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- Written by: California Attorney General’s Office
The grants were awarded to 76 local entities throughout the state.
“Tobacco is a serious threat to public health, especially to California’s youth,” said Attorney General Becerra. “These grants will support local communities in enforcing the law and educating kids about the harms of tobacco products. My office is dedicated to ensuring the state has the resources necessary to curb the dangers of tobacco and protect the public’s well-being. Preventing or reducing illegal sales of tobacco to minors will pave the way to a healthier California—we’re committed to tackling this public health crisis head on.”
The Department of Justice’s Tobacco Grant Program is funded by Proposition 56 (Prop. 56), the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016.
Beginning April 2017, Prop. 56 raised the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with an equivalent increase on all other tobacco products. Prop. 56 also allocates millions of dollars annually to the Department of Justice for distribution to local law enforcement agencies for the support and hiring of peace officers for various activities.
These activities include investigations and compliance checks to reduce the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors.
The Attorney General's Office has received reports from several agencies on the progress of their grant-funded activities. This includes public education programs for their communities, decoy operations, and investigations into adults purchasing tobacco for minors.
Between April and June of 2019, nearly 1,800 decoy operations were conducted across the state. Further, in the same time frame over 1,000 tobacco education events, including vaping awareness, were held for K-12 students. Just last week, the Los Angeles City Attorney announced a media campaign that targets minors and highlights the negative impact of vaping.
The Tobacco Grant recipients continue to undertake critical and necessary steps to reduce illegal sales of tobacco to youth.
The grant recipients will use state dollars to fund operations and projects, including hiring school resource officers, improving law enforcement operations, and providing education for minors and their families. Recipients will also use funds to educate businesses on current tobacco laws and provide outreach to tobacco vendors. The recipients include cities, counties, school districts, sheriffs’ and police departments.
Click here to see the 2019-2020 grant recipients.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Lead and cadmium are toxic metals that can cause severe and chronic health effects including neurological impairments, kidney damage, seizures, comas, and death.
Young children are especially susceptible to these adverse health effects, because their bodies and brains are still developing.
“With the passage of Senate Bill 647, California has raised the bar to better protect the health and safety of our people,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Lead and cadmium are highly toxic and can cause serious health problems, even at low levels of exposure, and especially for children. California’s laws regulating toxic metals in jewelry are now the most comprehensive in the world. With this law, our state continues to lead the way with advanced standards that reflect current science and address the danger that these toxic metals pose to our communities.”
“I want to see a California where all children thrive, health justice is part of that mission,” said Sen. Mitchell. “We had to take a harder stance and elevate California’s cadmium and lead jewelry law because the damage these toxins have on our bodies and environment is irreversible.”
SB 647, introduced by Senator Mitchell on Feb. 22, received unanimous bipartisan support. SB 647 strengthens California’s lead and cadmium jewelry laws by establishing science-backed standards that have demonstrated success in both North America and Europe.
Specifically, SB 647 does all of the following:
– Adopts the federal standard for lead in all accessible components of children’s jewelry (<100 ppm total lead);
– Adopts the federal cadmium standard for paint and surface coating of children’s jewelry that is derived from an ASTM International standard (<75 ppm soluble cadmium);
– Amends the definition of children’s jewelry to conform with Canada’s definition (jewelry intended for children under 15 years of age); and
– Applies the EU lead jewelry standard (<500 ppm total lead) to certain materials in adult jewelry.
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- Written by: Community Care
These individuals have applied for Medi-Cal for help and have come away from the application process with the understanding that they are over income for Medi-Cal supports.
Although they may be eligible on the low-asset front, they are not eligible on the low-income front.
That’s because their monthly income exceeds $1,270 as an individual ($1,719 for couples) and they would have to incur a large monthly deductible “Share of Cost” before Medi-Cal would kick in to help with the costs of their essential needs.
Sometimes that’s the reality; other times, by learning more, an older adult can take action to become eligible for no-share-of-cost Medi-Cal and the help it provides.
When these calls come in, Senior Information & Assistance has learned to ask: “What’s your gross income before insurance-related deductions and are you paying for supplemental insurance?” and “Were you on Social Security Disability prior to retiring?”
When reviewing some callers’ information, we discuss that by purchasing supplemental medical, dental, or vision insurance, they can reduce their countable income to fall within the eligibility limits.
This allows them to not only enjoy all the wider benefits of no-share-of-cost Medi-Cal, but also be reimbursed for the Medicare Part B premium being deducted from their Social Security deposits each month.
For others – who were drawing Social Security Disability leading up to retirement age – we discuss whether there is some small, verifiable employment they are engaged in or could be engaged in (pet sitting, mending, tutoring – as little as two hours a month).
If so, then that might open the door for them to participate in no-share-of-cost Medi-Cal by paying a monthly premium as low as $20, depending on the amount of their earned income.
These modest actions can sometimes lead to big improvements in these individuals’ lives. To learn more, contact Community Care’s Senior Information & Assistance line at 468-5132 to request a fact sheet with details and examples prepared by the non-profit legal advocacy group at CANHR.org, or link to it here.
Funded largely through the Area Agency on Aging of Lake & Mendocino Counties, Community Care’s Senior Information & Assistance Program is available Monday through Friday to respond to questions about resources for area older adults.
Call 707-468-5132 or 1-800-510-2020, or visit www.SeniorResourceDirectory.org.
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- Written by: California Department of Public Health
The health advisory follows an executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week to confront the growing youth epidemic and health risks linked to vaping.
As of Sept. 24, CDPH has received reports that 90 people in California who have a history of vaping were hospitalized for severe breathing problems and lung damage, and two people have died.
Across the U.S., there are more than 500 reports of lung damage associated with vaping across 38 states and 1 U.S. territory, and more reports are coming in nearly every day.
“We are seeing something that we have not seen before,” said Dr. Charity Dean, acting state public health officer. “There are numerous unknown factors at this time, and due to the uncertainty of the exact cause, it is our recommendation that consumers refrain from vaping until the investigation has concluded.”
CDPH, along with other states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, local health departments and healthcare providers are working hard to investigate what is in the vape materials that is making people sick.
Although CDPH regulates manufacturers of cannabis vaping products to ensure they are as safe as possible for those who choose to vape, CDPH warns that all individuals put themselves at risk any time they inhale a foreign substance into their lungs.
The risk of vaping for any individual may include serious illness and death.
“Vaping is not just a concern for youth; the vaping cases under investigation affect youth and adults alike,” said Dr. Dean.
If you experience difficulty breathing after vaping, contact your doctor immediately. You may also experience other symptoms including: cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and weight loss.
If this happens to you, do not discard any used vaping cartridges you might have, as CDPH is interested in testing the remaining substance in used cartridges. Those cartridges are being collected by local health departments and sent to CDPH labs for analysis.
In California, licensed cannabis retailers are required to sell products obtained from a licensed cannabis manufacturer that have been tested by a licensed laboratory.
Cannabis products sold by licensed sources are tested for a variety of chemicals, pesticides, microbial impurities, and heavy metals. Illegal cannabis dispensaries sell unregulated and untested cannabis products and absolutely should not be used.
CDC continues to warn that any tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. Furthermore, use of cannabis and tobacco products remains especially unsafe for youth, and for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
The governor’s executive order directed CDPH to launch a $20 million statewide digital and social media public awareness campaign to educate youth, young adults and parents about the health risks associated with vaping nicotine and cannabis products.
CDPH is also tasked with developing recommendations to reduce smoking among young adults and teens by establishing warning signs with health risks where vaping products are sold and on product advertisements.
For more information on the risks of vaping and today’s health advisory, read “Vaping Related Lung Illness: A Summary of the Public Health Risks and Recommendations for the Public.”