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AI can get rid of racist restrictions in housing covenants and help people access government benefits, or it can deny people health care or a mortgage because of their race. That’s why, last month, for the third year in a row, Democratic Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of San Ramon proposed a bill to protect people from automated discrimination and AI that makes consequential decisions with the power to change a person’s life.

If passed, Assembly Bill 1018 will require the makers of AI to evaluate how the tech performs before it’s used and to notify people before AI makes decisions about employment, education, housing, health care, finance, criminal sentencing, and access to government services. It would also give people the right to opt-out of AI use and appeal a decision made by an AI model.

This year, California lawmakers like Bauer-Kahan are surging forward with 30 bills to regulate how AI impacts individuals and society, and some of the most high profile efforts are ones that the lawmakers attempted last year only to see them vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom or fail to pass.

In addition to the bill that guards against automated discrimination, lawmakers will again consider other legislation to protect society from AI, including a bill that requires a human driver in commercial vehicles and a new version of a measure to previously intended compel companies to better examine whether AI can cause harm.

The new wave of proposals follows a batch of more than 20 AI laws Newsom signed last year, but they are moving forward in a very different political environment.

Last year, the Biden administration supported measures to protect people from bias and discrimination and major companies signed pledges to responsibly develop AI, but today the White House under President Donald Trump opposes regulation and companies including Google are rolling back their own responsible AI rules. On his first day in office, Trump rescinded a Biden executive order intended to protect people and society from AI.

That dissonance could ultimately help the California lawmakers who want more AI protections. In a world of rapid-fire White House executive orders and chaotic, AI-driven decisionmaking by DOGE, there’s going to be more appetite for state lawmakers to regulate AI, said Stephan Aguilar, associate director of the Center for Generative AI and Society at the University of Southern California.

“I think California in particular is in position to say, ‘Okay we need mitigants in place now that folks are coming in with a wrecking ball,’” he said.

Bills will need to get through Newsom, who last year vetoed bills intended to protect people from self-driving trucks and weaponized robots and set standards for AI contracts signed by state agencies. Most notably, Newsom vetoed what was billed as the single-most comprehensive effort to regulate AI by compelling testing of AI models to determine whether they would likely lead to mass death, endanger public infrastructure, or enable severe cyberattacks.

Newsom vetoed the self-driving trucks and AI testing bills in part on the grounds that the bills could hinder innovation. He then created an AI working group to balance innovation with guardrails. That group should release recommendations about how to strike that balance in the coming weeks.

Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, who carried the prominent AI bill, reintroduced a version of that proposal last month. Compared to last year, the bill is scaled back to protections for AI whistleblowers and establishment of a state cloud to enable research in the public interest. A former OpenAI employee who witnessed violation of internal safety policy told CalMatters that whistleblower protections are needed to keep society safe.

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan speaks in support of SCR 135, which would designate May 6, 2024 as California Holocaust Memorial Day on the Assembly floor at the state Capitol in Sacramento on April 29, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Bauer-Kahan was the first state lawmaker to propose legislation that contains the AI Bill of Rights, a set of principles that the Biden administration and tech justice researchers called foundational to protecting people’s rights in the age of AI including the right to live free from discrimination, the right to know when AI makes important decisions about your life, and the right to know when an automated system is being used. It didn’t become law, but roughly a dozen states have passed or are considering similar bills, according to Consumer Reports.

In a press conference to reintroduce her bill, Bauer-Kahan said the Trump administration’s stance on AI regulation changes “the dynamic for the states.”

“It is on us more,” she said, pointing to his repeal of an executive order influenced by the AI Bill of Rights and the stall of the AI Civil Rights Act in Congress.

The tale of two administrations in Paris

Dueling perspectives on how the U.S and the rest of the world should regulate AI were on display earlier this month in Paris at a summit attended by CEOs and heads of state.

In comments at a private “working dinner” hosted by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, alongside people like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, AI Bill of Rights author and former director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Alondra Nelson urged business and government leaders to discard misconceptions about AI like that its purpose is scale and efficiency. AI can accelerate growth, but its purpose is to serve humanity.

“It is not inevitable that AI will lead to great public benefits,” she said in remarks at the event. “We can create systems that expand opportunity rather than concentrate power. We can build technology that strengthens democracy rather than undermines it.”

By contrast, Vice President J.D. Vance at the same event said the United States will fight what he called excessive AI regulation. The U.S. refused to sign an international declaration to “ensure AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure, and trustworthy.”

The Trump administration’s position that regulation is a threat to AI innovation mirrors the talking points of major companies such as Google, Meta, and OpenAI that lobbied against regulation last year.

Debate about whether to regulate AI comes at a time when Elon Musk, President Trump, and a small group of technologists seek to build and use AI within numerous federal agencies to improve efficiency and save money.

Those efforts risk cutting benefits to people who depend on them. A report released in late 2024 by California-based nonprofit TechTonic Justice found that AI influences government services for tens of millions of low-income Americans, often cutting benefits they’re entitled to and making opportunities harder to access.

The majority of global venture capital investment and lots of talent and major companies are in the Bay Area, so California has more to gain or lose in regulatory debates than anywhere else in the world, said Matt Regan, a vice president for Bay Area Council, an advocacy group for more than 300 companies including tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. The Bay Area Council hasn’t taken a position on bills proposed in this session, but last year opposed Wiener’s AI testing proposal and the anti-discrimination bill proposed by Bauer-Kahan.

Regan said California regulators have proposed “over engineered protections and audits” that make the technology functionally useless and hamper businesses. The business group Chamber of Progress estimates that compliance with anti-discrimination bills in California, Colorado, and Virginia, could cost businesses hundreds of millions of dollars.

The political landscape has moved toward the center since California lawmakers proposed AI bills a year ago, which is why he thinks Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas urged his colleagues to focus on pocketbook issues. Due to those shifts, he thinks that in order for bills to avoid a veto like the kind that killed Wiener’s measure, Regan said lawmakers must draft bills that reach a “goldilocks zone,” balancing consumer protections with buy-in from business leaders. The forthcoming report from the working group convened by Gov. Newsom may offer tips on how to reach a goldilocks zone between making AI useful and punishing bad actors for abusing the technology.

AI regulation with teeth

A 2024 Carnegie California report found that a majority of Californians support an international agreement on AI standards as a way to protect human rights. But virtually every international agreement signed by tech companies is voluntary or has no legally-binding bite, said David Evan Harris in a presentation at an AI governance symposium held by UC Berkeley earlier this month.

That’s why he encourages civil society groups who want to make change to speak with California lawmakers. Harris is on the advisory board member at the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy, a group that cosponsored laws to protect people from deepfakes that is getting challenged in court by Elon Musk’s company X, formerly Twitter. Previously he was part of responsible AI and civic integrity teams at Meta.

Last year he testified about AI 11 times in the California Legislature, and while he describes California as among the only places in the world where AI regulation is legally binding, he saw a frustrating pattern repeat itself: Lawmakers introduce AI bills, they get assigned to committees, and then “the bills get revised and completely rewritten by the tech companies.”

A prime example of this, he said, comes from a bill that attempted to fine social media companies for harming children. When it was introduced it had bipartisan support, but tech companies opposed the bill, and it got weakened then shelved in a committee hearing.

“The tech companies depend on nobody watching that happen,” he said.

Lili Gangas is chief technology community officer at the Kapor Center, a nonprofit organization based in Oakland that focuses on issues at the intersection of equity and technology, and follows policy developments in California and Congress. Given our current political environment and the elimination of AI protections by the White House, Gangas thinks there may be more support for passage of anti-discrimination bills in California and public support for such protections may be on the rise. Still, she worries that it may be difficult to pass AI regulation because of stepped-up lobbying in Sacramento by tech companies that set a record last year.

She also questions whether politicians with ambitions for higher office will put implementation ahead of drafting legislation that’s intended to bolster their careers. If lawmakers can overcome those challenges and keep costs low, she believes California can lead the way despite failures to do so by Congress and the Trump administration.

“I think that [rescinded executive order and failure to pass a law in Congress] makes it even more important now at the California level,” she said. “We can hold the line, center civil rights protections, and give the attorney general and individuals the opportunity to take action.”

States often pressure the federal government to protect people and their civil rights from emerging technology, said Alex Ault, policy counsel for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The racial justice nonprofit endorsed the Eliminating Bias in Algorithmic Systems Act in 2023 and AI Civil Rights Act in 2024 in Congress, two bills with similar principles to the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and the anti-discrimination bill proposed in California.

A Carnegie California poll of 1,500 people released last fall named artificial intelligence one of six major issues facing Californians alongside climate change and infectious disease. Half of respondents said they’re worried or pessimistic about AI and 35% percent say they’re optimistic or excited.

“It would behoove state legislatures who are looking at what’s happening federally to say ‘Okay, what do we have control over?” Ault said. “How do we protect people’s rights?’”

Unlike Wiener, Bauer-Kahan did not water down her vision for AI regulation. As chair of the consumer privacy and protection committee, she’s one of the most powerful regulators of technology in the California Legislature, but last year the bill faced opposition by tech companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI as well as business interests in other industries like hospital administrators, real estate agents, and hotel owners. After getting amended to focus on employment only, Bauer-Kahan chose to hold the bill.

“While we had the votes for passage, getting the policy right is priority one,” she said in a statement last year. “This remains a critical issue and one I refuse to let California get wrong.”

Cindee Ann Grace appeared in this dimension on June 8, 1954. She lived in many places in California and had a challenging childhood with her parents divorcing when she was a teenager. She also had a debilitating illness around this time which spurred her to listen to her body/mind/spirit and this helped her healing.

With that experience, she became interested in holistic medicine and ultimately moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1978 and pursued a Doctor of Naturopathy degree. She set up practice there and saw hundreds of patients as well as taught natural healing classes to both the public and medical professionals. Cindee became interested in Nature-based spirituality and got a massage therapy license which all contributed to her holistic healing practice. She added to her offerings Solstice and Equinox ceremonies as well.

A woman of many talents, Cindee was an accomplished singer, musician and songwriter, using her talents to spread the word of peace and connection to nature. She produced several CDs of her original songs with she and her friends providing the music. She was seen often at progressive, women’s, LGBTQ and anti-racism rallys, offering her music to provide hope and joy to the crowds.

Cindee developed other physical conditions that started to affect her ability to work and do many things that she loved. But that didn’t stop her! She ended up moving to Eureka in the early 2000s, at this point disabled and living in a little efficiency apartment. She then wrote her opus which is a handbook of holistic healing for people with PTSD and Dissociative Identity, which she self-published. It is an accumulation of all of her healing wisdom gleaned over the years working with patients and herself. She made the book available to all regardless of ability to pay, which she did for all of her offerings.

Around this time, Cindee took classes in Buddhist mindfulness practice and ultimately offered community meditation classes as well as private music and singing lessons.

Political activism was of utmost importance for her. It wouldn’t be unusual to see her at the Eureka courthouse demonstrating for peace or Black Lives Matter. In her later years she was unable to go out so she continued to do what she could from home.

In the face of so many barriers, Cindee was able to blossom as an artist, professional health practitioner, and activist and still had a biting sense of humor. All of her creative endeavors were sprinkled with her wit. She was a real warrior for peace and equality. She could be feisty, for sure, and was always willing to look at her part in anything that might come up.

Cindee spent the last three years in long -term care, the last two in Fortuna. She was well cared for and in the best of situations, living in that environment is at the least, challenging. Yet with her honed spirituality, advocacy skills, sense of humor and a few good friends, she was able to ride that experience with incredible equanimity.

Cindee died peacefully on Tuesday, March 4. She is survived by her two beloved friends, Kym Hansen and Lynn Kerman. We feel so fortunate to have known Cindee and we fully trust she is continuing with “Peace and Shenanigans” wherever she is now. Happy trails, beloved friend.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Cindee Grace’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Stella Reyes, age 96 of Eureka, died peacefully in her sleep on February 15, 2025, at Providence St. Joseph Hospital, following a brief illness. Stella was born on September 1, 1928, in Los Angeles, the daughter of Rupert Martinez and Mercedes Gonzales, both born in New Mexico. Stella had four children — Edward, Ray Anthony, Jo Ann, and Carol; grandchildren Eddie, Jr., Aimee Vanessa, Leslie Ann, Morgan, Dominic, Brianna and their children, and countless nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by all of her siblings — Josephine, Lucy, Sarah, Eva, Lee, Tony, Ray; her eldest son, Edward; and her granddaughter, Leslie.

Stella lived for much of her life in Los Angeles, and moved to Eureka in 1993 to be near her daughter, Jo Ann. She adapted easily to the small-town character of her new home, and thrived here, with a rich life in her church, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and with the love of many friends and the countless young students she cared for as a foster grandparent for nearly 20 years at Worthington Public School, Lafayette Public School and Washington Public School, where the children called her “Nana.”

Stella lived a long, full and healthy life, all the way until her final weeks. She lived independently in a cozy apartment and kept in close touch with family and friends. Her wits were sharp to the very end. Her sense of humor unmatched, her body strong and resilient. Her interest in political affairs always keen and engaged. Her abiding faith in a loving God never abandoned her. She prayed the rosary constantly in her final days, and if anyone ever was a candidate for sainthood – in the opinion of her children – Stella deserves this consideration.

Stella embodied the power of the human spirit and of resilience in the face of adversity. She loved God and her family deeply, and faced life’s challenges with an indomitable ‘can do’ sense. She rarely complained. She accepted life at face value and always made the best and the most of it. She taught her children the vital importance of good nutrition and was a walking testament to it; her longevity is an affirmation of this. Stella will be deeply missed by her family and by everyone who knew her and loved her. We love you, mom. Thank you for everything.

A memorial service for Stella Reyes will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 3, 2025, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2085 Myrtle Avenue in Eureka. Private interment at St. Bernard’s Cemetery, Eureka, will take place at a future date.

The arrests of two pro-Palestine protestors nearly two months ago is just now culminating in a Cal Poly Humboldt student-led backlash. 

Details are sparse. The university has declined to share much about the arrests, but what they will say is that two people were arrested for conspiracy, wearing a mask while committing a crime and vandalism. 

The university’s public records office denied the Outpost‘s request for the police report. 

Raymund Evans was arrested by UPD on Jan. 30, and Maggie Rasch by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office a week later, on Feb. 6. (It’s unclear if Raymund’s name is spelled with a “u” or with an “o”. Arrest records show his name spelled as “Raymund,” but others have used “Raymond.”)

Their arrests came eight days after a pro-Palestine, anti-Trump Jan. 21 protest in Arcata whose participants wound up marching to campus, spraying graffiti on some buildings and breaking several windows. UPD has not specified what Rasch and Evans did to warrant their arrests, though the Friends of Raymond and Maggie claim that UPD’s main evidence against them was seeing Evans loading protest signs and a drum into his truck after the Jan. 21 protest. 

At a University Senate meeting held yesterday with over 70 people in attendance, CPH Interim President Michael Spagna specified that neither Evans nor Rasch were students. Spagna also said vandalism was the reason they were arrested, and not free-speech related reasons. According to Spagna there have been over 20 protests this academic year where no one was arrested.

“The University not only supports freedom of speech — regardless of the content of that speech — but we protect it and encourage all voices to be heard,” reads a university statement. “… In the case of the Jan. 21 event, the two individuals were arrested for the alleged criminal activity on campus, not because they were engaged in free speech. Beyond that, we cannot comment further on an ongoing investigation.”

Supporters see the matter differently.

“This blatant political intimidation is part of a long pattern of suppressing dissent and protest by the Cal Poly administration and their police,” reads a press statement released by Friends of Raymond and Maggie. “Last year they found that smashing open the heads of unarmed protesters with batons caused too much negative publicity, and so they have shifted tactics. Instead they choose to quietly target individual activists with absurd and inflated charges, hoping it will intimidate dissidents and critics of the University while attracting far less negative attention.”

Many speakers at yesterday’s senate meeting, most of them students, agreed. Several drew comparisons to President Trump’s attempted deportation over the weekend of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student and pro-Palestine activist. 

Many are instructing their friends to call the DA’s office and get the charges dropped. 

Neither Raymund Evans or Maggie Rasch could be reached for comment.

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UPDATE, March 13, 10:21 a.m.

Friends of Raymond and Maggie have responded to our request for comment. They specified that Rasch turned herself into HSCO, and also said that neither Rasch nor Evans wanted to make public comments about their case at this time.

Just statistically speaking, if you are reading this we are going to go ahead and assume that you yourself are in a Grateful Dead tribute band. We play the odds over here.

But the chances are significantly less that you are in a Grateful Dead cover band that recently had the honor of playing on The Point’s Live at Five with Chuck Rogers. That prestige has only been bestowed upon Humboldt’s own Dead On who stopped by the KWPT studios in Old Town to share a couple tunes over the airwaves. 

For posterity, we have archived that performance here, along with a few pictures from the day. 

(AUDIO) Dead On on The Point

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Press release from the Yurok Tribe:

In January, Northern California Condor Restoration Program (NCCRP) condor B7, Pey-noh-pey-o-wok’ (I am friend or kind or good natured) was found dead in the remote backcountry of Redwood National Park. His passing marks the first loss of a condor from the Northern California population under the NCCRP. At roughly 18 months of age, he was the youngest condor in the flock and had been in the wild for just over three months. 
 
The NCCRP delayed a formal announcement until the official cause of death was determined. The results from a pathology examination indicate the cause of death to be lead poisoning. Pey-noh-pey-o-wok’ was found to have a lead air gun pellet in his ventriculus, or gizzard, and high to very high concentrations of lead in his liver and bone. The source of the pellet is unknown.  
 
“The loss of Pey-noh-pey-o-wok’ was a huge blow to us. Death is part of work with wild animals, but his was hard as our first loss” said Program Manager and Yurok Tribe Senior Biologist Chris West. “Thankfully, we have 17 other amazing birds in our flock carrying our hopes, dreams, and prayers.” 

“A natural death would have been less painful for us, the humans watching as he started to flourish in the wild. Pey-noh-pey-o-wok’ was known for his friendliness, preening and huddling together with other condors, sharing food easily. He had only been flying free for a few months. That he was brought down by something human caused and preventable is devastating,” said Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen.  
 
Lead is the single biggest threat to condors in the wild and is responsible for nearly half of released condor mortalities where the cause of death is determined. Almost all poisonings are linked to carrion from lead-shot game, livestock, and vermin. A tiny lead bullet fragment is enough to kill not only a condor but also vultures and eagles, should they scavenge on remains of an animal killed with lead ammunition. These important scavengers remove carcasses from the landscape and are critical in reducing the spread of disease in many game species. 
 
Pey-noh-pey-o-wok’ was one of 18 free-flying condors released by the Northern California Condor Restoration Program (NCCRP) over the last several years. In 2022, the NCCRP released the first condors to fly over ancestral Yurok territory in more than a century. The program plans to release the next condor cohort later this year.   
 
 To learn more about the Yurok Tribe’s condor restoration work visit  www.yuroktribe.org/yurok-condor-restoration-program .  

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The California Condor Recovery Program is a multi-entity effort, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service working to establish self-sustaining condor populations within the historical range. The program includes addressing threats to the species in the wild; captive breeding; and reintroduction at field sites, like the Northern California Condor Restoration Program. In addition, the program raises awareness about condors and how the public can help support them through individual actions, like making the switch to lead-free ammunition. 

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Natalie Padilla signed up for Medicaid 17 years ago. She had just given birth and needed insurance to bring her son to the doctor. The Bakersfield resident was still in school, and her husband’s work didn’t offer insurance. She was on the program for six months.

About an hour north of Bakersfield, Rodolfo Morales-Ayon, a 21-year-old community college student, relies on Medicaid today. He’s studying political science and wants to go to law school. Morales-Ayon grew up in Pixley, a small Central Valley town where air quality is poor and asthma and respiratory infections are common.

Farther south in Orange County, Josephine Rios’ 7-year-old grandson has cerebral palsy and needs Medicaid to pay for his medication and specialized wheelchair, which cost $22,000. Elijah is a lively boy, Rios said, but his disability means he’ll likely need Medicaid for his entire life.

All three live in areas of California where their Republican representatives recently voted on a federal budget bill that would all but guarantee cuts to the Medicaid insurance program, which is known in California as Medi-Cal.

Although the details will take months to iron out, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a report last week indicating that it was impossible for House Republicans to meet their goal of eliminating $880 billion in spending over the next 10 years from the committee that oversees Medicaid and Medicare without cutting from either of the social safety net programs. Medicaid provides health insurance for disabled and low-income people. Medicare insures seniors over 65.

The Senate voted on a narrower budget bill that is less likely to hit Medicaid, but the chamber will have to come to an agreement with the House later in the year. President Donald Trump has praised both budget bills, while at the same time indicating he doesn’t want to cut safety net programs for the poor. Congress is also rushing to avert a government shutdown Friday with a separate budget bill.

“Medicare, Medicaid — none of that stuff is going to be touched,” Trump said in a February interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News.

But Republican lawmakers want a deal that would offset the cost of extending Trump’s first-term tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of this year, and Medicaid represents the largest share of federal funding to states.

California’s behemoth Medicaid program insures 14.9 million people, more than one-third of the state’s population. Republicans hold nine House seats in California and represent 2.5 million Medicaid enrollees. All nine voted to approve the House GOP budget bill at the end of February.

Some of the state’s most conservative areas benefit disproportionately from Medicaid, including Rep. Jay Obernolte’s district in San Bernardino County’s high desert and Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s district in the far northern counties, where 48% and 43% of the population have Medicaid respectively.

Other Republicans represent swing districts where voting against Medicaid could be risky politically. Rep. David Valadao in the San Joaquin Valley represents the greatest share of Medicaid enrollees in the state at 67%. He voted to advance the House bill. Six years ago, his vote to eliminate the Affordable Care Act likely cost his reelection for a term.

In contrast, California’s Democratic state lawmakers have taken every opportunity to expand the Medicaid program, which grants full-scope health coverage to low-income people (for instance: an individual making less than $20,783 or a family of four making less than $43,056 annually).

The number of people with Medicaid in California has increased 31% since 2014 when the Affordable Care Act allowed states to enroll people who made slightly more than the federal poverty threshold. California has also expanded in other categories, using about $8 billion annually of state money to insure undocumented immigrants.

Today, the state spends $161 billion on Medicaid, the majority of which comes from the federal government.

Republicans have focused talks on rooting out “waste” and “fraud” in federal programs, but early proposals appear to aim at the fundamental payment structure of Medicaid. Experts say those types of cuts may require states to pay more for the programs, putting the political and financial onus on state lawmakers.

“Many of these proposals are about having states be left holding the bag,” said Edwin Park, a public policy research professor at Georgetown University. “If states have less funding available, then it’s impossible for them to sustain their current levels of spending.”

‘Some people will die without it’

In a statement on the House floor following the initial budget vote, Valadao said extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts would make a real difference for “working families, farmers, and small business owners” but acknowledged that many of his constituents need Medicaid.

“I’ve heard from countless constituents who tell me the only way they can afford health care is through programs like Medicaid,” Valadao said that day, indicating he could vote differently later in the year on a final proposal. “And I will not support a final reconciliation bill that risks leaving them behind.”

But some California voters still feel like their representatives have failed them by advancing a bill that will likely lead to Medicaid cuts.

Rudolpho Morales-Ayon, a community college student, in Pixley Park in Pixley on March 4, 2025. Morales enrolled in Medicaid as a child and continues the health insurance program. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

“For our representative David Valadao, this is a betrayal. It’s nothing less than that,” Morales-Ayon, a district voter, said. Morales-Ayon voted for Valadao’s Democratic opponent last fall.

Morales-Ayon had Medicaid as a child because his parents’ jobs didn’t provide insurance. Per capita earnings in Valadao’s district are about half as much as statewide earnings, according to census data.

“People need these resources to manage their day-to-day lives,” Morales-Ayon said.

Padilla, who also lives in Valadao’s district, now works as a pharmacy technician at Mercy Hospital Southwest in Bakersfield. She traveled with her union to Washington, D.C. several weeks ago to try and make an appeal to Valadao not to vote for any Medicaid cuts. Staff told the group that he was too busy to see them, Padilla said.

Padilla grew up in the district and said multiple family members, including cousins and her 84-year-old grandmother, have Medicaid. Her family who rely on Medicaid have low-paying or part time jobs that don’t offer health insurance. Any reductions in coverage would be “devastating,” she said.

“This is the raw, honest truth of hardworking people,” Padilla said.

In Orange County, Rios, a certified nursing assistant for Kaiser Permanente, voted and rallied for Republican Rep. Young Kim, but these days she’s consumed by the thought of what will happen if Medicaid is cut. She’s worried that she’ll lose her job and that patients will lose access to health care.

Most importantly to her, Rios said, her grandson Elijah with cerebral palsy might lose insurance. Elijah’s cerebral palsy medication costs $5,000 each month, she said.

“It’s not a Republican thing. It’s not a Democratic thing. Forget the political BS, this is a human thing,” Rios said. “Some people will die without it. Some people’s lives like my grandson’s are at risk without it.”

Josephine Rios’ 7-year-old grandson, Elijah, needs Medicaid to manage his cerebral palsy, the certified nursing assistant from Orange County said. Photo courtesy of Josephine Rios

Rios, who has worked in health care for more than two decades, said she voted for Kim because Kim spoke compassionately about her constituents during her election campaign and also supported health care workers. But the budget vote was a “slap in the face.”

“I’m very disappointed and very frustrated that she voted and she didn’t fight harder to keep Medi-Cal uncapped not only for her constituents like myself but for the young children who need it,” Rios said. “She needs to remember why we elected her into office.”

In a statement on her website, Kim joined other Congressional Republicans in emphasizing that the bill passed was procedural and didn’t make cuts to any specific programs. The vote simply allowed the GOP to “move the ball forward,” Kim said in the statement.

“As this process moves forward, I will continue to make clear that a budget that does not protect vital Medicaid services for the most vulnerable, provide tax relief for small businesses, and address the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions will not receive my vote,” Kim said in the statement.

In her district, which covers portions of Orange County and the Inland Empire, 21% of people use Medicaid.

An ‘existential threat’ to health clinics

But some health care providers say even the procedural vote was “too risky” for their liking.

“It is an existential threat from our perspective,” said Francisco Silva, chief executive of the California Primary Care Association, which represents more than 1,200 community health centers in California.

Community health centers, also known as federally qualified health centers, serve predominantly low-income communities. In some areas of the state, Medicaid is the only reason why health centers and hospitals can piece together enough revenue to stay open, Silva said.

Marisol De La Vega Cardoso said any Medicaid cuts risk destabilizing community health centers at a time when poverty is increasing. De La Vega Cardoso is a senior vice president at Family HealthCare Network, the second-largest community health center network in the country.

“Unfortunately we might be forced to cut back on services that are so needed,” De La Vega Cardoso said.

Dr. Richard Thorp, a longtime internal medicine specialist in Paradise, is very concerned about how Medicaid cuts may destabilize the workforce in an area that already struggles to recruit doctors. Republican LaMalfa has represented by Republican LaMalfa since 2013.

The once idyllic town in the Sierra Nevada foothills outside of Chico was the site of California’s deadliest wildfire in 2018, which also destroyed the local hospital. More than 80% of the population never returned to live in Paradise, and Thorp’s medical group dropped from 15 primary care doctors to one full-time doctor supported by four advanced practice staff.

“We have significant manpower and pipeline issues,” Thorp said. “As you make these cuts it makes it less and less feasible to practice in Butte county.”

LaMalfa said in a statement online that the House budget bill was a first step in “reining in Washington’s out-of-control spending” and that a “typical family in NorCal” would see taxes go up without the federal government cutting spending. The statement made no mention of Medicaid.

“It’s time to prioritize policies that grow the economy, cut waste, and ensure a stronger financial future for the American people.”

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Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.