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.
The standoff in the nation’s largest state underscores the difficult road ahead for governors and local leaders.
New coronavirus cases soared in California over the July Fourth weekend, stressing some hospital systems and leading to the temporary closure of the state capitol building in Sacramento for deep cleaning, officials said on Monday.
Last week, just before adjourning for a COVID-19-shortened summer recess, the California State Senate passed a measure that, if it becomes law, would significantly expand the availability of unpaid family leave in the state. SB 1383 would extend family leave protections to employers with five or more employees and significantly add to the circumstances in which employees will be entitled to family leave and return rights to the same or a comparable job. Current state law, the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), applies to covered employers with 50 or more employees.
New coronavirus cases roughly doubled in California over the last month. Hospitalizations have soared 88%, filling some medical centers close to capacity.
The California coronavirus outlook worsened over the holiday weekend, as hospitalizations continued to rise and more counties were added Sunday to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 watch list, which is now at its highest level since the pandemic began.
The Assembly is suspending its session until further notice following five confirmed COVID-19 cases among lawmakers and employees.
As the coronavirus rages through California’s crowded state prisons, threatening those inside and straining community hospitals, pressure is building on Gov. Gavin Newsom to avert a wider public-health crisis by drastically cutting prison populations — including at San Quentin in Marin County, now home to one of the country’s biggest COVID-19 outbreaks.
The seeds of the latest surge in coronavirus cases in California appear to have been planted around Memorial Day.
The CalSavers Retirement Savings Program is being challenged in court—and now the Labor Department has weighed in.
Word & Brown General Agency announced today the election of Director of Education and Market Development Paul Roberts as Vice President of Public Affairs at the California Association of Health Underwriters (CAHU). Effective July 1, Paul will join an executive board of 12 at the state’s largest insurance trade association.