A group of people in front of a building holding picket signs that reads "kaiserdondeny.org" and "stand with kaiser therapist, end the inequity."
Kaiser Permanente mental health care workers picket outside the Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center in Downey on Dec. 12, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

After striking for nearly half a year, the union representing Kaiser Permanente mental health workers in Southern California said earlier this week that it has reached a tentative agreement with the company, and expects to vote on the new labor contract Thursday

But the possible conclusion of a record-breaking work stoppage is not the only thing on Kaiser’s plate: On Tuesday the Assemby’s health committee held an oversight hearing scrutinizing the company’s behavioral health services, writes CalMatters’ 乔斯琳·维纳.

The hearing included testimony from union representatives, lawmakers and patients detailing Kaiser’s shortcomings in providing sufficient and timely care. Two years ago, following an investigation by regulators, the company agreed to a historic $200 million settlement to resolve problems with its services, such as delays in patient care.

Kaiser, however, was absent at Tuesday’s hearing. Instead, it sent a two-page letter that said it did not attend because it believed “it would not have been a productive or balanced discussion.” The letter also said the company has invested more than $1 billion in improving behavioral health care since 2020.

Read more here.

But even outside Kaiser, residents across California — particularly in rural areas — struggle to find mental health treatment due to a shortage of licensed mental health professionals.

正如 CalMatters 所言 亚当·埃克尔曼 explains, a 2022 survey commissioned by the state reported that one-third of Californians were living in an area that had an inadequate number of providers compared to patients. 

That’s partially because it takes a long time to become a licensed therapist. On top of earning a master’s degree, which takes about two years, students must often clock in hundreds of hours in unpaid internships to graduate. It can take up to six years to do that and start to make a regular salary as a therapist. 

Separately, becoming a psychologist requires a doctorate, and being a psychiatrist to prescribe medication requires a medical degree.

Solano County, for example, which includes rural farming towns, must compete with private hospitals and nearby Bay Area counties for mental health workers. The director for the county’s behavioral health department said it has nearly 290 positions, but about 20% remain vacant.

Read more here.


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聚焦内陆帝国: 每周三,CalMatters 内陆帝国记者 黛博拉·布伦南 调查了加利福尼亚州那部分地区的重大新闻。阅读 她的时事通讯在此注册 来接收它。



$500 million plan to add lanes in wine country moves forward

A stretch of Highway 37 in Napa County shows moderate traffic in both directions, surrounded by green hills and farmland. A large power line tower stands in the foreground near a flooded field that reflects the vehicles and landscape. Road signs and a billboard for Shen Yun are visible along the roadside.
Cars driving on Highway 37 in Sonoma on Feb. 1, 2024. Photo by Jessica Christian, San Francisco Chronicle via AP Photo

In a minor win for Democratic lawmakers who want to accelerate public infrastructure and housing projects, a bill that would waive certain environmental protections in order to speed up the expansion of a busy Northern California highway advanced out of committee last week据 CalMatters 报道 瑞安·萨巴洛.

In 2027 construction is expected to kick off to add more lanes to a stretch of Highway 37 in the Napa-Sonoma Valley corridor. To quicken the $500 million project, the Assembly’s committee on water, parks and wildlife voted to pass a measure that would lift endangered species protections for the salt marsh harvest mouse and three other protected birds.

Critics of the bill argue that adding more lanes doesn’t ease congestion and that the project could be literally underwater as early as 2040 due to sea level rise. 

As many as 40,000 motorists traverse the highway everyday. Where the highway shrinks from four lanes to one in each direction, traffic becomes so jammed that it can add up to an hour and a half to a round-trip commute. Public buses also don’t run along that highway because they’re unable to plan consistent schedules, according to the bill’s author.

Read more here.

Agency decision excuses vast majority of AI companies

A technology conference booth features a large digital screen displaying the words "AI is everywhere" alongside a cartoon character resembling Albert Einstein. The booth is illuminated in blue lighting, with signage encouraging attendees to assess their AI readiness. A person wearing a staff shirt stands in the shadows on the left, while another attendee in a suit walks past, holding a cup and a smartphone. The scene is partially obscured by foreground elements, adding depth to the composition.
The Dreamforce conference hosted by Salesforce in San Francisco on Sept. 18, 2024. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

In a move that some critics say bows to Big Tech, the state agency that ensures privacy rights are enforced softened its own proposed rules regulating certain uses of artificial intelligence, writes CalMatters’ 卡里·约翰逊.

The California Privacy Protection Agency Board voted last week to revise some of its AI draft rules, which it first began developing two years ago. Following that vote, the rules no longer regulate behavioral advertising, which tech companies use to target people based on their online activity and personal information. 

The agency also limited the rules’ scope so that they just apply to companies that carry out “automated decisionmaking” — or technology that substantially replaces human decisionmaking — scrubbing any reference to the term “artificial intelligence.” 

With the changes, the agency estimates that it will cost companies $143 million to comply in the first year of enforcement, instead of the $834 million initially estimated.

But proponents of stricter AI regulation say the new rules make it easier for companies to opt out of complying, and the agency itself estimated that 90 percent of businesses initially required to comply will no longer have to do so.

Public comment to the draft rules is open until June 2. Companies must comply with the rules by 2027.

Read more here.

And lastly: CA sets aside millions to mitigate wildfires

A firefighter wearing yellow protective gear and a helmet walks through a smoky forest, surrounded by tall trees and scattered branches. The scene is hazy with smoke.
A firefighter walks through a prescribed burn area at the Sugar Pine Point State Park near Lake Tahoe on Sept. 25, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation that allocates $170 million for wildfire prevention and eases environmental rules to fast-track critical projects. CalMatters’ 亚历杭德罗·拉佐 and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on how the measure aims to thin forests and remove vegetation 作为我们与 PBS SoCal 合作的一部分。 点击观看.

SoCalMatters 于工作日下午 5:58 播出 在 PBS SoCal 上.



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Lynn La 是 CalMatters 的新闻通讯撰稿人,每周一至周五关注加州的头条政治、政策和国会大厦新闻。她制作并策划 CalMatters 的旗舰每日新闻通讯 WhatMatters...