Fresno Unified Board Clerk Veva Islas raised a few eyebrows this week with a tweet that says she's happy if vaccination opponents infected with COVID-19 may be briefly unable to have children. Islas, a public health advocate who heads Cultiva La Salud, a nonprofit for health equity in the...
'Vaxxed II' Bus Rolls Into Clovis. Wants to Hear Stories.
Vaccine safety has lead to emotional — and, on social media, not so civil — debate. The question of whether childhood vaccines are safe and tested thoroughly, along with government laws mandating vaccinations to attend schools, have lead to protests, accusations, and lawsuits. Listen to this article: All the...
Fresno Considers Ambitious Downtown Project. Neighbor Not So Sure.
Developer Terance Frazier's long-envisioned downtown Fresno entertainment and housing venture will be presented to the city's planning commission for approval Wednesday (Sept. 18). Listen to this article: The H Street Development is slated to include restaurants, bars, and other entertainment venues, such as a music stage and a bowling...
State Senate Disrupted By Woman Throwing Red Liquid on Legislators
SACRAMENTO — A woman threw a feminine hygiene device containing "what appeared to be blood" onto the floor of the state Senate Friday, splashing onto lawmakers and forcing them to finish their work in a committee room on the final day of the legislative session. Senators had just finished taking...
Vaccine Exemption Bills Get Newsom's Signature
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills Monday to crack down on doctors who write fraudulent medical exemptions for school children's vaccinations. The governor acted without comment less than an hour after lawmakers sent him changes he demanded as a condition of approving the bills. Legislators passed the second of...
Anti-Vaccine Activist Shoves California Lawmaker
SACRAMENTO — An anti-vaccine activist has been cited in the assault of a California lawmaker who was pushed on a sidewalk near the Capitol. Kenneth Austin Bennett livestreamed the confrontation on his Facebook. The video appears to show Bennett questioning State Sen. Richard Pan in the street about vaccines. Pan...
California Vaccine Rules Advance Over Emotional Opposition
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers advanced tougher rules for vaccinations late Wednesday after hearing hours of testimony from hundreds of opponents while the nation grapples with the highest number of measles cases in decades. The Senate Health Committee approved the proposal to give state public health officials instead of local doctors...
RFK Jr. Opposes Bill Reviewing Medical Exemptions for Vaccines
Bobby Kennedy Jr. opposes a proposed California law imposing oversight over doctors who exempt children from vaccinations to attend school. The author of the bill, state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), says SB 276 is needed to prevent fraudulent and phony exemptions. State health data shows that medical exemptions tripled (from...
On the Record: Sen. Pan on Changing Vaccine Laws and When it May Happen
Richard Pan is the state senator who launched a thousand flame wars. To those who believe vaccines are essential for keeping school children safe from disease, the Sacramento Democrat is a hero and champion. [text-wrap] Richard Pan Interview from GV Wire on Vimeo. For those who have alternative views on...