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A speedy recall + Marching from Paradise + Appeal for child care funding

Sacramento Bee - 5/25/2021

May 25—Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

CALIFORNIANS WILL VOTE IN A RECALL SOONER OR LATER...

Via Lara Korte...

... and some Democrats say it should be sooner, to avoid time for any misfortunes to befall Gov. Gavin Newsom and take the wind out of the recall campaign.

Sen. Steve Glazer floated the concept on Twitter Friday, saying it was the governor's best bet to beat the "reckless recall."

The idea, Glazer said, is to seize on this moment of Newsom's good fortune with vaccines and the budget surplus before anything bad can happen (such as a stalled school reopening, wildfires, or a virus variant surge).

Conventional wisdom, and California statute, suggested a recall election would likely be held in November. But state officials aren't obligated to use the full allotted time to consider the recall before scheduling an election.

Shortening the election period will also block out Republicans and recall supporters from any more "shenanigans," Glazer said.

"They love the maneuverability for anything to happen," he said. "They want to create chaos, and every day that elongates the election gives them more opportunity for chaos."

Can it be done? Those who will oversee the recall verification process include the Department of Finance, which falls under the governor's office, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, controlled by Democrats, and the Secretary of State, a Democrat and a Newsom appointee.

Newsom on Monday said he'll leave a decision up to them. Read more about the pros and cons of such a tactic here.

MARCH FROM PARADISE TO SAN FRANCISCO

A band of climate change activists are planning to march from Paradise to San Francisco, a 266-mile trek that will take them through Yuba City, Sacramento, Davis, Winters, Napa, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Novato and Mill Valley before arriving at the Bay Area.

The activists are marching to push House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Dianne Feinstein to support "an ambitious and equity-focused Civilian Climate Corps" that would employ thousands of people as part of the Green New Deal.

"The weeks-long march kicks off on May 28 in Paradise and will include actions in Santa Rosa, Sacramento, and San Francisco. Seven Sunrise activists are marching, and they'll be joined by hundreds of supporters — including activists, political leaders and environmental justice groups — along the way," according to a statement put out by Sunrise Youth.

Marchers depart Paradise on May 28, and will arrive in Sacramento on June 2, and depart the capital again on June 4.

"Imagine a world where millions of people, recent high school graduates and middle-aged alike, could work on projects protecting communities from sea-level rise, taking care of the elderly, distributing fresh produce in food deserts, restoring wetlands, and rebuilding after climate disasters, while getting paid a living wage, having access to healthcare, and getting apprenticed to continue their career. That's the world we are marching for," said march co-organizer Nikayla Jefferson in a statement.

BIPARTISAN GROUP OF LAWMAKERS CALLS FOR CHILD CARE FUNDING

A bipartisan group of 28 lawmakers told Gov. Gavin Newsom that they're disappointed in his record-breaking state budget budget proposal, contending his May Revise falls short on the subject of child care providers.

"When you recently unveiled a record-breaking $267 billion dollar budget proposal, we were optimistic that a substantive investment would finally be made into prioritizing child care provider rate reform, as proposed by Senate Bill 246. After all, for the past year, even your administration touted the industry as essential. Unfortunately, your May Revision clearly failed to include a substantial investment in child care providers serving 0- to 4 year-olds. This proposal fails women and children, and, particularly low-income women of color," the letter begins.

The letter points out that the pandemic-induced recession has really been a "shecession," leading many women to exit the workforce due to family caregiving responsibilities.

"We additionally saw over 3,700 child care providers shut their doors due to the crushing fiscal impact of the pandemic, while those that remained open, continued to serve other essential families to keep the state's infrastructure from collapsing while risking the health and safety of both themselves and their families. It is unfair to not invest in the very people and businesses that have already invested so much in our families and communities," the letter reads.

The letter acknowledges that Newsom's May Revise budget included funding for an additional 100,000 child care slots, but called that effort "not enough and a misguideded attempt — at best — to help the child care industry."

We cannot expect child care providers to serve more families without providing them a living wage. Reimbursement rate reform is critical to the survival of the child care industry, as well as the expansion of access to subsidized child care," the lawmakers wrote.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Every so often, people ask me for advice. Here's the best I can give: Don't lose your sense of integrity. Never become so angry that you become ineffective. There's always a way to get things done." — Secretary of State Shirley Weber, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

The California Division of Occupational Health and Safety has cited Foster Farms for failing to protect workers from COVID-19 at its Livingston poultry plant and distribution center. The agency has issued the multi-billion-dollar poultry company a proposed penalty of $181,500 — one of the steepest citations it has leveraged during the COVID-19 pandemic, via Rebecca Plevin.

Two former California Highway Patrol officers were arraigned in Los Angeles on Monday for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for falsifying documents to register exotic "gray market" cars, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta , via Lara Korte.

Mask mandates are rapidly changing, leaving many parents wondering what school policies will look like in the fall for their children, via Sawsan Morrar.

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