Californians say worst of COVID is over + State $$ for journalism? + ‘Right to repair’ outcry

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

CALIFORNIANS BELIEVE THE WORST OF COVID IS BEHIND US, SURVEY SAYS

Two out of three Californians believe that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, according to a new survey published by the Public Policy Institute of California.

That’s still lower than the 80% who felt that way last May, after vaccines and before delta and omicron. Yet slightly fewer than half of Californians, four in 10, are concerned with getting the virus and being hospitalized, according to the PPIC.

Broken down by party, three out of four Republicans believes the worst is behind us, compared to two out of three Democrats and independents.

“Majorities across regions and across age, education, gender, income, and race/ethnicity groups are optimistic that the worst is behind us,” according to the report.

The survey found a small, but determined minority of Californians, 12%, who will definitely not get the COVID-19 vaccine. Among those who have been vaccinated, 61% say they also received their booster shot, according to the survey.

“There continue to be demographic, political, and regional disparities in COVID vaccinations. When asked whether the omicron variant makes them more likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine, most unvaccinated adults (86%) expressed that it does not make them more likely to get vaccinated (11% say it makes them more likely to be vaccinated),” according to the report.

FUNDING PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM

Calling all journalism ethicists! Should the government fund the free press?

That’s what Sens. Steve Glazer, Ben Allen and Josh Newman are proposing, with a bill intended to provide state grants to media individuals and organizations to cover issues of importance to their communities.

SB 911 would create a state board that includes at least one member from ethnic media, academia, non-profit news, and others who would administer a public fund to distribute grants to bona fide news organizations and reporters, according to a statement from Glazer’s office.

A vibrant local press that informs the public and acts as a government watchdog has been vital to the survival of American democracy,” Glazer said in a statement. “But over the past couple decades, the closure of many local newspapers and the decline of most others has created vast ‘news deserts’ where virtually no local coverage remains. This bill will offer news organizations and individuals the tools to revive the oversight function of the local press.”

The bill is modeled after the California Arts Council and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The bill would appropriate a one-time $50 million allocation for the distribution to media organizations and individuals over a five-year trial period. The board would exercise no editorial judgment or oversight, but would ensure that funds were spent as promised, according to Glazer’s office.

‘RIGHT TO REPAIR’ BILL DRAWS PATIENT GROUP OUTCRY

A coalition of patient advocacy groups have penned a letter to the chairs and vice-chairs of the Assembly Health Committee, Senate Health Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee and the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, urging them to oppose legislation that they argue would allow unqualified people to repair medical devices.

SB 605, authored by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, would give independent services hired by hospitals the tools and information needed to provide “medical equipment maintenance and repair, on fair and reasonable terms,” according to the Legislative Counsel’s Digest summary of the bill.”

“Compelling original equipment manufacturers to share proprietary servicing information with independent repair organizations that are not required to adhere to the same strict FDA requirements as device manufacturers makes medical devices more vulnerable to malfunction and cyber hacks, which in turn can lead to harm to the patient, device user, and technician or increase the likelihood of inaccuracies and missed diagnoses,” the coalition wrote in the letter sent to lawmakers.

You can read the letter for yourself.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“At this rate, we are going to need to start a GoFundMe for #MedicareForAll.”

- Entrepreneur Joe Sanberg, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• Dr. Nadine Burke Harris announced Wednesday she is stepping down as California’s first surgeon general, a position Gov. Gavin Newsom created for her in 2019, via Sophia Bollag.

• Some Californians may not have to repay questionable federal unemployment benefits after all, via David Lightman.

• Rep. Doris Matsui has won every congressional race in her Sacramento-based district since 2006 with at least 70% of the vote, and she’s running again. But challenger Jimmy Fremgen says she’s forgotten “average Sacramentans during this pandemic.” And, he contends, she’s too cozy with corporate interests, via David Lightman.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 4:55 AM.