Battle lines are drawn over California’s no-bid deal with Kaiser Permanente
BERNARD WOLFSON, California Healthline: “[Editor’s note: KHN, which produces California Healthline, is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.]
California counties, health insurance plans, community clinics, and a major national health care labor union are lining up against a controversial deal to grant HMO giant Kaiser Permanente a no-bid statewide Medi-Cal contract as the bill heads for its first legislative hearing Tuesday.
The deal, hammered out earlier this year in closed-door talks between Kaiser Permanente and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office and first reported by KHN, would allow KP to operate Medi-Cal plans in at least 32 counties without having to bid for the contracts. Medi-Cal’s other eight commercial health plans must compete for their contracts.Medi-Cal is California’s version of Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides health coverage to low-income people.”California Politics: The taxes paid by 100,000 millionaires
JOHN MYERS, LA Times: “When Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers settle on details of a new California budget in June to provide another year of government services for almost 40 million people, they will do so largely by tapping the fortunes of one of the most exclusive groups of taxpayers in the nation.The group includes almost 100,000 taxpayers with incomes above $1 million — residents who represent only about one-half of 1% of all tax returns filed in the state but collectively pay about 40% of all California personal income taxes.As tax day approaches, it’s this small subset of people who will likely again provide an outsize amount of government cash, a reminder of how dependent the state is on their fortunes.”Sonoma State president separates from husband amid sexual harassment, retaliation scandal
LA Times, COLLEEN SHALBY/ROBERT J LOPEZ: “Sonoma State University President Judy Sakaki, who is facing growing criticism of her handling of sexual harassment allegations involving her husband, announced Monday that she is separating from her spouse.
Sakaki said in a statement that she was “disavowing the words and actions of my husband, Patrick McCallum,” who she said sent emails to friends and family about the allegations that Sakaki called “inaccurate and unauthorized.” McCallum is a prominent higher education lobbyist and official volunteer on the Sonoma campus who has represented the university at many events with his wife.
Meanwhile, the state senator who represents the district that includes the university issued a statement saying the scandal raises “serious questions” about Sakaki’s leadership of the Northern California campus and asked the Board of Trustees to address the matter.”
President Biden has confidence in Sen. Feinstein, press secretary says
The Chronicle, TAL KOPAN: “President Biden continues to have confidence in California Sen. Dianne Feinstein after The Chronicle’s reported last week that some of the senator’s congressional colleagues have concerns about her fitness for the job, the White House press secretary said Monday.
“Yes, she’s a longtime friend, a proud public servant and someone he has long enjoyed serving with and working with,” Jen Psaki said in response to a question from a reporter at the daily White House briefing.
Psaki did not answer whether Biden had any conversation with Feinstein since last week.”
Sutter nurses stage 1-day strike over staffing, pandemic readiness at California hospitals
CATHIE ANDERSON and MICHAEL McGOUGH, SacBee: Honking horns and the shouts of at least 200 registered nurses rang all the way to the front doors of Sutter Roseville Medical Center on Monday, though trees and a sea of parking lots kept the pickets a quarter-mile away and well out of eyesight.
More than Northern California 8,500 nurses and technicians protested at the Roseville hospital and 14 others operated by the Sacramento-based system, saying they have reached a standoff in contract negotiations over staffing and pandemic preparedness.
Renee Waters, an intensive care nurse at Sutter Roseville, said she would like to see the company stockpile personal protective equipment, provide pandemic training on an ongoing basis, and offer automatic workers’ compensation to nurses infected with a disease that widely afflicts the patient population they’re treating.”
Rick Caruso missed nearly 40% of meetings as LAPD commissioner
LA Times, JAMES RAINEY: “Businessman Rick Caruso missed nearly 40% of Los Angeles Police Commission meetings when he served on the volunteer panel two decades ago, an attendance record far worse than his fellow commissioners.
Caruso has called his service on the commission one of his top qualifications to become mayor of Los Angeles. But during his tenure from 2001 to 2005 he missed 53 of 139 regular and special meetings, an absentee rate of 38%.
The billionaire mall developer also arrived late for a dozen meetings, according to the panel’s records, reviewed by The Times. The public record has a gap of about two months at the start of Caruso’s tenure, so the picture of his service is incomplete.”
Why do some people never get COVID while others get it several times, even if vaccinated?
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: “There are many people who have never gotten COVID-19, despite repeated exposure. At the other extreme, there are lots who’ve gotten sick from the coronavirus more than once, despite being vaccinated and even boosted.
Do we know why?
A lot of factors are at play, experts said, including genetics and variations in immune response. Scientists are working towards finding a clear answer.”
Map: Where 1906 earthquake shacks live on in San Francisco
The Chronicle, PETER HARTLAUB: “Where have all the 1906 earthquake shacks gone?
Most of the 5,610 relief cottages built in San Francisco parks have been demolished, but a surprising number — at least 30 and maybe many more — still exist in the San Francisco Bay Area. The residents who live in them swear the sturdy redwood frames built in a day could last another 115 years.
We've compiled a list of all the San Francisco shacks that are "certified" by local preservationists, plus some more strongly believed to be earthquake refugee shacks as well. Bernal Heights has the highest concentration, but the petite homes are scattered throughout the region and beyond.”
A small town in Kern County contemplates turning its community library into a police station
EdSource, EMMA GALLEGOS: “The fate of McFarland’s community library has become a hot topic of conversation in the small, agricultural town of over 14,000 just off Highway 99 in northern Kern County.
City leaders have rallied around a proposal to acquire the Clara M. Jackson Branch and convert it into a revamped headquarters for its police Department. The City Council, the local district superintendent and McFarland’s Recreation and Park District director recently penned letters to the county.
“With even a cursory review of the police department’s facility, it becomes glaringly obvious that the Department’s lack of space hinders them from efficiently and effectively carrying out their law enforcement duties,” wrote Aaron Resendez, superintendent of the McFarland Unified School District.
Column: ‘It’s not as bad as it looks.’ Alex Padilla on life in the Senate, and spicing up Capitol Hill
LA Times, MARK Z BARABAK: “Less than a year and a half in office, Alex Padilla has already made his mark in the U.S. Senate.
Last summer, when the dining room on the north side of the Capitol ended its pandemic-related closure, Padilla arrived wielding a bottle of Tapatío, the hot sauce native to the Los Angeles area.
Change comes slowly to the Senate, a sclerotic institution that still has a pair of spittoons on the floor because, well, tradition. But the manager of the dining room immediately agreed to add the zesty condiment to the menu, ending the requirement that lawmakers bring their own heat and instantly elevating the quality of the Senate’s famous, if bland, bean soup.
Is the San Francisco Police Department actually understaffed? Here’s what the data shows
The Chronicle, SUSIE NEILSON: “An analysis published last month by the San Francisco Police Department indicates the department has almost 500 fewer personnel than it needs to perform its current duties, suggesting the city is less safe than it should be.
But some crime researchers say the report relies on a number of assumptions that may overestimate or underestimate the number of police actually needed. The report also doesn’t clearly state how an increase in officers could translate into improved public safety. Academic research suggests that additional police officers often can reduce crime, but that other measures may have even greater impact.
San Francisco is one of the most highly policed cities in California. According to the FBI, San Francisco had 26 sworn police officers per 10,000 residents as of 2019, the latest year with data that is comparable across cities. That’s more than any other California city with at least 100,000 residents. (Sworn officers usually carry guns and have the power to arrest people; non-sworn or civilian employees generally work in technical positions like forensic analysis.)”
Florida judge voids U.S. mask mandate for planes, other travel
AP, CURT ANDERSON: “A federal judge in Florida on Monday voided the national mask mandate covering airlines and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The White House said the court ruling means that for now the mask order “is not in effect at this time.”
The ruling appeared to free operators to make their own decisions about mask requirements, with several airlines announcing they would drop mandates but the New York City subway planning to keep one in place.”
