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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.

How A Stockpile Of 39 Million Masks Was Exposed As Fake

A powerful California union that claimed to have discovered 39 million masks for healthcare workers fighting the novel coronavirus was duped in an elaborate scam uncovered by FBI investigators, the U.S. attorney’s office said Friday.

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Blue Shield Of Calif. Company Altais To Acquire Large Physician Group

Blue Shield of California venture Altais on Friday said it is acquiring Brown & Toland Physicians, a medical group serving 350,000 patients in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Reopening California Could Mean Masks, Telecommuting And Social Distancing At Restaurants

With growing signs of progress in the battle against the coronavirus, government officials and public health experts are beginning to talk more openly about the next phase: The gradual, highly targeted lifting of some social distancing restrictions that have devastated the economy.

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Newsom Is ‘Confident’ About The State’s Supply Of Ventilators, Hospital Beds

As the total number of coronavirus cases in California topped 16,000, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday he is confident the state is building up its number of ventilators, hospital beds and workforce to meet the demand of a still-to-come surge in patients that he projects won’t peak until May.

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COVID-19’s Potential Double-Digit Hike on 2021 Premiums

According to a new report by Covered California, California’s marketplace, 2021 premium increases to individuals and employers from COVID-19 alone could range from 4 percent to more than 40 percent, if carriers must recoup 2020 costs and protect solvency. COVID-19 has been an unprecedented situation with one-year projected costs in the national commercial market ranging ...

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Gavin Newsom Planned A $222 Billion State Budget. It’ll Be ‘Radically Changed’ By Coronavirus

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he is going back to the drawing board for his budget proposal, abandoning the $222 billion plan he laid out in January as the coronavirus pandemic hammers the state’s economy.

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Insurance Commissioner Lara Issues Alert About Immigrant Workers’ Eligibility for Workers’ Compensation Benefits for COVID-19 Exposure or Illness

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today alerted insurance companies that all workers affected by COVID-19 on the job are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits regardless of their immigration status. This includes workers engaged in front-line occupations such as health care, emergency services, food production, sales, and delivery, among others.

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As San Francisco Imposed Coronavirus Shelter-In-Place Rules, Los Angeles Waited

The coronavirus is surging in Los Angeles as the county emerges as the new epicenter of the virus in California — whereas in San Francisco, numbers are slowing, a payoff that officials say is because of the Bay Area’s fast action to impose aggressive restrictions on residents.

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Newsom Signs Small Business Order

Yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order that will provide some relief for small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 crisis.

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Pelosi Floats New Stimulus Plan: Rolling Back SALT Cap

A proposal to retroactively lift a limit on state and local tax deductions would largely funnel money to relatively high earners in high-tax states.

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