Health and wellness

Reader's Editorial: Politicians don't do prevention/How reactive leadership fuels our public health crises

By Aaron J. Byzak, MBA, Chief Strategist & Lead Consultant for Galvanized Strategies, Healthcare and Non-Profit Leader

 
Nov. 17, 2025 (San Diego County) -- We like to tell ourselves we value prevention. It sounds responsible, forward-thinking, even noble. But the truth is far less flattering: we do not do prevention well in this country. Real prevention requires foresight, long-term investment, discipline, and the patience to stay the course when the payoff is years away. That is not how our political system is built.
 
Politicians — and human beings, in general — are profoundly reactive creatures. And in politics especially, there is a built-in incentive to look like you’re sprinting heroically toward a crisis. Respond to the fire, call a press conference, get the headline, collect the praise, and ride that momentum into the next reelection cycle.
 
And far too often, these same officials aren’t just failing to address root causes; they’re actively making problems worse. 
 
Consider just one example: politicians championing policies that saturate their communities with psychotropic, high-potency drugs (think ultra-concentrated THC products) because the industry promises them tax revenue to fund their pet projects. Or because they’ve failed to make their city attractive to business and economic development and now rely on taxes from drug sales to install streetlights or fund youth programs.

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They want to be California’s next governor. Here’s what they’d do about health care

By Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters

Photo:  from left, former U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Xavier Becerra, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, and former Speaker of the California State Assembly and former California State Controller Betty T. Yee speak during the "Health Matters: A Conversation With Our Next Governor" debate at UC Riverside on Nov. 7, 2025. Photo by Leroy Hamilton

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

November 14, 2025 (Riverside) - Every day, Californians struggle to afford medications or wait weeks or months for mental health appointments. Thousands in the “sandwich generation” juggle caring for elderly parents with raising children. 


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Dental to mental, affordable health insurance coverage is available with Covered California

East County News Service

Sept. 27, 2025 (San Diego County) -- Health insurance can feel confusing and daunting, and typically is expensive.

But Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act Marketplace, offers a less stressful way to shop for and compare plans, and works with all the major health insurance companies to negotiate the lowest possible prices for coverage, helping reduce costs and increase options for consumers throughout California.

Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies, and is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.