Recent News

Dialysis dispute targets billing, health

A patient receiving blood dialysis treatment. (Photo: Khajornkiat Limsagul, via Shutterstock)

The Madera patient says he likes his Kaiser doctor and has no desire to switch to publicly funded Medicare, even though he qualifies. But if Senate Bill 1156 is approved, Adames likely wouldn’t get that choice. The bill would require that patients like him receiving third-party assistance would either need to enroll in Medicare or Medi-Cal (for those who are low income), or if they choose to stay on private insurance, they will only receive reimbursement at Medicare or Medi-Cal’s much lower rates.

Opinion

A deep dive into groundwater, desalination

Marina Beach north of Monterey, near the site of a planned desalination plant. (Photo: Marina Coast Water District)

OPINION: At the height of the recent drought, the legislature passed and Gov. Brown signed legislation, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), that for the first time required California water agencies to account for groundwater pumping and held them accountable for the development of sustainable plans for the future. Groundwater accounts for approximately 30% of the state’s water supply.

Recent News

Slicing and dicing a three-way split

A road sign in California's Death Valley. (Photo: Melissamn, via Shutterstock)

It has been said, over and over again, that “The Devil is in the Details.” If Californians approve splitting themselves up into three new states this November, and the remaining political obstacles can somehow be overcome, the details will indeed become devilish. The three new states would be “Northern California” “Southern California” and (wait for it) “California.”

Opinion

Public health suffers when pharmacists work alone

A pharmacist checks his stock in a California drug store. (Photo: Tyler Olson, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Drugstore robberies are a symptom of a larger trend in the retail space where pharmacists are forced to work alone for hours on end, juggling telephones, cash registers, and security duties in addition to dispensing medicine.

Opinion

A power grab by Caltrans?

A California freeway sign provides information for motorists. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)

OPINION: Flashing Amber Alerts, public safety messages and directional traffic alerts – for decades, Californians have agreed this type of information is what belongs on the changeable outdoor message signs along our highways’ public spaces. Common sense and public policy says it is in the best interest of the public to keep this public right-of-way space limited to such content and free of blight.

Opinion

Lead paint ruling hurts homeowners, rewards trial bar

Wooden stairs painted with white lead in a home's entrance porch. (Photo: Artizum, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Home ownership remains the quintessential American dream, despite its burdens and financial hurdles. If you’re a homeowner who’s worked hard to buy the roof over your head, the value of your home may be at risk due to a recent court ruling. A California judge has ruled that homes built before 1981 are a public nuisance because those homes are presumed to contain some lead paint.

News

California pesticide use high, covers vast acreage

Pesticide warning signs in a California field that is ready for planting. (Photo:Tom Grundy, via Shutterstock)

FairWarning: Farmers in California, the nation’s top agricultural state, are applying near-record levels of pesticides despite the rising popularity of organic produce and concerns about the health of farmworkers and rural schoolchildren. The latest figures, released in April by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and covering 2016, show that 209 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients were used in agriculture.

News

Hot on the trail of the ‘bots’

A robot typing on a keyboard, a photo illustration depicting automated content. (Image: Mopic, via Shutterstock)

What’s in a name? When it comes to social media, maybe a lot more than you think. There is a move in the Capitol to force social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook to identify “bots,” those robot-like, automated accounts that move through the internet and interact with real people — and each other.

News

Surfer Dana Rohrabacher faces the ‘blue wave’ — and more

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher at an April 26 news conference on medical cannabis reform. (Photo: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call, via AP)

After 30 years in office, Orange County Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher is facing his toughest re-election. Rohrabacher, 70, is being challenged by more than a dozen people in the June primary, including his former ally, Republican Scott Baugh.

Opinion

Human trafficking: Inspiration from the survivors

Photo illustration of a woman held captive, a victim of human trafficking. (Photo: Structuresxx, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: I’m a survivor of human trafficking. When I was 7, I was sold into trafficking by my abuser. A young woman just a few years older than me, who had also been trafficked, helped free me when I was 11 years old. I didn’t see myself as a survivor until I saw other survivors take ownership over what happened to them and transform their healing to action.

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