Image by Melnikov DmitriyWhile the GOP’s California drought is unquestionably bad – Republicans have lost 38 consecutive statewide contests since 2008, the worst active streak for the party in any state – it actually pales in comparison to the Democrats’ current ineptitude in more than half a dozen states.
Kratom leaves and various products, image by Here AsiaOPINION – The Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) has been enacted in 11 states – Utah, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, and Texas – and others are entertaining following suit. California – the largest consumer market for kratom, and its 40 million residents – should be one of those states.
California health care, image by NiyazzOPINION – I see it all the time in my practice— prior authorization used to be required for only expensive, elective or new procedures, but it is now required for some of the most basic prescription drugs. And the data bears out what physicians are seeing, because while frequency rates of prior authorization denials in the commercial market remains mostly secret, we know that where we do have information – in the Medicaid and Medicare markets – the data paints a worrying picture.
Via ShutterstockNew CA bill would allow physician assistants to perform abortions
Gov. Newsom, from his Facebook page.POLITICAL PULSE: In the wake of two mass shootings that claimed the lives of 18 people and left ten others wounded, Gov. Newsom, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta and other legislative leaders – and gun safety advocates – will announce new efforts to advance gun safety legislation.
A high-speed electronic hookup carrying data via an ethernet connection. (Photo: Everything You Need, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The past two years have made it abundantly clear that broadband is essential to 21st century living in California. Broadband has become vital for education, remote work, telehealth, entertainment and family connections. It’s necessary that we prioritize finding solutions to close the digital divide that will benefit rural and urban communities.
A volunteer teacher reads to a group of young children. (Photo: Monkey Business Images, via Shutterstock)Decades of underinvestment in schools, culture battles over bilingual education, and dizzying levels of income inequality have pushed California to the bottom of the pile, making it the least literate state in the nation. Nearly 1 in 4 people over the age of 15 lack the skills to decipher the words in this sentence. Only 77 percent of adults are considered mid to highly literate, according to the nonpartisan data crunchers at World Population Review.
A hospital's Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI. machine. (Photo: KaliAntye, via Shutterstock)OPINION: As an organization committed to prioritizing patient access, affordability, and safety, we watched with alarm as state Legislatures across the country became the target of a coordinated campaign to weaken and roll back quality and safety framework.
Headquarters of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, (Photo: Cassionhabib, via Shutterstock)In February, Texas experienced a freak weather event, a deep freeze that shut down its electrical system, damaged its infrastructure and cost dozens of lives. The storm revealed the lack of preparation and investment by the Texas state government, the flaws of its system of deregulated privately-owned utilities, and the failures of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. The latter is responsible for maintaining the state’s energy infrastructure.
An eastbound driver on Interstate 15 near Baker at the Death Valley turnoff. (Photo: TS Photography, via ShutterstockGrowth – rapid, buoyant, unstoppable – has been part of California’s DNA since tough and greedy men from around the world came here in search of gold 170 years ago. Now it may be a thing of the past. There are even websites giving prospective emigrants tips on how to make stress-free moves to various states, such as Oregon, Texas and Idaho.