Posts Tagged: families

Opinion

Public safety legislation: Read the fine print carefully

Police officers in Los Angeles observe a public protest. (Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: As members of our California communities call for reform, our state legislators have proposed almost two dozen bills aimed at fundamentally changing the practice of law enforcement in our state. Unfortunately, many of these bills were developed overnight, in silos and behind closed doors.

News

Auditor slams state mental-health system, revives Laura’s Law

A troubled woman alone deals with issues alone. (Photo: Stokkete, via Shutterstock)

A massive and highly critical state auditor’s report has given new life to legislation to deal with California’s notoriously troubled mental-health system. The shift comes as state lawmakers, convening amid the COVID-19 pandemic, face hundreds of bills in the closing days of the legislative session.

Opinion

Budget cuts could doom crucial Alzheimer’s care

An Alzheimer patient and his son strolling on the beach. (Photo: tonkid, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: If the governor’s proposed budget goes through to completely eliminate funding for adult day health care facilities that support Californians living with dementia and Alzheimer’s, things will go from tough to impossible for tens of thousands of families like mine.

Opinion

Crisis shows crucial role of online education

Photo illustration of successful online education. (Image: Pla2na, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: When public schools reopen and normalcy returns, California policymakers should take a hard, honest look at how online education can seamlessly transition students during times of crisis. Too many schools were unfortunately caught off guard — unprepared to serve students during the coronavirus outbreak. Currently, most of the state’s student population are in limbo receiving “busy work” and eagerly waiting to transition to a distance learning curriculum.

News

State offers scant funding to rape crisis centers

California’s 84 rape crisis centers are in a funding crisis. While California has experienced a steady rise in the number of reported rapes (over 5% per year since 2015), the state’s annual General Fund contribution to rape crisis centers over the past decade has been a miniscule $45,000.

News

Toyota has settled hundreds of sudden acceleration cases

(Photo: jeffkubes, via Shutterstock)

On the last day of 2015, Berta Orellana picked up her seven-year-old grandson from daycare in a brand new Toyota and headed on a road trip with the boy and two of her children, planning to spend the holiday in Las Vegas with her daughter who lived there.Orellana, then a 51-year-old delivery driver for Amazon, left the minivan she used for work at home in Northridge, California.

Opinion

The advantage of a trusted health benefits partner

The headquarters of the California Public Employees Retirement System in Sacramento. (Photo: Sabrina Clare)

OPINION: The U.S. health care system is in a moment of reckoning. No one pretends to have the perfect solution. But there is something consumers can agree on: More transparency is needed. Consumers and their employers, which insure 49 percent of American health coverage, are demanding to know exactly what goes in to their health care costs.

Opinion

Wanted: Secure email in all state prisons

Closeup of a woman's hands using a computer keyboard to compose email. (Image: Nata Fuangkaew, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: For incarcerated Californians, the ability to communicate with loved ones on the outside can be a literal lifeline, helping them survive their time in prison and preparing for successful reintegration into society after their release. Five correctional facilities in our state – including California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran where my fiancé, Michael, was incarcerated – now offer access to secure email. 

Opinion

Alzheimer’s funding just first step to aid aging population

A 77-year-old man running uphill in a road race at Daggett Pass, Nevada. (Photo: Karin Hildebrand Lau)

OPINION: By including $3 million in annual funding for Alzheimer’s research in the budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom showed he is willing to take action on issues important to California’s fast-growing aging population. Still, the move is only the beginning of what must be a much larger effort to keep pace with our older population’s future needs.

Opinion

Clemency for the condemned? Remember the victims

The execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison. (Photo: Wikipedia)

OPINION: Democrats ask that as California Gov. Jerry Brown leaves office he provide mercy to California’s 739 death row inmates. The governor of California has the power to issue pardons, commute sentences or grant clemency to individuals convicted of crimes in the state.  The state Legislature does not review this power. 

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