Tag: Politics

According to the U. S. Constitution, there is an explicit separation between Church and State. Perhaps State doesn't mean politics. I'll explain. I was recently invited to cover an event at the 412 Church, a large expansion of land and building on the border between Hem and San Jacinto in the northwest corner of the San Jacinto Valley. It was billed as a "Townhall Meeting," something, as a journalist, I was pleased to cover. However, what I sat through for an hour had nothing to do with townhall other than it was packed with people. The general public did not speak.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded $15 million in planning grants to 20 states to support expanding community-based mobile crisis intervention services for Medicaid beneficiaries. By connecting people who are experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis to a behavioral health specialist or critical treatment, these services—which will be provided by funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP)— and will be available 24 hours per day, every day of the year, can help save lives. Importantly, these services can also help to reduce the reliance on law enforcement when people are experiencing a behavioral health crisis and, in turn, may help to prevent the unnecessary incarceration of people with serious mental illness or substance use disorders.

An ominous four-word message issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign on the morning of Aug. 5 served as the shock Democrats needed to take seriously a recall election that could remove him from office: “This recall is close.”

California lawmakers moved to make the state the first to outlaw “stealthing,” which is removing a condom without permission during intercourse.

On a single day last November, two events helped set the course for just the second recall election against a governor in California history: Gov. Gavin Newsom dined with 11 friends and lobbyists at one of the country’s most expensive restaurants as he pleaded with Californians to stay home, while those looking to kick him out of office won four more months to qualify for the ballot.