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.
Image of an inmate behind bars. Illustration: PhoelixDE, via Shutterstock)Mental illness cases in California jails have significantly increased since 2009, health policy experts reported Thursday. California Health Policy Strategies, a Sacramento-based consulting group, gathered administrative data from the Board of State and Community Corrections and discovered a 42 % increase in mental health cases reported and an 80 % increase in inmate medication prescriptions over the last 10 years.
Travis Allen addresses delegates at the GOP state convention in Sacramento on Feb. 23. (Photo: Steve Yeater/Associated Press)If the Republican Party wants to make a comeback in California, it’s going to have to stand up against voter fraud and stick to its principles, according to an unscientific sampling of party stalwarts, many of them angry, at the weekend’s GOP state convention in Sacramento.
A sunset view of hazy, downtown Los Angeles from Griffith Peak. (Photo: travelview, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Now that almost all the contests have been decided, what do the 2018 elections tell us about the future of air and climate policies in California? In general, both ballot measures and candidate races give hope to those trying to reduce emissions that are damaging human health and altering our climate.
Traffic on the 405 in Los Angeles, the nation's busiest freeway. (Photo: Joseph Sohm)California’s new gas tax hike to fund billions of dollars worth of overdue road repairs has only been in effect for a little over a month but Republicans are already trying to overturn it. On Nov. 1, Senate Bill 1, signed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown in the spring after a fierce political battle, increased the excise tax on gas by 12 cents a gallon and the excise tax on diesel fuel by 20 cents a gallon.
iIllustration: "The Great Wave of Kanagawa," Katsushika Hokusai, circa 1829-1833Will California catch the wave? In fact, is there a wave at all? Political Data whiz Paul Mitchell joins the Capitol Weekly podcast to talk about last week’s results in Virginia and elsewhere and what they portend for California in 2018.
The drug and vitamin section of a big-box store in Folsom, California. (Photo: Cassiohabib, via Shutterstock)OPINION: In signing first-in-the-nation legislation to force greater transparency in drug pricing practices, Gov. Brown has signaled the beginning of a new era on controlling health care costs. But more can and should be done to rein in out-of-control drug prices. Drug costs have been increasing by about 10% per year and there are notorious examples of products that have increased by 500%. Even when insurance pays for medications, the costs always go back to the consumer.
(Photo illustration: RedDaxLuma, via Shutterstock)CA120: This month has seen the release of dozens of new public polls, ranging from the presidential contest to statewide and local races. We have seen many of these publicly available surveys, but the vast majority of polling is still private – done by candidates and political action committees. It is rarely shared with those outside a very small circle of candidates and consultants.
Voters in Ventura County cast ballots during a recent election. (Photo: Spirit of America, Shutterstock)CA120: Will Orange County, along with neighboring San Diego and the Inland Empire, look a little bluer on Wednesday? If so, is it a harbinger of things to come? Or is it just the impact of the Democratic presidential primary still being contested while Donald Trump has the GOP nomination wrapped up?
Solar PV panels used to power agricultural equipment in the Central Valley. (Photo: Shippee, via Shutterstock)OPINION: When we combined the separate maps, the result was pretty remarkable: Out of the 9.5 million acres in the stakeholder study area, the groups identified 470,000 acres of ideal, non-controversial land for solar PV development, or roughly 5 percent of the Valley study area. At a generic calculation of 1 megawatt of solar PV production from 5 acres of panels, that means the lands identified could provide 94,000 megawatts of renewable power.