• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) met with families, small-business owners, and farmers in Watsonville and Pajaro impacted by the recent storms in California, according to an April 12 statement from the senator’s office. During his visit, Padilla surveyed damage near Highway 1 where the breached Pajaro River levee caused devastating flooding to surrounding communities. During the visit, Padilla was joined by U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Santa Cruz) and several other local and federal officials. This visit comes after Padilla led the California congressional delegation in urging the Biden administration to approve a major disaster declaration for the most recent winter storms and atmospheric river systems. “It’s clear the communities around Pajaro have a long road ahead of them—not just to rebuild the communities affected by this year’s atmospheric rivers, but to protect the region from future natural disasters,” Padilla said in the statement. “I am committed to continuing to push for increased federal investments as we work to address the inequities in our infrastructure that have long existed in our most vulnerable communities. The need will only grow as we continue to experience more frequent and more devastating natural disasters due to climate change.”
• Covered California—the state’s largest health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable insurance—announced that the agency appointed Monica Soni as its new chief medical officer, according to an April 13 statement from Covered California. Soni came to Covered California after serving as the associate chief medical officer at New Century Health. During her time at the organization, Soni played a critical role in clinical informatics, provider engagement, value-based strategies and innovation. She is also a board certified internal medicine physician with more than a decade of experience in serving patients. As chief medical officer, Soni will lead Covered California’s Health Equity and Quality Transformation division and be responsible for health equity, health care strategy, medical policy, medical management, and other clinical operations to continuously improve services. “Dr. Soni embraces Covered California’s mission of making coverage more affordable and accessible, and her unique perspective will help us amplify our work around improving value, quality, and outcomes, as well as reducing disparities,” Covered California board of directors chair Mark Ghaly said in a statement. “Throughout her career, Dr. Soni has dedicated herself to making a positive difference in the health and wellbeing of others, and we look forward to her continuing that work at Covered California.”
• Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) filed a motion to amend the state’s lawsuit against Huntington Beach in order to hold the city accountable for violating the state Housing Element Law, according to an April 10 statement from the governor’s office. State law requires local governments to include housing elements in their general plans. Huntington Beach has been out of compliance on its housing element since Oct. 15, 2021, and last week in a 4-3 vote the City Council once again refused to adopt a draft housing element prepared by the city’s staff. As a result, the state is seeking injunctive relief and penalties against the city for its ongoing failure to comply with state housing law. “Huntington Beach continues to fail its residents,” Newsom said in the statement. “Every city and county needs to do their part to bring down the high housing and rent costs that are impacting families across this state. California will continue taking every step necessary to ensure everyone is building their fair share of housing and not flouting state housing laws at the expense of the community.”
