| | | | | |  | | By Jeremy B. White, Carla Marinucci, Graph Massara and Mackenzie Hawkins | Presented By Dialysis is Life Support | THE BUZZ: Worshippers were back in church on Sunday — and the political fallout could encompass Attorney General Xavier Becerra's prospects. Months of struggle over California's religious restrictions during the pandemic culminated in a Friday night Supreme Court ruling, with the high court effectively compelling the state to allow some indoor faith gatherings. The justices differed on just how much in-person worship should be allowed. California settled on 25 percent capacity at services in the most Covid-afflicted counties, but singing and chanting is still prohibited, reflecting the science that those activities pose especially high transmission risk (though good luck enforcing that). POLITICO's Joshua Gerstein has the details on the high court's judgment. | 
A parishioner prays outside the closed doors at the Christ the King Church Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, April 12, 2020. | AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes | This was a major victory for religious groups and their conservative allies, and it echoed the high court's shift to the right. The Supreme Court backed up California's first in-person worship ban during the first wave on a 5-4 vote back in May, but that was before Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court. This time around, Chief Justice John Roberts, who previously voted to uphold Gov. Gavin Newsom's limitations, rejected the absolutist position "that the maximum number of adherents who can safely worship in the most cavernous cathedral is zero." Becerra will likely have to answer for that position during his still-to-be-scheduled confirmation hearings to become President Joe Biden's Health and Human Services secretary. As POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein reports , Republicans plan to denounce Becerra as a heavy-handed enforcer who would impose California's restrictions on a national scale should he join Biden's cabinet. SCOTUS has likely supplied Republicans with ammunition, notwithstanding the fact that Becerra was carrying out Newsom's orders — although the governor is facing his own political backlash from religious conservatives ready for new leadership. AND THE EDD ATTACK: Another California topic that could spell trouble for Becerra and California Labor Secretary Julie Su, chosen for the No. 2 Labor Department job: an unemployment system plagued by billion-dollar fraud and an execrable service record. The California Republican House delegation addressed both Becerra and Su in a letter demanding answers on the "absolutely unacceptable" situation at the Employment Development Department, telegraphing that Republicans may bludgeon Californian nominees with EDD's well-documented woes during confirmation hearings. Newsom's name is also on the letter, and you can bet recall proponents will continue making EDD failures a primary exhibit in their case for replacement. BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. California mourned the death on Sunday of former Secretary of State George Shultz, a giant in American foreign policy and in the state's political history who was a key counselor to the last two Californian presidents. Read Newsom's statement and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's remarks on his passing. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The Republican Party is going through a lot of soul searching. … I'm interested to see how Liz Cheney will be treated for voting her conscience and if we as a party even have the tolerance for a difference in opinion." Former GOP Assemblymember Tyler Diep, who is contemplating another run after the party renounced him, per the OC Register's Brooke Staggs. TWEET OF THE DAY: California Democratic @RepJimmyGomez doubles down on expelling Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after Greene's reaction to losing committees: ".@RepMTG is laughing in delight today at being held accountable and losing her committee assignments … And @GOPLeader actually believes she has any remorse for her actions?! #QAnonCaucus #ExpelGreene" BONUS TOTD: GOP Assemblymember @HeathFloraCA on Democratic Assemblymember Marc Levine's resolution to banish House members who voted against the Electoral College certification from the Assembly floor: "The election is over. It's time to move beyond this hypocritical, blatant & dangerous partisan nonsense. I hope this garbage ends up where it belongs in a Government approved landfill." WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | | | | A message from Dialysis is Life Support: More than 80,000 Californians rely on regular dialysis treatments to survive. Every dialysis patient has an extensive team of dialysis nurses, patient care technicians, nephrologists, social workers and other caregivers providing high quality care. Dialysis care quality in California exceeds the national average according to federal regulators. #DialysisIsLifeSupport
Learn More | | | |  | TOP TALKERS | | SCOOP — California Senate adds staff to handle flood of UI constituent complaints, by POLITICO's Katy Murphy: Constituent problems have so swamped legislative offices in recent months — largely because of the notorious troubles at California's unemployment agency — that the state Senate is adding staff positions to ease the workload. — How Kevin McCarthy fought off a party revolt, by POLITICO's Melanie Zanona: How McCarthy has approached this dual set of crises — with a mix of crowdsourcing and people-pleasing that has become a hallmark of his leadership style — offers a preview of how he plans to navigate what will undoubtedly be tricky internal GOP dynamics over the next two years. So far, he has emerged strengthened among his own members — though at what external political cost, if any, remains to be seen. OF HARDER AND HAWLEY: Why a California Democrat is getting hate mail meant for Republican Josh Hawley, by the Sac Bee's Kate Irby and Brian Lowry. — Pelosi desk sitter pleads not guilty in Capitol riot, by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein. | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | SF BREAKTHROUGH? — "San Francisco school district, unions reach tentative deal to reopen classrooms," by the SF Chronicle's Tatiana Sanchez and Jill Tucker: "A key component of the agreement allows a return to classrooms once the city reaches the red tier, the second most restrictive level of California's reopening blueprint, if vaccinations against the coronavirus are made available to on-site school staff." — "California's vaccine distribution woes reflect a state long troubled by wealth and class divides," by NBC's Alicia Victoria Lozano: "While affluent regions like the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California and Long Beach in Southern California were able to efficiently vaccinate their first batch of eligible residents, overburdened communities in parts of Los Angeles and the Central Valley have struggled to meet early demand as supplies remain low throughout the state." COURTING COVID — "Workers in L.A.'s courts are dying of COVID-19 as in-person hearings, trials continue ," by the LA Times' Matt Hamilton. — "Anti-Vaccine Activists Emboldened in California," by the NYT's Manny Fernandez: "Anti-vaccine activists in the state have long been aggressive at times. But in the past two years, and in the months of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an uptick in confrontational and threatening tactics." CA V TX — "America's two largest states are fighting covid-19 differently," via the Economist: "In America, the two most populous states—California (the largest Democratic state) and Texas (its Republican rival)—have adopted strikingly different approaches to managing the pandemic. How well they have fared is significant to the health of the nation, since one-fifth of Americans live in the two states." — Administrators ask Newsom to mandate schools open when safe, even without vaccines, by POLITICO's Mackenzie Mays. FIRST SF, NOW LA — "L.A. Councilman Buscaino announces plan to sue L.A. schools to reopen," by the LA Times' Howard Blume. ULTIMATUM — "Start reopening California schools. Now," the LA Times' editorial board — "100-Plus Escondido Union School District Staffers, Students Quarantined," via NBC San Diego. | | THE 46TH | | HIGH-SPEED HELP? — California High-Speed Rail Authority to seek federal deadline extension from Biden, by POLITICO's Debra Kahn: The authority said in a letter Friday that it plans to take until 2023 to complete the first 119 miles of train tracks, rather than 2022 as required by a $2.6 billion federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. — Biden administration deploys more than 1,000 active-duty troops to aid vaccination efforts, by POLITICO's Ben Leonard: Some of the military members will arrive for deployment in California within the next 10 days, beginning around Feb. 15, with more missions "to come," [senior advisor Andy] Slavitt said at a White House Covid response briefing on Friday. | | MADAM VP | | — "Biden Wants Harris to Have a Major Role. What It Is Hasn't Been Defined," by NYT's Katie Rogers and Michael D. Shear: "'The president has given us clear instructions,' Ron Klain, Mr. Biden's chief of staff, said in an interview. 'Our goal is to get her out there as much as we can.'" | | GAVINLAND | | HUCK'S BUCKS: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has already trumpeted the Newsom recall to his national conservative audience, and this weekend he added some financial muscle with a $25,000 contribution to the effort. NEWSOM'S CLIMATE PITCH— "The future is electric, with California leading the way," Newsom writes in the SF Chronicle: "California is creating and growing the markets of the future. It happens here first because our ambitious policies to protect the planet and public health have not only cleared the air but also fueled our economic growth — and developed pathways that the federal government can model nationally." — "Dissecting Dueling IGS & PPIC Polls on Prince Gavin," via CalBuzz: "The drive to recall Newsom is likely to get on the ballot because Republicans hate his guts. However, Prince Gavin is likely to survive a recall because Republican partisans represent only a small portion of California voters." | | | | A message from Dialysis is Life Support:   | | | | | CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR | | IMMIGRATION — "Migrant Families Force Biden to Confront New Border Crisis," by Miriam Jordan and Max Rivlin-Nadler in NYT: "On Thursday in Mexicali, across from Calexico, Calif., desperate migrants could be seen trying to scale a border fence. … To guard against the coronavirus, health authorities in San Diego have arranged housing for hundreds of arriving migrants in a downtown high-rise hotel, where they are being quarantined before being allowed to join family or friends in the interior of the United States." — "Conspiracy theory doctor surrenders medical license ," by CalMatters' Barbara Feder Ostrov: "Until last July, Thomas Cowan ran an alternative medicine practice that didn't accept insurance, sold nutritional supplements and offered $375 consultations. Cowan has published several fringe medicine books — including one questioning whether viruses cause disease — that rank highly on searches for vaccine books on Amazon and bookseller Barnes and Noble." JACOBS CONTROVERSY — " Former Garcetti aide says top mayoral advisor engaged in unwanted touching," by the LA Times' Richard Winton and David Zahniser: "A former staffer to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti testified he was repeatedly hugged and given unwanted shoulder massages by former senior mayoral aide Rick Jacobs — and witnessed similar treatment of a police officer now suing the city over the alleged advances." CAPITAL CASE — " Gascón makes exception to death penalty ban for 'boy next door' killer," by the LA Times' James Queally. — "D.A. Chesa Boudin won't charge S.F. police in 2 fatal cases," by the SF Chronicle's Lauren Hernández. OPD TURNOVER — " Schaaf selects veteran LeRonne Armstrong to lead Oakland Police Department," by the SF Chronicle's Sarah Ravani. — "In California, a Warming Climate Will Help a Voracious Pest—and Hurt the State's Almonds, Walnuts and Pistachios," by Inside Climate News's Liza Gross. — "California lawmaker wants state to spend millions to revive tourism industry after pandemic," by the Sac Bee's Andrew Sheeler. TAX TAKE — "COVID-19 pandemic provides a great opportunity for California to reform tax system," former Controller Steve Westly opines for the Sac Bee: "Silicon Valley IPOs and special purpose acquisition companies saved the state's coffers this time, but the market will eventually see a decline. When it does, it's going to wreak havoc on our schools, our public safety and our taxes. We have to make changes now and get off the roller-coaster while we still can." | | SILICON VALLEYLAND | | — 'A kiss of death': Top GOP tech critics are personae non gratae after election challenge, by POLITICO's Cristiano Lima: Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) found rare agreement in recent years with progressive Democrats, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), over the push to rein in tech titans like Facebook and Google. … But after Hawley and Cruz led efforts to object to Biden's certification as president just hours after last month's deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, those partnerships are splintering. COMPANY TOWN — " Nevada bill would allow tech companies to create governments," via the AP. — "Mark Zuckerberg part of $100 million 'California Black Freedom Fund,'" by the AP's Haleluya Hadero. | | HOLLYWOODLAND | | — "Christopher Plummer Dies: Oscar Winner & 'Sound Of Music,' 'All The Money In The World' Star A True Hollywood Legend," by Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr. | | MEDIA MATTERS | | — "SF editor sues prison company on free speech grounds," by the SF Examiner's Olivia Wynkoop: "[Keith "Malik"]Washington, an incarcerated resident of Taylor Street Center, GEO Group's halfway house in the Tenderloin, is a journalist for San Francisco Bay View, one of the nation's largest Black publications. He says when he told a colleague from the local news website 48 Hills about a COVID-19 outbreak in the center, the prison corporation retaliated." | | MIXTAPE | | — "California man survives 7 days stuck on snowy mountain road," by the AP's Daisy Nguyen. — " 'How good it feels.' Bus driver in deadly casino-bound crash leaves California prison," by the Sac Bee's Jason Pohl. — "Backcountry skier dies in avalanche in California's far north," by the SF Chronicle's Gregory Thomas. — " Dodgers agree to deal with premier free-agent pitcher Trevor Bauer on 3-year deal," by the LA Times' Jack Harris. | | BIRTHDAYS | | TODAY: The LA Times' Melissa Etehad … Justin Kramer … Amazon Web Services' Matthew Haskins … Salesforce's Matt Jaffe … Lisa Jackson … Stephanie Cherry SATURDAY: Michael Pollan | | | | A message from Dialysis is Life Support: More than 80,000 Californians rely on regular dialysis treatments three days a week, four hours at a time to survive. Every dialysis patient has an extensive team of dialysis nurses, patient care technicians, nephrologists, social workers and other caregivers providing high quality care.
Dialysis clinics in California adhere to 376 unique regulations and are regularly surveyed to ensure compliance.
California outperforms the rest of the nation in quality patient care and dialysis patients in California overwhelmingly report being satisfied with their dialysis clinic patient experience, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Learn more about our coalition of patients, patient advocates, doctors, nurses, dialysis technicians, and dialysis providers fighting to protect dialysis patients' access to quality care.
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