FILE – Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado and Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia, second from right, argue as the benches clear following Garcia’s grand slam during the fifth inning of a baseball game July 26, 2023, in Houston. Everything is certainly bigger deep in the heart of Texas this baseball postseason, with a Lone Star State matchup for a spot in the World Series. The Astros are in their seventh straight ALCS, this time against the Rangers for the first time. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox, File)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Everything is certainly bigger deep in the heart of Texas this baseball postseason, with a Lone Star State showdown for a spot in the World Series.

Defending world champion Houston is no stranger to playing long into October, now getting ready for its seventh consecutive American League Championship Series. This time, the Astros play the up-and-coming Texas Rangers, who led them in the AL West standings for most of the season but again didn’t fare well in the head-to-head matchups.

Both benches and bullpens cleared the last time the two teams played in Houston, where the ALCS opener will be played Sunday night.

“There’s a lot of intensity. … I’d say we’re rivals,” first-year Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday. “That’s the way baseball should be, I guess. They’re your opponent, so I don’t think it should be a lovefest out there.”

Especially with so much at stake when the instate rivals meet in the playoffs for the first time.

This will be only the 10th postseason series featuring teams from the same state in baseball’s divisional era (since 1969). It will be the first outside of California since the New York Mets and New York Yankees played in the 2000 World Series, which was a year before the Astros and Rangers had even met in a regular-season game.

Hall of Fame strikeout king Nolan Ryan pitched for both teams, finishing his career with the Rangers and later was part of the ownership group for their only World Series and ALCS appearances in 2010 and 2011. Their respective 40,000-seat retractable-roof stadiums are about 250 miles apart — Minute Maid Park in Houston opened in 2000, and Globe Life Field is in its fourth season.

Houston’s Dusty Baker and Bochy are the winningest active managers, both with more than 2,000 wins in 26 seasons managing in the big leagues. Bochy won three World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants and Baker finally got his first championship last season.

“Now me and Bruce Bochy need to battle,” the 74-year-old Baker said. ”I know Bruce and he knows me.”

They have gone head-to-head 214 times. Their only playoff meeting was the 2012 NLDS that Bochy’s Giants won in five games over Baker’s Cincinnati Reds.

Houston has dominated the AL West since the Rangers won the division in 2016, their last winning season before this year. The Astros have since been to the World Series four times, winning two of them, and the only time without a division title was the abbreviated 60-game regular season during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when as a wild-card team they lost a seven-game ALCS to Tampa Bay.

“They are the reigning champions, so you have to give them a respect for that,” Rangers catcher-designated hitter Mitch Garver said. “I’d say we have equally as good a chance to win as they did.”

Texas led the AL West for 148 of the first 149 days this season, and 159 overall. But when the Rangers lost at Seattle on the final day of the regular season, a day after clinching a playoff spot, and Houston won to match them at 90 wins, the Astros had another division title and a first-round playoff bye.

“A lot of people were wondering what it was gonna be like if the ’Stros didn’t win the division,” third baseman Alex Bregman said at the start of their champagne celebration after the regular-season finale. “I guess we’ll never know.”

The Rangers became a wild card and had to fly across the country — going over North Texas on the way — before sweeping the AL’s winningest teams from the regular season, Tampa Bay and Baltimore.

Houston, which won its ALDS over Minnesota in four games, had the division tiebreaker because of its 9-4 record against the Rangers this year. The Astros had clinched the season series even before their obliterating three-game sweep with 16 homers and 39 runs in Arlington from Sept. 4-6. That is the only time they have played since the benches cleared July 26, after the Astros won the previous two nights to move within a game of the division lead.

Yordan Alvarez got hit by a pitch right after Bregman homered in the first inning of that series finale, and Texas second baseman Marcus Semien took a retaliatory plunk in the third. Semien hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fourth, and exchanged words with catcher Martin Maldonado. An inning later, Semien scored on a grand slam by Adolis García, who was face-to-face with the catcher when the benches cleared, though no punches were thrown.

“It’s a heated rivalry. I understand why there’s some animosity,” Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said.

Bochy was drafted by Houston and began his nine seasons as a big league catcher with the Astros from 1978-80, when they were still in the National League. Their first World Series came as National League champions in 2005.

Interleague play began in 1997 with NL and AL teams from corresponding divisions playing each other. Well, the Astros were in the NL Central and it wasn’t until 2001 that MLB changed things so they could play annually. They became division foes when Houston moved to the AL West in 2013.

“Sometimes it takes time to build that (rivalry). But you can see it developing here,” Bochy said. “You’re in the same state, so no, I’m not surprised how quickly it’s developing.”

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FILE – Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado and Texas Rangers’ Adolis Garcia, second from right, argue as the benches clear following Garcia’s grand slam during the fifth inning of a baseball game July 26, 2023, in Houston. Everything is certainly bigger deep in the heart of Texas this baseball postseason, with a Lone Star State matchup for a spot in the World Series. The Astros are in their seventh straight ALCS, this time against the Rangers for the first time. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox, File)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Everything is certainly bigger deep in the heart of Texas this baseball postseason, with a Lone Star State showdown for a spot in the World Series.

Defending world champion Houston is no stranger to playing long into October, now getting ready for its seventh consecutive American League Championship Series. This time, the Astros play the up-and-coming Texas Rangers, who led them in the AL West standings for most of the season but again didn’t fare well in the head-to-head matchups.

Both benches and bullpens cleared the last time the two teams played in Houston, where the ALCS opener will be played Sunday night.

“There’s a lot of intensity. … I’d say we’re rivals,” first-year Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday. “That’s the way baseball should be, I guess. They’re your opponent, so I don’t think it should be a lovefest out there.”

Especially with so much at stake when the instate rivals meet in the playoffs for the first time.

This will be only the 10th postseason series featuring teams from the same state in baseball’s divisional era (since 1969). It will be the first outside of California since the New York Mets and New York Yankees played in the 2000 World Series, which was a year before the Astros and Rangers had even met in a regular-season game.

Hall of Fame strikeout king Nolan Ryan pitched for both teams, finishing his career with the Rangers and later was part of the ownership group for their only World Series and ALCS appearances in 2010 and 2011. Their respective 40,000-seat retractable-roof stadiums are about 250 miles apart — Minute Maid Park in Houston opened in 2000, and Globe Life Field is in its fourth season.

Houston’s Dusty Baker and Bochy are the winningest active managers, both with more than 2,000 wins in 26 seasons managing in the big leagues. Bochy won three World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants and Baker finally got his first championship last season.

“Now me and Bruce Bochy need to battle,” the 74-year-old Baker said. ”I know Bruce and he knows me.”

They have gone head-to-head 214 times. Their only playoff meeting was the 2012 NLDS that Bochy’s Giants won in five games over Baker’s Cincinnati Reds.

Houston has dominated the AL West since the Rangers won the division in 2016, their last winning season before this year. The Astros have since been to the World Series four times, winning two of them, and the only time without a division title was the abbreviated 60-game regular season during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when as a wild-card team they lost a seven-game ALCS to Tampa Bay.

“They are the reigning champions, so you have to give them a respect for that,” Rangers catcher-designated hitter Mitch Garver said. “I’d say we have equally as good a chance to win as they did.”

Texas led the AL West for 148 of the first 149 days this season, and 159 overall. But when the Rangers lost at Seattle on the final day of the regular season, a day after clinching a playoff spot, and Houston won to match them at 90 wins, the Astros had another division title and a first-round playoff bye.

“A lot of people were wondering what it was gonna be like if the ’Stros didn’t win the division,” third baseman Alex Bregman said at the start of their champagne celebration after the regular-season finale. “I guess we’ll never know.”

The Rangers became a wild card and had to fly across the country — going over North Texas on the way — before sweeping the AL’s winningest teams from the regular season, Tampa Bay and Baltimore.

Houston, which won its ALDS over Minnesota in four games, had the division tiebreaker because of its 9-4 record against the Rangers this year. The Astros had clinched the season series even before their obliterating three-game sweep with 16 homers and 39 runs in Arlington from Sept. 4-6. That is the only time they have played since the benches cleared July 26, after the Astros won the previous two nights to move within a game of the division lead.

Yordan Alvarez got hit by a pitch right after Bregman homered in the first inning of that series finale, and Texas second baseman Marcus Semien took a retaliatory plunk in the third. Semien hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fourth, and exchanged words with catcher Martin Maldonado. An inning later, Semien scored on a grand slam by Adolis García, who was face-to-face with the catcher when the benches cleared, though no punches were thrown.

“It’s a heated rivalry. I understand why there’s some animosity,” Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said.

Bochy was drafted by Houston and began his nine seasons as a big league catcher with the Astros from 1978-80, when they were still in the National League. Their first World Series came as National League champions in 2005.

Interleague play began in 1997 with NL and AL teams from corresponding divisions playing each other. Well, the Astros were in the NL Central and it wasn’t until 2001 that MLB changed things so they could play annually. They became division foes when Houston moved to the AL West in 2013.

“Sometimes it takes time to build that (rivalry). But you can see it developing here,” Bochy said. “You’re in the same state, so no, I’m not surprised how quickly it’s developing.”

___

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HOUSTON (AP) — Houston dominated Texas during the regular season, winning nine of 13 matchups.

Now the Rangers get another chance at the Astros when they meet for the first time in the playoffs in a Texas-sized showdown with a trip to the World Series on the line starting Sunday night in Houston.

The Astros completed the regular season matchup against the Rangers with a three-game sweep at the beginning of September. Houston hit 16 homers to sweep that series by a combined score of 39-10.

But despite the lopsided results this season, both teams say they’ll start with a clean slate for the American League Championship Series.

“Regular season doesn’t mean anything anymore,” Houston Game 1 starter Justin Verlander said. “And I think it’s a different game. Playoffs is a different brand of baseball.”

That series in September was during the worst slump of the season for the Rangers, who were without third baseman Josh Jung and who lost Adolis García during the series.

Texas first baseman Nathaniel Lowe also noted that 21-year-old outfielder Evan Carter wasn’t even in the majors the last time the Rangers met the Astros.

“I think we were missing two or three bats, two or three starting bats. Evan was still in high school,” Lowe joked. “We had a couple pieces that weren’t fully, fully firing on all pistons.”

Houston’s success in the head-to-head matchup allowed the Astros to win the AL West while the Rangers had to play in the Wild Card Series after both teams finished with 90-72 records.

Now both teams are back to full strength and prepared to fight for the Lone Star state crown.

This isn’t the first time Houston manager Dusty Baker has experienced a high stakes, in-state postseason matchup.

As manager of the San Francisco Giants in 2002, he lost the World Series to the Anaheim Angels.

“In California we were in the World Series, two teams, us and the Angels, battling for bragging rights in California,” he said. “But everything is bigger in Texas. I’ve learned that since I’ve been here.”

Outfielder Robbie Grossman is in his first season with the Rangers but is well-acquainted with the rivalry, after going to high school in suburban Houston and spending his first three big league seasons with the Astros.

“It’s huge for baseball, but it’s even bigger for the state of Texas,” he said. “Just being a Texan, I know how much both these teams mean to the state.”

Verlander will face left-hander Jordan Montgomery on Sunday night.

Verlander, who returned to Houston in a July trade from the Mets, will make his 36th playoff start. The three-time Cy Young Award winner pitched six scoreless innings in the Division Series opener against Minnesota to extend his franchise record with his 10th postseason win.

This will be the fourth playoff start for Montgomery and third this season. Montgomery, acquired from St. Louis this summer, has had an up-and-down postseason after throwing seven shutout innings in the Wild Card Series before allowing four earned runs and nine hits in just four innings in Game 2 of the ALDS.

He talked about his struggles against the Orioles.

“Everything was a little un-synced up,” he said. “So just got to find my timing and execute more pitches.”

Houston’s Framber Valdez opposes Nathan Eovaldi in Game 2 on Monday.

MAD MAX BACK?

Texas starter Max Scherzer is expected to return for this series after being out since Sept. 12 because of a muscle strain in his shoulder.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner, also traded from the Mets this summer, said he was “ready to go” after throwing a bullpen session and doing fielding drills Friday.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy was asked if Scherzer would be included on the ALCS roster Saturday.

“Max is doing well,” Bochy said. “He’s done well. After workout today, we get together, we’ll get the staff, of course, (general manager) Chris Young and his staff, and we’ll talk about the roster. But he’s doing really well.”

Scherzer is 7-7 with a 3.58 ERA in 27 postseason games that include 22 starts. If he appears for Rangers, it would be the fifth team he has pitched for in the postseason after Detroit, Washington, the Dodgers and Mets.

ABREU’S STREAK

Houston reliever Bryan Abreu enters the ALCS with a 31-inning scoreless streak in his last 30 appearances. Abreu, who hasn’t allowed a run since July 18, hasn’t been scored on in the postseason in 14 2/3 innings, which spans 14 appearances dating back to last year.

Abreu, who normally pitches the eighth inning before handing things off to closer Ryan Pressly, has allowed two hits in 3 1/3 innings over three appearances this postseason.

“As a pitcher you just have to be calm and be ready to execute every single pitch and keep attacking the strike zone,” he said. “If you let everything outside go through your head … you’ll lose focus.”

FRIENDLY WAGER

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross proposed a wager to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner that the loser of the series would have to wear the winner’s jersey to a city council meeting.

Turner quickly agreed and wrote on X: “Since I’ve been mayor, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the Astros win the World Series… twice, so I accept.”

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AP Baseball Writer Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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By last Friday, all of the striking nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, were scheduled to lose their employer health care coverage. No new talks are scheduled.

“As of Sept. 1, RWJUH nurses must pay for their health benefits through COBRA,” said RWJ spokeswoman Wendy Gottsegen. “This hardship, in addition to the loss of wages throughout the strike, is very unfortunate. We hope the union considers the impact a prolonged strike is having on our nurses and their families.”

This painful standoff has some of the state’s wealthiest and most politically connected power brokers up against the United Steelworkers Nurses Local 4-200, which represents close to 1,700 nurses who weathered a once-in-a-century mass death event that around the country killed thousands of health care workers and disabled many more.

Our health care system in New Jersey and across the nation did not hold up well during COVID. The U.S. has 4% of the world’s population, but at least 12% of its COVID deaths. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have documented the lack of N-95 masks and proper staffing in our health care system helped drive the infection and death rate, particularly in underserved communities of color. 

In a reality that residents of New Jersey and New York know all too well, congregant care facilities where the most vulnerable are housed, became vectors for the disease.

Holding the American health care system accountable for its failure means being prepared to take on some of our nation’s most entrenched interests that have cultivated both major political parties. President Biden’s recent comment that “health care is a right” is a sign that we might see some attention to the health care affordability and access crisis that still grips our nation.

Even before the pandemic that killed 1.1 million Americans and disabled millions more, our health care system, largely based on nonprofits like RWJBarnabas that pay Wall Street wages for leadership, was ranked as the most expensive among peer OECD nations with the worst health care outcomes.

In the big picture, U.S. life expectancy continues to decline as costs go up. Our nation is likely to drop further in that ranking as the corporatization of health care accelerates.

In 2018, CNN reported the U.S. would “take the biggest drop in ranking of all high-income countries, falling from 43rd in 2016 to 64th by 2040, with an average life expectancy of 79.8. The U.S. will be overtaken by China, which rises 29 places to 39th in the table.”

That was before the pandemic.

U.S. life expectancy continues to decline as costs go up. Our nation is likely to drop further in that ranking as the corporatization of health care accelerates.

The RWJBarnabas system is a not-for-profit health care giant with a dozen acute care hospitals and a partnership with Rutgers University. The system has 38,000 employees and $6.6 billion in revenue. It relies on hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-exempt state issued bonds for capital construction.

Yes, it sounds like a public, almost quasi-governmental entity with a vital and noble mission, which, along with its workforce, is executed 24/7 in some of New Jersey’s poorest and most underserved communities.

Yet it also generates vast fortunes for some people on top of the health care pyramid.

The system’s recently-retired CEO and president, Barry Ostrowsky, earned $16 million in the second year of the pandemic, making him the highest paid hospital executive in the New York area, according to Crain’s New York.

He’s now on the board of directors of PSE&G, New Jersey’s largest utility. 

According to RWJBarnabas’ latest available 990 IRS form from fiscal year 2020, Ostrowsky made $5.59 million three years ago. More than a dozen other top executives listed were in the $1 million or more category.

The hospital system’s filing includes links to dozens of “related organizations taxable as partnerships,” identified with nondescript names like Medmerge LLC or Jersey ASC Ventures LLC. There’s a C-corporation called Major Investigations Inc., which is listed as “security” at the same address in West Orange, New Jersey, as the RWJBarnabas Health Foundation.

Any entity that operates on the scale of the RWJBarnabas system needs to have cash on hand and investments that can help it sustain its charitable mission. It’s all a matter of degrees and transparency.

Under Schedule F in the RWJBarnabas IRS filings, which catalogues its financial “activities outside the United States,” listed are “program services” in Central America and the Caribbean described as a “financial vehicle” worth $41.2 million.   

For its PR strategy, the nonprofit’s management is relying on MWW, the powerhouse firm founded by Michael Kempner, who has been described by Politico as a “major Democratic fundraiser who bundled millions of dollars for Barack Obama’s campaigns.”

According to Kempner’s LinkedIn profile, he is “active in progressive politics, having played roles in the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and most recently, Joe Biden.”

For its PR strategy during the strike, the nonprofit relies on MWW, the powerhouse firm founded by Michael Kempner, a “major Democratic fundraiser” who bundled millions in donations for Barack Obama.

The global crisis management firm has a high-powered team that includes Steve Sandberg, a former journalist and former chief spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who currently chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In his role as senior vice president for public affairs “at one of the world’s leading public relations agencies,” Sandberg is playing a key role in the RWJBarnabas system’s response to a strike it has consistently asserted it wanted to avoid.

Sandberg, who has been proactive about getting management’s message gets out, did not answer a query from this reporter as to whether MWW is providing its services pro bono.

He responded by asking if I was in the employ of any unions. I responded that I was not, but that I do benefit from a SAG-AFTRA pension and Social Security so I am grateful to the union movement.

Central to the labor-management dispute in this case the question of which side represents the best interests of the hospital’s workforce and the patients, as well as the broader community they serve. 

Three years ago in its IRS filings, RWJBarnabas reported it spent $18.5 million for advertising. In the present media landscape that buys a lot of space.

In one recent release, the nonprofit heralded the success of RWJUH’s heart transplant team, which “successfully performed a transplantation on August 4 within the first 24 hours of the nurse strike implemented by its nursing union.” That patient, a 52-year-old resident of Trenton, was reportedly discharged on Aug. 14 after 10 days in the hospital’s cardiovascular ICU and in-patient unit. 

Last year, Lester J. Owens was named as chair of the RWJBarnabas Health Board of Trustees. Owens “has served as Vice Chair since 2019 and has served on its Audit, Compliance, Compensation, Nominating and Governance, as well as Racism and Social Justice Committees,” according to a press release.

Owens is also senior executive vice president and head of operations for Wells Fargo & Company, where “he oversees a team of more than 70,000 employees and is responsible for building a more unified, integrated approach to Wells Fargo’s business operations functions,” according to the press release announcing his appointment. Before joining Wells Fargo, Owens held prominent positions at BNY Mellon, JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Citibank and Bankers Trust.

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Residents of communities like Newark and Irvington know Wells Fargo well.

Earlier this year, Fortune reported on internal documents from the beleaguered banking multinational that privately expressed “increased concern that a years-long effort to unionize the bank’s employees could soon start notching victories” and outlined “plans to spend millions addressing the ‘pain points’ that can fuel organizing efforts.” 

Fortune further reported that Wells Fargo “has seen ‘an increase in organizing activity’ by employees working with the Communications Workers of America, according to an internal PowerPoint presentation. … That comes amid what it called a broader ‘resurgence’ of U.S. union activity.”

An unnamed source in Wells Fargo management told Fortune, “Leaders at the San Francisco-based bank have worried over the trends. … The company has estimated the extra expense of having unionized workers, and drafted plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on staffing improvements.”

In a statement, the bank responded: “Wells Fargo believes our employees are best served by working directly with the company and its leadership – not a third-party group like a union – to address matters of concern. The company is investing in employees through training and education, is boosting minimum pay and health benefits, and now has a Diverse Segments, Representation, and Inclusion leader who reports directly to its chief executive officer.”

Fortune observed that the bank had roughly 193,000 U.S. employees at the end of 2022, none of them unionized.

RWJUH, on the other hand, has had a nurses’ union going back decades. Back in 2005, the United Steelworkers Local 4-200 took up the mantle. As one of America’s legacy unions, it has 1.2 million active and retired members including 50,000 in the health care sector representing titles as varied as physicians and EMTs from New Jersey to California. The union even scored a recent organizing coup in Wyoming.

On day one of the strike, the plumbing in a church rented by the union suffered a “construction accident” that disabled its plumbing, taking out the toilets available for striking workers.

On day one of the job action, the plumbing in the Magyar Reformed Church in New Brunswick, which the union is renting as a strike headquarters, suffered a “construction accident” that disabled its plumbing, taking out the toilets available for striking workers on the picket line. The church sits at the center of the RWJUH complex, which includes the ongoing construction of its $1 billion cancer center.

“We’re nurses, we are resourceful, we do what we have to do, so we rented portable toilets,” Judy Danella, president of United Steelworkers Nurses Local 4-200, said. The union has filed several claims of unfair labor practices against the hospital system.

The union says its top priority is to improve nurse-to-patient ratios and to establish an enforcement mechanism to hold hospital management accountable when it falls short of that standard. The hospital counters by saying that it tried to prevent a strike and painting the union as an erratic and unreliable bargaining partner.

“RWJUH did everything it could to avoid a strike. The hospital agreed to and signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on July 13, which included the union’s core staffing proposal and compensation settlement,” according to the hospital. “The union leaders signed it and agreed to recommend the MOA to its membership but did not. It was voted down by the nurses and a notice to strike was presented to the hospital.”

Two days before the strike, the hospital narrative continued, RWJUH “submitted a proposal to the union that went even further than what was in the MOA, and the union never presented that proposal to its membership before they went out on strike.”

RWJUH further asserts that it “offered to enter binding arbitration or participate in a federal mediation and conciliation board of inquiry” and asked the union to “rescind its strike notice and return to the table to continue good faith negotiations,” and that the union refused those offers. The hospital chain also alleges that “during the 10-day window prior to the strike, the hospital made another counteroffer to attempt to avert the strike. The union did not respond to the offer until after the strike. Since the strike, mediation has not been productive; counteroffers from the union have far exceeded all previous asks, including those the union agreed to in the MOA.”

The union has a different narrative, of course. Danella told hundreds of her members on the picket line on Aug. 28 that the hospital was not coming to the table, and that the union had “never refused to bargain” with management. She said the failure to make progress “was not for the lack of the union trying.”

Danella told members she hoped that “somebody would push” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, to become engaged in the almost month-long strike at one of the state’s Level 1 trauma centers. Unlike in a recent strike at Rutgers University, Murphy has stayed on the sidelines so far. He has committed to use the tragic lessons of the pandemic to improve New Jersey’s health care system. That’s no small task. A lot of powerful folks have made a killing from the way New Jersey handles health care. 

“Hospitals have been downsizing their staffs over the years to try and save money at the same time that some of the hospitals are full — so safe staffing is something that nurses not just in New Jersey but all over the country are looking at,” New Jersey AFL-CIO president Charlie Wowkanech told Insider NJ earlier this month. “The issue isn’t just about the nurses, it’s about you and me and our families. Someone gets sick and goes to the hospital and they’ve got one nurse for eight or nine patients, particularly in some of these wards with infants, or in intensive care units where people need pretty much constant attention. That’s really what the fight is all about.”

Local 4-200 nurse and activist Renee Bacany said, “We need to make sure that we can take care of our patients to the best of our ability, and that would mean less patients than we are taking on now on a daily basis. Better staffing reduces infection, reduces patient mortality — that’s what study after study shows.”

Christi Peace, a spokesperson for Gov. Murphy, said that the governor “remains a strong proponent of organized labor and believes employees deserve a seat at the table when negotiating labor matters. The administration encourages both parties to maintain an open dialogue and will continue to remain engaged with them as they work towards a fair and acceptable resolution to these negotiations.”

Last Monday, the striking nurses got a pep talk from state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, a Democrat. He discussed his own daughter-in-law’s experience as a nurse during the COVID pandemic.

“To thank you requires more than a speech, it requires some action,” Coughlin said. “I know what this is about — fundamental fairness. This is about people getting paid what they ought to be paid, being able to provide the care that their patients need each and every day…. This is about patient care and fundamental fairness and that’s why it’s so important that you stand up for yourself today.”

He went on, “It’s time to stand up together and to get a contract. It’s time for all of you to be back inside doing what you love to do, what you care about doing and making the difference that you make each and every day.”

Last weekend, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also offered support for the striking nurses. “We hailed them as heroes during the pandemic, but when it comes to their compensation, the nursing ratios, we’ve got to make sure they are being treated like heroes, not just in words but in the kind of contract and living circumstances they have,” he said.

Read more

on America’s labor resurgence

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Während einer dramatischen Anhörung am Donnerstag im State Capitol erhielten sieben Fentanyl-Maßnahmen schließlich ein Urteil: Vier Gesetzentwürfe wurden angenommen, aber die beiden umfassendsten scheiterten und ein drittes wurde auf Eis gelegt.

Genau hinschauen: Trauernde Familien, die Angehörige durch eine Fentanylvergiftung verloren haben, genesende Süchtige und Befürworter einer Reform der Strafjustiz. Um in den beengten Anhörungsraum zu gelangen, standen viele mehr als eine Stunde an, bevor der Ausschuss für öffentliche Sicherheit der Versammlung zusammentrat.

Kellie Amaru aus Willows sagte, sie habe ihren Sohn Ryan im Alter von 27 Jahren durch eine Überdosis Fentanyl verloren und sei vom Komitee enttäuscht.

• Bitter: „Ich fürchte, das ist alles Gerede. Sie versuchen nur, politische Punkte zu machen. Sie müssen erkennen, dass einige von uns tatsächlich Wähler sind.“

Ein Großteil der Debatte des Ausschusses konzentrierte sich auf eine wichtige politische Entscheidung: Ist es besser, die Fentanylkrise, die 2021 in Kalifornien 5.722 Menschen das Leben kostete, als Problem der öffentlichen Gesundheit zu behandeln? Oder handelt es sich um einen Notfall für die öffentliche Sicherheit, bei dem härtere Strafen Drogendealer abschrecken könnten?

Während sich die Gesetzgeber einig waren, dass es keine einheitliche Lösung gebe, drängten die Demokraten im Ausschuss die Gesetzesentwürfe zur Erhöhung der Strafen zurück und warnten, dass eine solche Politik die Masseneinkerkerungen nach dem „Krieg gegen die Drogen“ in den 1980er Jahren widerspiegelte, der sich überproportional gegen Schwarze und Latino-Gemeinschaften richtete.

• Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Demokrat aus Los Angeles und Vorsitzender des Komitees: „Ich war Bestatter während der Crack-Kokain-Krise. Wegen der Crack-Kokain-Krise bin ich im Moment kein Leichenbestatter … Unsere Gemeinschaften wurden durch den Krieg gegen die Drogen dezimiert.“

Alle bis auf einen der Rechnungen wurden von Demokraten verfasst. Aber zwei Gesetzentwürfe zur Erhöhung der Strafen, die nicht vorankamen, wurden nur von den beiden Republikanern im Komitee, Juan Alanis von Modesto und Tom Lackey von Palmdale, unterstützt. Kurz nach den Abstimmungen kritisierte der republikanische Caucus der Versammlung „radikale Demokraten“, weil sie sich auf die Seite der Drogendealer stellten.

• Jim PattersonFresno-Republikaner und Autor einer der abgelehnten Gesetzesvorlagen: „Wenn wir uns wirklich um die Süchtigen kümmern, würde es uns dann nicht auch interessieren, dass ihre Dealer auf der Straße immer mehr am laufenden Band sind? … Wenn es keine Konsequenzen gibt, wird es eine Wiederholung geben Versorgung vorhanden.“

Die vier verabschiedeten Gesetzentwürfe (die die heutige Frist für die Annahme von Gesetzentwürfen durch die politischen Ausschüsse, die auch den Segen eines Finanzausschusses benötigen, knapp übertroffen haben):

• AB 33 zur Einrichtung einer Task Force zur Bekämpfung von Fentanylsucht und Überdosierung;
• AB 474 zur Priorisierung der Zusammenarbeit zwischen staatlichen und lokalen Strafverfolgungsbehörden zur Bekämpfung des Fentanylhandels;
• AB 675, um das Tragen einer Waffe im Besitz von Fentanyl illegal zu machen;
• AB 701 zur Erhöhung der Bußgelder für Händler, indem Fentanyl in die gleiche Kategorie wie Heroin und Kokain eingestuft wird.

Die drei Rechnungen, die nicht vorgezogen wurden:

• AB 367, um Strafmaßverbesserungen für diejenigen hinzuzufügen, die durch Fentanylvergiftung schwer verletzen oder töten;
• AB 955 zur Erhöhung der Strafen für Händler, die Fentanyl über soziale Medien verkaufen;
• AB 1058, um die Strafen für diejenigen zu erhöhen, die eine große Menge Fentanyl besitzen.

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CalMatters deckt das Kapitol ab: CalMatters bietet Ihnen Leitfäden, um Ihre Gesetzgeber im Auge zu behalten, die Rekordvielfalt zu erkunden, Ihrer Stimme Gehör zu verschaffen und zu verstehen, wie die Landesregierung funktioniert. Wir haben auch spanischsprachige Versionen für die Demografie der Legislative und die Erklärung der Landesregierung.

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1
Rückzug beim Wohnen?

Neue Wohnungen im Bau in einem Viertel in Elk Grove. Foto von Rahul Lal, CalMatters

Vom Gehäusereporter von CalMatters Ben Christoph:

Nach Jahren des Festhaltens an einer Debatte, die die organisierte Arbeiterschaft gespalten und die Fähigkeit der Legislative zur Bewältigung der kalifornischen Wohnungskrise behindert hat, kam der State Building and Construction Trades Council am Mittwoch an den Verhandlungstisch, nur eine Woche nachdem seine Koalition gewerkschaftlich organisierter Bauarbeiter Anzeichen gezeigt hatte des Splitterns.

Seit 2020 hat der Trades Council, eine der beeindruckendsten Stimmen in der staatlichen Wohnungspolitik, darauf bestanden, dass jedes neue Wohnungsbaugesetz Anforderungen an „qualifizierte und ausgebildete Arbeitskräfte“ enthält, die die Wohnungsbauträger zwingen, sicherzustellen, dass ein bestimmter Prozentsatz ihrer Bautrupps vorhanden ist Absolventen von Lehrlingsausbildungsprogrammen. Mehr als 90 % der Absolventen kommen aus gewerkschaftsgeführten Programmen.

Anfang dieses Jahres stellte der demokratische Senator von San Francisco, Scott Wiener, einen Gesetzentwurf vor, um sein Gesetz von 2017 dauerhaft zu machen, das den Genehmigungsprozess für Wohnungsentwicklungen in vielen Teilen des Bundesstaates beschleunigt. Version 2.0 des Gesetzentwurfs streicht die Formulierung „qualifizierte und geschulte Arbeitskräfte“ wegen Bedenken, dass es nicht genügend gewerkschaftlich organisierte Bauarbeiter gibt, um die Arbeit zu erledigen. Der Trades Council forderte ihn auf, die Sprache wieder einzubauen.

Aber als der Regierungs- und Finanzausschuss des Senats am Mittwoch über den Gesetzentwurf debattierte, brachte Beverly Yu, eine Lobbyistin des Handels, eine neue und überraschende Idee vor.

Laut einem von CalMatters erhaltenen Entwurf des neuen „Residential Workforce Standard“-Sprache des Gewerbes würden Entwickler bei beschleunigten Projekten immer noch strengen Einstellungsrichtlinien ausgesetzt sein. Aber „ausgebildete“ Arbeitnehmer können entweder Absolventen einer Ausbildung oder Nicht-Absolventen mit gleichwertiger Berufserfahrung sein. Und obwohl Projekte versuchen müssten, eine bestimmte Anzahl von Auszubildenden einzustellen, könnten sie woanders einstellen, wenn keine Auszubildenden verfügbar sind.

• Ju: Der neue Standard „beginnt damit, die Probleme anzugehen, die von den Leuten angesprochen wurden, und hilft auch dabei, unsere gemeinsamen Ziele zu erreichen.“

Am Donnerstag betonte Yu, dass der Wortlaut des Entwurfs vorläufig sei und sich in den kommenden Wochen ändern könnte.

Aber während der Anhörung am Mittwoch gab Wiener der Idee eine kühle Antwort und betonte, dass er den Vorschlag erst „48 Stunden“ zuvor zum ersten Mal gesehen habe, dass andere Befürworter „Bedenken haben“ und dass der Gesetzentwurf in zwei Fällen seinem nächsten Ausschuss vorgelegt werde anderthalb Wochen.

• Wiener: „Seit drei Jahren bitte ich die Handwerker, an den Tisch zu kommen. Drei. Jahre … Ich bin nicht sehr optimistisch, dass wir in zweieinhalb Wochen, nach drei Jahren davon, irgendwie zu dieser Lösung kommen werden.“

2
Die lange Reichweite von COVID

Stephen Mintz, ein COVID-19-Langstreckenfahrer, sitzt am 3. März 2023 auf seinem Bett in seiner Wohnung in Fresno. Foto von Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Für den größten Teil der Welt scheint das Schlimmste der Pandemie gekommen und gegangen zu sein. Aber von den geschätzten 1,5 Millionen Kaliforniern, die unter langer COVID leiden, sind ihre schwächenden Gesundheitsprobleme noch lange nicht vorbei.

Wie die Gesundheitsreporterin von CalMatters, Kristen Hwang, schreibt, sind die mehr als 200 Symptome, die unter Long COVID fallen, „schlecht definiert“ und vage. Patienten, die als Langstreckenfahrer bekannt sind, haben Probleme mit Müdigkeit, Durchblutung und Entzündungen.

Aber anders als während des Höhepunkts der Pandemie, als sich alle Regierungsebenen bemühten, die öffentliche Gesundheit zu unterstützen, sind Langstreckenfahrer bei der Suche nach einer Behandlung mit einem Mangel an medizinischen Ressourcen konfrontiert. Sie werden von Ärzten nicht immer ernst genommen, sie können wegen ihrer Krankheit kein Invaliditätsgeld erhalten und spezialisierte Kliniken sind überlastet und unterbesetzt.

Derzeit gibt es keinen Legislativvorschlag, der sich mit langem COVID befasst. Ein Budgetantrag zur Erhöhung der Klinikkapazität ist im vergangenen Jahr gestorben, und Pläne, die Maßnahme zu erneuern, sind angesichts des drohenden Staatshaushaltsdefizits zweifelhaft.

Das Gesundheitsministerium des Bundesstaates plant die Einrichtung einer neuen Zweigstelle, die die lange COVID-Forschung unterstützen würde, finanziert durch die Kombination von Geldern aus dem letzten Jahr mit dem Startkapital aus dem langfristigen COVID-19-Bereitschaftsplan des Staates in Höhe von 1,8 Milliarden US-Dollar. Aber die laufende Finanzierung ist angesichts der Krise des Staatshaushalts dürftig.

Der Kampf um Ressourcen fällt zum größten Teil den Langfahrern selbst oder ihren Familienmitgliedern zu. Aber das ist ein harter Kampf für diejenigen, die mit der Krankheit zu kämpfen haben.

• Lisa McCorkellMitbegründer des Patient-Led Research Collective: „Eines der großen Probleme bei langem COVID … ist, dass die Menschen, die am motiviertesten sind, etwas dagegen zu unternehmen, die geringste Energie und Fähigkeit haben, eine Szene zu verursachen.“

In anderen Gesundheitsnachrichten: Eine neue staatliche Prüfung bemängelt das kalifornische Gesundheitsministerium bei der Erhebung von Daten zur sexuellen Orientierung und Geschlechtsidentität und sagt, dass die Mängel „seine Fähigkeit eingeschränkt haben, gesundheitliche Unterschiede zu erkennen und anzugehen“, die die LGBTQ-Gemeinschaft betreffen.

Die Prüfung empfiehlt, dass die Abteilung ihre 129 Formulare zum Sammeln demografischer Daten standardisiert und dass der Gesetzgeber das Gesetz ändert, um die Abteilung zu verpflichten, die Informationen zur sexuellen Orientierung von den örtlichen Gesundheitsbehörden zu sammeln und auch einen jährlichen Bericht an die Öffentlichkeit zu verlangen.

Senator Scott Wiener, ein Demokrat aus San Francisco und Autor eines Gesetzes von 2020, das Teil der Prüfung ist, nannte seine Ergebnisse „äußerst besorgniserregend“ und sagte, er erwäge Gesetze zur Umsetzung seiner Ergebnisse. In einer Erklärung sagte er, dass die Fehler der Abteilung wahrscheinlich ihre Reaktion auf den Ausbruch der Affenpocken im letzten Jahr beeinträchtigten, als schwule und bisexuelle Männer fast alle Fälle ausmachten.

In ihrer Antwort erkennt die Abteilung an, dass sie Verbesserungen vornehmen muss, und verspricht, „sich weiterhin darum zu bemühen, die Einhaltung der Vorschriften bei unseren Datenerfassungsbemühungen und der allgemeinen Nutzung von Daten zu erreichen und zu verbessern, um die gesundheitliche Chancengleichheit in Kalifornien voranzutreiben“.

3
Anhörung bereitet Bühne für EV-Abstimmung

Eine Flotte von Tesla Semis im Werk von PepsiCo Beverages North America in Sacramento am 11. April 2023. Foto von Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Vom Umweltreporter von CalMatters Nadia Lopez:

Das kalifornische Air Board kam am Donnerstag zu einem zweitägigen Treffen zusammen, um ein Mandat zu erörtern, das weitreichende Auswirkungen auf die Wirtschaft und die Umwelt des Staates haben würde: Es würde den Warentransport im ganzen Staat überarbeiten, indem es den Verkauf neuer Diesel-Big-Rigs bis 2036 verbietet und Umrüstung bestehender Lkw großer Unternehmen auf null Emissionen bis 2042.

Mehr als 160 Personen stellten sich persönlich und virtuell an, um während der Anhörung, die bis in die Nacht hinein dauerte, mit dem California Air Resources Board zu sprechen. Der Vorstand wird voraussichtlich bis heute Mittag abstimmen.

Als weltweite Premiere würden die Regeln darauf abzielen, Dieselabgase und Treibhausgase zu beseitigen, die von großen Bohrinseln, Müllwagen, Lieferwagen und anderen großen Fahrzeugen ausgestoßen werden, indem sie in Modelle umgewandelt werden, die mit Strom oder Wasserstoff betrieben werden. Die jahrzehntelange wirtschaftliche Präsenz des Diesels würde beendet, und die Regel würde etwa 1,8 Millionen Lastwagen betreffen, die im ganzen Bundesstaat verkehren.

Gruppen für Umweltgerechtigkeit und Mitglieder der Öffentlichkeit berichteten dem Vorstand von der hohen Belastung durch Dieselabgase in ihren Gemeinden.

• Tanja González, ein Anwalt für Umweltgerechtigkeit und Einwohner von Fontana im San Bernardino County: „Wir verdienen etwas Besseres, wir verdienen das Recht auf saubere Luft. Ich bitte Sie heute, unser Leben über den Profit zu stellen.“

Speditionen, lokale Führungskräfte und Versorgungsunternehmen sagten jedoch, die Fristen seien unerreichbar, da die Technologie neu und teuer sei und mehrere Nachteile habe.

• Chris Shimoda, Senior Vice President der California Trucking Association, einer Branchenhandelsgruppe: „Wenn die Regel voranschreitet … werden Sie viele der gleichen Probleme sehen, die wir während der Pandemie hatten. Es ist eine Krise in der Lieferkette, die wir selbst verursacht haben.“

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Andere Dinge, die Ihre Zeit wert sind

Einige Geschichten erfordern möglicherweise ein Abonnement, um sie lesen zu können

Scott Weiner will es sein San Franciscos erster schwuler Kongressabgeordneter // Los Angeles Times

Die Schließung einer kalifornischen Raffinerie tut weh Ölarbeiter, Entlassungsstudie sagt // The Sacramento Bee

Kalifornien verabschiedet die ersten Emissionsvorschriften der Nation für Züge // AP News

Clubhouse, Dropbox strich Hunderte von Stellenbeschuldigt man AI // San Francisco Chronicle

Die Hälfte der Menschen wurden bei LAPD-Verfolgungen verletzt sind Zuschauer, sagt der Bericht // Los Angeles Times

SF gibt 356 Millionen Dollar für Zimmer für Obdachlose aus Warum sitzen so viele leer? // San Francisco Chronik

LA Mayor Bass will 17.000 Menschen unterbringen im ersten Jahr, aber wie? // LAist

SoCalGas half beim Kampf gegen die Bankroll gegen das Erdgasverbot von Berkeley // KQED

Werden die öffentlichen Schulen von Berkeley Reparationen zahlen? zu schwarzen Studenten? // Der San-Francisco-Standard

Nachdem er erfahren hatte, dass der Vergewaltiger einziehen würdeSeine Nachbarn gründen eine Heimschule, um ihn fernzuhalten // The Mercury News

Fresno County Superior Court endet ‘illegales Verspätungsgebühren’-Programm // The Fresno Bee

Richter entscheidet, dass Elon Musk wahrscheinlich muss eidesstattliche Aussage bei tödlichem Tesla-Autopilot-Absturz // Bloomberg

Nach 5 Jahren Kampf CA Girl bekommt aufgegebene Behandlung für die „Bubble-Boy-Krankheit“ // CNN

SDPD versprach Rassenunterschiede bei der Durchsetzung würde untergehen, aber sie haben sich hochgeschlichen // Voice of San Diego

Meinung: CA sollte sich nicht von Energieunternehmen durchsetzen lassen auf Rechnungen // Los Angeles Times

The post California fentanyl: Showdown on payments appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

THE BUZZ— YIMBY, NIMBY, SCHMIMBY: Today, San Franciscans on the east side of town will decide between two Democratic Assembly candidates with competing philosophies and records on affordable housing in one of the nation’s thorniest and most expensive real estate markets.

David Campos and Matt Haney are facing off to take over the Assembly District 17, left vacant by David Chiu when he was appointed to serve as San Francisco city attorney last year. Haney and Campos were the top two vote-getters in the February primary, nearly tied with 36.4 percent and 35.7 percent of the vote, respectively.

Housing is a crucial issue in the race for this seat, which covers the Mission and the Financial District, where residents have long complained about housing costs. The concerns in San Francisco mirror statewide issues around affordability and the slow pace of construction, and both Haney and Campos have vowed to bring solutions to Sacramento.

Campos, who served on the Board of Supervisors until 2016 and is currently vice chair of the California Democratic Party, has caught some flak for opposing certain housing projects during his time in San Francisco City Hall. One Berkeley political science professor, David Broockman, recently authored a report on Campos’ alleged NIMBY (“not in my back yard”) tendencies, pointing out his district’s low rate of new housing construction (157 units per year) and that Campos has frequently repeated NIMBY talking points. Campos told The San Francisco Chronicle that the report was poorly done and biased, and that it failed to highlight his focus on keeping people in their homes and preventing no-fault evictions.

Haney, on the other hand, was praised by the same professor for a faster rate of housing construction in his city district (2,255 per year). Though Haney now gets the mark of approval from California YIMBY, too, he has opposed certain housing measures in the past, like Senate Bill 35, which streamlined housing construction in cities that couldn’t meet the stand-mandated minimum. Both Campos and Haney want more tenant protections and support greasing the construction tracks at the state level to get more houses built faster. Both want to extend the state’s eviction moratorium. And both want to overturn the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Act, which allows landlords to raise the rent on rent-controlled units when they become vacant.

Haney also has the backing of Mayor London Breed, who will get to appoint his successor on the Board of Supervisors if he wins. Interest groups have bombarded voters with more than $1.8 million worth of outside spending since January, the bulk of it on Haney’s behalf, as organized labor and real estate interests spent heavily to promote Haney or diminish Campos — bolstering the perception, as does Breed’s nod, that Haney is the establishment pick. As the campaign unfolded, Haney’s fellow supervisors have beefed with him in public view.

Polls close at 8 p.m. tonight — though with turnout expected to be low, we likely won’t have to wait long for a clear victor to emerge. Whoever it is will have to turn around and defend their seat in the newly-drawn District 17 on June 7.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Tuesday morning. Closely-watched legislation to place guardrails around kids’ social media use gets its first hearing today in the Assembly Privacy Committee — California’s contribution to a wider-ranging debate about protecting young people online.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up [email protected] and [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Yes, she’s a longtime friend, a proud public servant and someone he has long enjoyed serving with and working with.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki on whether President Joe Biden has trust in California Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Associated Press reporter Kathleen Ronayne @kronayne asks: “Is Tuolumne one of the most difficult words to spell in the world of California water? Or is that just for me?”

BONUS TOTD: Rufus Jeffris @rufe3 answers: “The most difficult word in the world of CA Water? Compromise”

WHERE’S GAVIN? In Butte County to highlight the state’s climate and drought response.

CHECK THIS OUT: Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, POLITICO predicted how every single midterm race will go — and things are looking good for the GOP. One of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents in the country is Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27th Congressional District. His district, north of Los Angeles, voted for President Joe Biden by 13 points.

Want to see more on how California is looking? Use our Election Forecast to see which races you need to watch this year — and who we think will win each one.

Later this week: Join us for a live discussion on California midterm races to watch. Tune into our Twitter Space on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. PT/ 2:30 p.m. ET as our reporters Lara Korte and Jeremy White break down the California midterm contests to keep an eye on this year. You can read their breakdown here.

A message from CVS Health:

Throughout the pandemic, in California and communities across the country, CVS Health has been there. We’ve opened more than 4,800 COVID-19 test sites, administered 41 million tests and given 67 million vaccines. We’ve expanded access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine, increased remote access to mental health services and invested in affordable housing to help build healthier communities. We’ve been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. Learn more.

GOING ON STRIKE — “Fed-up nurses walk out at Sutter Health and prepare to strike at Stanford hospitals,” by S.F. Chronicle’s Nanette Asimov: “Hospital nurses across California say they’ve reached a boiling point two years into the pandemic. Despite being hailed as health care heroes, they say they are exhausted from understaffing and overwork, and angered by offers of raises they consider puny.”

ABORTION — “Why I’m telling my abortion story now,” writes Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California President Jodi Hicks in the LA Times:  “The United States is facing the most consequential year for abortion rights since Roe vs. Wade was decided in 1973. And it isn’t just a matter of the pending Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Mississippi case that is likely to overturn Roe.”

NO MASKS REQUIRED — “TSA won’t enforce mask mandate for travel, following Florida ruling,” by POLITICO’s Alex Daugherty and Erin Banco.

 SEPARATION & SCANDAL — “Sonoma State president announces separation from husband amid sexual harassment claims,” by the Press Democrat’s Martin Espinoza. 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE — “California man exonerated after 32 years in prison,” by the AP: “A California man who spent more than three decades behind bars for a murder he did not commit was exonerated of the crime Monday, clearing the way for his release from prison, officials said.”

SPOTTY RECORD — “Rick Caruso missed nearly 40% of meetings as LAPD commissioner,” by the LA Times’ James Rainey: “Businessman Rick Caruso missed nearly 40% of Los Angeles Police Commission meetings when he served on the volunteer panel two decades ago, an attendance record far worse than his fellow commissioners.”

WHAT BASS CAN DO — “‘A metastasizing ​​crisis’: can Karen Bass end street encampments in LA?” by The Guardian’s Sam Levin: “Unveiling her homelessness platform in January, Bass made bold commitments: if elected, she would “end all street encampments”. She would provide housing to 15,000 unhoused people by the end of year one; rapidly get people off the street; convert empty properties into shelter; and build more permanent supportive housing.”

CA-38 — “Elections 2022: Get to know Rep. Linda Sánchez, two more candidates in 38th District race,” by the OC Register’s Brooke Staggs: “Sánchez is the heavy favorite to win an eleventh term in Congress this year, representing a solidly blue district.”

DAHLE’S HOPES — “What would Brian Dahle do as California governor?” by CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff: “After a decade in the GOP’s (super)minority in Sacramento, Dahle said he knows how to build relationships across the aisle and pass bipartisan legislation — inviting colleagues to his seed farm in Lassen County, bringing them fresh peaches from a neighbor and annually gifting them See’s candies, purchased through a fundraiser to help a local eighth grade class visit the state Capitol.”

AHEAD OF THE PACK — “Mullin pulls ahead in money race in Peninsula congressional contest,” by SF Chronicle’s Tal Kopan: “Assembly Member Kevin Mullin significantly outpaced his competition in fundraising for the open congressional seat in the Peninsula in the first quarter this year, turning around what was an initially disappointing showing in the opening weeks of the race.”

— “He spent 30 years in prison on a wrongful murder conviction. A Chesa Boudin campaign promise will free him,” by the SF Chronicle’s Joshua Sharpe. 

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PUBLIC PAIN — “A Rising Tally of Lonely Deaths on the Streets,” by NYT’s Thomas Fuller: “Across Los Angeles County last year, the unsheltered died in record numbers, an average of five homeless deaths a day, most in plain view of the world around them.”

DROUGHT SEASON — “Sonoma County proposes first-ever fees for well water pumping,” by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat’s Guy Kovner: “In a dramatic shift from California’s history of allowing landowners to freely pump and consume water from their own wells, Sonoma County’s rural residents and many others will soon begin paying for the water drawn from beneath their feet.”

PADILLA’S TAKE — “Column: ‘It’s not as bad as it looks.’ Alex Padilla on life in the Senate, and spicing up Capitol Hill,” by LA Times’ Mark Z. Barabak: “Padilla will be on the ballot twice in June, seeking to finish Harris’ term, which ends in January, and, separately, to obtain his own six-year lease on the Senate seat through 2028. He’s strongly favored to win.”

DEPP DRAMA — “Johnny Depp To Take The Stand Tomorrow In $50M Defamation Trial,” by Deadline’s  Dominic Patten and Ted Johnson: “The already harsh and often explicit court clash between Depp and Heard, who divorced in 2016 amidst restraining orders and competing media narratives, started when the actor sued his Rum Diary co-star in March 2019 in Virginia for a late 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic abuse and the potential fallout for victims.”

RAISING FEARS — “Silicon Valley’s COVID windfall raises alarms about region’s economy,” by The Mercury News’ Ethan Baron: “An unprecedented flow of riches is concentrating wealth among Silicon Valley companies that capitalized on the world’s locked-down lives amid the pandemic, raising fears that a dramatically lopsided recovery will warp the economic future for the Bay Area.”

— “California cannabis mega-factory eyes federal legalization of weed,” by Reuters’ Phil Lavelle: “The company behind a cannabis mega-factory in California is hoping federal legalization of the substance will allow it to expand distribution of joints, oils and edibles beyond the borders of the most populous U.S. state.”

INTERSTATE BUSINESS — “California bill would allow for interstate cannabis sales,” by POLITICO’s Alexander Nieves: California cannabis businesses would be authorized to sell and transport products across state lines under a bill that cleared its first state policy committee hearing Monday.MEDIA MATTERS:

EEK — “Man, 56, dies after getting trapped in Southern California car wash, police say,” by NBC’s David K. Li.COVID CONFUSION

— “Why do some people never get COVID while others get it several times, even if vaccinated?” by the SF Chronicle’s Danielle Echeverria.

— “Sherri Papini pleads guilty in faked kidnapping, awaits sentencing in Sacramento court,” by Sac Bee’s Sam Stanton.

BBQ TIME — “In West Oakland, Barbecue Is Back — With a Side of Fried Chicken,” by NYT’s Tejal Rao.

LOST IN TRANSLATION — “The quest to save Cantonese in a world dominated by Mandarin,” by the LA Times’ Anh Do.

William Carter … Jonathan Levy of EVgo

A message from CVS Health:

At CVS Health, we’re more than 300,000 caring employees ensuring Californians and millions of Americans can access health care services.

We have been offering COVID-19 vaccines at more than 9,600 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide.

Nothing should stand in the way of mental health and well-being, so we have been increasing remote access to mental health services.

We have been supporting safer pregnancies and expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care via telemedicine.

Recognizing the strong connection between housing and health, we have been investing in affordable housing to support underserved populations and build healthier communities.

Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care into neighborhoods, homes and hands—so it’s never out of reach for anyone.

Healthier Happens Together.

Learn more.

CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here.

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The post Campos and Haney’s San Francisco showdown- POLITICO appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAUSALITO (KPIX) – The people who live in a homeless camp in Sausalito are running out of time. The city ordered them to leave by Tuesday, but many said they would fight the eviction order.

About 35 people live on the waterfront in Dunphy Park Camp. Some of them are ex-boaters who anchored in Richardson Bay and were forced out of the water.

Homeless camp at Dunphy Park in Sausalito. (CBS)

Michael Ortega, his wife and young son lived on a boat until it was recently damaged. Now they call Dunphy Park their home.

“My son really enjoyed the camp, meeting people and just having space to drive around,” said Ortega.

On Friday, the city asked him and others to evacuate by Tuesday.

“I’m worried that after the three-day notice period they will just come and destroy everything,” Ortega said.

Homeless camp in Dunphy Park, Sausalito. (CBS)

“Those rich people up here don’t want to look at us, that’s the bottom line,” said Riley O’Reilly, pointing to the million dollar houses on the hill above the camp. O’Reilly has been camping in the park for a few months.

City guides say they need to clear the site to complete a construction project. The warehouse occupies both public and private land and the landowner wants it out. The city is urging residents to move to a new location a mile north at Marinship Park.

Some neighbors agree this is a better site.

“They set up storage rooms for them (the campers),” said neighbor John Macleod. “There is actually a public toilet so that they have better access to public facilities. I think that’s probably a good workaround. It’s not a long-term solution. In the long term they should try to find out how to get them accommodation. “

About eight people have already moved to Marinship Park, but others plan to fight the eviction.

“We will take a stand. Don’t move, don’t move, ”said Robbie Powelson.

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