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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.

Head-Scratching Over Newsom’s Choice of Blue Shield to Lead Vaccination Push

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, struggling to salvage a once-bright political future dimmed by his mishandling of the covid crisis, tapped nonprofit health insurer Blue Shield of California last week to allocate the state’s covid vaccine.

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Covered California to Offer Special IFP Enrollment Period

Covered California says it will give people more time to purchase health insurance this year. Open enrollment for the state's health insurance marketplace ends Sunday. But on Thursday, the agency that runs the marketplace said it would launch a special enrollment period next Monday that will run through May 15.

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California Governor and Unions Clash Over School Openings

An effort to reopen California schools is foundering, stoking frustrations across America’s most populous state from parents eager to get their children back in classrooms and a governor who wants them there. Parents and behavioral experts say many schoolchildren are feeling helpless or depressed and need a classroom setting to improve their mental health. An ...

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California Lifts Virus Stay-At-Home Order And Curfew

Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted stay-at-home orders across the state Monday in response to improving coronavirus conditions, a surprising move hailed by beleaguered businesses but that prompted caution from local health officials concerned the public may let down its guard.

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‘Coming For You And Your Job’: With Prop. 22, Are Grocery Staff Layoffs Just The Beginning?

When Derrick Neal moved back to the Los Angeles area from Florida last year, after his mother died, he needed to find a job quickly to keep paying his bills.

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Close to 200 Groups Join CalChamber’s Call for COVID-19 Business Relief, Action to Prevent California Employer Exodus

The California Chamber of Commerce and nearly 200 allied business organizations representing all sectors of the economy and employing millions of California workers today sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature calling for specific and immediate actions to curb the impact of the current pandemic-related economic crisis as well as address the underlying causes of an ongoing exodus of employers to other states.

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California Debates Speed vs. Equity in Vaccine Distribution Plan

An ambitious plan tailored to deliver coronavirus vaccines to California’s most vulnerable populations is fraying under pressure to simplify and speed up the state’s rocky vaccination rollout. A week after Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded vaccine eligibility to residents 65 and older, state officials are now proposing a plan to complete vaccinations for all seniors before ...

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California’s Top Hospital Lobbyist Cements Influence in Covid Crisis

As intensive care units filled and coronavirus cases surged over the holidays, Carmela Coyle invoked a World War II-era quote attributed to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to rally her own troops: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Coyle is head of the California Hospital Association, and her “troops” are the highly paid hospital ...

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Pandemic Pushes California Lawmakers Into Fast Action on State Budget

California lawmakers are wasting little time debating the $227 billion budget proposal Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week. In a break with the normally slow-moving process that drags out for months, budget committees in both the Assembly and state Senate convened this week to review the governor's spending plan, which includes immediate financial relief to families and businesses hard hit by the pandemic.

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California Lifts Stay-Home Order For Sacramento Region

California lifted a stay-at-home order in the 13-county Sacramento region on Tuesday as hospital conditions improved, a rare turn of good news as the state pushes through what Gov. Gavin Newsom called “its most intense surge” of the coronavirus. The order imposed Dec. 10 banned gatherings outside a household and shuttered or restricted many businesses. ...

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