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...
California Lawmaker, Governor Reach Deal on Vaccine Bill
SACRAMENTO — The author of a California bill limiting medical exemptions for vaccinations is accepting Gov. Gavin Newsom's demand for additional changes. Sen. Richard Pan on Friday amended a companion bill to reflect the governor's wishes, days after lawmakers sent Newsom a bill cracking down on doctors who sell fraudulent...
Newsom Wants Fixes to Contentious Vaccine Exemption Bill
SACRAMENTO — California's state Assembly approved legislation Tuesday designed to crack down on doctors who sell fraudulent medical exemptions for vaccinations. But Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said immediately after the vote that he will seek additional amendments affecting one of this legislative session's most hotly debated issues. The bill by...
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...
Tougher Vaccination Requirements Move Forward in California
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers moved ahead Wednesday with tougher rules that limit parents from choosing whether to vaccinate their schoolchildren as a handful of opponents shouted "we will not comply" inside the Senate. Senators sent the measure to the Assembly as the nation struggles to stem the highest number of...
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...
California Lawmaker Sued for Blocking Critics’ Twitter Feeds
SACRAMENTO — Two California residents are suing a state senator for blocking them from a social media account in a case similar to a successful lawsuit that barred President Trump from blocking critics on his Twitter account. Suzanne Rummel and Marlene Burkitt sued Democratic Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento alleging...