Intersex medical bill blocked + Courage California shames Mods + Becerra fights Trump, again

Top of the Tuesday morning to you, California. We’re back in the full swing of things in the capital, and there’s a lot to unpack already.

Let’s get to it...

First — For those who remember the menstrual cup incident of 2019 ...

Rebecca Lee Dalelio, the anti-vaccine protester accused of splashing blood on nearly a dozen lawmakers on the state Senate floor last September, faced a Sacramento judge Monday on felony charges connected to the attack.

Dalelio faces felony charges of vandalism and assault on public officials, including state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, who wrote legislation last year to limit when doctors give vaccine medical exemptions to California school kids. The Santa Cruz County resident did not enter a plea to the charges and will return to court Feb. 24. She remains free on bail and was ordered to stay away from the Capitol.

You can read my colleague Darrell Smith’s full report here.

And for those that don’t remember....well, I leave you with this.

IT’S A NO GO

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, was left disappointed on Monday, after the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee voted against his bill to limit medical intervention for intersex babies.

Wiener introduced Senate Bill 201 last year to block doctors from performing “medically unnecessary” surgeries for children born with variations in their sex characteristics, colloquially known as “intersex” babies. Wiener has called the cosmetic surgeries “invasive,” “risky” and, at times, painfully “irreversible.”

And, he said, it’s a “basic, civil and human rights” issue that leaves babies vulnerable to the choices of their parents and doctors about what gender they “should be,” a point Bria Brown King made when sharing personal dissatisfaction with King’s own surgery.

The two-year bill was modified this month after the committee asked Wiener to reconsider some grave medical concerns raised last year during its first hearing.

His amendments still failed to garner support or neutrality from the California Medical Association and other doctors’ groups that vehemently opposed the legislation as a threat to their expertise and the safety of some of the patients they serve.

“SB 201 treats every child the same, ignoring the potential impact of treatment,” said Hillary Copp, a pediatric urologist at UCSF. “We’re not for or against surgery and we’re not performing the surgeries that are being insinuated. We’re offering all medical treatment options and when we’re unsure of diagnoses, the majority of times, we are not offering surgery.’

In the end, committee chairman Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, echoed by Democratic Sens. Richard Pan, Jerry Hill and Bill Dodd, said it just wasn’t the right time for the bill. Yes, sex-assignment surgery needs addressing, they said. But Wiener’s SB 201 would have consequences that, as Hill pointed out, could violate the medical community’s pledge to “first, do no harm.”

Sens. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, and Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, were the only two to support the bill, which failed on a 2-4 vote.

Wiener, backed by the ACLU of California and Equality California, vowed to reintroduce similar legislation in the future.

“As with many civil rights struggles, it sometimes takes multiple tries to prevail,” Wiener said. “We will be back.”

SHAME ON ... MODERATE DEMOCRATS

Via Andrew Sheeler

The progressive group Courage California inducted 12 lawmakers into its “Hall of Shame,” calling out four senators and eight assembly members “who are most out of step with their constituents, and most closely aligned with the corporate and wealthy special interests that exploit Californians.”

Democratic Sens. Bob Archuleta, Susan Rubio, Glazer and Dodd all received an “F” grade from the group’s annual Courage Score Report Card, as did Democratic Assembly members Patrick O’Donnell, Timothy Grayson, Freddie Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Tom Daly, Jim Cooper, Jim Frazier and Rudy Salas.

If you haven’t read the scorecard yet, it’s flush with witty digs at the lawmakers, i.e. Dodd’s: “This wine country rep’s coziness with corporations uncorks a bitter vintage of bad votes.”

Courage California spokeswoman Madison Donzis described the report card as “a progressive north star” for liberal groups based out of California. The report card measures how legislators voted on “critical statewide bills and the extent to which elected officials accurately reflected the values of their constituents.”

As for who got an “A,” more than 20 senators and assembly members were listed as “Courage Score All-Stars.”

The full report card will be released Tuesday morning following a 9:30 a.m. rally at Southside Capitol, 1400 10th St., where Courage California Executive Director Eddie Kurtz will speak.

“Legislators must represent Californians, and take action to make real, bold progress on the array of challenges our state faces,” Kurtz said in prepared remarks. “Until then, Courage California will continue to call out state leaders—and we’re happy to name names—for their complicity, and make sure voters hear our message loud and clear.”

CALIFORNIA VS. TRUMP (AGAIN)

Via Andrew Sheeler...

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is once again going up against President Donald Trump’s administration, this time joining a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing a comment letter opposing the federal government’s proposal to restrict work permits for asylum-seekers.

“The proposed rule would arbitrarily extend waiting periods, needlessly introduce uncertainty into the process and eliminate access to work permits entirely for a large proportion of asylum-seekers,” according to statement from Becerra’s office.

The proposal could affect 15,000 asylum-seekers served in California each year.

The delay would result in nearly $816 million in lost wages and up to $125 million in lost tax revenue nationwide each year, according to Becerra’s office.

Best of The Bee:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to find a way to send every California 4-year-old to preschool, but he says the state just can’t afford the cost — yet. But his budget includes a plan to spend $31.9 million to open 10,000 additional spots for state-funded, all-day preschool, by Hannah Wiley

• California workers would still get paid if their boss cancels a shift under proposed law by Hannah Wiley

• A state task force is calling for a statewide measure to be placed on the November ballot that would require localities and the state to meet aggressive goals to house the homeless, by Theresa Clift
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency is demanding billions in reimbursement for California wildfire expenses from PG&E — and suggesting that it might seek a portion of the money from wildfire victims if it doesn’t get what it wants from the utility, by Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow