An artist's rendering of a California highway sign. (Image: gguy, via Shutterstock.)> ANALYSIS: New research released by the nonpartisan California Policy Lab finds that contrary to suggestions about a mass exodus from California, most moves in 2020 happened within the state. Exits from California in 2020 largely mirrored historical patterns, while the biggest statewide change was a decrease in people moving into California.
Photo illustration of a map focusing on coastal Southern California, (Image: jimrainbow, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Last week, I started as the vice president of Redistricting Partners, a Sacramento-based firm known for its advocacy before the California Redistricting Commission and work doing voting rights analysis and redistricting for local governments. As I take this leap, I am constantly thinking about one person, Congressman Darrel Issa, and the story that for me really crystalizes the importance of the redistricting process.
Students attending a lecture. (Photo: sirtravelalot, via Shutterstock)Stressed by classes, grades, jobs, personal issues and COVID-19, some California community college students are turning to mental health counseling. But the service is scarce and demand is high. One major study found that community college students reported higher rates of academic impairment due to mental health struggles than students attending than students at the University of California or California State University.
Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his state budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Image: Frame capture from Cal Channel broadcast.)The California Channel, a decades-old public broadcaster that has historically provided on-demand video access to the Legislature, the state Supreme Court and the Capitol community, will cease operations in October. Supported by the California Cable and Telecommunications Association since 1993, it’s one of the few services that offer one-on-one interviews with all candidates for the state’s elected offices.
Young people at a meeting with a psychotherapist. (Photo: Photographee.eu, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Recent reports found that youth detention facilities are failing to adjust spending rates even after facility populations have drastically dropped. California youth are not committing violent crimes at the rate that was once predicted, leaving many detention hall beds empty.
A high-resolution image of human egg cells. (Jezper, via Shutterstock)California’s plan to create an ambitious, $150 million public/private partnership to commercialize state-funded stem cell research edged forward this week as the deadline for applications closed on Monday afternoon. Little is known about the nature of the applications — not even the number received.
A state review of a dental program that serves low-income Californians shows that significantly fewer dentists are accepting those patients, despite a surge in demand. According to the California Department of Health Care Services report, released July 1, the number of dentists accepting Medi-Cal patients fell by 14.5 percent between 2008 and 2013. That’s a loss of 1,354 providers for the Denti-Cal program, which is the dental portion of Medi-Cal.
A soft drink waiting to be consumed. (Photo: Aiaikawa, vis Shutterstock)After several failed attempts to impose statewide taxes on sweetened beverages like sodas and fruit drinks, a bill was circulated last year that would have required warning labels on hundreds of beverages, which would have read: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.” Fortunately, common sense prevailed and the bill died in committee; but it has been resurrected this year – S.B. 203 (Monning, D-Carmel).