Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Rx: State May Dive Into Generic Drug Market
California could become the first state to develop its own line of generic drugs under a bill approved Monday by the legislature. The measure heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom for consideration. (Angela Hart and Samantha Young, )
Long-Fought Nurse Practitioner Independence Bill Heads to Newsom
The measure caps one of the most contentious health policy debates in recent memory, potentially altering how Californians get their medical care. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to sign or veto it. (Rachel Bluth, )
Lawmakers Pass Flurry Of Health-Related Bills: California lawmakers on Monday wrapped up a legislative session largely defined by the pandemic as they approved new COVID-19 sick leave for food workers, added sweeping labor protections for laid-off hotel staff and made it easier for essential employees to file for workers’ compensation. The bills now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Read more from the Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle and the Associated Press.
The legislature passed bills on:
Prescription Costs: Senate Bill 852 would lower the cost and increase availability of prescription drugs for Californians. Read more from the Associated Press.
911 Calls: Assembly Bill 1775 would make it a hate crime to call 911 to harass or otherwise violate the rights of a person based only on their race. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Statutory Rape Laws: Senate Bill 145 would eliminate a disparity in the state's statutory rape laws that critics say criminalizes gay sex. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Graduation Requirements: Assembly Bill 1350 would allow certain members of California’s class of 2020 who didn’t graduate because of COVID to get a second chance at a high school diploma. Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
The Housing Crisis: California Gov. Gavin Newsom late Monday announced he signed Assembly Bill 3088 into law to prevent a looming wave of evictions during the pandemic. Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage and the best of the rest of the news.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
Tobacco Firms Could Ask California Voters To Reverse Flavored Ban
California voters could be asked to overturn a new law banning the sale of flavored tobacco after opponents notified the state Monday of plans to seek a referendum on the measure. A notice was filed with the state by an attorney who has represented firms including R.J. Reynolds, which led the opposition campaign to Senate Bill 793. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill on Friday and it takes effect Jan. 1. (McGreevy, 8/31)
Politico:
Referendum Filed To Overturn California Flavored Tobacco Ban
Opponents of California’s recently signed ban on flavored tobacco are seeking to overturn the law with a referendum, following a common industry playbook to battle unwanted California laws. The measure that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Friday, CA SB793 (19R), prohibits flavored tobacco with an exemption for hookah — a landmark victory for public health interests who have warned that vapes loaded with sweet flavors are hooking a new generation on nicotine. Tobacco and convenience store interests waged a fierce but unsuccessful fight to block the bill. (White, 8/31)
Los Angeles Times:
California's Deadliest Month Of COVID-19 Pandemic Is August
August was the deadliest month of the COVID-19 pandemic in California, even as the state makes steady progress in reducing infections, hospitalizations and deaths, data show. This month, California has reported 3,745 deaths connected to COVID-19, an 18% increase over July, a Los Angeles Times analysis found. (Nelson, 8/31)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area May Be Turning Corner On Coronavirus As Cases Stabilize, Drop In Most Counties
After a deadly summer surge during which hundreds of Bay Area residents died from COVID-19, some parts of the Bay Area are finally seeing a slowdown in the spread of the coronavirus. New coronavirus cases are stabilizing or declining in eight of the nine Bay Area counties, according to cases reported by county health departments and compiled by The Chronicle. (Ho, 8/31)
Sacramento Bee:
Labor Union Threatens Foster Farms Boycott Due To COVID-19
United Farm Workers Monday raised the specter of a boycott of Foster Farms in Merced County, a day before the huge chicken processing plant is scheduled to shut down amid a coronavirus outbreak that health officials say has claimed the lives of at least eight workers. Union representatives said the company failed its employees and failed to comply with health department orders. They set forth a series of demands for the company and threatened a boycott of their products among workers and activists if those demands were not met. The union did not set a deadline, however, saying the situation was “dynamic.” (Tobias, 8/31)
AP:
Teen Siblings Send Cards Thanking Health Care Worker Heroes
Every day on every news channel, teenage siblings Prabhleen and Mantej Lamba watched the sacrifices of medical workers around the world who risk their physical and mental health on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. “We were really moved by this,” said Prabhleen, 15, “and we knew that we had to involve our community and take action.” So in the spirit of the Sikh faith’s core principle of “seva,” or selfless service, the San Francisco Bay area teens launched an initiative they called Cards 4 Covid Heroes to let health care workers know how much they’re appreciated. (Andres Henao, 8/31)
AP:
No In-Person Classes At Chico State Due To Virus Infections
California State University, Chico canceled its limited number of in-person classes Monday and told students in an urgently toned message to vacate campus housing by the weekend after nearly 30 people tested positive for the coronavirus days after the fall semester started. University President Gayle Hutchinson announced in a statement Sunday that the in-person classes it offered when the semester started last week will switch to virtual-only for the duration of the fall semester. She asked students to leave on-campus housing by the coming Sunday because nearly all on-campus residences have at least one positive case and “there is concern the numbers will only increase.” (Gecker and Rodriguez, 9/1)
Los Angeles Times:
LAUSD Kindergarten Enrollment Plummets For Online School
Enrollment at the Los Angeles Unified School District has continued its downward trend for the 2020-21 academic year, with the decline in kindergarten enrollment — especially in the school system’s lowest-income neighborhoods — about three times as large as in recent years. “Overall enrollment is down at about the same level as prior years,” L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner said in remarks broadcast Monday morning. “The main drivers of this are the lack of affordable housing in the communities served by our schools and the continued decline in birth rate.” (Blume, 8/31)
Orange County Register:
Coronavirus: Reopening Of Orange County Schools Now Delayed To Sept. 22, At The Earliest
Orange County’s schools may be able to open in-person on Sept. 22 – not Sept. 8 – the Orange County Health Care Agency announced late Monday night via Twitter. Under a new four-color, tiered monitoring system, Orange County is in the most restrictive of the tiers, but it’s on track to bump up to the next tier on Sept. 8. (Kopetman, 8/31)
Bay Area News Group:
Bay Area Wildfires: Why Some Never Got Evacuation Alerts
Taylor Craig and his family had a plan for how they would evacuate ahead of a wildfire. They knew which vehicles they would take and what they would pack. They signed up for every alert system they could and watched closely for the word to leave. But as the lightning-sparked Hennessey Fire raced toward Craig’s northern Vacaville farm on the night of Aug. 18, those alerts never arrived. He and many of his Vacaville neighbors were forced to make harrowing last-minute escapes as the fire closed in, and now they want to know why. (Savidge and Sciacca, 8/31)
Bay Area News Group:
California Fires: Teaching Remotely After Losing Own Homes
Brian Cooper sat in front of his computer at Santa Cruz High School on Monday morning, getting ready to teach integrated math to an empty classroom.His first lesson wasn’t about equations. It was about resilience and empathy. Cooper was supposed to be teaching 32 students remotely from his house, like most teachers grappling with distance learning in the age of coronavirus. But his home office in Bonny Doon, with the view of the madrone and oaks and an occasional deer passing by, was destroyed by wildfire nearly two weeks ago. He and his fiancee had just purchased the house a month ago. (Prodis Sulek, 8/31)