California remains an abortion stronghold, one year after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision

Andrew Sheeler
·5 min read
8

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

CALIFORNIA, A YEAR AFTER THE DOBBS DECISION

Via Grace Scullion...

Saturday marked one year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California brought “My Body, My Voice” to the California Museum in Sacramento. The temporary exhibit invited visitors to step into a recording booth to share their abortion stories.

California spent the year doubling down on its commitment to reproductive rights.

Last fall, Gov. Gavin Newsom bought billboards and newspaper ads in Texas and Florida touting the state as a pro-choice sanctuary. In November, voters passed a constitutional amendment enshrining the rights to contraception and abortion in the California Constitution. This spring, the governor threatened a split with Walgreens after the chain said it would not sell abortion pills in some states. (Federal law made the cutting of ties impossible) The state also helped establish a hotline for people in need of legal help related to abortion.

Twenty-five states have enacted laws restricting access to abortion, impacting 25 million women of childbearing age.

SEIU CALIFORNIA RELEASES SLATE OF CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENTS

SEIU California, which has 700,000 members, announced a dozen endorsements Friday for next year’s congressional and state legislative primaries.

David Huerta, SEIU California president, said in a statement that the union goes “all in” on the candidates it chooses to endorse early.

“We make early endorsements only of candidates whose public service demonstrates a rock solid commitment to empowering workers and fighting for justice,” Huerta said.

So who made the cut?

Democrats Lateefah Simon and Rudy Salas, who both are running for the U.S. House of Representatives, picked up an endorsement.

As did Senate candidates Lisa Middleton, Kipp Mueller and Sabrina Cervantes and Assembly candidates Jessica Self, Nick Schultz, Christy Holstege, Jessica Caloza and David Girón (dual endorsement), Mark Gonzalez and Clarissa Cervantes, all Democrats.

AG BONTA JOINS COALITION URGING EXPANSION OF HEALTH CARE TO DACA RECIPIENTS

Via Grace Scullion...

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 18 other attorneys general submitted a letter in support of a Biden Administration proposal to expand health care coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients on Friday

Individuals eligible for DACA are nearly five times more to be uninsured than others in their age group, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. DACA recipients in California are eligible for Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid, if they also meet the low-income threshold. But they are not granted access to health coverage by Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or the Affordable Care Act.

The move comes while the legality of DACA is up for debate in federal court. The judge deciding the case, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, ruled the program illegal in 2021 and is expected to do so again. The decision would send the case to the appellate level or the Supreme Court..

Since 2012, certain undocumented people who arrived in the United States as children can apply for DACA for protection against deportation and access to work permits, Social Security numbers and drivers licenses. California is home to the nearly 200,000 DACA recipients, the largest population in the United States.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The Central Valley is the fruit and nut basket of the world – our water is our most precious resource and we need to protect it. I’ll keep doing everything I can to stop the Delta Tunnel water grab.”

- Rep. Josh Harder, D-Stockton, via Twitter.

Best of The Bee:

  • Robert Rivas tells anyone who will listen that his rise from farmworker housing on the rural Central Coast to Assembly Speaker is wholly unexpected, the California Dream become reality. The Hollister Assemblyman, who assumes the role on June 30, presents himself as a humble, soft-spoken person who fell into the job. But many who have watched the Democrat’s climb from an outgoing high-schooler to a San Benito County supervisor to the holder of one most powerful political offices in the state are not surprised, via Lindsey Holden, Mathew Miranda and Stephen Hobbs.

  • Tired of getting some form in the mail from Washington about health insurance and wonder what it is? The “Paperwork Burden Reduction Act” is aimed at stopping unnecessary mailings, which now go to an estimated 154 million people, via David Lightman.

  • The new California vs Hate network serves as a free hotline for all victims and witnesses of hate incidents and hate crimes to report anonymously and receive free support services. In an effort to make California a safer and more inclusive environment for all, California vs Hate has partnered with other organizations to help protect diverse communities, according to its website, via Angela Rodriguez.

  • Yosemite National Park became the latest target of boycott threats after hosting a Pride parade for park staff. Here’s what happened, via Brooke Baitinger.

  • Former California Assemblyman Roger Dickinson is running for Sacramento City Council in 2024. Dickinson, a Democrat who served in the Assembly from 2010 to 2014, is running for the 2nd District seat currently held by Councilman Sean Loloee, via Theresa Clift.

  • Protesters wore wedding gowns, duct-taped their mouths and chained their wrists on the steps of the California state Capitol on Thursday morning to call on lawmakers to set the minimum age of marriage in California to 18, via Grace Scullion.