San Quentin Prison, where a coronavirus outbreak was reported last year. (Photo: Mark R, via Shutterstock)For Cristina Garcia, there’s something unsettling about the idea that an unvaccinated person, confined to a prison cell, could be exposed to the corona virus because a guard or other state employee had declined an opportunity to be vaccinated.
A normally bustling playground in Victorville is devoid of students due to COVID-19. (Photo: Felipe Sanchez, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Now is the time to take action. There are less than four months left in the current school year and we should not let the final bell ring before getting kids back into their classrooms. Of course, we cannot and should not sacrifice school, teacher or student safety in doing so. And we don’t have to because we have all the necessary tools to reopen campuses sooner rather than later.
A display of vaccines that are, or will be, available to fight COVID-19. (Photo: iTechGuru, via Shutterstock)The recent rollout of two newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines is a bright ray of hope at the pandemic’s darkest hour. We now have a path that can lead us to happier times — even as we watch and suffer from the horrible onslaught of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths that mark the end of this regrettable year.
A medical researcher at work. (Photo: National Cancer Institute, via Wikimedia Commons.Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster were joined by Dr. Dean Blumberg, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UC Davis School of Medicine and Acting Chief, Pediatric Infectious Disease Section, UC Davis Medical Center.
Illustration of California flag and the pandemic. (Image: bekulnis)Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to announce a tougher response to a surge in coronavirus infections that includes a three-week cutback on nonessential services and renewed stay-at-home restrictions affecting most Californians.
A pair of runners on a jaunt. (Photo: oneinchpunch, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming election, people are tuning into the news to hear the latest numbers on both, yet when it comes to COVID-19, there is another set of numbers that Americans should be aware of—the toll the virus has taken on our physical and mental health.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who recently signed into law major health care-related approved by lawmakers. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP)When Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom concluded the chaotic legislative year Wednesday — his deadline to sign or veto bills — what emerged wasn’t the sweeping platform he and state lawmakers had outlined at the beginning of the year. But the dozens of health care measures they approved included first-in-the-nation policies to require more comprehensive coverage of mental health and addiction, and thrusting the state into the generic drug-making business.
A pharmacist with a digital tablet checks prescription drugs. (Photo: i viewfinder)OPINION: Millions of low-income Californians are about to have their prescription drug benefit change on January 1, 2021. Yet, you probably have not heard much about it. On his first day in office, Gov. Newsom proposed several bold initiatives to contain the cost of prescription drug prices, including “Medi-Cal Rx”, a change in how the state administers the prescription drug benefit for the nearly 11 million Medi-Cal enrollees who get their coverage through a health plan.
A volunteer cleanup worker plucks a disposable mask from the water. (Photo: Tatyana Aksenova, via Shutterstock)Nearly every morning for the last 12 years, San Francisco native Eva Holman has walked Baker Beach and collected trash. Located near the mouth of the Golden Gate, Baker is the iconic beach where the Golden Gate Bridge’s graceful red arc has provided the dramatic background for innumerable iconic photographs. Holman grew up nearby, and she lives so close to Baker Beach now that it’s essentially her backyard.
A sign at a downtown San Francisco rally urging support for the Affordable Care Act. (Photo: Kim Wilson, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death has placed the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) back in the headlines because the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in November in a case, California v. Texas, that seeks to repeal it. The widely publicized prospect of eliminating health care coverage for more than 20 million Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic should be enough to give our elected leaders and the high court pause.