What are fake Adam Gray’s real plans? + Labor-friendly lawmaker leaves + More school counselors

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

FIRST UP: This morning, Assemblyman Ash Kalra will announce a new version of his single-payer health care bill AB 1400, this time with a funding source. His office didn’t give details, except to say it will involve “progressive taxation.” The San Jose Democrat is scheduled to lead a rally for the bill on the south steps of the Capitol at 10 a.m.

WILL THE REAL ADAM GRAY PLEASE STAND UP?

Via Gillian Brassil....

California political junkies were sent into a flurry on Wednesday when a Twitter imposter announced a California assemblyman’s alleged candidacy for the United States House of Representatives against an incumbent member of his own party.

The Assemblyman, Democrat Adam Gray, quashed that rumor quickly, pointing social media users to his official accounts which make no mention of a congressional campaign.

“It has come to my attention that someone created a fake twitter account in my name & likeness,” he wrote on Twitter. “It does not belong to me & has been reported.”

The imposter, who held the handle @AdamGray2022, wrote that Gray would eventually abandon his seat in the 21st Assembly District to run for Congress in the 13th Congressional District.

That would have pitted Gray against a fellow Central Valley Democrat: incumbent Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock. And raised a lot of eyebrows.

Gray, who was first elected to the Assembly in 2022, joined forces last year with several lawmakers across parties from the state Legislature to form a caucus aimed at better collaboration across the aisle.

A spokesperson for Gray said that the Assemblyman had not made any determinations on if he would seek re-election to the Assembly or run for Congress.

But the question remains: Who made the fake Twitter account, and why?

PATRICK O’DONNELL WON’T SEEK REELECTION

Just days after labor powerhouse Lorena Gonzalez announced her departure from the California Assembly, another labor-friendly lawmaker has revealed he won’t seek reelection this year.

Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, announced Wednesday that he wouldn’t run for reelection in the newly-drawn A-70. He also dispelled any rumors that he would run for Long Beach mayor, which is up for grabs after Mayor Robert Garcia entered the race to fill Rep. Alan Lowenthal’s seat.

“I value my time as an elected representative of the people, but the time has come for new challenges and opportunities,” O’Donnell wrote in a statement.

A high school history teacher, O’Donnell chairs the consequential Assembly Education Committee, and is a close ally of the powerful California Teachers Association. In 2020, the union awarded O’Donnell and the now-former Assemblymember Christy Smith with their prestigious Friend of Education Award.

“I’m proud of my work as Chair of the Education Committee to increase per pupil funding, make historic investments in our public schools...” O’Donnell said. “I look forward to seeing all of you in the neighborhood and continuing our efforts to improve our neighborhoods, schools and communities.”

PANDEMIC TRAUMA: EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO RECRUIT 10,000 COUNSELORS

California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond on Wednesday announced the Department of Education would work to provide a slew of new resources to combat learning loss and emotional trauma caused by the pandemic.

The department aims to recruit 10,000 mental health clinicians, expand literacy efforts, and provide funding to support the more than 240,000 estimated homeless students in California unaccompanied by an adult.

“The social disconnection, the anxiety that kids are feeling, the compounding effect of missed lessons and entire months out of the classroom, it’s all very real, and research is showing the pandemic is imposing once-in-a-lifetime challenges for kids across the globe,” Thurmond said in a statement. “Let’s deal with the reality our kids are facing and transform education to meet their needs.”

The superintendent said he’s making it the department’s “number one priority” in 2022.

The department is also helping the state distribute at-home tests. Thurmond on Wednesday noted that many tests had not arrived, and CDE is communicating with public health officials to make sure tests arrive.

Quote of the Day

“We can manage the disease burden that we’re seeing in a way that we weren’t able to a year ago.”

- California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly talking about the state’s efforts to mitigate the effects of the omicron surge. ICYMI: Part of those efforts include extending the indoor mask mandate.

Best of the Bee

• Three California Congressional races could swing easily for either a Republican or Democrat next year. Here’s where the battlegrounds lie. via Gillian Brassil

• A $1 billion effort to unify California’s state government accounting systems will miss another deadline this summer. via Wes Venteicher

• Can California keep schools open during omicron? Here’s what officials say could cause problems. via Lara Korte