Welcome Maggie Angst to the Capitol Bureau + California pharmacists write to Congress
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
PLEASE WELCOME MAGGIE ANGST TO THE CAPITOL BUREAU
Via Maggie Angst...
Hi all! I’m excited to help round out the Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau where I’ll be focusing on Gov. Gavin Newsom. How much progress has he made on his campaign promises? How effective are the policies and programs that he has implemented? And will he change his tune on having “sub-zero interest” in running for president? These are just a few of the questions I hope to delve into in my new role here at The Bee.
As for me, I grew up in the Chicagoland area and studied journalism at the University of Missouri. Since then, I’ve reported in Wisconsin, South Carolina and most recently, California. Prior to joining The Bee, I worked for the Mercury News and the East Bay Times where I covered San Jose City Hall and later wrote enterprise stories for the breaking news team.
When I’m not following politicians around, I enjoy running, cycling and hanging out with my animals — Charles (the cat) and Barkley (the pup). I can’t wait to get started here in Sacramento and I’m looking forward to producing compelling stories for readers like you.
If you think there’s something I should be digging into, please reach out at mangst@sacbee.com or @maggieangst on Twitter.
PHARMACISTS WRITE CONGRESS CALLING FOR COVID VACCINE ACTION
The California Pharmacists Association has written to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, urging them to support House Resolution 7213, which would permanently expand Medicare Part B to include pharmacists’ services during the COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies.
“Californians rely on a network of over 5,600 pharmacies in the state – the most of any state in the country – to protect themselves from COVID-19 and manage their health through difficult times,” the letter reads in part. “This is especially true for the 7 million Californians who live in areas without adequate access to care. In fact, nine in ten Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy, making pharmacists one of the most accessible health professionals for patients, especially those with limited options.”
The letter laments that those services are provided under a “patchwork” of federal, state and local authorities. When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lifts the COVID-19 public health emergency, pharmacists will have difficulty providing the same services that they did under the emergency.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Cheat sheet: if a @CaliforniaLabor supported bill is primarily about organizing workers… you know it’s a priority. Fast food workers, Farmworkers, Legislative Staff…. All deserve a voice at work with a union. Let’s #unionizeCalifornia!”
- California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
California would become the first state to establish a fast food council charged with setting pay and workplace standards for the entire industry under a bill the Legislature is poised to send to Gov. Gavin Newsom, via Mathew Miranda.
Roughly 70,000 workers at California’s community health clinics will receive retention bonuses of $1,000 as part of a last-minute budget deal between Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators, via Cathie Anderson.
Look out, warn the Republicans. The Internal Revenue Service is about to unleash an army of agents eager to audit you and cost you a lot of money and aggravation. But there is no such army about to mobilize. And it’s unlikely to cost most people extra money, via David Lightman.
Caltrans has removed 1,213 tons of trash — enough to fill 22 Olympic-size swimming pools — while clearing hundreds of homeless encampments in the past year, an achievement hailed this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom despite ongoing criticism of the highway program, via Dominique Williams.