Newsom signs 13 abortion protection and reproductive health bills
LAT, MELODY GUTIERREZ: “Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 13 abortion protection and reproductive health bills Tuesday, codifying key parts of California’s campaign to counter the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
The newly signed laws also set the stage for a November vote to enshrine abortion rights directly into California’s Constitution under Proposition 1.
Newsom’s signatures were expected after the governor advocated for many of the measures and come after California launched a publicly funded website this month to make it easier for those seeking to end their pregnancy to find services and financial assistance. The state announced the website — at abortion.ca.gov — the same day that Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina pushed for a nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy with rare exceptions.”
California gas prices are rising again. Here’s why, and how high experts say they could go
The Chronicle, JESSICA FLORES: “Gas prices are rising yet again in California — one of several regions in the U.S. where refinery problems have squeezed supplies and caused local spikes severe enough to reverse an extended decline in the U.S. average gas price, according to experts.
The average price of a gallon of regular gas in California on Tuesday was $5.88 — up 9 cents overnight and 43 cents from a week ago, and more than $2 higher than the national average price, according to data from the American Automobile Association.
And prices in the state could continue to rise for several weeks — by as much as 75 cents per gallon in some areas, analysts said.”
Ban on building gas stations is emerging as new policy goal
Capitol Weekly, AARON GILBREATH: “In March 2021, Petaluma became the first community in America to permanently ban the construction of new gas stations.
For a nation that has been ruled by automobiles for the last century, banning gas stations seems a bold, if self-destructive, move on the surface. Given the severity of the world’s climate crisis, though, and California’s statewide goal to replace the sale of new combustion engine cars with electric vehicles by 2035, Petaluma’s decision makes sense.
“We really felt it was a win-win,” Mayor Teresa Barrett told The Los Angeles Times. Petaluma residents seem to agree. The city council passed the measure unanimously, and no residents spoke against the measure when the city’s Planning Commission met about it publicly. What Petaluma discovered was that it had too many gas stations for its size: 16 stations in its 14.5-square mile city. Its 60,000 residents didn’t need that many gas stations. Existing infrastructure could serve them well enough.”
Four in a row: California drought likely to continue
CALMatters, RACHEL BECKER: “As California’s 2022 water year ends this week, the parched state is bracing for another dry year — its fourth in a row.
So far, in California’s recorded history, six previous droughts have lasted four or more years, two of them in the past 35 years.
Despite some rain in September, weather watchers expect a hot and dry fall, and warn that this winter could bring warm temperatures and below-average precipitation. “
Governor signs contentious nursing home licensing bill that splintered advocates
CALMatters, JOCELYN WIENER: “A controversial bill aimed at fixing aspects of California’s broken nursing home licensing system was signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faced dueling pressure from advocates who typically are aligned.
In approving Assembly Bill 1502, the governor had no comment about his decision.
The bill was drafted to address serious problems with the state’s nursing home licensing system, which is overseen by the California Department of Public Health. A CalMatters investigation last year highlighted an opaque licensing process marred by indecision, confusion and yearslong delays that advocates contend affects patient care and transparency for consumers.”
Are abortion-seekers flocking to California? It's almost impossible to tell
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI/SOPHIA BOLLAG: “California is spending millions and implementing new laws to bolster its ability to accommodate abortion-seekers from all over the country— but there’s a catch: It is virtually impossible to find out how many people from out-of-state are traveling here for medical help that in some cases is paid for with state taxpayer dollars.
Not only is California one of a handful of states that doesn’t track the number of abortion s providers perform, none of the new abortion-related legislation that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Tuesday — much of it backed by $200 million in state funds — requires disclosure, either.
Nor does Proposition 1, a statewide ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in California’s Constitution.“
Jan. 6 still has the power to shock. But will it move California voters?
LAT, MELANIE MASON: “In a competitive Los Angeles-area congressional district, the campaign playbooks are well-defined. Republican Rep. Mike Garcia is relying on voter discontent about the economy. His Democratic challenger, Christy Smith, wants abortion rights to be top of mind.
One issue, though, is far less prominent than many anticipated: Garcia’s vote to block the results of the 2020 presidential election. It was a perplexing move by the Santa Clarita Republican who had just won his swing district on a whisper-thin margin.
Garcia was put on the defensive, while Democrats planned to make it a defining issue in this election. Then they didn’t.”
COVID in California: Coronavirus pandemic accelerated burnout, teachers say
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: “A recently published study found a link between COVID vaccines and changes to menstruation.
Stanford researchers have discovered that people with higher levels of coronavirus in their blood faced a higher chance of developing worsening respiratory systems.
A new study confirms the benefit of boosters in reducing the likelihood of hospitalization. And UCSF’s Dr. Bob Wachter said rising coronavirus cases in the U.K. were a good reason to get a bivalent booster shot, ahead of a potential fall surge. “
Why the next big Bay Area earthquake could happen on a fault many don't even know exists
The Chronicle, CLAIRE HAO: “A lesser-studied fault system along the western side of Silicon Valley could generate a magnitude 6.9 earthquake — the same size as 1989’s infamous Loma Prieta — every 250 to 300 years, a new Stanford study found.
The study adds to the understanding of how much risk the densely populated Silicon Valley region may face from the faults running underneath, which are particularly difficult to study using traditional geologic methods.
“The important message here is that we talk a lot about the San Andreas Fault and the Hayward Fault as being potentially hazardous, but we do know that there are many other faults underneath the San Francisco Bay Area that are capable of generating earthquakes,” said Stephen DeLong, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist who specializes in understanding earthquake hazards in Northern California. DeLong peer-reviewed the Stanford study.”
UCLA wants more students but has no room. So it’s buying a campus in Rancho Palos Verdes
LAT, TERESA WATANABE: “In a milestone move to expand enrollment at the nation’s most popular university by creating a satellite campus, UCLA announced Tuesday that it is buying two large properties owned by Marymount California University, a small Catholic institution in Rancho Palos Verdes that closed its doors last month.
UCLA’s $80-million purchase of Marymount’s 24.5-acre campus and an 11-acre residential site in nearby San Pedro marks the university’s most significant expansion to help meet the burgeoning demand for seats. UCLA drew nearly 140,000 first-year applications for about 6,600 spots in fall 2021 and even more applications this year — sparking angst among the growing legions of rejected Californians and pressure from state legislators to reduce the number of out-of-state students.
But UCLA, whose 419-acre Westwood footprint is the smallest among UC’s nine undergraduate campuses, has no room to grow, prompting the campus to look for alternatives.”
Campus advocates provide key support to sexual assault survivors — but “superheroes” are in short supply
CALMatters, MALLIKA SESHADRI/ZAEEM SHAIKH: “When Laura Swartzen saw the email from Sacramento State University’s Title IX office, it felt like her heart skipped a beat.
Swartzen, the Sac State confidential campus advocate, had spent the past nine months supporting a student who reported being sexually assaulted. Swartzen had listened to the student’s wrenching account, offered to connect them with medical and mental health care, and sat with them through an “incredibly draining” formal hearing.
Now, the Title IX office — which investigates cases of campus sex discrimination — had found the perpetrator responsible for the assault. Swartzen’s lonely celebration lasted for just one joyful minute. “
Dire California student housing shortage in search of solutions
EdSource, STAFF: “Timothy Vidales was desperate for housing, so he applied to a Craigslist ad for a room in a warehouse in Santa Cruz. The room had neither amenities nor furniture, but it was listed for $800 per month by a landlord who suggested that the occupant bring a tent.
Vidales, an environmental science major at the University of California Santa Cruz, had already unsuccessfully applied to about 50 off-campus rooms as he looked for somewhere to live during the 2021-22 academic year. When he learned that the room from Craigslist was also already filled, he gave up.
“That’s when I knew I was screwed,” said Vidales, who decided to take a yearlong leave of absence from college.”
S.F. sued over homeless camp sweeps as advocates charge city with criminalizing unsheltered
The Chronicle, MALLORY MOENCH: “A prominent homeless rights organization and a group of unhoused people are suing San Francisco to stop encampment sweeps and police enforcement of quality-of-life laws that target people living on the streets.
The lawsuit alleges that the city violates state and federal laws, its own policies and homeless individuals’ rights by “punishing residents who have nowhere to go,” and by seizing and destroying their belongings when clearing encampments. It also argues the city’s approach is ineffective and expensive, with the most recent city report estimating San Francisco spent more than $20 million in 2015 enforcing quality-of-life ordinances against homeless people.
The ultimate goal of the lawsuit is to push the city to instead spend billions on affordable housing to provide shelter for everyone and fix its homelessness crisis, which the lawsuit says is a result of decades of failed policies and underinvestment.”
