Posts

diapers

California Becomes First US State To Provide Free Diapers For Newborns 

/in , /by

Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a first-in-the-nation program in which families welcoming newborn babies will be able to receive hundreds of free diapers before they even leave the hospital. 

Once enacted, during the program’s first year the free diaper packages will be offered at between 65 to 75 hospitals that handle around 25% of births in the state and are aimed to largely help low-income patients, according to Newsom’s office. 

Embed from Getty Images

The initiative will eventually expand to more hospitals throughout California, but it’s unclear how many at this time. The state has partnered with nonprofit Baby2Baby to manufacture the diapers under the label “Golden State Start,” according to AP. 

Newsom explained that this initiative is a part of the much larger goal of making living in California, one of the most expensive states, easier for families. Other initiatives within this goal included providing students with free meals at school and making preschool free for all kids.

“Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life — and that means making sure parents have the basics they need from day one,” Newsom said in a statement. 

California set aside $7.4 million in last year’s budget to roll out the initiative, and another $12.5 million is included in this year’s budget proposal to implement the program for the upcoming fiscal year ending in June 2027. 

The program will allow each family to receive 400 diapers in sizes for newborns and babies up to 14 pounds when they are discharged from the hospital after birth. Newborns, on average, go through about eight to 10 diapers a day, so the amount should last a little more than a month. 

Baby2Baby is a nonprofit that provides families in need with essential items. The organization built a manufacturing system that allows them to produce diapers for 80% less than the retail price, according to co-CEO Kelly Sawyer Patricof. 

Embed from Getty Images

“California is once again setting the standard of what it means to show up for mothers and babies,” added co-CEO Norah Weinstein.

Tennessee and Delaware are two other states that have similar programs to help low-income families. The two became the first US states to offer free diapers to families enrolled in their Medicaid programs. 

Tennessee families specifically can go to pharmacies to pick up 100 diapers per month for children under two. The Delaware program provides individuals with up to 80 diapers and up to one pack of baby wipes per week in the first 12 weeks of their life. 

California’s Medicaid system doesn’t cover diapers for newborns but it does cover the items for enrollees ages 5 and older if they have a medical need. 

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, families spend around $100 a month on diapers per child. California officials are looking forward to easing a lot of that burden for new families. 

“The first days at home with a newborn should be focused on the love, connection, and joy of an expanded family, not stress about affording diapers,” said Kim Johnson, the state’s health secretary.

“This program helps ensure families can begin that journey with greater stability and peace of mind.”

housing

New California Law Is Aiming To Make Home Buying More Affordable And Accessible

/in , , /by

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation reforming the California Environmental Quality Act to combat homelessness, housing shortages, and high housing costs. “One of the biggest obstacles to building new California housing has now vanished.”

Read more
doe

Trump Administration Threatens California Over Transgender Athlete Protections, Citing Title IX Violations

/in /by

The Trump administration issued a warning to California on Wednesday, accusing the state’s education department of breaching federal law by permitting transgender girls to compete on girls’ sports teams. The U.S. Department of Education has given California ten days to reverse course or face what it calls “imminent enforcement action.”

At the heart of the dispute is Title IX, the federal statute prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational settings. The Trump administration contends that schools allowing transgender girls to participate in girls’ athletics are infringing upon the rights of cisgender female students.  

The Department of Education pointed to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, including bans on puberty blockers and hormone therapy, as legal grounding for its stance. Officials also referenced comments from California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has expressed public concern about competitive fairness in women’s sports when transgender athletes are involved.

In a sharply worded statement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon accused California officials of disregarding those concerns and continuing “as recently as a few weeks ago to allow men to steal female athletes’ well-deserved accolades and to subject them to the indignity of unfair and unsafe competitions.”

“The Trump Administration will relentlessly enforce Title IX protections for women and girls, and our findings today make clear that California has failed to adhere to its obligations under federal law. The state must swiftly come into compliance with Title IX or face the consequences that follow.”

Embed from Getty Images

Under the proposed resolution, California would have to inform its schools that transgender athletes should not be allowed on girls’ teams and that all schools must “adopt biology-based definitions of the words ‘male’ and ‘female.'” Additionally, the state would have to inform schools that any divergent interpretations of state law would be considered Title IX violations.

Athletes who have lost awards, titles, or records to transgender competitors would see their honors reinstated. Additionally, the state would be mandated to issue personal apology letters to these athletes.

This is not the first time the Trump administration has taken punitive action under its interpretation of Title IX. A similar determination was made against the state of Maine, where officials attempted to block federal funding intended to support students from underserved communities. The administration has also made moves to withdraw funding from schools that implement diversity and equity initiatives focused on race. However, several of those attempts have been blocked by federal judges.

More than 20 states currently permit transgender student-athletes to join sports teams that correspond to their gender identities. California has protected the rights of transgender athletes since 2014, following legislation signed by then-Governor Jerry Brown.

In response to the latest threat, Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for Governor Newsom, dismissed the administration’s move with characteristic sarcasm.

Embed from Getty Images

“It wouldn’t be a day ending in ‘Y’ without the Trump administration threatening to defund California. Now, Secretary McMahon is confusing government with her WrestleMania days — dramatic, fake, and completely divorced from reality. This won’t stick.”

California education officials maintain that their approach aligns with existing legal interpretations of Title IX. Earlier this month, the state’s education department issued a statement asserting that inclusive athletic policies promote student well-being.

“Inclusive school athletic programs have been shown to help all students, including transgender students, achieve physical and mental wellness, develop a strong work ethic, values, and sense of belonging, and improve access to academic resources and financial assistance. Conversely, when students are excluded from school sports, they lose the opportunity to enjoy these significant benefits.”

The conservative group Defending Education, which has long criticized diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools, welcomed the Trump administration’s intervention. Erika Sanzi, the organization’s director of outreach, stated, “So many of us have spent years watching in disbelief as leaders in California chose to systematically betray their female athletes, even after Governor Newsom acknowledged publicly how unfair the situation was.”

As the legal and political battle over transgender rights in education continues to intensify, California finds itself once again at the center of a national fight over gender, civil rights, and the boundaries of federal authority.

la fires

California Democrats Reach $50M Deal to ‘Insulate’ State from Incoming Trump Administration

/in /by

California Democrats have authorized $50 million of state funding to strengthen state and local legal defenses in preparation for the forthcoming Trump administration. The first-ever special session agreement solidifies California’s position as a frontrunner in opposing Trump’s incoming presidency.

The agreement allocates $25 million to the state Department of Justice to support future legal actions against the federal government in court, a move initially proposed by California Governor Gavin Newsom following President-elect Donald Trump’s reelection in November. The other half of the allocated funds will be directed toward providing defense for immigrants facing mass deportation efforts, detention, and wage theft.

“This funding agreement cements California’s readiness to serve as a bulwark against Trump’s extremist agenda,” said Senate Budget Chair Scott Wiener in a statement.

“During the last Trump Administration, California successfully defended reproductive freedoms, attacks on our immigrant communities, LGBTQ civil rights, and threats to our environment, from the unlawful assault launched by the Trump Administration.”

Embed from Getty Images

Republicans have pushed for a special session focused primarily on the response to the wildfires. Gov. Newsom said on “Pod Save America” over the weekend that he is “happy to do whatever moves the needle forward.”

Gov. Newsom and other Los Angeles legislators have been in Southern California since the fires started intensifying. Nonetheless, GOP leaders have been criticizing the lawmakers. Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher said in a statement that the financial move detracted from the wildfire response.

“At a time when California should be laser-focused on responding to the devastating wildfires in LA, Democrat lawmakers’ priority is creating a $50 million slush fund to hire government lawyers for hypothetical fights against the federal government and to defend criminal illegal immigrants from being returned to their home countries.”

Wiener stated that Californians are grappling with two “massive challenges.” The first deals with overcoming the devastation from the “horrific destructive wildfires in Los Angeles.” The second is “an incoming federal administration that has vowed to make it harder for Los Angeles to recover by withholding disaster relief and deporting immigrant Angelenos who have been impacted by the fires and who are actively helping their neighbors.”

Embed from Getty Images

“National MAGA Republicans wasted no time politicizing the horrific tragedy unfolding in Los Angeles. As the fires burned, the president-elect, his allies, and senior congressional Republican officials proposed withholding California’s disaster aid and imposing unprecedented conditions on this humanitarian relief. They also spread absurd conspiracy theories about the fires.”

Trump has promised to implement mass deportations once he enters office on Jan 20th, which has increased the urgency of the package’s immigration provisions. According to the Los Angeles Times, border patrol officials recently carried out what they claim was the biggest enforcement operation in the Central Valley in years.

Wiener shared how a good portion of the funds will be given to legal nonprofits and immigration support centers to carry out the agreement’s initiatives.

“Senate Democrats are particularly proud to provide funding for providers of legal aid services, which know our communities’ needs best and are best positioned to defend at scale the millions of individuals and families that will be impacted by the incoming Administration’s extreme agenda.”

walgreens

Walgreens To Stop Distribution And Sales Of Abortion Pills In 20 States

/in , /by

Walgreens has announced that they won’t be distributing abortion pills in 20 states, despite some of them being states where abortion is legal, after receiving a warning letter from Republican attorneys general. 

The letter itself warned Walgreens that they could face legal consequences if they sold abortion medication within their states. NBC News reported that Walgreens responded to every attorney general who wrote to them, agreeing to not sell abortion pills by mail or in stores within the 20 states mentioned. 

Embed from Getty Images

“This is a very complex and in flux area of the law, and we are taking that into account as we seek certification to dispense mifepristone,” Fraser Engerman, Walgreens’ senior director of external relations, told NBC News.

“We are not dispensing mifepristone at this time. We intend to become a certified pharmacy under the program, however we will only dispense in those jurisdictions where it is legal to do if we are certified,” Engerman stated.

Albertsons, CVS, Costco, Kroger, Rite Aid, and Walmart also received letters making the same demands and warnings. 

The attorneys general who sent the letter were from states where abortion is currently illegal, such as Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia, and in states where abortion is still legal such as Alaska, Florida, Iowa, and Montana. 

Embed from Getty Images

“We emphasize that it is our responsibility as State Attorneys General to uphold the law and protect the health, safety, and well-being of women and unborn children in our states,” the letter said.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said on Facebook that he wants to ensure “that pharmacies throughout the nation aren’t subverting state and federal statute to ship abortion pills in the mail.”

According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 50% of US abortions in 2020 were done using medication instead of surgery. 

In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that the state will no longer be doing business with Walgreens due to their decision to no longer sell abortion medication. 

“California won’t be doing business with @walgreens — or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk,” Newsom said in a tweet.

Governor Gavin Newsom To Lift Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Orders In California 

/in , /by

Despite California being one of the most infected Covid-19 hot spots of the entire world, Governor Gavin Newsom is announcing this week that he will lift all regional coronavirus stay-at-home orders for the state. This means establishments that promote close contact such as restaurants, gyms, and bars, will be able to reopen in certain counties. 

All counties in the state will return to the colored tier system that applies local risk levels based on case numbers and rates of positive test results. Most counties are expected to go into the “widespread” risk tier, which “permits hair salons to offer limited services indoors, but restricts many other nonessential indoor business operations. The change is expected to take effect immediately after Newsom’s announcement this Monday,” according to the Los Angeles Times. 

Embed from Getty Images

Los Angeles County has become a national/international hotbed of the coronavirus. Hospitals have been completely overwhelmed by patients, Southern California is reporting close to 0% availability in ICU beds. In less than a month more than 5,000 people have died of Covid-19 in LA County alone. 

Outdoor dining bans and stay-at-home orders, however, have been widely opposed due to the economic impact of having so many local businesses shut down indefinitely. However, critics then just raised the point that the government should be bailing out those businesses and placing every American’s health and safety as the top priority. 

The stay-at-home orders were initially enforced in the beginning of December in an effort to reduce the amount of stress hospitals were under as case numbers continued to rise exponentially due to the holidays. Once ICU beds have a capacity of over 15%, certain regional shutdowns can be lifted, according to Newsom’s office. 

Embed from Getty Images

However, earlier this month Newsom lifted the orders for the Greater Sacramento region despite daily reports of available ICU beds never approaching even close to the 15% threshold which was thought to be a state requirement for lifting the restrictions. 

The Bay area has reported a 23.4% ICU bed capacity, and has on the other hand remained under the stay-at-home order due to a four-week projection of a decrease in hospital bed availability for the area. As of this Saturday Southern California showed literally no ICU availability, and the San Joaquin Valley region reported a 1.3% capacity. These numbers were released two days ago, and Newsom is still moving forward with lifting some of the state’s restrictions. 

Health officials are also expressing major concern over a new and potentially more contagious variant of the virus that has been detected in California. One of the newer variants is thought to be 50% more transmissible than the already extremely contagious standard Covid-19 virus that we’ve been fighting for the past ten months. 

Two weeks ago certain officials were in talks to close down the state’s malls and outdoor gyms, however, no action was taken, and those establishments continue to stay open. Only time will tell if more federal action from the Biden administration is taken to give these states the opportunity to recover.

California Coronavirus

California Governor Prepares For Second Statewide Lockdown Amid Spikes In Covid-19 Cases

/in , /by

California Governor Gavin Newsom claims that the state is setting daily records this week for new cases of Covid-19.

Read more
California Law

New California Law Would Allow N.C.A.A. Athletes to Make Money

/in , /by

As a general rule, college athletes are not paid more than the cost of their tuition, regardless of how much money they may make for their university. Many have decried this longstanding national policy as unfair, and recently California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that would allow college players to hire agents and strike endorsement deals, upending a policy considered standard in every other state. The law was passed despite the extensive lobbying of universities and powerful organizations who opposed the measure. Though the law is not set to go into effect until 2023, it is already causing confusion and pushback among college sports teams and leagues.

According to Newsom, while the law only applies to California, it represents “a big move to expose the farce and to challenge a system that is outsized in its capacity to push back.” Newsom considers it fundamentally unfair that the only students who are not able to monetize their image, likeness, and skills are athletes, even though these students generate perhaps the most revenue of any student group. It has long been the philosophy that student athletes attend university to earn a degree, not to make money, but as the industry of college sports has exploded this view is starting to change, much to the chagrin of colleges and student-athlete organizations. The N.C.A.A. has called the measure “unconstitutional” and is developing a legal defense against the law.

Embed from Getty Images

When the law goes into effect in a few years, it will directly contradict current N.C.A.A. guidelines, which govern the participation of student-athletes in sports. Currently, the guidelines strictly prevent student-athletes from making money in a variety of ways, ranging not only from banning sponsorships but to preventing athletes from selling autographs and monetizing social media accounts. This means that after the law goes into effect, student-athletes who hire agents and win endorsements will violate N.C.A.A. guidelines despite being legally allowed to do so, potentially incurring fines from the N.C.A.A. It’s not currently clear whether the N.C.A.A. could legally enforce such fines.

As California is among the most populated states in the country, it would be difficult for the N.C.A.A. to afford to penalize the state’s universities and athletes, who make up a significant portion of the American college sports industry. And although the law only applies to California, it is sure to have reverberations throughout college sports in general, as leaders will be forced to decide whether to change their rules barring athletes from making money in order to accommodate Californian student-athletes, or simply ban these athletes from competitions.

Embed from Getty Images

As the 2023 deadline approaches, other states are looking into the possibility of ensuring that student-athletes can receive compensation as well. Because California is such a large and influential state, they are likely to lead the way on this and similar legislation, and there’s a good chance other states follow suit. The enacting of similar legislation, or the lack thereof, is likely to be a determining factor in the question of how the N.C.A.A. changes its rules.

With this law, California is intending to force the N.C.A.A.’s hand, as Newsom claimed they were “not going to do the right thing on their own.” Both Republicans and Democrats were in favor of the bill, but as 2023 is still four years away, there is time for the law to be modified depending on how developments in the industry proceed. The law had the support of LeBron James, who hosted a television show on which Newsom signed the bill. Because only a small percentage of college athletes become professional athletes, the law is thought to give more students an opportunity to make money off of their athletic abilities which they hone during the course of their education.