Naloxone is next medication California aims to manufacture

East County News Service

March 21, 2023 (Sacramento) --  Governor Gavin Newsom announced on March 18 that CalRx has secured a contract with the manufacturer CIVICA to make $30 insulin available to all who need it.  The action will bring down the price of insulin by about 90%, saving cash-paying patients between $2,000 and $4,000 annually.

Right Care Alliance, a patients and providers coalition, has documented  deaths of at least 14 diabetic Americans who’ve died due to rationing insulin since 2017, when prices skyrocketed.

“People should not be forced to go into debt to get life saving prescriptions,” Governor Newsom said. “Through CalRx, Californians will have access to some of the most inexpensive insulin available, helping them save thousands each year. But we’re not stopping there – California will seek to make our own Naloxone as part of our plan to fight the fentanyl crisis.”

By Jocelyn Wiener, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo CC by ND via Bing

September 28, 2022 (Sacramento) - A controversial bill aimed at fixing aspects of California’s broken nursing home licensing system was signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faced dueling pressure from advocates who typically are aligned.

“Those of us living in San Diego County already pay the highest  electrical rates in the nation, and they’ll go even higher with an added bill from Diablo Canyon cost.” –Senator Brian Jones

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Diablo Canyon; Creative Commons license by Tracey Adams

September 9, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – State Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) has issued blistering condemnation of SB 846, a bill signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom which aims to keep open the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant for five years beyond the scheduled 2025 closure date. But the bill also authorizes a $1.4 billion loan to the plant’s operator, Pacific Gas & Electric, and opens the door for potential rate hikes statewide.

“”I voted against electricity rate hikes and the $1.4 billion gift to PG&E – I did not vote against Diablo Canyon and nuclear power,” says Senator Jones, in an editorial sent to media outlets.

East County News Service

September 28, 2021 (Sacrament) -- Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of legislation yesterday to increase voter access and strengthen integrity in elections, including a bill to send all registered voters a vote-by-mail ballot.  Voters will have options to mail-in ballots, drop off ballots at designated locations, or still vote at polling places if they prefer.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Gavin Newsom earlier today, via his Twitter feed

September 14, 2021 (San Diego) – Major networks including CNN, CBS and NBC have called California’s gubernatorial recall election, with voters statewide resoundingly rejecting efforts to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. As of 8:30 p.m., the recall is failing by a 67.8% “no” to 32.1% “yes” margin with more than half of all votes tallied.

The recall is losing by wide margins even in conservative counties such as Orange, Riverside, and San Bernadino. In San Diego County, early results show 60.63% voted against recalling Newsom, with 39.37% in favor of the ouster effort.

By CalMatters staff, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  An early voting sign at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters office in Kearney Mesa in November 2020. Photo by Chris Stone

August 9, 2021 (Sacramento) - California voters are being asked whether to recall a Governor for only the second time in the state’s history. Here’s what you need to know about the process.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of San Diego’s Registrar of Voters

July 8, 2021 (San Diego) – Republican-backed efforts to recall Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom have secured enough signatures for a recall election, which will be held on September 14. In San Diego County, all voters will receive ballots in the mail, but will also have the option to vote in person over several days.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association 

Photo:  Gov. Gavin Newsom outside Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco on Thursday. Courtesy of the Governor’s office

June 4, 2021 (San Diego) - Restaurants across California will be able to continue offering a profitable service that evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic — selling alcoholic beverages to-go — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.

By Laurel Rosenhall, CalMatters

CalMatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

Photo:  Recall Newsom volunteer Pat Miller holds up a sign during petition-signing event at SaveMart in Sacramento on Jan. 5, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

February 5, 2021 (Sacramento) - “Recall Gavin Newsom” signs are popping up around California. At shopping centers and street protests, people fed up with the Democratic governor are asking voters to sign petitions. What began as a far-fetched effort by Republican activists has turned into a credible campaign attempting to throw Newsom out of office.

By Miriam Raftery

December 22, 2020 (Sacramento) – Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill California’s U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.

Padilla, who previously served as a Los Angeles City Councilman and State Senator, is a national leader in the fight to expand voting rights, will become the first Latino to represent California in the United States Senate and the first Southern Californian in nearly three decades.

“The son of Mexican immigrants —  a cook and house cleaner — Alex Padilla worked his way from humble beginnings to the halls of MIT, the Los Angeles City Council and the State Senate, and has become a national defender of voting rights as California’s Secretary of State.” said Governor Newsom. “Through his tenacity, integrity, smarts and grit, California is gaining a tested fighter in their corner who will be a fierce ally in D.C., lifting up our state’s values and making sure we secure the critical resources to emerge stronger from this pandemic. He will be a Senator for all Californians.”

The action also gave Newsom the ability to fill the Secretary of State seat via appointment. Late today, he announced that Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), whose district includes much of East County, will be the new Secretary of State, the first black woman to hold the post.  Newsom bypassed San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who earlier had announced plans to run for the position in 2022.  Newsom will also be making an appointment to replace Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was named by President-Elect Joe Biden to head up the federal Health and Human Services department, if the cabinet appointment is approved by the Senate.

East County News Service

Today’s announcements include the Main Street Hiring Tax Credit, which authorizes $100 million in hiring tax credit for qualified small businesses. The credit is equal to $1,000 per qualified employee, up to $100,000 for each small business employer.The application opens tomorrow, December 1. A full list of existing state support for businesses can be found here.

Nov 30, 2020  (Sacramento) -- As the federal government fails to provide additional financial stimulus support to main street businesses, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that California will provide temporary tax relief for eligible businesses impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.

The temporary tax relief entails an automatic three-month income tax extension for taxpayers filing less than $1 million in sales tax, extends the availability of existing interest and penalty-free payment agreements to companies with up to $5 million in taxable sales and provides expanded interest free payment options for larger businesses particularly affected by significant restrictions on operations based on COVID-19 transmissions. In addition, last week the Governor announced short-term loans for small businesses available through the new California Rebuilding Fund. The state also launched $500 million in grants for impacted businesses and nonprofits.

By Ben Christopher, CalMatters

CalMatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

Photo:  Then Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris walks on stage during a gun safety forum, Oct. 2, 2019, in Las Vegas. Today, Joe Biden announced Sen. Harris as his running mate. Photo by John Locher, AP Photo

November 7, 2020 (Sacramento) - The victory of Joe Biden and California’s junior senator, Kamala Harris in the 2020 presidential race brings to a close one of the most protracted post-Election Day waiting games in modern political history. It also opens up a relatively rare thing in the Golden State: the prospect of an open Senate seat.