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7/20/2018 San Bernardino County’s registrar of voters ousted just three months before the November election – Press Enterprise
https://www.pe.com/2018/07/20/san-bernardino-countys-registrar-of-voters-ousted-just-three-months-before-the-november-election/ 1/3
By JEFF HORSEMAN | [email protected] | The Press-EnterprisePUBLISHED: July 20, 2018 at 10:46 am | UPDATED: July 20, 2018 at 11:02 am
San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Michael Scarpello said he was forced toresign Thursday, July 19. (Staff file photo, The Sun/SCNG)
NEWSPOLITICS
San Bernardino County’sregistrar of voters ousted justthree months before theNovember election
7/20/2018 San Bernardino County’s registrar of voters ousted just three months before the November election – Press Enterprise
https://www.pe.com/2018/07/20/san-bernardino-countys-registrar-of-voters-ousted-just-three-months-before-the-november-election/ 2/3
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The head of the San Bernardino County elections of�ce is out with about 110 days
to go until the November mid-term elections.
Registrar of Voters Michael Scarpello con�rmed he resigned Thursday, July 19.
Asked if he was forced out, he said: “I think that’s an accurate portrayal.”
He said a clash in management style led to his departure.
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“The county decided to go in a different direction is what they told me,” said
Scarpello, who had been registrar since 2011.
This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.
Jeff HorsemanJeff Horseman got into journalism because he liked to write and stunk at math.He grew up in Vermont and he honed his interviewing skills as a supermarketcashier by asking Bernie Sanders “Paper or plastic?” A�er graduating from
Tags: Elections, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories RDF,Top Stories Sun
7/20/2018 Calling out Big Pharma, San Bernardino County sues over prescription opioid crisis
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180719/calling-out-big-pharma-san-bernardino-county-sues-over-prescription-opioid-crisis 1/2
By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Jul 19, 2018 at 3:41 PMUpdated Jul 19, 2018 at 4:11 PM
San Bernardino County sued major pharmaceutical companies, drug distributorsand pharmacies on Thursday over “the aggressive and fraudulent marketing ofprescription opioid painkillers and distribution practices” it says have led to anationwide drug epidemic and the deaths of at least 35 people in the county lastyear.
In 2017, at least 259 people visited emergency rooms in the county with non-heroin opioid overdoses and another 179 were hospitalized for opioid overdoses,county officials said in a statement announcing Thursday’s lawsuit.
Nearly 1.5 million prescriptions were written here last year for opioidmedications. County officials say any of those could lead to addiction or spikes indrug crimes or public health issues like Hepatitis C and neonatal abstinencesyndrome.
“The county and our residents are being severely affected by the opioid crisis,”Robert Lovingood, the Board of Supervisors chairman, said in the statement.“With this lawsuit, our county joins hundreds of counties across the UnitedStates in an important effort to hold these companies responsible for their role increating the opioid epidemic.”
The legal group representing the county, Simmons Hanly Conroy, has filedsimilar suits on behalf of more than 200 municipalities elsewhere in the U.S.,from New Mexico to New York.
Riverside County filed such a suit only last month.
Calling out Big Pharma, San Bernardino Countysues over prescription opioid crisis
7/20/2018 Calling out Big Pharma, San Bernardino County sues over prescription opioid crisis
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180719/calling-out-big-pharma-san-bernardino-county-sues-over-prescription-opioid-crisis 2/2
Filed in federal court, the suit seeks relief associated with costs to the entity infighting a crisis county officials say is fanned by “the drug companies’ deceptivemarketing campaign that misrepresents the safety and efficacy of long-termopioid use.”
County officials also allege the “public nuisance” is exacerbated and sustained bydifferent points of the supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors andpharmacies, which they say have sought to evade safety controls.
Erin Dickerson, a lawyer with Crueger Dickinson LLC and co-lead counsel inthe suit, cast the litigation as furthering “the important work of addressing theopioid crisis.”
“Together, with Simmons Hanly Conroy, we will work to hold the defendantsresponsible,” Dickinson said in the statement, “and to secure help for theresidents of San Bernardino County recovering from the opioid addiction.”
Those named in the lawsuit include Purdue Pharma and about two dozen otherpharmaceutical entities, as well as Johnson & Johnson, CVS, Kroger, RiteAid,Walgreens and Walmart.
Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or [email protected]. Follow
him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.
7/20/2018 At-risk kids treated to a morning in the museum | News | highlandnews.net
https://www.highlandnews.net/news/at-risk-kids-treated-to-a-morning-in-the-museum/article_373de8b8-8b6f-11e8-a24e-5b7a7bfacf46.html 1/3
https://www.highlandnews.net/news/at-risk-kids-treated-to-a-morning-in-the-museum/article_373de8b8-8b6f-11e8-a24e-5b7a7bfacf46.html
FEATURED
At-risk kids treated to a morning in the museumBy JAMES FOLMER Editor Highland Community News Jul 19, 2018 Updated Jul 19, 2018
Three dozen youngsters in potentially challenging situations cavorted joyously on Saturday
through the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands thanks to Modern Woodmen of
America (MWA).
They put on white coats to look through microscopes to zoom in on specimens and record
what they saw in the Minerals Rock! exhibit, checked out Garner Holt’s amazing Mechanized
Magic animatronics and meandered through the menagerie of stu�ed animals in the Hall of
Ryan Vollkommer of Modern Woodmen of America with a mastadon and some of his guests at the San BernardinoCounty Museum in Redlands.
Highland Community News photo by James Folmer
7/20/2018 At-risk kids treated to a morning in the museum | News | highlandnews.net
https://www.highlandnews.net/news/at-risk-kids-treated-to-a-morning-in-the-museum/article_373de8b8-8b6f-11e8-a24e-5b7a7bfacf46.html 2/3
Biodiversity, including cougars, condors and grizzlies.
Ryan Vollkommer of MWA Financial Services Inc. arranged for three nonpro�t groups to tour
the museum, Thrive Single Moms based in Redlands, the Uniteee Incarceration Prevention
Program based in Norwalk and Options House Inc., a San Bernardino-based program that
helps victims of domestic abuse.
Brandi Dailey started Thrive in 2014 after going through a hard divorce.
“I kind of lost everything and wanted to create what I didn’t have,” she said. “I totally rebuilt my
life.”
Thrive now helps 71 families. Last year, it opened a transitional home in Redlands.
“We help by engaging and empowering them and helping them �nd their purpose in life,”
Dailey said.
“So we built supportive networks. The idea is that a mom can create a supportive network in
her own neighborhood so we can help each other.”
The faith-based ministry is funded through private donations through heartcup.com.
Marcus Wood, founder Uniteee, said, “I spent 17 years in prison for a crime I didn’t commit.”
He was 17 when imprisoned on carjacking charges. Wood said he is still trying to clear his
name.
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7/20/2018 At-risk kids treated to a morning in the museum | News | highlandnews.net
https://www.highlandnews.net/news/at-risk-kids-treated-to-a-morning-in-the-museum/article_373de8b8-8b6f-11e8-a24e-5b7a7bfacf46.html 3/3
“So every day I try to make sure that all kids will stay out of jail, give them activities so they can
stay out of trouble, interact with each other and make a di�erence.”
The program is funded by the San Bernardino City Uni�ed School District.
The board voted on Nov. 17 to fund up to $25,000 for an “eight-week curriculum program is
designed to remove the options of prison from the minds of youth through the techniques of
education, enhancement, and excellence.”
Options House Program Director Gloria Amaya was scheduled for training on Saturday and
couldn’t bring her group.
Options House, provides 24-hour crisis intervention shelter, transitional housing, outreach
services, legal services, information, education and awareness to family violence victims,
according to optionhouseinc.org.
Formed in 1977, Options House was the initial provider of domestic violence services in San
Bernardino County.
Option House resulted from a broad base of services under the Coalition for Prevention of
Abuse of Women and Children.
+4 Morning at the museum
7/20/2018 How CA Fwd data and counties can create public safety success inside and outside of jail | CAFWD
http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/how-ca-fwd-data-and-ca-counties-create-public-safety-success-inside-and-out 1/4
(http://cafwd.org/reporters/reporters-new/how-ca-fwd-data-and-ca-counties-create-public-safety-
success-inside-and-out)
07/19/2018 by Nadine Ono (http://cafwd.org/reporters/reporters-new/how-ca-fwd-data-and-ca-counties-create-public-safety-success-inside-and-out)
How CA Fwd data and counties can create public
safety success inside and outside of jail
(http://cafwd.org/reporters/reporters-new/how-
ca-fwd-data-and-ca-counties-create-public-safety-
success-inside-and-out)
(http://cafwd.org/reporters/reporters-new/how-ca-fwd-data-and-ca-counties-create-public-safety-success-inside-and-out)(http://cafwd.org/reporters/reporters-new/how-ca-fwd-data-and-ca-counties-create-public-safety-success-inside-and-out)
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7/20/2018 How CA Fwd data and counties can create public safety success inside and outside of jail | CAFWD
http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/how-ca-fwd-data-and-ca-counties-create-public-safety-success-inside-and-out 2/4
(Photo Credit: hmichaelkarshis/Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hmk/5398146553/in/album-72157625501160467/))
Leaders from three California counties gathered in Riverside last month present the work they aredoing to transform their justice systems using data driven-evidence, cross-system collaboration andcapacity building programs. The participants were from Riverside, San Bernardino and Santa Cruzcounties, the three counties that participated in CA Fwd’s Justice System Change Initiative (JSCI).
When California enacted AB 109 in response to overcrowded prisons, it shifted the burden ofincarceration to the counties. But county jails were not created or equipped to hold the growingpopulation and overcrowding moved from prisons to jails. This created budget problems andlawsuits surrounding care and treatment of those in custody. As one former county administratorsaid, “we can’t build ourselves out of this problem.”
It was natural that CA Fwd, which is committed to promote good governance, created JSCI toaddress how county governments can tackle the issue of jail overcrowding using data-drivenevidence and cross-system collaboration. In the past four years, JSCI has conducted a JailUtilization Study (JUS) in the three counties with the goal of addressing the issue of lowering theirjail populations while at the same time not compromising public safety.
Riverside County (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/ca-fwd-and-riverside-county-team-up-on-jail-overcrowding-post-realignment) was JSCI’s first partner. The team conducted the JUS and found,that on any given day, more than 40 percent of the jail population entered through the “side doors.”This means they were in jail for warrants, violations, holds and breaking rules, not laws. The studyalso found that individuals with mental health needs were booked more often and stayed in jaillonger for lesser crimes than the general population. The study revealed areas where policydecisions and new programs could be implemented to achieve positive outcomes.
The county created the Executive Steering Committee, which includes representatives from all ofthe departments in the county’s criminal justice system and the Behavioral Health Department. Thisgroup meets to discuss issues and explore ways to collaborate. The county also acted upon one ofthe jail study recommendations by hiring a JSCI coordinator to make sure the work started by CAFwd continues.
“What is our footprint on the jails?” said Riverside County Chief Probation Officer Mark Hake. “Arethere things we can do differently in probation that would lessen the burden on all those jail beddays? That’s really where we started our work with CA Fwd.”
The Probation Department used the data to affect culture change(http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/data-mining-and-culture-shift-result-in-better-probation-riverside-county). Under the leadership of Chief Hake, the department made both administrative and policychanges. The Bridge (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/probation-bridge-program-aims-to-keep-young-offenders-on-track-and-out-of-j) and CORE (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/texting-with-ex-offenders-on-probation-finds-success-in-california-county) programs were formed to increasesuccessful outcomes among clients. Internally, the department streamlined its processes using theLean (https://cafwd.app.box.com/file/293406706357) method to save its employees time and savethe county money.
The Sheriff’s and Behavioral Health departments collaborated to provide better and more effectiveservices (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/riverside-county-aims-to-help-mentally-ill-stop-cycle-of-incarceration) to inmates with mental health needs. It starts when all inmates are screened uponentering and those will mental health needs receive mental health services by behavioral healthspecialists embedded in the jails (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/specialists-embedded-in-riverside-county-jail-help-stabilize-treat-mentally). The Sheriff’s Department created a specially trained teamof deputies (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/riverside-county-builds-team-dedicated-to-helping-mentally-ill-inmates) who are assigned to the mental health units and who are familiar with theinmates. Upon release, the inmates are picked-up by the behavioral health staff, given theirmedication and connected to services in an effort to ensure success outside of jail.
San Bernardino County’s jail study showed some similar statistics to Riverside regarding side doorentrances and individuals with mental health needs. One noticeable data point was that jailrepeaters, those who returned for various reasons including new crimes, used more than five million
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7/20/2018 How CA Fwd data and counties can create public safety success inside and outside of jail | CAFWD
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jail bed days over a five year period.
“The information from the Jail Utilization Study showed us what issues we need to address in ourcommunity,” said San Bernardino County Undersheriff Shannon Dicus. “What we’re really doing isaligned with CA Fwd’s mission to use data-driven decision making, relationships and capacitybuilding to make criminal justice systems across the state more efficient.”
The Sheriff’s Department took the lead in using the JSCI data and recommendations to implementchanges in the county. To address the growing issue of people with mental health needs in jail, theBehavioral Health Department was invited to sit on the county’s Law and Justice Committee(https://cafwd.app.box.com/file/293404361610), a longstanding committee of county departmentsinvolved in the criminal justice system. The county hired a JSCI data analyst who will refresh thedata and continue work on system change, a recommendation from the jail study.
In the jails, inmates can access classes and training (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/video-rehabilitative-programs-prepare-san-bernardino-county-inmates-to-live) to improve their successupon release, including a class that teaches parenting skills and allows supervised interactionbetween inmates and their children (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/interactive-visits-in-san-bernardino-jails-strengthen-parent-child-ties-cut). The Sheriff has also created the S.T.A.R.T.(http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/sheriffs-department-team-offers-fresh-start-for-repeat-offenders-in-san-ber) program, a team of deputies dedicated to helping inmates create a plan to successfullyreenter society and connect them to community services and resources. The Sheriff’s Departmentalso implemented a new pilot program (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/pilot-program-gives-select-san-bernardino-county-inmates-a-chance-to-live-w) that allows inmates to live, receive life skills andjob training and work outside of jail.
The Behavioral Health Department has collaborated with the Sheriff’s Department and PublicDefender’s Office to create CTASC (https://cafwd.app.box.com/file/293406122038), a program toreduce the incarceration of individuals with mental health needs through diversion to treatment andencourage successful reentry of inmates by connecting them to services and resources.
Both counties have successfully submitted the 1115 Medi-Cal waiver, which allows for theexpansion of services to those with substance abuse disorders and other needs not traditionallycovered by Medi-Cal. Riverside, which began implementation(http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/substance-abuse-treatment-to-expand-in-riverside-county) in 2017,experienced an overwhelming response to its call-in center for substance abuse treatment andreferrals. San Bernardino recently began its implementation to expand residential treatment andother services for its population.
In Santa Cruz County (http://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/santa-cruz-county-unanimously-approves-ca-fwd-jail-recommendations), JSCI conducted a JUS to identify what type of crimes are responsiblefor jail bed use. It showed high drug and alcohol-related bookings and recommended strategies tolower the use of jail in those instances including expanding us of a recovery center and developingalternatives for high need and low risk populations.
Each of California’s 58 counties are unique, but they also share some of the same problemssurrounding rising jail populations, increasing involvement between people with mental health needsand the criminal justice system and tightening budgets to address these issues. Using data-drivenevidence can assist counties in directing policy decisions and creating partnerships between countyagencies, all while saving precious financial resources and keeping the community safe.
Categories: Community Services (http://cafwd.org/reporting/C352), Community Corrections(http://cafwd.org/reporting/C148), Justice System Change Initiative(http://cafwd.org/reporting/C522), Crime (http://cafwd.org/reporting/C147)
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7/20/2018 Authorities seize 9,100 marijuana plants, arrest six during Helendale pot busts
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180718/authorities-seize-9100-marijuana-plants-arrest-six-during-helendale-pot-busts 1/2
By Staff reportsPosted Jul 18, 2018 at 4:49 PMUpdated Jul 18, 2018 at 4:49 PM
HELENDALE — Six people were arrested for allegedly operating illegal outdoormarijuana grows here after authorities served search warrants at six locationsearlier this week.
Investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s MarijuanaEnforcement Team executed the warrants at residences in unincorporatedHelendale on Monday and Tuesday morning, the department said.
In total, investigators seized more than 9,100 marijuana plants and 32 pounds ofprocessed marijuana. They also found and took four pistols, a stolen shotgun andtwo rifles.
Authorities said Wednesday they did not believe the six locations wereconnected. They included residences at the 48200 block of Indian Trail; the17500 block of Santa Fe Trail; the 30400 block of Mohave Trail; the 29400 blockof Corral Road; the 19800 block of Mustang Trail; and the 28300 block of RodeoRoad.
Suspects arrested at four locations included Kenneth Chong, 66; Heidi Chong,63; Thomas Ryan, 78; Jose Marrero, 42; Jose Astudillo, 54; and Lydia Astudillo,54. All suspects were from Helendale.
Authorities have not identified suspects at two of the locations as of Wednesday.
Outdoor grows are prohibited by the county and violators can be subject to fines,prosecution and property seizure.
Even property owners may be subject to civil or criminal sanctions if they areaware their tenants are violating state law and local ordinances. Property ownersare encouraged to contact local authorities or code officers to confirm whether
Authorities seize 9,100 marijuana plants, arrestsix during Helendale pot busts
7/20/2018 Authorities seize 9,100 marijuana plants, arrest six during Helendale pot busts
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180718/authorities-seize-9100-marijuana-plants-arrest-six-during-helendale-pot-busts 2/2
cultivating cannabis is prohibited or allowed under specific regulations.
Anyone with information regarding these investigations is urged to contact theSheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Division at 909-387-8400 or at [email protected]. Persons wishing to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or by visiting WeTip.com.
7/20/2018 Barstow partners with MDAQMD to improve air quality
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180719/barstow-partners-with-mdaqmd-to-improve-air-quality 1/2
By Staff ReportsPosted Jul 19, 2018 at 10:10 AMUpdated Jul 19, 2018 at 10:10 AM
BARSTOW — Thanks to grand funding from one local agency, the city recentlypurchased a new piece of equipment that help improve air quality.
Partnering with the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District, Barstowbought a new case skip loader for operation at its wastewater treatment facilitythat is expected to reduce emissions by more than 80 percent compared to theequipment previously used, according to MDAQMD officials.
The MDAQMD is using Carl Moyer Grant funds to pay for 23 percent of the$90,000 cost of the new loader. The Carl Moyer project helps improve air qualityby funding local, cost effective projects that upgrade outdated diesel equipmentin order to reduce emissions.
“Diesel exhaust is a serious public health risk, considered the No. 1 airbornecarcinogen in California, responsible for 70 percent of the cancer risk in CAfrom toxic air contaminants, and a major contributor to lung and heartproblems,” MDAQMD Grant Specialist Jorge Camacho said.
The MDAQMD has awarded more than $13 million since they joined the CarlMoyer Program, which is continually open until funding is depleted.
“It was an honor to have received funding from the supporting agency ofMDAQMD (Tuesday), which has added a vital piece of equipment for theWastewater Treatment Plant dewatering process,” said Barstow WastewaterChief Plant Operator Kody Tompkins.
“By streamlining the process for grant funds, MDAQMD has demonstrated thesuccess of community partnerships in enhancing the quality of life for ourresidents.”
Barstow partners with MDAQMD to improve airquality
7/20/2018 Barstow partners with MDAQMD to improve air quality
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180719/barstow-partners-with-mdaqmd-to-improve-air-quality 2/2
For more information on MDAQMD, which serves as the air pollution controlauthority and permitting agency for the High Desert portion of San BernardinoCounty and the Palo Verde Valley in Riverside County, visitwww.MDAQMD.ca.gov.
7/20/2018 Five Counties Weigh In on the Voters Choice Act | PublicCEO
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Five Counties Weigh In on the VotersChoice Act
POSTED BY : PUBLICCEO JULY 19, 2018
Five California Counties participated in the Voters Choice Act for the June 5 election, establishing a
whole new way of voting. So, how did it go? Each of the Registrars in those counties responded to that
question for us. Here are their answers.
Rebecca Martinez, Madera County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters
We decided to implement the Voter’s Choice Act in Madera County to make elections more efficient,
provide a better service and over time and save taxpayer dollars. In September of 2017, we identified a
preferred new voting system vendor and opted to proceed with implementing the Voter’s Choice
Act. Madera County immediately realized a cost savings of between $400,000 and $600,000 as a result
of acquiring less voting equipment.
Between October of 2017 and May of 2018 the Madera County Elections Division
Conducted at least 50 public presentations,
mailed over 150,000 postcards,
mailed over 50,000 ballots and voter information guides,
implemented the Dominion Voting ImageCast Voting System,
secured 6 vote center locations, 4 ballot drop locations, procured 2 inside drop boxes, 2 external
dropboxes, and
fully designed, prepped and rolled out 6 fully functioning vote centers with a team of 6 people.
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7/20/2018 Five Counties Weigh In on the Voters Choice Act | PublicCEO
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The June 5, 2018, Primary was an unqualified success. Voter turnout was significantly higher than the
previous gubernatorial primary. Excluding one-time costs, the County spent less conducting the
election and overall the public response to the improvements was positive.
Almost 93 percent of the voters who participated did so using a vote by mail (VBM) ballot. Ballot drop
boxes received 20 percent of the returned ballots, vote centers accounted for another 14 percent and
some 1,754 voters opted to vote in person at a vote center.
The implementation of the Voter’s Choice Act was both historic and monumental. Counties
considering implementing the VCA in 2020 would be well advised to begin planning immediately and
prepare for considerable public outreach. While Madera County was able to complete the transition
within nine months, we would recommend a more lengthy transition time frame, perhaps as much as
18 months.
John Tuteur, Napa County Registrar of Voters
Napa County volunteered as a pilot Voter’s Choice Act county because we were already 90 percent
vote by mail and had offered vote by mail assistance centers since 2008. More ways and more days
for our voters was expanded to include 24 hour/7 days, outside official ballot drop boxes that
accounted for 25 percent of our returned ballots. Another 28 percent were returned at our eight vote
centers which left only 47 percent of our 37,525 total ballots to arrive by mail.
Our three, 11-day vote centers saw very little traffic from Saturday, May 26 through Friday, June 1. For
the November 6, 2018, general election, Napa County would urge that opening any vote center(s)
before Saturday, November 3, 2018, be optional.
Our voters were used to coming to vote centers to obtain replacement ballots, to pick up ballots for
family members and to drop off their ballots. We were pleased that eligible citizens could now use our
vote centers to register and cast a ballot up to and including Election Day.
Gregory J. Diaz, Nevada County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters
The Gubernatorial Primary Election in Nevada County is wrapping up as one of the most successful.
Among the wealth of statistics:
All votes were tabulated by 5:00 PM, June 22 — two weeks earlier than ever before
This despite near-record voter turnout — 56.94 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, a full 12
percent more than in the 2014 gubernatorial election (44.58 percent)
Mail-in balloting was popular in the extreme — 95 percent of votes cast were by mail.
In the month preceding the election, 20,665 Vote by Mail ballots were returned and 298 voted in
person. On Election Day, more than 11,144 Vote by Mail ballots arrived at our offices and 1,570 citizens
voted at one of the eight comprehensive Vote Centers established for the election. 563 county
residents were able to register to vote and vote, on Election Day at one of the Vote Centers.
The 95 percent of voters who cast ballots by mail wasn’t totally unexpected. In the past, more than 80
percent of Nevada County voters chose that option. That was a principal reason I advocated for
adopting the Voters Choice Act. Setting up, hiring and training staff and maintaining 49 separate
polling stations in our rural county was increasingly difficult and expensive.
Going forward, the investment we made in new voting equipment will save Nevada County taxpayers
more than $1 million by the time 2020 elections are completed.
Alice Jarboe, Sacramento County Interim Registrar of Voters
With Sacramento County being the largest of the five counties to implement the Voter’s Choice Act the
pressure was on. The implementation took months of planning and coordination. We mailed more
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than 740,000 Vote by Mail ballots to registered voters, opened 53 secure Drop Box locations beginning
on May 8, and established 78 in-person vote centers. Eighteen were opened May 26 and the remaining
60 opened on June 2, offering a total of 11 days of in-person voting opportunities.
From May 7 through June 4, 154,538 Vote by Mail ballots were returned and 1,700 in-person voters. On
June 5, an estimated 180,000 Vote by Mail ballots were returned and 16,300 in-person voters. Ballot
Drop Boxes filled as quickly as we emptied them and Vote Centers were bustling with activity. With the
record-breaking number of Vote by Mail ballots returned, voter turnout was 42 percent, significantly
higher than the 2014 Primary Election voter turnout of 29.6 percent.
This is an incredibly exciting time for all of us and although a large number of residents did wait until
the last day to vote, it was so rewarding to see residents adjusting to the new voting model. It’s
important to remember that it takes time to move Vote by Mail ballots through the process of verifying
signatures, separating ballots from envelopes, unfolding the ballots and finally, counting them. Moving
forward, our goal will be to continue encouraging residents to take advantage of Ballot Drop Boxes
that open four weeks before Election Day and visiting Vote Centers when they open 10 days before
Election Day.
Mark Church, San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Chief Elections Officer
San Mateo County implementation of the California Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) for the June 5, 2018,
Statewide Direct Primary Election was a complete success and enthusiastically received by the voters
and jurisdictions of our county. The new All-Mailed Ballot/Vote Center Election Model authorized
under the VCA increased voter participation and accessibility to the electoral process for all voters,
particularly voters with disabilities and language minorities.
The June 5, Primary Election, resulted in a 44 percent voter turnout, with a total 172,076 voters
participating in the election. Over 159,500 (92.7percent) voters cast their ballots by mail.
Approximately, 12,566 (7.3 percent) ballots were cast at the 39 Vote Centers placed throughout the
county. San Mateo County opened four Vote Centers in North, Central and South County 29 days
before the election, and provided an Election Day “Roving Voting” program for low population areas.
28 Ballot Drop-Off Locations were established for voters to conveniently drop their ballots off during
the early voting period.
One of the biggest surprises was the high number of ballots dropped off at Vote Centers, City Halls
and Ballot Drop-Off Locations. Over 28,533 ballots were physically dropped off at these facilities.
Approximately, 41,601 (45 percent) vote by mail ballots were received during the period of Election
Day plus 3 (June 8, 2018).
San Mateo County was the first county in the state to deploy an Accessible Vote by Mail System (AVBM)
to serve visually impaired and disabled voters. We saw a significant increase in the use of the AVBM
system during this election and anticipate a continued growth of utilization for the November 2018
election.
Our thanks go to the many citizen volunteers that served on our Voting Accessibility Advisory
Committee, Language Accessibility Advisory Committee and our Voter Education and Community
Outreach Committee. The work of these volunteers was invaluable in assisting us to develop our
Election Administration Plan (EAP), determining the locations of Vote Centers, Ballot Drop-Off
Locations and helping immensely in our community education and outreach programs.
Finally, we will be working with Dr. Mindy Romero, Director of California Civic Engagement Project, to
conduct a research study on the success of the Voter’s Choice Act in San Mateo County. We will share
our findings with the Secretary of State and California Counties once the study is completed.
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7/20/2018 Governor signs Steinorth’s housing bill into law | Political | highlandnews.net
https://www.highlandnews.net/news/political/governor-signs-steinorth-s-housing-bill-into-law/article_259713d0-8b85-11e8-86ef-d7160c2cd8ad.html 1/2
https://www.highlandnews.net/news/political/governor-signs-steinorth-s-housing-bill-into-law/article_259713d0-8b85-11e8-86ef-d7160c2cd8ad.html
BREAKING
Governor signs Steinorth’s housing bill into lawJames Folmer, editor, Highland Community News Jul 19, 2018 Updated Jul 19, 2018
7/20/2018 Governor signs Steinorth’s housing bill into law | Political | highlandnews.net
https://www.highlandnews.net/news/political/governor-signs-steinorth-s-housing-bill-into-law/article_259713d0-8b85-11e8-86ef-d7160c2cd8ad.html 2/2
Marc Steinorth may be a lame duck in the California Assembly, but Gov. Jerry Brown has signed
his legislation to increase low-income housing in San Bernardino County.
Steinorth’s AB 1768 was approved unanimously in both houses unanimously. It was signed into
law on July 9.
“The housing a�ordability crisis is pushing the reality of homeownership further out of reach
for many Californians,” said Steinorth, a Republican from Rancho Cucamonga. “In response, we
worked hard this year to tackle the housing crisis from all sides and I am grateful to announce
our success with AB 1768, which has been signed into law by Governor Brown.”
AB 1768 will authorize the County of San Bernardino to develop, operate, and �nance mixed-
income housing projects. This legislation will give incentives to developers to meet the needs of
our middle-class families by building housing projects for both middle- and low-income
persons in the County of San Bernardino.
“This new �nancing tool for the county will better serve what is known as ‘The Missing Middle.’
These are our working class families, our teachers, �rst-responders, and nurses, who earn too
much to qualify for existing a�ordable housing programs, but still need assistance in a�ording
to live in the communities where they work,” Steinorth said in a press release. “This is a big win
for San Bernardino County.”
In the 1930s, the federal government created housing authorities to stimulate urban renewal,
according to an Assembly analysis. In the 1990s, the federal Department of Housing and Urban
development designated housing authorities as “Moving to Work” agencies to help residents
�nd jobs that could lead to self-su�ciency and expand a�ordable.
Redevelopment agencies were required to spend at least 20 percent of their assets on low-
income housing. When they were disbanded in 2011, many housing authorities took over the
assets designated for housing.
When San Bernardino County Supervisor James Ramos challenged Steinorth for his 40 District
seat, he decided to quit the Assembly and challenge Supervisor Janice Rutherford for her
District 2 seat. Rutherford won the June 5 election with 53.3 percent of the vote.
th
7/20/2018 Green Tree Golf Course will remain open through at least 2018
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180719/green-tree-golf-course-will-remain-open-through-at-least-2018 1/2
By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Jul 19, 2018 at 5:22 PMUpdated Jul 19, 2018 at 5:22 PM
Sierra Golf Management, the operator of the Green TreeGolf Course, plans to use its cash reserves to keep thelinks open through Dec. 31, city spokeswoman Sue Jonessaid Thursday.
VICTORVILLE — Sierra Golf Management, the operator of the Green TreeGolf Course, plans to use its cash reserves to keep the links open through Dec.31, city spokeswoman Sue Jones said Thursday.
In the short term, Sierra’s decision avoids a potential closure after the golfcourse’s budget failed to pass last month. In the longer view, it affords theopportunity to re-visit the spending plan in December with a new-look Council.
The City Council failed June 19 to adopt a budget for Green Tree by a 2-1 vote,needing support of three council members to steer clear of limbo. However,Mayor Pro Tem Jim Cox and Councilman Jim Kennedy, who live on the course,were forced to recuse themselves due to state conflict of interest rules.
That left Councilwoman Blanca Gomez as the deciding vote and she ultimatelyvoted against passing a spending plan, saying the taxpayer subsidy was beneficialto too narrow of a populous and suggesting instead it be bankrolled by creating aspecial tax district.
Specifically, she criticized the proposed $532,243 taxpayer subsidy required tofund the course, which has a total budget of about $1.1 million.
Green Tree Golf Course will remain openthrough at least 2018
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The turndown left Victorville without budget authority to fund operations andmaintenance costs, and suddenly put the city at risk of violating its contract withSierra and breaching operating covenants tied to bond financing for themunicipality.
“Litigation is something we are trying hard to avoid,” Mayor Gloria Garcia saidin a statement Thursday.
The uncertainty also galvanized a contingent of residents to lament the course’spotential closure. Nearly 400 people signed a petition in support of the GreenTree Golf Course and delivered it to the city clerk on Tuesday.
Jones said Thursday that city officials recently met with Sierra to deliberate the18-hole course’s future and “to explore options to keep the golf course open.”Those conversations ultimately concluded with Sierra’s decision to fund thecourse through the end of the year.
Earlier this week, Kennedy announced he would not seek re-election inNovember, compelled by the stalled Green Tree budget and the prospect that anew councilor who did not have conflicts in voting could potentially act as thethird vote to green light the spending plan by early December.
Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or [email protected]. Follow
him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.
7/20/2018 Obernolte expects groups against gas tax repeal to spend over $100M
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180718/obernolte-expects-groups-against-gas-tax-repeal-to-spend-over-100m 1/3
By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Jul 18, 2018 at 4:19 PMUpdated Jul 18, 2018 at 4:19 PM
The repeal effort promises to be fought hard against bythe Democratic-controlled legislature and groups likelabor unions and the California Chamber of Commerce,leaving Obernolte to caution that despite positive earlypolling, it was far from a sure bet to pass.
VICTORVILLE — Republican Assemblyman Jay Obernolte said on Wednesdayhe expected “an incredible battle” over the effort to repeal the state’s gas tax,believing that special interest groups who support the transportation fundingpackage will spend more than $100 million to lobby against the ballot initiativein November.
Qualifying last month for the general election ballot, the Republican-ledProposition 6 will rescind Senate Bill 1, which increased gas 12 cents per gallon— more for diesel gas — and added vehicle registration fees in order to raise $5billion yearly in what was described as much-needed road and highway repairfunding across the state.
Prop. 6 would also require that future gas taxes be submitted to voters,Obernolte said.
The repeal effort promises to be fought hard against by the Democratic-controlled legislature and groups like labor unions and the California Chamberof Commerce, leaving Obernolte to caution that despite positive early polling, itwas far from a sure bet to pass.
Obernolte expects groups against gas tax repealto spend over $100M
7/20/2018 Obernolte expects groups against gas tax repeal to spend over $100M
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Obernolte, R-Hesperia, addressed the upcoming ballot initiative during the first-ever luncheon of the High Desert Regional Chambers Coalition, hosted at theSan Bernardino County Fairgrounds.
“I am here to tell you it is going to be an incredible battle because everyone thathas a commercial interest in spending that gas tax money,” he said, “is going toput in money, time and effort against the repeal of the gas tax in November.”
The lawmaker drew parallels between the tax and others, like a defeated drinkingwater tax, to illustrate a troubling trend of “imposing specific user fees to solvespecific problems in California” when, at the same time, the state just adopted a$9 billion budget surplus.
He said priority projects should instead be bankrolled by the general fund. He hasalso long suggested that simply fixing existing funding diversions would yield asmuch funding as the gas tax is expected to generate.
Obernolte was one of two guest speakers during Wednesday’s luncheon.
San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon, who spoke first, lauded anongoing partnership with the Board of Supervisors — accompanied by $1 millionin new funding — that has enabled deputies to conduct proactive patrols in theHigh Desert targeting gangs and resulted in 1,800 additional arrests last year.
He also said that targeted traffic enforcement had been buoyed by $2 millionpledged from county officials.
Meanwhile, the Chambers Coalition — announced in September as an alliancebetween chambers in Adelanto, Apple Valley and Hesperia — hopes to hold jointluncheons on at least a yearly basis.
Officials with the coalition say the partnership will reduce redundantadministrative functions, widen marketing opportunities and enable eachindividual chamber to share best practices among each other while co-hostingevents.
“As a result, we will be able to produce and deliver more value to our members,”said Cari Thomas, the president/CEO of the Hesperia Chamber.
7/20/2018 Obernolte expects groups against gas tax repeal to spend over $100M
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Janice Moore, who holds the same position within the Apple Valley Chamber,described the joint efforts as “a new paradigm.”
“It’s established by experienced chamber CEOs,” Moore said, “to use a commonsense approach to search for new ways to solve existing problems that chamberCEOs experience everyday.”
Shea Johnson can be reached at 760-955-5368 or [email protected]. Follow
him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.
7/20/2018 Court blocks measure asking voters to split California in 3 - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20180718/court-blocks-measure-asking-voters-to-split-california-in-3?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&ut… 1/2
By Sophia Bollag / Associated PressPosted Jul 18, 2018 at 3:11 PMUpdated Jul 18, 2018 at 3:50 PM
SACRAMENTO — A measure that would divide California into three partswon’t appear on the November ballot, the state Supreme Court decidedWednesday, marking the latest defeat for a long-shot push to reimagine thenation’s most populous state.
The justices ordered the secretary of state not to put the ballot initiative beforevoters, saying significant questions have been raised about its validity. The courtnow will consider a challenge from the Planning and Conservation League, anenvironmental group that argued splitting up California would drastically changeits government structure beyond what can be accomplished through a simpleballot initiative.
“We conclude that the potential harm in permitting the measure to remain onthe ballot outweighs the potential harm in delaying the proposition to a futureelection,” the justices wrote in a unanimous ruling.
They said time constraints forced them to rule on the issue immediately.
Venture capitalist Tim Draper, who spent more than $1.7 million on his “Cal 3”initiative, has tried for years to split the state, arguing it has becomeungovernable because of its size, wealth disparities and geographic diversity. Hislast attempt to divide California in six didn’t gather enough signatures to makethe ballot in 2016.
“The whole point of the initiative process was to be set up as a protection from agovernment that was no longer representing its people. Now that protection hasbeen corrupted,” Draper said in a statement. “Whether you agree or not with thisinitiative, this is not the way democracies are supposed to work.”
Court blocks measure asking voters to splitCalifornia in 3
7/20/2018 Court blocks measure asking voters to split California in 3 - News - VVdailypress.com - Victorville, CA
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The director of the Planning and Conservation League cheered the ruling.
The initiative “was a costly, flawed scheme that will waste billions of Californiataxpayer dollars, create chaos in public services including safeguarding ourenvironment,” Howard Penn said in a statement. “It would have dismantled theworld’s fifth biggest economy without solving a single challenge facingCalifornians today.”
The environmental group’s lawsuit says major changes to the state’s governmentstructure require approval from two-thirds of the Legislature before beingconsidered by voters or a state constitutional convention.
Draper has argued that the measure doesn’t go beyond what voters can enactthrough an initiative. If passed, it would be only the first step toward splittingthe state, he said.
The initiative, which could appear on a future ballot if the court ultimately rulesin its favor, seeks to divide the state into Northern California, California andSouthern California.
Northern California would comprise the Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Sacramentoand counties north of the state capital. California would be a strip of land alongthe coast stretching from Los Angeles to Monterey. Southern California wouldinclude Fresno and the surrounding farming communities, reaching to SanDiego and the Mexican border.
Supporters gathered signatures from hundreds of thousands of Californians, andthe secretary of state in June announced they had enough to get the effort on thegeneral election ballot.
The justices’ decision leaves 11 ballot measures for voters to weigh in November.
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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Threatened plants, animals could losehabitat protections Proposal ‘aguaranteed map to extinction’
BY LOUIS SAHAGUN
A BALD EAGLE flies at sunrise after perching in a tree near Santiago Creek in IrvineRegional Park. (Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times)
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
http://enewspaper.latimes.com/desktop/latimes/default.aspx?pubid=50435180-e58e-48b5-8e0c-236bf740270e 2/4
The Department of the Interior announced Thursday controversial plans to roll back coreprovisions of the Endangered Species Act, a move aimed at reducing the burdens of suchsafeguards on landowners, industry and governments.
The proposal calls for rescinding U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policies that automaticallyextend habitat protections granted to endangered species to threatened species as well.Instead, Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said, the agency wants to decide on acase-by-case basis whether to protect habitats of threatened species — animals and plantsthat scientists believe could soon become endangered.
The Interior Department plans to work with the Commerce Department to determinewhether land currently unoccupied by a threatened species deserves to be classified as acritical habitat and warrants protection.
Bernhardt said the agency was responding to President Trump’s order a year ago directingfederal agencies to revise regulations deemed confusing and that discouraged publicparticipation in conservation efforts.
“We hope these proposals ameliorate some of the burdens, conflict and uncertainty withinour current regulatory structure,” Bernhardt said. “A goal is to increase public buy-in sothat people don’t see it in such an adversarial light.”
The proposal would not affect species already listed as threatened — or critical habitats setaside for them — such as Western desert tortoises struggling to survive in the SouthernCalifornia desert as temperatures rise and nutritious foliage diminishes. The Departmentof the Interior could implement it after a 60-day public comment period beginningThursday.
Environmental organizations and their supporters in Congress were outraged by theproposed changes, which they said favor industry. Critics said they would doom hundredsof imperiled animals and plants and undermine the Endangered Species Act of 1973, oneof the most popular — and heavily litigated — environmental laws ever enacted.
“If a single company can make a single dollar from the destruction or displacement ofendangered species — it’s full speed ahead,” Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said. “This is partof the endless special favors the White House and Department of Interior are willing to dofor their industry friends.”
The Endangered Species Act, which protects more than 1,250 species, is based on threekey elements: listing species as threatened or endangered; designating habitat essentialfor the species’ survival; and restoring populations so they can be removed from the list.Environmentalists point to species including grizzly bears and red-legged frogs that haverebounded since the law’s passage.
Bernhardt’s proposals modify key terms originally intended to strike balanced solutionsfor government agencies, landowners and environmentalists to protect and restoreendangered species and the natural resources they need to complete their life cycles.
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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The changes are needed, Bernhardt said, because “the public’s experience has evolvedover the years.”
Communities are better now at addressing their own ecological issues, he said. Theframework of the law, he said, has not evolved with them.
As it stands, the term “endangered” applies to an animal or plant in danger of extinctionwithin the foreseeable future. A “threatened” species is one deemed likely to becomeendangered within the foreseeable future. “Critical habitat” is a specific geographic area,whether occupied by the species or not, determined to be essential for the conservationand management of the listed plant or animal.
“The proposed changes are a guaranteed map to extinction,” said Tara Zuardo, seniorwildlife attorney for the Animal Welfare Institute. “Allowing a few individuals of species toexist on a small piece of land or a zoo is not what Congress intended in passing the[Endangered Species Act], nor is it what the American public wants.”
Rebecca Riley, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, agreed.
“The very agencies that are charged with saving species are proposing to weaken thebedrock protections of the Endangered Species Act,” she said. “This law has saved 99% oflisted species from extinction.”
A concern among environmentalists is that the Interior Department’s heightened interestin local control could reduce the influence of scientists in decision-making.
Developers, business interests and state governments, however, have long blamed theEndangered Species Act for land-use controls that trample property rights and thwarteconomic activity with little concern for their potential losses.
Critical habitat protections for the threatened California gnatcatcher, for example, havebarred development across nearly 100,000 acres of land in Los Angeles, Orange, SanDiego, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties since 1993.
In 2014, the Fish and Wildlife Service withdrew its proposal to list the wolverine as athreatened species under pressure from states where most of the animals are found:Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Those states questioned the viability of climate changepredictions and warned that federal protections would hurt recreation and developmentin alpine terrain managed by local authorities.
“These proposals are great news,” said Jonathan Wood, an attorney at the Pacific LegalFoundation, which has represented groups including the California Building IndustryAssn. and Property Owners Assn. of Riverside County in land-use disputes touched off bythe gnatcatcher’s status as a threatened species.
“By relaxing restrictions,” he said, “landowners will have more reason to cooperate in therecovery of threatened species, and environmentalists will have less incentive to litigatethese issues.”
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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Rob Gordon, a spokesman for the free market think tank Competitive Enterprise Institutein Washington, said the Endangered Species Act “has been used to stymie economicgrowth and trample on private property rights. These proposals are a good sign theTrump administration recognizes the problems.”
Greg Sheehan, principal deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, would notargue with any of that.
“By creating a clearer regulatory distinction between threatened and endangered species,”he said, “we are also encouraging partners to invest in conservation that has the potentialto improve a species’ status, helping us work towards our ultimate goal: recovery.”
Helping species recover won’t be made easier with fewer protections, said Riley, theNatural Resources Defense Council attorney.
“The conflicts the Trump administration is trying to avoid with these changes,” she said,“will instead lead to more controversy, more costly legal battles and the loss of valuabletime running out fast to save species on the brink.”
Twitter: @LouisSahagun
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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California’s Obamacare rates to rise8.7% in 2019 Obamacare rates to go up8.7% in stateIt’s an improvement compared with the double-digitincreases of the last two years.
BY CHAD TERHUNE AND PAULINE BARTOLONE
Premiums in California’s health insurance exchange will rise by an average of 8.7% nextyear, marking a return to more modest increases despite ongoing threats to the AffordableCare Act.
“WE ARE paying, in essence, a surcharge for federal policies,” says Peter Lee, CoveredCalifornia’s chief. (Marcus Yam Los Angeles Times)
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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The state marketplace, Covered California, said the rate increase for 2019 would havebeen closer to 5% if the federal penalty for going without health coverage had not beenrepealed in last year’s Republican tax bill.
The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected aroundthe nation, largely the result of a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in itsmarketplace. Still, health insurance prices keep growing faster than wages and generalinflation as a result of rising medical costs overall, squeezing many middle-class familiesstruggling to pay their household bills.
The 8.7% increase in California — 9% in most parts of Southern California — ends twoconsecutive years of double-digit rate increases for the state marketplace. In 2018,premiums rose an average of 12.5% statewide.
Open enrollment on the exchange starts Oct. 15, for coverage starting Jan. 1.
“It’s not great that healthcare costs are still increasing that much, but the individualmarket is not sticking out like a sore thumb like it has in other years,” said KathyHempstead, senior advisor at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “It’s falling back toearth.”
The rate increase will be cushioned somewhat for the nearly 90% of Covered California’s1.4 million enrollees who qualify for federal subsidies to help them afford coverage. Thosesubsidies rise along with premiums. For instance, Covered California said subsidizedenrollees would pay 6% more, on average, in 2019 if they don’t change plans.
The future may be less bright. An estimated 262,000 Californians, or about 10% ofindividual policyholders in and outside the exchange, are expected to drop their coveragenext year because the ACA fines were eliminated, according to the state.
Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, warned that the exodus of healthierconsumers will drive up insurance costs beyond 2019 — not just for individualpolicyholders but for California employers and their workers.
“We are paying, in essence, a surcharge for federal policies that are making coverage moreexpensive than it should be,” Lee said. “There will be more of the uninsured and moreuncompensated costs passed along to all of us.”
Critics of the Affordable Care Act say it has failed to contain medical costs and leftconsumers and taxpayers with heavy tabs.
Foiled in its attempt to repeal Obamacare outright, the Trump administration has takento rolling back key parts of the law and has slashed federal marketing dollars intended toboost enrollment.
Instead, the administration backs cheaper alternatives, such as short-term coverage orassociation health plans, which don’t comply fully with the healthcare law’s rules and tendto offer skimpier benefits with fewer consumer protections.
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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Taken together, those moves are likely to draw healthier, less expensive customers out ofAffordable Care Act exchanges and leave sicker ones behind.
Nationally, 2019 premiums for silver plans — the second-cheapest and most popularplans offered — are expected to jump by 15%, on average, according to an analysis of 10states and the District of Columbia by the consulting firm Avalere Health. Prices varywidely across the country, however. Decreases are expected in Minnesota, while insurersin Maryland are seeking 30% increases.
In California, exchange officials emphasized, consumers who shop around could pay thesame rate as this year, or even a little less.
Christy McConville of Arcadia already spends about $2,000 a month on a Blue Shieldplan for her family of four, opting for “platinum” coverage, the most expensive type. Herfamily doesn’t qualify for federal subsidies in Covered California.
She’s worried about further increases and doesn’t want to switch plans and risk losingaccess to the doctors she trusts. “We’re getting right up to the limit,” McConville said.
Amanda Malachesky, a nutrition coach in the Northern California town of Petrolia, saidthe elimination of the penalty for being uninsured makes dropping coverage morepalatable. Her family of four pays almost $400 a month for a highly subsidized AnthemBlue Cross plan that has a $5,000 deductible.
“I’ve wanted to opt out of the insurance model forever just because they provide so littlevalue for the exorbitant amount of money that we pay,” said Malachesky, who recentlypaid several hundred dollars out of pocket for a mammogram. “I’m probably going todisenroll … and not give any more money to these big bad insurance companies.”
Covered California is aiming to stem any enrollment losses by spending more than $100million on advertising and outreach in the coming year. In contrast, the Trumpadministration spent only $10 million last year for advertising the federal exchange acrossthe 34 states that use it.
Also, California lawmakers are looking at ways to fortify the Affordable Care Act. Statelegislators are considering bills that would limit the sale of short-term insurance andprevent people from joining association health plans that don’t have robust consumerprotections.
Despite the constant uncertainty surrounding the health law, many insurers nationally areposting profits from their Obamacare business and some plans are looking to expand onthe exchanges.
In California, the same 11 insurers are returning, led by Kaiser Permanente and BlueShield of California. Together, those two insurers control two-thirds of exchangeenrollment. In 2018, Anthem pulled out of several areas across the state. (Kaiser HealthNews is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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The Covered California rate increases are fairly uniform across the state. Monterey, SanBenito and Santa Cruz counties faced the highest increase: 16% on average.
The rates are subject to state regulatory review.
The healthcare law’s expansion of coverage has dramatically cut the number of uninsuredCalifornians. The proportion of Californians lacking health insurance fell to 6.8% at theend of last year, down from 17% in 2013, federal data show.
Terhune and Bartolone are correspondents for Kaiser Health News, an editoriallyindependent publication of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
7/20/2018 San Diego Cracks Down on Short-Term Rentals | PublicCEO
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San Diego Cracks Down on Short-Term RentalsPOSTED BY : PUBLICCEO JULY 19, 2018
By Rachel Dovey.
San Diego’s short-term rental market could be in for a sea change. On Monday, the city council voted
to outlaw vacation rentals in secondary homes, theoretically limiting short-term stays to primary
residences. The new law (borrowing from similar regulations in Boston and New Orleans) is much
stricter than short-term operators had expected — and is being hailed by labor and housing advocates
as a means of reclaiming valuable local rental stock.
From the San Diego Union-Tribune:
The action, following a more than six-hour-long, sometimes emotional hearing,marks a striking departure from the centerpiece of a compromise proposal craftedby Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s office over the last several months…. His plan wouldhave permitted vacation rental hosts to rent out their primary residences while theyare not present for up to six months a year — plus one additional home with nolimit on the number of days annually.
The new council-approved plan, however, nixes the allowance of an additional home. And while the
council was expected to exempt the Mission Beach neighborhood, where an estimated 44 percent of
the housing stock is short-term rentals, they decided not to grant it any special allowances, the paper
reports.
“Today’s vote by the San Diego City Council is an affront to thousands of responsible, hard-working San
Diegans and will result in millions of dollars in lost tax revenue for the City,” Airbnb said in a statement
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to the Union-Tribune. “San Diego has been a vacation rental destination for nearly 100 years and
today’s vote all but ensures activity will be forced underground and guests will choose alternative
destinations.”
Read the full story at Next City.
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7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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An experiment to house homeless:Private fundsProject aims to build units faster without taxpayer money
A NINE-UNIT housing project for up to 32 homeless people is underway on ColdenAvenue in South L.A. (Photographs by Christina House Los Angeles Times)
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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BY DOUG SMITH
Sometime this fall, 32 homeless people will move into a supportive housing project nowrising on Colden Avenue, a transitional street of apartments and aging houses in SouthLos Angeles.
Soon after that, another group of people who are not homeless, and in fact quite well off,will also begin receiving benefits from the nine-unit apartment building. Fifty-six equityholders who financed the project will begin to see their first returns, expected to be about5% annually.
The $3.6-million housing project, built from shipping containers, is an experiment inusing private investment to create homeless housing. Its backers, led by a family-ownedWestside real estate investment company, hope to replicate it to produce thousands ofunits financed entirely by people willing to accept a modest return on money invested in asocially beneficial cause.
After its completion, the building will function much like the permanent supportivehousing that is being constructed with subsidies from the city’s $1.2-billion PropositionHHH bond.
It will have a long-term commitment to lease to the chronically homeless.
THE $3.6-MILLION project, built from shipping containers, is financed by privateinvestors who are expected to see annual returns of about 5%. ()
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Tenants will be selected through the coordinated entry system, a countywide database ofhomeless people that gives the highest priority to those most in need.
As with other supportive housing, tenants will cover their rent either with disabilitychecks or subsidies, and services for them will be funded with L.A. County’s Measure Hhomeless sales tax, or charitable donations.
But unlike the nonprofit organizations that build the bulk of affordable and homelesshousing, FlyawayHomes, the profit-making venture behind the project, will use notaxpayer funds for construction.
The project is an outgrowth of the permanent supportive housing task force of the PeopleConcern, a West Los Angeles homeless services nonprofit.
After Proposition HHH passed in 2016, the group — whose members came fromacademia, banking and development — concluded that even if the city achieved its goal ofproducing 10,000 units of supportive housing in a decade, many of its estimated 31,000homeless people would remain without housing.
They decided to focus on market solutions that wouldn’t require HHH funds.
“There are a lot of organizations doing good projects with those,” said Lawry Meister,chief executive of Steaven Jones Development Co., founded by her father. “We want to fillanother void. We want to help make a dent in the bigger problem.”
Members of the task force formed Flyaway- Homes with Jones, an 18-year board memberof the People Concern, as chairman and Meister as president.
Though Flyaway is a for-profit company, it is run as a social benefit organization. Itsofficers, all task force members, receive no pay. All revenues above the investors’ returnswill be turned back into more housing, Meister said.
Its mission is to house people faster and for less than the prevailing nonprofit model,which provides a single unit for every tenant and gets its financing through a cumbersomeprocess, cobbling HHH funds with tax credits and other public funds.
Those projects usually take three or more years to build, and they now cost an average ofmore than $450,000 per unit.
By relying on private investment, Flyaway can avoid some of the requirements thatcontribute to those costs, such as paying a prevailing wage.
And by limiting its search to sites where it has the right to build, Meister hopes to avoidthe cost of holding land during long entitlement proceedings and community engagement.
For the Colden project, the company made one presentation to the neighborhood council,where it met no opposition. Residents watching the construction recently said they sawthe project as an improvement to the neighborhood.
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The search for suitable land — another obstacle that slows down supportive housingprojects — fell to Flyaway Chief Operating Officer Kevin Hirai, whose family-ownedbusiness manages hundreds of residential units. He found the solution in his ownportfolio, an aging duplex with a willing seller on a lot zoned for multifamily use. Thetenants agreed to move into other units Hirai managed.
To manage costs, FlyawayHomes adopted an unusual housing format with eight four-bedroom units for 32 tenants. Each will have a private bedroom but share kitchen andliving spaces with three others. A manager will live in the ninth unit.
The project’s cost of $400,000 per unit is within the range of other supportive housing,but at $109,000 per tenant, four times as many people will get homes.
For speed, Flyaway turned to modular housing.
It contracted with GrowthPoint Structures, a Los Angeles company that manufacturerssuch buildings from recycled shipping containers, in May 2017.
GrowthPoint, which was opening a new factory to keep up with increasing demand,couldn’t deliver on schedule, causing a delay of nearly a year.
But once the first units arrived in June, construction moved swiftly. Each floor of thethree-story building was placed in a day, the final one by mid-July. Finish work will takeanother month or two.
Flyaway’s strategy is to build with bank financing, then lease the buildings to an agencysuch as the People Concern to generate a steady cash flow. That agency, in turn, wouldfind the subsidized tenants, collect the rent and provide the services. Equity in the projectcould then be bought and sold by social impact investors with a guaranteed, thoughmodest, return.
But to prove the concept, they needed to come up with the $3.6 million.
To raise it, they turned to friends and clients and people associated with the PeopleConcern.
“We were blown away by how receptive they were to the concept,” Meister said. “We wereable to raise that amount of money in six weeks.”
Among the donors, Tina Quinn, a friend of Meister since childhood and until recentlychair at UCLA’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability, had no hesitation when Meistercalled.
Quinn said she and her husband cared deeply but hadn’t yet done anything abouthomelessness.
“We weren’t sure about how to help,” she said. “The proof of concept is important to us, totry innovative ways to address homelessness.”
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Gary W. Hampar, the trustee of a charitable foundation that invests in downtown shelters,said he wouldn’t have been interested as a strict investment, but “the bottom line is therewas a decent return and you’re doing something for society.”
Retired lawyer Michael Lawler said he had invested with the Steaven Jones company in aMarina del Rey project and trusted Jones and Meister to deliver.
Once the rent of about $278,000 starts flowing, investors will receive a 4.5% return off thetop and then split 75% of the net cash flow. Meister estimates it will work out to about 5%annually.
With the Colden project still under construction, FlyawayHomes has opened escrow onanother property near 88th Street and Vermont Avenue.
The model has evolved for the second project. This time, one investor will provide theland and part of the construction cost through a 1031 exchange, a real estate swap thatavoids taxes. Foundation and corporate money will make up the rest.
“We’re just in the process of setting it up now,” Meister said. “Get our investor list. We’rejust beginning to approach people.”
How far Flyaway’s for-profit model can go will depend on its success in tappinginstitutional investors and on the People Concern’s capacity to supply tenants withsubsidies.
In the Colden project, 13 of the tenants will pay their own $550 rent through their SocialSecurity disability, but 20 of the bedrooms are being funded at about $800 per unit by thecounty’s Housing for Health project, which pays subsidies with a limited supply of countymoney.
But as long as apartments for homeless people remain hard to find, as they are today,there’s probably a lot of room to grow.
“We’re working with the People Concern to figure out what is our goal,” Meister said.“Ideally, we would house 20,000 people.”
7/20/2018 Los Angeles Times
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County unveils site for outreachservicesL.A.’s homeless could be set up with county workersthrough new website designed to be an easy entry point.BY DOUG SMITH
When someone spots a homeless person who needs help, there are many places to call:
The police, a City Council office, a homeless services provider such as PATH, the L.A. City311 line, or the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
What happens with each call could be different, depending on the resources the personfielding it happens to be networked with. Those working in the system concede that it iscumbersome, if not chaotic.
At last, there will be one place for every call for help to go and one system to get it into theright hands. It’s not a telephone number, but an internet address: www.la-hop.org.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority unveiled the HomelessOutreach Portal, an online reporting system that can be used by computer, tablet orphone, and is translated into the seven most widely spoken languages in Los AngelesCounty.
The website is a central entry point to Los Angeles County’s expanded homeless outreachsystem. Based on the location entered into the online form, the report will be quicklyrouted to one of the 500 outreach workers now on the streets.
Information on the condition of the person will help get the request to the right kind ofoutreach team, whether generalists or physical or mental health specialists.
In announcing the new portal, homeless authority officials also set limits on how it shouldbe used and what it can accomplish.
It is not the right tool to request homeless camp cleanups or trash removal, said ColleenMurphy, who oversees outreach for the authority.
For those services, calls should still go to city agencies such as the police or sanitationbureau.
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People who file a report on the portal will receive an automated confirmation that it wasreceived, but the system is not set up to provide further follow-up, Murphy said.
But they shouldn’t assume that the homeless person will be quickly removed. The initialresponse can take up to 72 hours, Murphy said. And it can take multiple visits over a longperiod to build rapport and connect the person to services.
Most of the portal’s work occurs outside public view.
The electronic reports will go through an initial review to screen out any that are notrelevant to homelessness, then passed on to a regional outreach coordinator who willforward it to the appropriate team.
The request, called a ticket, will remain open until an outreach worker makes contact withthe homeless person or is unable to make contact after several attempts, Murphy said.
The system is not designed to track what happens after that. Further contact with theperson is entered into another database, the Homeless Management Information System.
Murphy said the homeless authority is now working on integrating those two datasystems.
Twitter: @LATDoug