempts to speed up this lumbering process. (11/14)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Finally Helping The Homeless. Why Are We Still Fighting?
No one in Sacramento, for example, wants people to be homeless, living in a tent under a bridge, in an alley or along the American River Parkway. But not everyone is eager to have a pop-up Sprung emergency shelter in his or her neighborhood, as [Mayor Darrell] Steinberg has warned could be in the works when he announces a list of potential sites next month. And no one wants to see families and elderly tenants on fixed incomes priced out of their apartments and forced onto the streets — or into cheaper parts of the city, displacing other residents. Everyone wants more affordable housing. But, given the abject failure of Proposition 10 to free cities from the restrictions of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, it’s clear not everyone is OK with rent control as a solution. (Erika D. Smith, 11/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Americans Are So Stubbornly Inactive, Public Health Advocates Are Getting Desperate
Public heath advocates appear to be getting desperate over the state of Americans’ inactivity. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday released a new set of physical activity guidelines and they are ... ah ... interesting. Instead of prescribing the standard block of sustained physical activity — previously at least 10 minutes at a time — the government is now urging Americans to, you know, move around more during the day and sit less. (Mariel Garza, 11/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Half Of All Underage Smokers Choose Menthols. We Need To Kick Kools To The Curb
Anti-smoking advocates say that a rule banning menthol cigarettes, provided it is not watered down or undermined, would be the most important tobacco reduction action the FDA has ever taken. Today, about a quarter of all the cigarettes sold are mentholated. Half of all smokers under 18 choose menthols, according to the FDA, perhaps because the light minty taste makes it easier to ignore the health-destroying damage done with each inhalation — and also because advertisements for menthol cigarettes are especially common in publications targeted to young people. (11/13)
Los Angeles Times:
A Texas Abortion Procedure Ban Is Unnecessary, Full Of Theatrics And Harmful To Women
The Texas state Legislature has been relentless in its efforts to stop women from exercising their legal right to an abortion. When the Supreme Court tossed out the state’s onerous requirements for abortion clinics and providers in 2016, the statehouse just kept churning out other restrictions, both absurd (such as the requirement that fetal remains be buried or cremated, which has also been struck down) and serious. The 5th Circuit should see a restriction on this common and safe second-trimester procedure as onerous and unlawful, and uphold the injunction. (11/12)