CALIFORNIA
Take a number: 42.3
California has the third-lowest rate of new lung-cancer cases of any state, 42.3 cases per 100,000 residents. It’s a testament to California’s decades-long campaign against smoking.
California’s rate is above Utah’s 27.1 cases per 100,000 people but far below the national average of 59.6 per 100,000 residents. It’s less than half the rate of the state with the highest lung-cancer rate, tobacco-growing Kentucky’s 92.6. The worst five states all are in the South.
In a puzzling contradiction, California screened patients at a lower rate than any state other than Nevada, Kaiser Health News’ California Healthline reports. And nearly a quarter of people with lung cancer received no treatment.
California Healthline’s Mark Kreidler said experts cite several reasons: California’s income inequality, cultural and linguistic diversity, and inconsistency of health care access by region.
A final reason: “a financial reluctance by many medical professionals to treat poor people, who smoke at higher rates than those of the general population.”
–CALMatters
SAN JOSE
Gov. Gavin Newsom visits Tiny Home residents at Bridge Housing Community site
Gov. Gavin Newsom continued his statewide homelessness tour this week in San Jose, where he met with residents of tiny homes at a Bridge Housing Community site providing temporary housing.
In his “State of the State” address last week, the Governor cited tiny homes as an example of the innovative new models of housing his administration is encouraging to combat the homelessness crisis.
On Monday, Newsom visited South Los Angeles, where he met with formerly homeless families housed in state-owned travel trailers and announced the first cohort of local governments participating in 100-day challenges to partner with the state on immediate impact solutions to tackle homelessness. The Governor last week announced 286 state-owned properties immediately available to cities and counties for $1 to use for homelessness solutions, and met with local leaders from the League of California Cities to outline his administration’s five-part approach and invite partnerships.
Newsom has released the full $650 million in State Emergency Homeless Aid – of which San Jose will receive $23.8 million. On the heels of his proposed budget featuring more than $1 billion to fight homelessness, and executive order on homelessness, Newsom last month traveled to San Diego, Oakland, Grass Valley, Riverside, Los Angeles and Fresno, participating in a local point-in-time count and meeting with staff and residents at shelters, a board and care home, and a crisis stabilization center.
—Submitted
SANTA CLARA
California’s dam issue
Federal regulators’ order directing Santa Clara to empty its largest reservoir could be one of many to come.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, like the California Division of Dam Safety, warned that an earthquake could cause the Santa Clara Water District’s Leroy Anderson Dam to fail.
- That would flood Morgan Hill, San Jose and beyond.
The Mercury News, quoting the feds’ letter:
- “It is unacceptable to maintain the reservoir at an elevation higher than necessary when it can be reduced, thereby decreasing the risk to public safety and the large population downstream of Anderson Dam.”
The letter was dated Feb. 20, though it became public Monday.
On Feb. 21, Assemblyman Robert Rivas, Hollister Democrat, introduced legislation to speed environmental review and permitting of the Anderson Dam reconstruction.
Officials had known for years that Anderson Dam was at risk of failing in an earthquake. The review of Anderson and other dams took on greater urgency after the 2017 failure of the spillway at Oroville Dam.
Meanwhile: The Trump administration last week announced it would pay another $170 million for Oroville repairs, after initially balking. The overall repair cost was $1.1 billion.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein praised that decision, but said California has 83 other dams rated as less than satisfactory, and “could cause loss of life or substantial economic damage if they fail.”
The issue: Rebuilding a dam is a huge and costly undertaking. The cost of not doing the work is greater.
—CALMatters
LOWER LAKE
Lake County Democratic Central Committee to hold monthly meeting March 5
The Lake County Democratic Central Committee will hold its regular monthly business meeting on Thursday, March 5, 2020
The meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. at Lower lake Methodist Church – Community Room, 16255 2nd St, Lower Lake, CA 95457
The agenda for the meeting includes reports from representatives for Congressmen Mike Thompson and John Garamendi, Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and State Senator Mike McGuire.
Meetings are open to the public and committee membership is open to all registered Democrats.
The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is the official governing body for the Democratic Party in Lake County.
For more information about the Democratic Party in Lake County visit www.lakecountydemocrats.org or www.facebook.com/LakeCountyDemocrats .
Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885 or by email at democratsoflakecounty@gmail.com .
—Submitted
