Two members of the Temecula Valley Unified School District governing board are accusing a fellow board member of attempting to spy on them after surveillance video showed her placing an alleged electronic device underneath their desk during a closed-session meeting. abc7.com/19902223

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/72540670

The California Department of Health Care Services, a branch of Newsom’s administration, said Friday that state dollars will be used to reimburse providers of gender-affirming care for youth covered by Medi-Cal, the state version of Medicaid, after new federal restrictions kick in October 13.

A rule by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services prohibits federal reimbursement for surgeries, puberty blockers and hormone therapies for minors’ gender transition. It also applies to patients 18 and younger on the Children’s Health Insurance Program for families who can’t afford private insurance. The California Medical Association, which represents 50,000 doctors, wrote that the rule “threatens access to medically necessary, evidence-based care for transgender youth.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed six pro-LGBTQ+ bills into law on Saturday, some of which were crafted as a direct response to the Trump administration’s relentless attacks on the community.

“The Trump administration has launched an all-out assault on the LGBTQ community, using medical records to target U.S. servicemembers and civilians alike, hurting countless people and betraying hard-won trust,” Newsom said in a statement on the bill package. “California will not stand for it.”

One bill, AB 1930, seeks to protect trans Californians’ medical records by barring state or local agencies from “cooperating with or providing information to an individual or agency from another state or a federal law enforcement agency… regarding a legally protected health care activity that is lawful in this state and performed in this state.”

The bill requires any agency that receives a subpoena, discovery request, or similar request to report it to the attorney general, who will assess whether the request meets certain requirements before deciding whether the information can be provided.

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cross-posted from: https://piefed.blahaj.zone/c/[email protected]/p/1001653/new-california-law-bans-officers-from-using-gloves-that-deliver-electric-shocks

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Tuesday banning local, state and federal law enforcement officers from using gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks to people.

The ban on shock gloves will take effect next year and remain in place until 2030. It comes weeks after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement moved to equip its officers with the gloves, which are designed to gain compliance from combative individuals. Last month, the agency awarded a nearly $17 million contract to buy 6,000 pairs.

“Trump has put his political interests above the health, safety and livelihood of American families,” Newsom said in a statement. “California is taking action to strengthen transparency, accountability, and oversight around immigration enforcement in our state.”

The law is the latest example of how Democratic-led states have been pushing back against President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts since he took office last year. In California, lawmakers passed at least two dozen bills this year seeking to fortify immigrants’ rights, restrict cooperation with federal immigration agents and tighten regulations on immigrant detention facilities, among other things.

Nationwide, 17 states with Democratic-led legislatures have passed a total of more than 100 pro-immigrant bills this year, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill tracking software Plural. The most common purpose is to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents.

Democratic California Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins said she introduced the shock-gloves legislation to “put a pause” on law enforcement’s use of the devices while the state examines their potential risks. The law requires the state’s Justice Department to study their safety and report to lawmakers by 2029.

“There’s a lot of unrest and a lot of uncertainty,” she said in an interview. “A lot of people are scared.”