Red flag orders? Who knew? + COVID emergency status quo + Medi-Cal for the undocumented
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
STUDY ON RED FLAG ORDERS
A majority, two-thirds, of Californians have never heard of gun violence restraining orders, also called “red flag” orders, according to a new study done by the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program.
“Firearm violence is preventable, not inevitable. Raising public awareness about proactive ways for people to intervene can be crucial for preventing violence before it occurs,” said lead author Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz in a statement.
Gun violence restraining orders, which have been available in California for five years, allow law enforcement, family members, some co-workers, employers and teachers to petition a judge to have someone’s firearms removed from their home temporarily when that person is a significant risk to themselves or others.
Such a restraining order is only available if a person has or can get access to a gun, and if other options to protect against harm have failed or are not appropriate.
More than 80% of respondents to the UC Davis survey said that they would be somewhat or very willing to use a gun violence restraining order if a family member had threatened to hurt themselves, someone else or a group of people.
A majority of respondents who were gun owners likewise said that they would be willing to do so under various circumstances, according to a statement put out by UC Davis.
STATE OF EMERGENCY
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that he will not lift the COVID state of emergency when California reopens its economy on June 15.
“We’re still in a state of emergency,” the governor said. “This disease has not been extinguished. It’s not taking the summer months off.”
But the governor’s press office was not thrilled with that messaging as California prepares to declare the state has conquered the virus enough to reopen on June 15.
Aides were quick to point out that California can’t lift its state of emergency, which gives the governor more power, if it wants to keep funding some programs to deal with the pandemic. Lara Korte had the story.
GOVERNOR CAITLYN JENNER
Republican recall candidate Caitlyn Jenner sat down with Fox 11’s Elex Michaelson on Friday night for her first-ever appearance with West Coast media. Jenner spent her 22 minutes touching on familiar messaging around California issues.
On why she’s running - “If you don’t like what’s going on, stand up. And I’m willing to stand up. I go to Sacramento with the same ambition and winning spirit, as I had when I came out here.”
On homelessness - Jenner said she would reform CEQA, California’s landmark environmental law, to make it easier to build housing. “Over the last 15 years they’ve piled on and piled more and more regulations to where today... you can’t build any more. The permit process has to be streamlined.”
On education - “I want to put a child’s education back in the hands of parents. Right now it’s not in the hands of parents, it’s in the hands of teachers’ unions.”
On a future CA senate appointment - “I would pick the best person qualified for the job. I don’t care if you’re Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, vegetarian, it doesn’t make any difference to me.”
The chances of Jenner actually making it to the governor’s office remain slim. The latest poll from Berkeley IGS showed 6% of registered voters saying they’d back her.
That hasn’t stopped Newsom’s anti-recall team from using Jenner’s campaign as a fundraising argument. The day after Jenner’s TV appearance, Team Newsom sent an email to supporters with the subject line “Gov. Caitlyn Jenner” asking people to contribute $3.
“If you knew that your $3 could keep someone like Caitlyn Jenner or some far-right Trump acolyte from moving California backward on issues like COVID recovery, climate change, and criminal justice reform, wouldn’t it be a small price to pay?” the governor’s email read.
MEDI-CAL COVERAGE FOR MORE UNDOCUMENTED CALIFORNIANS
Via Kim Bojórquez...
Immigrant advocates and some members of the California Latino Legislative Caucus gathered on Friday to urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to include expanding Medi-Cal to undocumented adults, ages 50 and over, in his state budget plan.
Newsom’s revised budget plan released in May originally included Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented adults and seniors, ages 60 and over.
If Democrats’ proposal to expand coverage for undocumented adults over 50 is approved, it could mean an estimated 250,000 undocumented Californians would benefit from the extension, according to a Legislative Analyst’s Office report.
Under Newsom’s proposed budget plan, expanding health coverage for undocumented Californians, ages 60 and over, would cost the state $1 billion with coverage starting in May 2022.
Currently, children and young adults under the age of 26 qualify to receive Medi-Cal coverage regardless of their immigration status in California.
“We should be giving health care coverage to every person who’s undocumented in the state of California,” said Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, during a Friday press conference in front of Clínica Romero, a medical clinic that serves many undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles. “There (are) no more excuses on the table. We got the money now. We got to have the political will to get this done.”
The state Legislature must approve a budget plan by June 15.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“What we’ve learned from January 6th, and the aftermath since then, is that American democracy is at its most precarious point since perhaps the Civil War. We must do everything in our power to protect the union.”
-Sen. Alex Padilla, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
California state employees represented by SEIU Local 1000 will receive a 4.55% raise when their full pay is restored next month under an agreement finalized Friday, via Wes Venteicher.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday he sees no conflicts of interest in companies donating to his wife’s nonprofit as they lobby his administration on policy, via Sophia Bollag.
Amid a parade of fanfare surrounding California’s vaccine lottery Friday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed he will not lift the state of emergency when California reopens its economy on June 15, via Lara Korte.