California Watch
News stories in this section spotlight activities in California, including actions by the state Assembly and state Senate; proposed legislation; regulators like the Department of Managed Health Care and Department of Insurance; and the state ACA exchange, Covered California.
California enacted a new law in 2016 requiring employers that do not already sponsor an employee-retirement plan to participate in a state-run retirement program called CalSavers. The law, implemented in stages, compels automatic enrollment in the program for employees, beginning with a 5% salary reduction, although employees can opt-out or make changes to the plan. ...
When California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced cash incentives to spur coronavirus vaccine-hesitant residents to get their shots, he emphasized everyone who received a dose was automatically entered into state databases. “We have your information in our system,” he said, referring to the millions of vaccination records in the California Public Department of Health’s confidential, digital Immunization Information ...
The California Department of Public Health is warning residents to be on guard for potential scams related to the state’s new COVID-19 vaccination incentive programs. The first “Vax for the Win” drawing was held on June 4. The program, which will ultimately award $116.5 million to previously immunized individuals and individuals who agree to be immunized, is ...
As the coronavirus pandemic wanes across California, a handful of counties along the northernmost edge of the state that were spared the worst of last year’s surge are now seeing an alarming rise in cases driven by the spread of variants and deep-rooted resistance to vaccines. With the states June 15 target for reopening in ...
Scientists are increasingly confident that vaccines provide long-lasting protection against the coronavirus and that boosters will not be necessary for at least a year, perhaps much longer. The vaccines are holding up well against all coronavirus variants so far. That means boosters probably won’t be needed anytime soon to protect against variants. Even more promising, ...
A California workplace safety board postponed a vote Thursday on a proposal that would have allowed workers to return to their jobs without social distancing or face masks so long as everyone in a room is vaccinated.
According to California’s Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, some 97% of the state’s companies have a gender wage gap. To close that gap, the state legislature has instituted a new law, SB 973, also known as the “pay data reporting law.”
Claim: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state had an estimated $76 billion budget surplus when he introduced his May budget revision last week. But on Monday, the Legislative Analyst’s Office released a report that estimated the surplus at $38 billion, much lower than the administration’s figure. The difference in estimates led his critics on social media to ...
California announced Monday it’ll continue requiring almost everyone — including fully vaccinated individuals — to wear masks in most indoor settings until June 15, bucking the trend of other states across the nation that are quickly adopting looser guidelines released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than two-thirds of Californians have antibodies to the COVID-19 virus, according to new data, offering evidence that we’re approaching so-called “herd immunity” — the pandemic’s endgame. In just one month, the percentage of Golden State residents showing some immune protection has soared from 47% to 67%, and is likely higher now, according to an ...