The California State Senate and Assembly this week continued with a steady pace of budget actions and policy matters. Legislators face a deadline of next Wednesday, July 14 for policy committees to hear and report bills in their opposite house, and the Legislature’s month-long summer recess is set to begin upon adjournment of session on…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom, speaking from San Luis Obispo County on Thursday, announced his Administration has added nine counties to the regional drought state of emergency and called on state residents to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent compared to 2020 levels. Recall, Governor Newsom earlier this spring issued a regional drought emergency for…
Read More »Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools nationwide. The long-anticipated guidance will inform education planning activities ahead of this coming fall, and the CDC’s updated guidance prioritizes returning students to in-person instruction. Under the updated guidance, the CDC encourages a multi-layer strategy for…
Read More »This week, COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Pfizer and BioNTech released an update on the firms’ COVID-19 booster vaccine strategy, indicating continued booster trials have provided additional protection against the COVID-19 virus, particularly amid increased presence of virus variants. Pfizer and BioNTech point to recent studies regarding vaccine efficacy six- and 12-months post-vaccination and suggest a third…
Read More »California State Auditor Elaine Howle this week issued Report 2020-613 following the state’s high-risk audit of the California Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) management of federal funds that began last year. Recall, Auditor Howle last year identified the significant amount of funds to be received by state agencies and departments to be a “high-risk…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom launched a statewide day of action to highlight his Administration’s $1.1 billion initiative to revitalize California’s streets and public spaces through litter abatement and local beautification projects. Entitled “Clean California,” the initiative is anticipated to expand existing state and local litter abatement efforts and generate an estimated 10,000 to 11,000…
Read More »According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, overall cancer death rates continue to decline in men and women for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. During 2001 to 2018, declines in lung cancer death rates accelerated, and…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will hold a webinar entitled, “Suicide in California – Data Trends in 2020, COVID Impact, and Prevention Strategies.” The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 28 from 1:00 pm to 2:30pm. The webinar will cover data and more detailed information at how self-harm is experienced differently by…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on August 6, 2021 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm will host a webinar to highlight the recent campaign by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent injuries among older adults. CDC’s Still Going Strong campaign is targeted directly toward older adults and their…
Read More »After two weeks of extended negotiations between legislative leaders and the Newsom Administration, the California State Senate and Assembly on Monday took action on the state’s FY 2021-22 Budget. Recall, the Legislature earlier in June passed its own version of the state budget to meet the June 15 constitutional deadline while negotiations with the Administration…
Read More »