"Epidemiologists tracking the spread of HIV in California will
begin using data based on patient names rather than relying on a flawed code-based system under
a new law signed Monday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger."
"The shift will ensure that California continues to receive more than $50 million annually for HIV/AIDS care from the federal government, which has ruled that code-based reporting is unreliable. With at least 38 states already signed on to use patient names, California is one of a handful of states still using alphanumeric codes to identify HIV cases."
"'This is a historic moment in time in fighting AIDS,' said
Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. 'We're aligning the way we handle AIDS to how we handle all other public health issues.'"
"An Assembly committee
voted yesterday to bar physicians from participating in executions after a frank debate that invoked abortion in a warning that doctors should be careful when they ask lawmakers to draw their ethical boundaries," reports James Sweeney in the Union-Trib.
"The powerful doctors' lobby, the California Medical Association, has sponsored legislation,
AB 1954 by Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, that would prohibit the state from using licensed physicians in an execution."
They wouldn't even make an exception for
doctors at UC Irvine?
"Orange County Sheriff
Mike Carona was
finally given his political party's blessing for re-election Monday night, winning the GOP endorsement in a second-chance vote, thanks in part to a last-minute speech by a congressman," reports Peggy Lowe in the Register.
"Debating for more than an hour and taking five tallies, the Orange County GOP endorsed Carona, 44-20, just minutes after U.S. Rep.
Dana Rohrabacher reminded the crowd that the sheriff has a plan to crack down on illegal immigrants in the local jails."
The LAT's Stephen Clark
looks at the Democrat in the runoff against Tom Harman in the 35th senate district runoff.
Larry "Caballero, 60, finished third in last week's three-person special election for a vacant state Senate seat in Orange County. But because no one got a majority vote, he will represent the Democrats in an uphill runoff election June 6 against Republican Assemblyman Tom Harman of Huntington Beach.
"'I was really tickled pink' by the results, said [
Larry] Caballero, of La Palma. 'Voters weren't interested in all of the negative campaigning.'
"Just ask Republican strategist
Adam Probolsky, who worked for [
Diane] Harkey. "There are certain truths to life that hold steady, and a Republican getting elected in the 35th district is just one of them,' he said. Caballero shouldn't take it personally, he said. '
He may be a nice guy. The voters may trust him to watch their children on Saturday night. But he ain't getting elected.'"
"A divided state Board of Education on Monday
adopted far-reaching new guidelines for reading and English language arts textbooks aimed at California's elementary and middle school students, despite objections that the materials do not do enough to help students struggling to learn English," reports Carla Rivera in the Times.
"The new curriculum, passed on a 6-4 vote, is critical because it will be used to provide detailed guidance for textbook publishers who will supply the books, teacher guides and other instructional materials for classrooms over much of the next decade."
Critics argue that the books don't go far enough for English-language learners. "'As chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, I do not believe in wasting money that does not support a large percentage of the students in this state,' [
Judy] Chu said."
At least some good came out of
Duke Cunningham's fall from grace. The San Diego Union Tribune
grabs a Pulitzer for their investigation of the former congressman. The good news: The prize comes with $10,000. The bad news: That's not even enough to get a contract from Cunningham.
And finally, from our
Felonious Drunk Files we close with the story of a Petaluma man who received
a DUI while driving a golf cart.
"Authorities said 50-year-old
Loren Dooley crashed the cart while giving a ride to his three sons, ages 10, 7 and 5. The boys were treated for minor injuries."
"Dooley was booked on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, Williford said. Dooley's blood-alcohol level was measured at less than 0.08 percent, which usually would not result in felony charges. But Williford said Dooley's cart was designed to carry only two people."