• State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and state Sen. Monique Límon (D-Santa Barbara) are calling on textbook publishers to diversify their instructional materials and work with the task force they co-chair, a special Task Force on Inclusive Education. “As our nation grapples with book bans and literary exclusions, it is critical we ensure California students have access to information that is reflective of a more complete history and broader representation,” Límon said in a June 12 statement. “I am honored to stand alongside Superintendent Thurmond and my colleagues in the Legislature to identify ways to advance more inclusive educational systems and resources.” In a June 21 press release, Thurmond’s office said he was supporting legislation aimed at promoting the work that the task force is doing, including The Safe and Supportive Schools Program (Assembly Bill 5), which would establish an online LGBTQ-plus cultural competency training program for teachers and other certified employees; AB 1078, which looks at ways to prevent book banning; and AB 1352, that would promote inclusive politics, practices, and curriculums. “It is proven that when students see images that look like them, they do better academically and socially,” Thurmond said in the release. “We have a wonderfully diverse student body in California, and textbooks haven’t kept up. … This is all happening against a backdrop where governors in other states are literally trying to strip out any representation about race, about the experience of LGBTQ-plus students, and of students with disabilities.”
• On June 23, the state of California awarded $1.49 billion in grants focusing on addressing the behavioral health crisis impacting every community across the state. The grants aim to help people with mental health and substance use disorders get connected to housing on their path to treatment, provide care and housing for older adults, and increase capacity at mental health and substance use disorder facilities, according to a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. “California is committed to addressing the mental health crisis that communities all across our state are facing, and we’re doing it as comprehensively and inclusively as we can,” Newsom said. “These new investments are a key part of how California is transforming the approach to helping people—meeting people where they are—and connecting them with the services and housing they need when they need them.” The Department of Health Care Services awarded $907 million through its Behavioral Health Bridge Housing program to address the housing and treatment needs of the unsheltered homeless population with serious behavioral health conditions; $430 million went to mental health and substance use disorder treatment facilities in 21 counties; $153 million went to 19 organizations across the state as part of the Department of Social Services Community Care Expansion program to create more residential care options for seniors and adults with disabilities.
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) introduced two pieces of legislation on June 22 that aim to protect winegrape growers on the West Coast against wildfire smoke damage. The Smoke Exposure Research Act and the Crop Insurance for Wine Grapes Act would strenthen research and risk management efforts to better understand the impacts of prolonged wildfire smoke exposure on vines and wineries by investing in research and fair insurance products for growers, according to a statement from Padilla’s office. “Winegrape growing regions are critical to our economy, especially in California. Growers, vintners, and consumers alike have a stake in the sustainability of winegrowing communities—and these bills will help growers make informed decisions about harvesting and selling their crops,” Padilla said. Smoke from wildfires can be absorbed through thin grape skins and create an ashy taste known as “smoke taint,” the statement said. The state’s wineries and winegrape growers have lost property, tourism, and production due to smoke-exposed grapes, with 2020’s wildfires estimated to have cost the industry $3.7 billion.
This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 9, 2023.