Press release from the California Earthquake Authority:

The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) is seeking input from Humboldt County residents following the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Ferndale in late December and the 5.4 magnitude quake that struck near Rio Dell in January.

The data received from this brief survey - https://forms.office.com/r/v13ReytYeU - will greatly assist CEA’s efforts to understand how these earthquakes and the lessons learned from them can help better prepare the community for future events.

The survey should take no more than five minutes to complete.

The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) is a not-for-profit public instrumentality of the state of California that has two distinct roles: Since 1996, CEA has provided residential earthquake insurance while educating Californians about earthquake risk and helping them reduce their risk of earthquake losses through residential mitigation. Since 2019, CEA also has administered the Wildfire Fund, a catastrophe fund that provides a source of funding for payment of claims arising from a wildfire caused by any large electrical utility company that meets the legal requirements for participation in the fund.

Thanks to TikTok videos, billboards and other creative marketing techniques, enrollment in transitional kindergarten in California appears to be climbing. But advocates are keeping an eye on how those 4-year-olds are spending their class time — which they say will be a key factor in whether the $2.7 billion program is a success.

“Quality is top of mind for us. Some districts are treating it like a second year of kindergarten, which we know doesn’t work,” said Benjamin Cottingham, with Policy Analysis for California Education, an independent, nonpartisan research center. “To be effective, TK needs to be a play-based, developmentally appropriate course of study.”

Transitional kindergarten, which California first launched in limited capacity in 2010, is meant to ease 4-year-olds into the rigors of elementary school. Ideally, it combines the carefree fun of preschool with a hint of structure and academic know-how, so children are better prepared for kindergarten and beyond. In a high-quality TK classroom, children learn to share and take turns, draw pictures and play with blocks, sit in a circle and enjoy story time, among other skills.

A study of California’s TK program by the American Institute of Research found that children who completed TK had stronger skills in math and literacy when they started kindergarten and were more engaged in learning than their peers who didn’t participate in the program. The benefits were especially pronounced for English learners and low-income students.

In 2021, California expanded its transitional kindergarten, requiring schools to provide space for all eligible 4-year-olds whose families want it. With a rollout period of five years, schools have been busy hiring and training teachers, buying more crayons and blocks, converting classrooms to meet state guidelines and getting the word out.

After a lull, enrollment appears to rebound

In 2022-23, enrollment lagged below expectations, likely due to the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic, according to the Legislative Analysist’s Office. Just over half of California’s eligible 4-year-olds were enrolled in TK last year, roughly 22% below state projections. But now enrollment appears to be increasing. The official numbers for 2023-24 won’t be available for several months, but a CalMatters sampling of districts statewide reported better-than-expected enrollment so far this year.

Schools credit the uptick to improved outreach. District staff are talking to parents at local preschools and child care centers, posting flyers in pediatricians’ offices, buying ads on social media and even going door-to-door.

Hazel Perkins (left) and Scarlett Perkins (right), students at Rescue Union School District in El Dorado County. Photo courtesy of the El Dorado County School District

In Rescue Union School District in the Sierra foothills of El Dorado County, word-of-mouth has been the most effective recruitment tool, said Superintendent Jim Shoemake. The district bought newspaper ads and put up signs, but nothing compares to the power of parents chatting at barbecues, block parties and soccer games. Enrollment has increased steadily, with 142 students enrolled this year, and the retention rate is nearly 100%, he said.

“TK has benefitted the entire district,” Shoemake said. “It’s great to have a child on campus for six years, but seven is even better. We get a chance to onboard these kids early, so they’re successful not just in elementary school, but middle school and beyond.”

Rescue Union parent Aly Perkins said her twin daughters, Hazel and Scarlett, loved their TK class last year. They learned their ABCs and 123s, but it was social skills that had the biggest impact, she said.

“They learned things like manners, how to make friends, how to keep friends — those skills will benefit them their whole lives,” Perkins said. “I think TK gives kids the confidence and cushion they need to succeed in school. I’m really glad we decided to send them.”

Even in Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school district, word-of-mouth has been key to TK enrollment. In addition to bus ads and billboards, a social media campaign, a hotline and robocalls, the district has enlisted school staff and parent volunteers to hand out flyers within a four-block radius of elementary schools.

“A parent saying, ‘I have my kid in this program and it’s great’ is much better than it coming from me,” said Dean Tagawa, the district’s executive director for early childhood education. “That parent-to-parent connection, that level of trust, is what’s important.”

“We get a chance to onboard these kids early, so they’re successful not just in elementary school, but middle school and beyond.”
— Jim Shoemake, superintendent of the Rescue Union School District

The tactics seem to be working. Los Angeles Unified has opened TK classrooms at nearly all 488 elementary schools. And children who attended the district’s TK program have significantly outperformed their peers not in the program in reading, writing and math in kindergarten and first grade, according to district data. They also fared better social-emotionally, based on teacher feedback on report cards.

In Lodi Unified, a TikTok video chronicling a day in the life of a Lodi kindergartener has garnered more than 13,200 views and helped fill classrooms. With enrollment exceeding expectations, the district is on track to open at least one TK classroom at every elementary school by 2025-26.

“Overall, it’s going really well, and I believe that by the time these students are in third grade, we’re going to see huge improvements in outcomes,” said Susan Petersen, the district’s director of education.

Persistent staffing challenges

While some districts have struggled to hire enough TK teachers, Lodi Unified has filled all its vacancies, she said. The district is providing training and in-classroom coaching, and using a curriculum focused on learning through playing. Some of the new TK teachers are credentialed elementary teachers, and some are veteran preschool teachers pursuing credentials.

“We’ve found that it’s a sought-after position,” she said.

Recognizing that 4-year-olds learn in unique ways, the Legislature will require by 2025 TK teachers to have credentials as well as 24 units of early childhood education or the equivalent. That extra requirement may pose a barrier to filling positions — many districts are already grappling with teacher shortages. An analysis by the Learning Policy Institute last fall found that 80% of school districts in California didn’t yet have enough qualified TK teachers.

Meanwhile, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is working on a new credential that will prepare teachers for preschool through third grade, with a focus on literacy. A goal: create a seamless continuum in which students learn by playing, rather than sitting at desks.

Students play in the transitional kindergarten program at Westwood Elementary School in Stockton on Sept. 22, 2023. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters

That focus on high-quality teaching and learning is imperative if TK is going to succeed in getting students ahead in the early years, Cottingham said. The state is updating its preschool guidelines to include TK, but schools cannot afford to wait for the new version; they should “work with what we’ve already got,” or students will lose out on the benefits of an additional year of schooling, Cottingham said.

Assessments will also be important, he said, to hold districts accountable for the quality of their programs. Currently, the state is not requiring schools to test students in TK, although it does provide guidelines on how to measure students’ progress.

Hanna Melnick, senior policy adviser at the Learning Policy Institute who co-leads the early childhood learning team, adds that assessment, as well as curriculum, will be important as TK expands.

“The TK rollout has been faster than we expected, but we don’t have a good way to monitor quality, and district capacities to teach 4-year-olds vary greatly,” she said. “Some have been doing this for a long time, and some are new and don’t yet have the background or training.”

‘A system that’s working’ in Tulare

Tulare City School District, a 9,200-student district south of Fresno, has been offering a cohesive preschool-through-first-grade program for a decade, and seeing positive results. Until the pandemic, third grade math and reading scores had jumped nearly 30% since the district implemented the program in the early 2010s. Now they are again beginning to improve.

The curriculum is linked from grade to grade, and teachers work closely together, easing children’s transitions from one classroom to the next. All sites offer after-school care, making it easier for parents with jobs. And teachers try to get to know families and ensure they feel welcome and part of their children’s education, said Jennifer Marroquin, the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services.

Students work on puzzles in the transitional kindergarten program at Westwood Elementary School in Stockton on Sept. 22, 2023. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters

“For parents, it can be scary dropping your 3- or 4-year-old off for the first time. So we try to make them feel supported,” Marroquin said. “We found a system that’s working, and it’s become one of our district’s strengths.”

By the time TK is fully in place statewide, most districts should have programs resembling Tulare’s, said Kelly Reynolds, a policy analyst for Early Edge California, a nonprofit advocacy group that’s worked closely with the state on transitional kindergarten. She expects the challenges with staffing, enrollment and quality will be resolved — or close to it — within the next few years.

Because transitional kindergarten, like kindergarten itself, is not mandatory, enrollment will never be 100%, she noted. And depending on where they live, 4-year-olds have plenty of high-quality options aside from TK — including private preschool, state-supported preschool, child care and Head Start.

“We want to make sure all 4-year-olds are being served in high-quality programs, and families know the breadth of opportunities available to them,” she said. “I do think we’re on track. Enrollment is trending upwards, and we’re seeing there’s a real demand for TK.”

###

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

It’s no longer the “Skittles ban,” but legislation on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk still could force food manufacturers to change their recipes for a variety of sweets and baked goods.

The California Food Safety Act would prohibit the sale of food products containing several additives that are outlawed in the European Union and are thought to be harmful to the health of people who eat them.

The bill made headlines as “the Skittles ban” earlier this year because the original version of it would have prohibited a chemical used to add color to the popular candy. Lawmakers last month amended the bill to allow the sale of products with that chemical, although it still would ban chemicals that are commonly used in other sweets.

If Newsom signs the bill, manufacturers would have until Jan. 1, 2027 to reformulate their products and comply with California law. That could lead the companies to remove the additives from their products nationwide because of the size of California’s market.

Consumer Reports is a cosponsor of the bill. Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at the nonprofit, said California’s ban could be important for the rest of the country.

“This groundbreaking bill passed with strong bipartisan support and bans four food chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, including a higher risk of cancer, nervous system damage, hyperactivity and other neurological conditions. The FDA has been slow to address these dangers, so it is critical for states like California to protect consumers from these toxic food chemicals,” he said.

Opponents of the bill believe it would disrupt operations for manufacturers and retailers. They also argue it would harm consumers because they wouldn’t be able to purchase these products.

The bill is the latest among several recent California laws that attempt to influence national consumer markets. Most notably, voters approved a 2018 initiative that compels ranchers to provide more space to livestock, such as egg-laying hens and pigs, if they want to sell their products in California. The U.S. Supreme Court last year upheld the law against a challenge from the National Pork Producers Association.

The organizations that opposed the current bill to ban the sale of food with certain chemicals have not said whether they plan to sue if Newsom signs it into law.

What does this bill ban?

The bill will ban red dye 3, propylparaben, brominated vegetable oil and potassium bromate from all foods meant for human consumption.

Red dye 3 is a common color additive found in candies and other food products. It was banned from cosmetic use more than 30 years ago by the Food and Drug Administration due to concerns about it being a carcinogen. It is still used in popular candies like Peeps, as well as other foods such as cookies and colored drinks, according to the nonprofit organization Environmental Working Group.

Just Born Quality Confections, which makes Peeps, earlier this year told CNN the additive is “an approved colorant for use in candy by the (Food and Drug Administration). We manufacture all our candies in compliance with FDA regulations, sourcing our ingredients and packaging exclusively from reputable suppliers who adhere to high quality and safety standards.”

Propylparaben is a preservative used in baked goods like muffins and cakes, as well as in popular trail mixes.

Brominated vegetable oil is added to popular citrus drinks to prevent the flavoring oils from floating on top. While many beverage companies stopped using it a while ago, brands like Sun Drop continue to use it in their citrus sodas, according to its parent beverage company Keurig Dr Pepper.

Potassium bromate is a substance used to strengthen dough and can be found in all kinds of breads, cookies and tortillas. It has been banned in the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada and Brazil.

Why ban these particular chemicals?

In scientific studies on rats, the chemicals have been found to either be carcinogenic or neurotoxic or cause endocrine or reproductive damage.

They have already been banned from foods in the European Union, except red dye 3, which is allowed only in candied cherries. Many brands in recent years have switched away from several of these chemicals in order to protect their consumers. PepsiCo previously used brominated vegetable oil in several of its beverages, such as Mountain Dew and certain flavors of Gatorade, but has since changed those formulations after their use of brominated vegetable oil became controversial.

Advocates for a ban on the chemicals in California said manufacturers should be able to reformulate their products to comply with the bill.

“There’s no reason that the foods that you can find on the supermarket shelves in Europe should be safer than the ones that we find here in California,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of governmental affairs at the Environmental Working Group, which is a cosponsor of the bill.

What happened to Skittles?

Skittles contain titanium dioxide, which is used to add whiteness to foods like candies and dairy products. The bill in its original text would have banned titanium dioxide. It was removed by an amendment.

The Food and Drug Administration has said that titanium dioxide is generally safe to consume in small quantities.

Manufacturers stressed that point in lobbying to exempt titanium dioxide from the bill.

“Our belief is that the science and the international regulatory reviews of titanium dioxide support its continued safe use in these applications and didn’t warrant being included in the bill,” said Tim Shestek, senior director of state affairs at the American Chemistry Council.

Given concerns about the chemical after it was banned in the European Union, the Food and Drug Administration put it under review based on a petition several environmental and consumer groups filed in April.

Are these chemicals actually dangerous?

Red dye 3 has been shown to cause cancers in rats but only at very high doses; there have been no proven cancers due to human consumption. Similarly, the other chemicals have been tested in rats and other mammals, but no cancers or other health issues in humans have been directly associated with them.

James Coughlin, a food expert at UC Davis, said this move by California to ban these four chemicals from food is “unnecessary and unscientific.”

According to Coughlin, who has researched toxins in food for over 40 years, all of these chemicals are safe for human consumption in legally permissible quantities.

Who opposes this bill and why?

This bill is strongly opposed by various food and beverage associations across the country, as well as the California Manufacturers and Technology Association.

Christopher Gindlesperger, a senior vice president at the National Confectioners Association, said, “We should rely on the scientific rigor of the FDA in terms of evaluating the safety of food ingredients and additives. Banning food and color additives which FDA has approved undermines consumer confidence and disrupts the protection of public health. It replaces a uniform national food safety system with a patchwork of inconsistent state requirements that increase food costs.”

Retail associations said California should have waited for the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate these chemicals and set a national standard for them. Rachel Michelin, CEO of the California Retailers Association, said these state laws will “put a burden on California consumers, who will end up paying more for their products or will not have access to them.”

The agency is currently working on a rule to remove authorizations for the use of brominated vegetable oil in food. It is also reviewing red dye 3.

Benesh, of the Environmental Working Group, said the opposition from manufacturers is just “inertia on their part.”

“Companies have been manufacturing these foods without these additives for a long time.

They’re selling them in Europe to comply with the European market. It shows that it is possible and affordable to reformulate,” she said.

###

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.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Janice (Jan) McFarlan
March 2, 1950 – Sept. 26, 2023

“Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those who I love, I can; all of them make me laugh.” Jan carried this quote by W.H. Auden with her always. And it was true. If there was a thread throughout Jan’s life, it was laughter. She learned it at an early age from her Mom and Dad, Nana and Grandpa and Grandma and Grandpa. That laughter extended to cousins, aunts and uncles, her stepdad, and then to lifelong friends and friends that she met along the way. She laughed as she told the story of how, in kindergarten, she spent half of the year in the corner for laughing and couldn’t stop the giggles while in the corner.

Jan was born in San Francisco on March 2, 1950, to her parents John and Marie. Her dad and mom moved with her to Eureka, where her dad’s family lived. Jan attended St. Bernard’s Elementary and high school as well as College of the Redwoods. Her first job was at the Snack Bar at the Sequoia Park and Zoo at 14 years old. She worked at the State Theatre, OH’s Hamburger King, Roos Atkins, McMahan’s and finally, for 31 years, at Humboldt State University. Jan left Humboldt to care for her mother after her stroke.

Jan is survived by her first cousins Geri and Cathy, her stepdaughter Megan, granddaughter Aurora, stepsister Carmen, other cousins, and many wonderful friends. Also her beloved four-legged companion, Paris.

She was preceded in death by all three of her parents (John, Marie and Tex), her longtime partner, Karl, and many dear relatives and friends, all of whom shared her love of life and laughter.

Jan requested no formal gathering. Please get together wherever you would like, and share some smiles, stories, and laughter. Part of Jan’s ashes will be returning to San Francisco where she was born and a city that she loved. The other part will be scattered locally in the ocean. So, the next time you lookout at the ocean, the Eel River or cross the Golden Gate Bridge please smile for Jan and know she is smiling down at you with Love!

Written by Jan.

###

Laphonza Butler, a longtime political strategist with close ties to organized labor and Gov. Gavin Newsom, will take the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat in the U.S. Senate following her death Friday.

The appointment, reported by Politico tonight and confirmed by the governor’s office, closes a brief but rapid period of speculation about how Newsom would fulfill a promise to return a Black woman to the Senate without tipping the scales in what is already a crowded race to succeed Feinstein.

Butler’s profile pic on Twitter.

Butler currently serves as president of EMILYs List, an organization that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights. She was for many years the head of SEIU Local 2015, a union representing California long-term caregivers, before becoming a partner in what was then known as SCRB Strategies, Newsom’s political consulting firm, and later working in public policy for Airbnb. She’s also a former University of California regent.

Newsom faced tremendous pressure to appoint a Black woman to the position. He had promised to do so during an MSNBC interview in March 2021, an effort to alleviate the anger some activists felt when he chose Alex Padilla to be California’s first Latino senator after then-Sen. Kamala Harris was elected vice president.

But earlier this month, the governor told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would make an “interim appointment” if he had to fill Feinstein’s seat because he did not “want to get involved in the primary,” even as he remained committed to choosing a Black woman.

That seemingly ruled out Rep. Barbara Lee, an Oakland Democrat who is already running for Senate, where she trails Reps. Adam Schiff, a Burbank Democrat, and Katie Porter, an Irvine Democrat, in public polls about the March primary.

Lee and her supporters were incensed, calling it offensive that a Black woman should only get to serve in the Senate in a caretaker capacity. Many of them, including the Congressional Black Caucus, publicly urged Newsom to select her anyway in the days after Feinstein’s death.

Newsom subsequently appeared to back off his earlier pledge. His office confirmed Sunday that his appointee would be free to run for a full term. It isn’t clear yet whether Butler will run.

Newsom communications adviser Anthony York denied that the governor had changed his mind and said his comment referred to the fact that his appointee would serve as an interim until the next election. York said Newsom regretted not clearing up the confusion sooner, but the decision about a replacement was still hypothetical at that time.

###

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Press release from the United States Coast Guard:

The Coast Guard rescued a person Saturday afternoon, after his sailboat the “Agua Star” was beset by weather approximately 80 miles west of Eureka.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders received multiple radio transmissions around 11:40 a.m. Saturday from the Captain of the Agua Star, stating he needed immediate assistance and was approximately 80 miles west of Eureka.

Sector Humboldt watchstanders directed the recall and launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from training around 11:40 a.m.

The Dolphin aircrew arrived on scene around 3:50 p.m. and made contact with the Agua Star’s captain. He reported that he needed to be evacuated due to weather conditions and damage to his sailboat.

 The aircrew then hoisted the passenger from the sailboat to the helicopter at 4:30 p.m. and began their transit back to Air Station Humboldt Bay.

The aircrew dropped the passenger off at Air Station Humboldt Bay around 5:15 p.m. The passenger was reported to have no injuries.

The sailboat’s last reported position is reported to be approximately 80 miles west of Eureka.

We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct.

— Niels Bohr to Wolfgang Pauli, after Pauli presented his “non-linear field theory”

###

If my life is judged by my mistakes, I’m basically one big failure! Money, parenting, choice of profession, compassion for others (and self), sexuality, countless missed opportunities … years littered with one mistake after another. Which should, if emotions have anything to do with it, leave me in a state of guilt and regret. Instead, I have to remind myself: of course I made mistakes and of course I beat myself up for them — this is life we’re talking about. How else do we learn if not by (a) making mistakes, (b) feeling bad about them, leading to (c) doing something different next time.

On the Leh-Nubra road, Ladakh. John Hill, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

I think I first came to grips with this obviousness — not only are mistakes okay, but they’re essential if we’re do do anything other than hibernate our lives away in a cocoon — many years ago, reading wise old Tom Robbins’ sweet, hippy novel about Sissy (of the enormous thumbs), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues:

So you think that you’re a failure, do ya? Well, you probably are. What’s wrong with that? In the first place, if you have any sense at all, we pay just as dearly for our triumphs as we do for our defeats. Go ahead and fail! But fail with wit, fail with grace, fail with style. A mediocre failure is as insufferable as a mediocre success. Embrace failure! Seek it out. Learn to love it. That may be the only way any of us will ever be free.

Evolutionarily speaking (and I trust the unsupported conjectures of evolutionary philosophy), it makes sense that we feel bad, sometimes literally, about the mistakes we make. Eat poisonous fruit and you get sick; if you recover, you learn not to eat that particular fruit again. What doesn’t kill you makes you strong.

This ramble was prompted by a recent outcry about a theory of consciousness known as Integrated Information Theory. IIT is, to be brutal, as nutty as every other theory of consciousness. I’m a “mysterian,” that is, I doubt we’ll ever truly understand consciousness, there being no way to inspect our brains from the outside. The outcry was in the form of a letter, signed by 124 researchers, which claimed IIT was pseudoscience — which it probably is, being untestable, like the existence of God or that we’re in a simulation. Which, per se, doesn’t make it wrong. What caught my eye was a rebuttal to the criticism by a neuroscientist, Erik Hoel, who feared that the letter would discourage young researchers from dabbling in wild and outrageous theories. “The most important thing for me is that we don’t make our hypotheses small and banal in order to avoid being tarred with the pseudoscience label,” he wrote.

In other words, think big and embrace your failures.