The historical function of jails was to detain people who are a danger to public safety or a flight risk while awaiting trial. Today, jails confine too many people who are neither, simply because they can’t afford to pay bail. Each year, an estimated 1,000 people die while incarcerated in local jails, and a majority are being held pre-trial.
“It’s a beautiful thing when you’ve resuscitated someone and you get them back,” says paramedic Henry Ledo, “but if you can do anything for anyone in their life, it’s at least to respect their wishes.”
Mixed-immigration status families here are feverishly planning in the event that they are divided by deportations. The most common of many scenarios is that undocumented parents could be deported, leaving their children who are U.S. citizens behind.
Doctors across the state say that in addition to treating more babies who are born with an addiction, they’re seeing an increase in children and teens who are addicted to opiates, a class of highly-addictive drugs.
Five million of California’s poorest and most vulnerable residents could lose their health coverage if the American Health Care Act becomes law, health advocates say.
“It really helps and it really works if you’re open minded and willing to allow the process to occur. If you attend it and just sit there with your arms crossed and you’ve got a messed up look up on your face and you’re really not participating in the class, it won’t help you.”
On Monday, the San Diego school district – the second largest in the state – announced it will collaborate with Baja schools to make sure that kids are getting compatible and similar education on both sides of the border.
Amid news of stepped-up deportation efforts under President Donald Trump, some students with an undocumented parent are living in fear that their families will be torn apart.
When Kirsten Dearing stands up, her autonomic nervous system goes haywire, causing her blood pressure to plummet and her heart to race. It’s a condition that sometimes leaves the Santa Rosa resident unable to cope with everyday tasks, and she’s spent the last two years trying to sort through possible medications, weighing side effects against her debilitating symptoms.
In an attempt to shield the state from federal policy changes, California legislators are working on a series of women’s health bills.